Tuesday 25 December 2007 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Tuesday 25 December 2007 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Micah 4:1-5,5:2-4

In days to come
   the mountain of the Lord's house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
   and shall be raised up above the hills.
Peoples shall stream to it, 
2   and many nations shall come and say:
'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
   to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
   and that we may walk in his paths.'
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
   and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 
3He shall judge between many peoples,
   and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
   and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
   neither shall they learn war any more; 
4but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig
trees,
   and no one shall make them afraid;
   for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. 


5For all the peoples walk,
   each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
   for ever and ever. 


The Ruler from Bethlehem
2*But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
   who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
   one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
   from ancient days. 
3Therefore he shall give them up until the time
   when she who is in labour has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
   to the people of Israel. 
4And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
   in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
   to the ends of the earth;
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1 John 4:7-16

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who
loves is born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know
God, for God is love. 9God's love was revealed among us in this way: God
sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10In
this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his
Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Beloved, since God loved
us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen
God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected
in us. 
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has
given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and do testify that the
Father has sent his Son as the Saviour of the world. 15God abides in
those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God.
16So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in
them. ******************************************************************
John 3:31-36

The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth
belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes
from heaven is above all. 32He testifies to what he has seen and heard,
yet no one accepts his testimony. 33Whoever has accepted his testimony
has certified* this, that God is true. 34He whom God has sent speaks the
words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35The Father
loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. 36Whoever believes
in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life,
but must endure God's wrath. 
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 2, 85

Psalm 2

Why do the nations conspire,
   and the peoples plot in vain? 
2The kings of the earth set themselves,
   and the rulers take counsel together,
   against the Lord and his anointed, saying, 
3'Let us burst their bonds asunder,
   and cast their cords from us.' 


4He who sits in the heavens laughs;
   the Lord has them in derision. 
5Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
   and terrify them in his fury, saying, 
6'I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.' 


7I will tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to me, 'You are my son;
   today I have begotten you. 
8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
   and the ends of the earth your possession. 
9You shall break them with a rod of iron,
   and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.' 


10Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
   be warned, O rulers of the earth. 
11Serve the Lord with fear,
   with trembling 12kiss his feet,*
or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way;
   for his wrath is quickly kindled. 


Happy are all who take refuge in him.


Psalm 85

Lord, you were favourable to your land;
   you restored the fortunes of Jacob. 
2You forgave the iniquity of your people;
   you pardoned all their sin.
          Selah 
3You withdrew all your wrath;
   you turned from your hot anger. 


4Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
   and put away your indignation towards us. 
5Will you be angry with us for ever?
   Will you prolong your anger to all generations? 
6Will you not revive us again,
   so that your people may rejoice in you? 
7Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
   and grant us your salvation. 


8Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
   for he will speak peace to his people,
   to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.* 
9Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
   that his glory may dwell in our land. 


10Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
   righteousness and peace will kiss each other. 
11Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
   and righteousness will look down from the sky. 
12The Lord will give what is good,
   and our land will yield its increase. 
13Righteousness will go before him,
   and will make a path for his steps.
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Evening Psalms:  Psalm 110:1-7, 132

Psalm 110:1-7

The Lord says to my lord,
   'Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool.' 


2The Lord sends out from Zion
   your mighty sceptre.
   Rule in the midst of your foes. 
3Your people will offer themselves willingly
   on the day you lead your forces
   on the holy mountains.*
>From the womb of the morning,
   like dew, your youth* will come to you. 
4The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind,
   'You are a priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedek.'* 


5The Lord is at your right hand;
   he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. 
6He will execute judgement among the nations,
   filling them with corpses;
he will shatter heads
   over the wide earth. 
7He will drink from the stream by the path;
   therefore he will lift up his head.


Psalm 132

O Lord, remember in David's favour
   all the hardships he endured; 
2how he swore to the Lord
   and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, 
3'I will not enter my house
   or get into my bed; 
4I will not give sleep to my eyes
   or slumber to my eyelids, 
5until I find a place for the Lord,
   a dwelling-place for the Mighty One of Jacob.' 


6We heard of it in Ephrathah;
   we found it in the fields of Jaar. 
7'Let us go to his dwelling-place;
   let us worship at his footstool.' 


8Rise up, O Lord, and go to your resting-place,
   you and the ark of your might. 
9Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
   and let your faithful shout for joy. 
10For your servant David's sake
   do not turn away the face of your anointed one. 


11The Lord swore to David a sure oath
   from which he will not turn back:
'One of the sons of your body
   I will set on your throne. 
12If your sons keep my covenant
   and my decrees that I shall teach them,
their sons also, for evermore,
   shall sit on your throne.' 


13For the Lord has chosen Zion;
   he has desired it for his habitation: 
14'This is my resting-place for ever;
   here I will reside, for I have desired it. 
15I will abundantly bless its provisions;
   I will satisfy its poor with bread. 
16Its priests I will clothe with salvation,
   and its faithful will shout for joy. 
17There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David;
   I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one. 
18His enemies I will clothe with disgrace,
   but on him, his crown will gleam.'
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