Saturday 15 December 2007 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Saturday 15 December 2007 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Haggai 2:1-9

In the second year of King Darius,1in the seventh month, on the
twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet
Haggai, saying: 2Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of
Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the
remnant of the people, and say, 3Who is left among you that saw this
house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in
your sight as nothing? 4Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the
Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take
courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I am with
you, says the Lord of hosts, 5according to the promise that I made you
when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear.
6For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will
shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; 7and I
will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall
come, and I will fill this house with splendour, says the Lord of hosts.
8The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. 9The
latter splendour of this house shall be greater than the former, says
the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the
Lord of hosts.
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Revelation 3:1-6

'And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of
him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars:
'I know your works; you have a name for being alive, but you are dead.
2Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is at the point of death, for
I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. 3Remember
then what you received and heard; obey it, and repent. If you do not
wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I
will come to you. 4Yet you have still a few people in Sardis who have
not soiled their clothes; they will walk with me, dressed in white, for
they are worthy. 5If you conquer, you will be clothed like them in white
robes, and I will not blot your name out of the book of life; I will
confess your name before my Father and before his angels. 6Let anyone
who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. 
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Matthew 24:1-14

As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came
to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2Then he asked them,
'You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be
left here upon another; all will be thrown down.' 
Signs of the End of the Age3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives,
the disciples came to him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when will this
be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?'
4Jesus answered them, 'Beware that no one leads you astray. 5For many
will come in my name, saying, "I am the Messiah!"* and they will lead
many astray. 6And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that
you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet.
7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and
there will be famines* and earthquakes in various places: 8all this is
but the beginning of the birth pangs. 
Persecutions Foretold9 'Then they will hand you over to be tortured and
will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of
my name. 10Then many will fall away,* and they will betray one another
and hate one another. 11And many false prophets will arise and lead many
astray. 12And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many
will grow cold. 13But anyone who endures to the end will be saved. 14And
this good news* of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world,
as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come.
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 30, 32

Psalm 30

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up,
   and did not let my foes rejoice over me. 
2O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
   and you have healed me. 
3O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
   restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.* 


4Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
   and give thanks to his holy name. 
5For his anger is but for a moment;
   his favour is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
   but joy comes with the morning. 


6As for me, I said in my prosperity,
   'I shall never be moved.' 
7By your favour, O Lord,
   you had established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
   I was dismayed. 


8To you, O Lord, I cried,
   and to the Lord I made supplication: 
9'What profit is there in my death,
   if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
   Will it tell of your faithfulness? 
10Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!
   O Lord, be my helper!' 


11You have turned my mourning into dancing;
   you have taken off my sackcloth
   and clothed me with joy, 
12so that my soul* may praise you and not be silent.
   O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you for ever.


Psalm 32

Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,
   whose sin is covered. 
2Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity,
   and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 


3While I kept silence, my body wasted away
   through my groaning all day long. 
4For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
   my strength was dried up* as by the heat of summer.
          Selah 


5Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
   and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord',
   and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
          Selah 


6Therefore let all who are faithful
   offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress,* the rush of mighty waters
   shall not reach them. 
7You are a hiding-place for me;
   you preserve me from trouble;
   you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.
          Selah 


8I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
   I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 
9Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
   whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
   else it will not stay near you. 


10Many are the torments of the wicked,
   but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord. 
11Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous,
   and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
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Evening Psalms:  Psalm 42, 43

Psalm 42

As a deer longs for flowing streams,
   so my soul longs for you, O God. 
2My soul thirsts for God,
   for the living God.
When shall I come and behold
   the face of God? 
3My tears have been my food
   day and night,
while people say to me continually,
   'Where is your God?' 


4These things I remember,
   as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng,*
   and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
   a multitude keeping festival. 
5Why are you cast down, O my soul,
   and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
   my help 6and my God. 


My soul is cast down within me;
   therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
   from Mount Mizar. 
7Deep calls to deep
   at the thunder of your cataracts;
all your waves and your billows
   have gone over me. 
8By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
   and at night his song is with me,
   a prayer to the God of my life. 


9I say to God, my rock,
   'Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I walk about mournfully
   because the enemy oppresses me?' 
10As with a deadly wound in my body,
   my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me continually,
   'Where is your God?' 


11Why are you cast down, O my soul,
   and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
   my help and my God.


Psalm 43

Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
   against an ungodly people;
from those who are deceitful and unjust
   deliver me! 
2For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
   why have you cast me off?
Why must I walk about mournfully
   because of the oppression of the enemy? 


3O send out your light and your truth;
   let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
   and to your dwelling. 
4Then I will go to the altar of God,
   to God my exceeding joy;
and I will praise you with the harp,
   O God, my God. 


5Why are you cast down, O my soul,
   and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
   my help and my God.
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