Wednesday 6 June 2007 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Wednesday 6 June 2007 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Deuteronomy 13:1-11

If prophets or those who divine by dreams appear among you and promise
you omens or portents, and the omens or the portents declared by them
take place, and they say, 'Let us follow other gods' (whom you have not
known) 'and let us serve them', you must not heed the words of those
prophets or those who divine by dreams; for the Lord your God is
testing you, to know whether you indeed love the Lord your God with all
your heart and soul. The Lord your God you shall follow, him alone you
shall fear, his commandments you shall keep, his voice you shall obey,
him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast. But those prophets
or those who divine by dreams shall be put to death for having spoken
treason against the Lord your God-who brought you out of the land of
Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery-to turn you from the
way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall
purge the evil from your midst.

If anyone secretly entices you-even if it is your brother, your father's
son or your mother's son, or your own son or daughter, or the wife you
embrace, or your most intimate friend-saying, 'Let us go and worship
other gods', whom neither you nor your ancestors have known, any of the
gods of the peoples that are around you, whether near you or far away
from you, from one end of the earth to the other, you must not yield to
or heed any such persons. Show them no pity or compassion and do not
shield them. But you shall surely kill them; your own hand shall be
first against them to execute them, and afterwards the hand of all the
people. Stone them to death for trying to turn you away from the Lord
your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
slavery. Then all Israel shall hear and be afraid, and never again do
any such wickedness.
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2 Corinthians 7:2-16

Make room in your hearts for us; we have wronged no one, we have
corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. I do not say this
to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die
together and to live together. I often boast about you; I have great
pride in you; I am filled with consolation; I am overjoyed in all our
affliction.

For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we
were afflicted in every way-disputes without and fears within. But God,
who consoles the downcast, consoled us by the arrival of Titus, and not
only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was
consoled about you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your
zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. For even if I made you
sorry with my letter, I do not regret it (though I did regret it, for I
see that I grieved you with that letter, though only briefly). Now I
rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to
repentance; for you felt a godly grief, so that you were not harmed in
any way by us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to
salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death. For
see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, what
eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what
longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved
yourselves guiltless in the matter. So although I wrote to you, it was
not on account of the one who did the wrong, nor on account of the one
who was wronged, but in order that your zeal for us might be made known
to you before God. In this we find comfort.

In addition to our own consolation, we rejoiced still more at the joy of
Titus, because his mind has been set at rest by all of you. For if I
have been somewhat boastful about you to him, I was not disgraced; but
just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus
has proved true as well. And his heart goes out all the more to you, as
he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you welcomed him with
fear and trembling. I rejoice, because I have complete confidence in
you.
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Luke 17:20-37

Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was
coming, and he answered, 'The kingdom of God is not coming with things
that can be observed; nor will they say, "Look, here it is!" or "There
it is!" For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.'

Then he said to the disciples, 'The days are coming when you will long
to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They
will say to you, "Look there!" or "Look here!" Do not go, do not set off
in pursuit. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one
side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he
must endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation. Just as
it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of
Man. They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in
marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and
destroyed all of them. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot:
they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and
building, but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and
sulphur from heaven and destroyed all of them -it will be like that on
the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, anyone on the
housetop who has belongings in the house must not come down to take
them away; and likewise anyone in the field must not turn back.
Remember Lot's wife. Those who try to make their life secure will lose
it, but those who lose their life will keep it. I tell you, on that
night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other
left. There will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken
and the other left.' Then they asked him, 'Where, Lord?' He said to
them, 'Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.'
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 119:49-72

Psalm 119:49-72

Remember your word to your servant,
   in which you have made me hope. 
This is my comfort in my distress,
   that your promise gives me life. 
The arrogant utterly deride me,
   but I do not turn away from your law. 
When I think of your ordinances from of old,
   I take comfort, O Lord. 
Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,
   those who forsake your law. 
Your statutes have been my songs
   wherever I make my home. 
I remember your name in the night, O Lord,
   and keep your law. 
This blessing has fallen to me,
   for I have kept your precepts. 


The Lord is my portion;
   I promise to keep your words. 
I implore your favour with all my heart;
   be gracious to me according to your promise. 
When I think of your ways,
   I turn my feet to your decrees; 
I hurry and do not delay
   to keep your commandments. 
Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,
   I do not forget your law. 
At midnight I rise to praise you,
   because of your righteous ordinances. 
I am a companion of all who fear you,
   of those who keep your precepts. 
The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;
   teach me your statutes. 


You have dealt well with your servant,
   O Lord, according to your word. 
Teach me good judgement and knowledge,
   for I believe in your commandments. 
Before I was humbled I went astray,
   but now I keep your word. 
You are good and do good;
   teach me your statutes. 
The arrogant smear me with lies,
   but with my whole heart I keep your precepts. 
Their hearts are fat and gross,
   but I delight in your law. 
It is good for me that I was humbled,
   so that I might learn your statutes. 
The law of your mouth is better to me
   than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 49, 53

Psalm 49

Hear this, all you peoples;
   give ear, all inhabitants of the world, 
both low and high,
   rich and poor together. 
My mouth shall speak wisdom;
   the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. 
I will incline my ear to a proverb;
   I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp. 


Why should I fear in times of trouble,
   when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me, 
those who trust in their wealth
   and boast of the abundance of their riches? 
Truly, no ransom avails for one's life,
   there is no price one can give to God for it. 
For the ransom of life is costly,
   and can never suffice, 
that one should live on for ever
   and never see the grave. 


When we look at the wise, they die;
   fool and dolt perish together
   and leave their wealth to others. 
Their graves are their homes for ever,
   their dwelling-places to all generations,
   though they named lands their own. 
Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
   they are like the animals that perish. 


Such is the fate of the foolhardy,
   the end of those who are pleased with their lot.
          Selah 
Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
   Death shall be their shepherd;
straight to the grave they descend,
   and their form shall waste away;
   Sheol shall be their home. 
But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
   for he will receive me.
          Selah 


Do not be afraid when some become rich,
   when the wealth of their houses increases. 
For when they die they will carry nothing away;
   their wealth will not go down after them. 
Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy
   -for you are praised when you do well for yourself- 
they will go to the company of their ancestors,
   who will never again see the light. 
Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
   they are like the animals that perish.



Psalm 53

Fools say in their hearts, 'There is no God.'
   They are corrupt, they commit abominable acts;
   there is no one who does good. 


God looks down from heaven on humankind
   to see if there are any who are wise,
   who seek after God. 


They have all fallen away, they are all alike perverse;
   there is no one who does good,
   no, not one. 


Have they no knowledge, those evildoers,
   who eat up my people as they eat bread,
   and do not call upon God? 


There they shall be in great terror,
   in terror such as has not been.
For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly;
   they will be put to shame, for God has rejected them. 


O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
   When God restores the fortunes of his people,
   Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
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