Sunday 10 June 2007 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Sunday 10 June 2007 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Deuteronomy 29:16-29

You know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the
midst of the nations through which you passed. You have seen their
detestable things, the filthy idols of wood and stone, of silver and
gold, that were among them. It may be that there is among you a man or
woman, or a family or tribe, whose heart is already turning away from
the Lord our God to serve the gods of those nations. It may be that
there is among you a root sprouting poisonous and bitter growth. All
who hear the words of this oath and bless themselves, thinking in their
hearts, 'We are safe even though we go our own stubborn ways' (thus
bringing disaster on moist and dry alike)- the Lord will be unwilling
to pardon them, for the Lord's anger and passion will smoke against
them. All the curses written in this book will descend on them, and the
Lord will blot out their names from under heaven. The Lord will single
them out from all the tribes of Israel for calamity, in accordance with
all the curses of the covenant written in this book of the law. The next
generation, your children who rise up after you, as well as the
foreigner who comes from a distant country, will see the devastation of
that land and the afflictions with which the Lord has afflicted it- all
its soil burned out by sulphur and salt, nothing planted, nothing
sprouting, unable to support any vegetation, like the destruction of
Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord destroyed in his
fierce anger- they and indeed all the nations will wonder, 'Why has the
Lord done thus to this land? What caused this great display of anger?'
They will conclude, 'It is because they abandoned the covenant of the
Lord, the God of their ancestors, which he made with them when he
brought them out of the land of Egypt. They turned and served other
gods, worshipping them, gods whom they had not known and whom he had
not allotted to them; so the anger of the Lord was kindled against that
land, bringing on it every curse written in this book. The Lord uprooted
them from their land in anger, fury, and great wrath, and cast them into
another land, as is now the case.' The secret things belong to the Lord
our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our children for
ever, to observe all the words of this law.
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Revelation 12:1-12

A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with
the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She
was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving
birth. Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon,
with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His
tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the
earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a
child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. And
she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations
with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God
and to his throne; and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she
has a place prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for one
thousand two hundred and sixty days.

And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the
dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated,
and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon
was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and
Satan, the deceiver of the whole world-he was thrown down to the earth,
and his angels were thrown down with him.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming,
'Now have come the salvation and the power
   and the kingdom of our God
   and the authority of his Messiah,
for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down,
   who accuses them day and night before our God. 
But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb
   and by the word of their testimony,
for they did not cling to life even in the face of death. 
Rejoice then, you heavens
   and those who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
   for the devil has come down to you
with great wrath,
   because he knows that his time is short!'
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Matthew 15:29-39

After Jesus had left that place, he passed along the Sea of Galilee, and
he went up the mountain, where he sat down. Great crowds came to him,
bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many
others. They put them at his feet, and he cured them, so that the crowd
was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed whole, the lame
walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 'I have compassion for
the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have
nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they
might faint on the way.' The disciples said to him, 'Where are we to
get enough bread in the desert to feed so great a crowd?' Jesus asked
them, 'How many loaves have you?' They said, 'Seven, and a few small
fish.' Then ordering the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the
seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks he broke them and
gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
And all of them ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces
left over, seven baskets full. Those who had eaten were four thousand
men, besides women and children. After sending away the crowds, he got
into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 24, 29

Psalm 24

The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it,
   the world, and those who live in it; 
for he has founded it on the seas,
   and established it on the rivers. 


Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
   And who shall stand in his holy place? 
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
   who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
   and do not swear deceitfully. 
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
   and vindication from the God of their salvation. 
Such is the company of those who seek him,
   who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
          Selah 


Lift up your heads, O gates!
   and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
   that the King of glory may come in. 
Who is the King of glory?
   The Lord, strong and mighty,
   the Lord, mighty in battle. 
Lift up your heads, O gates!
   and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
   that the King of glory may come in. 
Who is this King of glory?
   The Lord of hosts,
   he is the King of glory.
          Selah


Psalm 29

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
   ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 
Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
   worship the Lord in holy splendour. 


The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
   the God of glory thunders,
   the Lord, over mighty waters. 
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
   the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. 


The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
   the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. 
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
   and Sirion like a young wild ox. 


The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. 
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
   the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 


The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl,
   and strips the forest bare;
   and in his temple all say, 'Glory!' 


The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
   the Lord sits enthroned as king for ever. 
May the Lord give strength to his people!
   May the Lord bless his people with peace!
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 8, 84

Psalm 8

O Lord, our Sovereign,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth! 


You have set your glory above the heavens. 
   Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
   to silence the enemy and the avenger. 


When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
   the moon and the stars that you have established; 
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
   mortals that you care for them? 


Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
   and crowned them with glory and honour. 
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
   you have put all things under their feet, 
all sheep and oxen,
   and also the beasts of the field, 
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
   whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 


O Lord, our Sovereign,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth!



Psalm 84

How lovely is your dwelling place,
   O Lord of hosts! 
My soul longs, indeed it faints
   for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh sing for joy
   to the living God. 


Even the sparrow finds a home,
   and the swallow a nest for herself,
   where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
   my King and my God. 
Happy are those who live in your house,
   ever singing your praise.
          Selah 


Happy are those whose strength is in you,
   in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 
As they go through the valley of Baca
   they make it a place of springs;
   the early rain also covers it with pools. 
They go from strength to strength;
   the God of gods will be seen in Zion. 


O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
   give ear, O God of Jacob!
          Selah 
Behold our shield, O God;
   look on the face of your anointed. 


For a day in your courts is better
   than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
   than live in the tents of wickedness. 
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
   he bestows favour and honour.
No good thing does the Lord withhold
   from those who walk uprightly. 
O Lord of hosts,
   happy is everyone who trusts in you.
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