Thursday 20 December 2007 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Thursday 20 December 2007 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Zechariah 4:1-14

The angel who talked with me came again, and wakened me, as one is
wakened from sleep. 2He said to me, 'What do you see?' And I said, 'I
see a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it; there are
seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the
top of it. 3And by it there are two olive trees, one on the right of the
bowl and the other on its left.' 4I said to the angel who talked with
me, 'What are these, my lord?' 5Then the angel who talked with me
answered me, 'Do you not know what these are?' I said, 'No, my lord.'
6He said to me, 'This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by
might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 7What are
you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and
he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" ' 
8 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9'The hands of
Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also
complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to
you. 10For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice,
and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel.
'These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole
earth.' 11Then I said to him, 'What are these two olive trees on the
right and the left of the lampstand?' 12And a second time I said to him,
'What are these two branches of the olive trees, which pour out the oil*
through the two golden pipes?' 13He said to me, 'Do you not know what
these are?' I said, 'No, my lord.' 14Then he said, 'These are the two
anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.'
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Revelation 4:9-5:5

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to
the one who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, 10the
twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and
worship the one who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns
before the throne, singing, 
11'You are worthy, our Lord and God,
   to receive glory and honour and power,
for you created all things,
   and by your will they existed and were created.' 
The Scroll and the Lamb5Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated
on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed*
with seven seals; 2and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud
voice, 'Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?' 3And no
one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll
or to look into it. 4And I began to weep bitterly because no one was
found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5Then one of the
elders said to me, 'Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah,
the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its
seven seals.'
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Matthew 25:1-13

'Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids* took
their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.* 2Five of them were
foolish, and five were wise. 3When the foolish took their lamps, they
took no oil with them; 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their
lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and
slept. 6But at midnight there was a shout, "Look! Here is the
bridegroom! Come out to meet him." 7Then all those bridesmaids* got up
and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of
your oil, for our lamps are going out." 9But the wise replied, "No!
there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the
dealers and buy some for yourselves." 10And while they went to buy it,
the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the
wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11Later the other bridesmaids*
came also, saying, "Lord, lord, open to us." 12But he replied, "Truly I
tell you, I do not know you." 13Keep awake therefore, for you know
neither the day nor the hour.*
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 50

Psalm 50

The mighty one, God the Lord,
   speaks and summons the earth
   from the rising of the sun to its setting. 
2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
   God shines forth. 


3Our God comes and does not keep silence,
   before him is a devouring fire,
   and a mighty tempest all around him. 
4He calls to the heavens above
   and to the earth, that he may judge his people: 
5'Gather to me my faithful ones,
   who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!' 
6The heavens declare his righteousness,
   for God himself is judge.
          Selah 


7'Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
   O Israel, I will testify against you.
   I am God, your God. 
8Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
   your burnt-offerings are continually before me. 
9I will not accept a bull from your house,
   or goats from your folds. 
10For every wild animal of the forest is mine,
   the cattle on a thousand hills. 
11I know all the birds of the air,*
   and all that moves in the field is mine. 


12'If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
   for the world and all that is in it is mine. 
13Do I eat the flesh of bulls,
   or drink the blood of goats? 
14Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,*
   and pay your vows to the Most High. 
15Call on me in the day of trouble;
   I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.' 


16But to the wicked God says:
   'What right have you to recite my statutes,
   or take my covenant on your lips? 
17For you hate discipline,
   and you cast my words behind you. 
18You make friends with a thief when you see one,
   and you keep company with adulterers. 


19'You give your mouth free rein for evil,
   and your tongue frames deceit. 
20You sit and speak against your kin;
   you slander your own mother's child. 
21These things you have done and I have been silent;
   you thought that I was one just like yourself.
But now I rebuke you, and lay the charge before you. 


22'Mark this, then, you who forget God,
   or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver. 
23Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honour me;
   to those who go the right way*
   I will show the salvation of God.'
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Evening Psalms:  Psalm 59, 60, 33

Psalm 59

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
   protect me from those who rise up against me. 
2Deliver me from those who work evil;
   from the bloodthirsty save me. 


3Even now they lie in wait for my life;
   the mighty stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord, 
4   for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. 


Rouse yourself, come to my help and see! 
5   You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Awake to punish all the nations;
   spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.
          Selah 


6Each evening they come back,
   howling like dogs
   and prowling about the city. 
7There they are, bellowing with their mouths,
   with sharp words* on their lips-
   for 'Who', they think,* 'will hear us?' 


8But you laugh at them, O Lord;
   you hold all the nations in derision. 
9O my strength, I will watch for you;
   for you, O God, are my fortress. 
10My God in his steadfast love will meet me;
   my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies. 


11Do not kill them, or my people may forget;
   make them totter by your power, and bring them down,
   O Lord, our shield. 
12For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
   let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter, 
13   consume them in wrath;
   consume them until they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
   that God rules over Jacob.
          Selah 


14Each evening they come back,
   howling like dogs
   and prowling about the city. 
15They roam about for food,
   and growl if they do not get their fill. 


16But I will sing of your might;
   I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been a fortress for me
   and a refuge on the day of my distress. 
17O my strength, I will sing praises to you,
   for you, O God, are my fortress,
   the God who shows me steadfast love.


Psalm 60

O God, you have rejected us, broken our defences;
   you have been angry; now restore us! 
2You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open;
   repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering. 
3You have made your people suffer hard things;
   you have given us wine to drink that made us reel. 


4You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
   to rally to it out of bowshot.* 
          Selah 
5Give victory with your right hand, and answer us,*
   so that those whom you love may be rescued. 


6God has promised in his sanctuary:*
   'With exultation I will divide up Shechem,
   and portion out the Vale of Succoth. 
7Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
   Ephraim is my helmet;
   Judah is my sceptre. 
8Moab is my wash-basin;
   on Edom I hurl my shoe;
   over Philistia I shout in triumph.' 


9Who will bring me to the fortified city?
   Who will lead me to Edom? 
10Have you not rejected us, O God?
   You do not go out, O God, with our armies. 
11O grant us help against the foe,
   for human help is worthless. 
12With God we shall do valiantly;
   it is he who will tread down our foes.


Psalm 33

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.
   Praise befits the upright. 
2Praise the Lord with the lyre;
   make melody to him with the harp of ten strings. 
3Sing to him a new song;
   play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts. 


4For the word of the Lord is upright,
   and all his work is done in faithfulness. 
5He loves righteousness and justice;
   the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. 


6By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
   and all their host by the breath of his mouth. 
7He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;
   he put the deeps in storehouses. 


8Let all the earth fear the Lord;
   let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 
9For he spoke, and it came to be;
   he commanded, and it stood firm. 


10The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
   he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 
11The counsel of the Lord stands for ever,
   the thoughts of his heart to all generations. 
12Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
   the people whom he has chosen as his heritage. 


13The Lord looks down from heaven;
   he sees all humankind. 
14From where he sits enthroned he watches
   all the inhabitants of the earth- 
15he who fashions the hearts of them all,
   and observes all their deeds. 
16A king is not saved by his great army;
   a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 
17The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
   and by its great might it cannot save. 


18Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
   on those who hope in his steadfast love, 
19to deliver their soul from death,
   and to keep them alive in famine. 


20Our soul waits for the Lord;
   he is our help and shield. 
21Our heart is glad in him,
   because we trust in his holy name. 
22Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
   even as we hope in you.
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