Saturday 13 October 2007 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Saturday 13 October 2007 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Jeremiah 35:1-19

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of King
Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah: 2Go to the house of the Rechabites,
and speak with them, and bring them to the house of the Lord, into one
of the chambers; then offer them wine to drink. 3So I took Jaazaniah son
of Jeremiah son of Habazziniah, and his brothers, and all his sons, and
the whole house of the Rechabites. 4I brought them to the house of the
Lord into the chamber of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, the man of
God, which was near the chamber of the officials, above the chamber of
Maaseiah son of Shallum, keeper of the threshold. 5Then I set before the
Rechabites pitchers full of wine, and cups; and I said to them, 'Have
some wine.' 6But they answered, 'We will drink no wine, for our ancestor
Jonadab son of Rechab commanded us, "You shall never drink wine, neither
you nor your children; 7nor shall you ever build a house, or sow seed;
nor shall you plant a vineyard, or even own one; but you shall live in
tents all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you
reside." 8We have obeyed the charge of our ancestor Jonadab son of
Rechab in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days,
ourselves, our wives, our sons, and our daughters, 9and not to build
houses to live in. We have no vineyard or field or seed; 10but we have
lived in tents, and have obeyed and done all that our ancestor Jonadab
commanded us. 11But when King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon came up against
the land, we said, "Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the
army of the Chaldeans and the army of the Arameans." That is why we are
living in Jerusalem.' 
12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13Thus says the Lord of
hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the people of Judah and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, Can you not learn a lesson and obey my words?
says the Lord. 14The command has been carried out that Jonadab son of
Rechab gave to his descendants to drink no wine; and they drink none to
this day, for they have obeyed their ancestor's command. But I myself
have spoken to you persistently, and you have not obeyed me. 15I have
sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them persistently,
saying, 'Turn now everyone of you from your evil way, and amend your
doings, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and then you shall
live in the land that I gave to you and your ancestors.' But you did not
incline your ear or obey me. 16The descendants of Jonadab son of Rechab
have carried out the command that their ancestor gave them, but this
people has not obeyed me. 17Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of
hosts, the God of Israel: I am going to bring on Judah and on all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem every disaster that I have pronounced against
them; because I have spoken to them and they have not listened, I have
called to them and they have not answered. 
18 But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said: Thus says the Lord
of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the command of your
ancestor Jonadab, and kept all his precepts, and done all that he
commanded you, 19therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of
Israel: Jonadab son of Rechab shall not lack a descendant to stand
before me for all time.
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1 Corinthians 12:27-13:3

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28And God
has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third
teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of
assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. 29Are all
apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do
all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
31But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more
excellent way. 
The Gift of Love13If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels,
but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I
have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have
love, I am nothing. 3If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand
over my body so that I may boast,* but do not have love, I gain nothing.
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Matthew 9:35-10:4

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their
synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing
every disease and every sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had
compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep
without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is
plentiful, but the labourers are few; 38therefore ask the Lord of the
harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.' 
The Twelve Apostles10Then Jesus* summoned his twelve disciples and gave
them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every
disease and every sickness. 2These are the names of the twelve apostles:
first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of
Zebedee, and his brother John; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and
Matthew the tax-collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;* 4Simon
the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 137:1-9, 144

Psalm 137:1-9

By the rivers of Babylon-
   there we sat down and there we wept
   when we remembered Zion. 
2On the willows* there
   we hung up our harps. 
3For there our captors
   asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
   'Sing us one of the songs of Zion!' 


4How could we sing the Lord's song
   in a foreign land? 
5If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
   let my right hand wither! 
6Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth,
   if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
   above my highest joy. 


7Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
   the day of Jerusalem's fall,
how they said, 'Tear it down! Tear it down!
   Down to its foundations!' 
8O daughter Babylon, you devastator!*
   Happy shall they be who pay you back
   what you have done to us! 
9Happy shall they be who take your little ones
   and dash them against the rock!



Psalm 144

Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
   who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; 
2my rock* and my fortress,
   my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
   who subdues the peoples* under me. 


3O Lord, what are human beings that you regard them,
   or mortals that you think of them? 
4They are like a breath;
   their days are like a passing shadow. 


5Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down;
   touch the mountains so that they smoke. 
6Make the lightning flash and scatter them;
   send out your arrows and rout them. 
7Stretch out your hand from on high;
   set me free and rescue me from the mighty waters,
   from the hand of aliens, 
8whose mouths speak lies,
   and whose right hands are false. 


9I will sing a new song to you, O God;
   upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you, 
10the one who gives victory to kings,
   who rescues his servant David. 
11Rescue me from the cruel sword,
   and deliver me from the hand of aliens,
whose mouths speak lies,
   and whose right hands are false. 


12May our sons in their youth
   be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars,
   cut for the building of a palace. 
13May our barns be filled
   with produce of every kind;
may our sheep increase by thousands,
   by tens of thousands in our fields, 
14   and may our cattle be heavy with young.
May there be no breach in the walls,* no exile,
   and no cry of distress in our streets. 


15Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall;
   happy are the people whose God is the Lord.
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Evening Psalms:  Psalm 104

Psalm 104

Bless the Lord, O my soul.
   O Lord my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honour and majesty, 
2   wrapped in light as with a garment.
You stretch out the heavens like a tent, 
3   you set the beams of your* chambers on the waters,
you make the clouds your* chariot,
   you ride on the wings of the wind, 
4you make the winds your* messengers,
   fire and flame your* ministers. 


5You set the earth on its foundations,
   so that it shall never be shaken. 
6You cover it with the deep as with a garment;
   the waters stood above the mountains. 
7At your rebuke they flee;
   at the sound of your thunder they take to flight. 
8They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys
   to the place that you appointed for them. 
9You set a boundary that they may not pass,
   so that they might not again cover the earth. 


10You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
   they flow between the hills, 
11giving drink to every wild animal;
   the wild asses quench their thirst. 
12By the streams* the birds of the air have their habitation;
   they sing among the branches. 
13From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
   the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. 


14You cause the grass to grow for the cattle,
   and plants for people to use,*
to bring forth food from the earth, 
15   and wine to gladden the human heart,
oil to make the face shine,
   and bread to strengthen the human heart. 
16The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
   the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. 
17In them the birds build their nests;
   the stork has its home in the fir trees. 
18The high mountains are for the wild goats;
   the rocks are a refuge for the coneys. 
19You have made the moon to mark the seasons;
   the sun knows its time for setting. 
20You make darkness, and it is night,
   when all the animals of the forest come creeping out. 
21The young lions roar for their prey,
   seeking their food from God. 
22When the sun rises, they withdraw
   and lie down in their dens. 
23People go out to their work
   and to their labour until the evening. 


24O Lord, how manifold are your works!
   In wisdom you have made them all;
   the earth is full of your creatures. 
25Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
   creeping things innumerable are there,
   living things both small and great. 
26There go the ships,
   and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. 


27These all look to you
   to give them their food in due season; 
28when you give to them, they gather it up;
   when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. 
29When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
   when you take away their breath, they die
   and return to their dust. 
30When you send forth your spirit,* they are created;
   and you renew the face of the ground. 


31May the glory of the Lord endure for ever;
   may the Lord rejoice in his works- 
32who looks on the earth and it trembles,
   who touches the mountains and they smoke. 
33I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
   I will sing praise to my God while I have being. 
34May my meditation be pleasing to him,
   for I rejoice in the Lord. 
35Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
   and let the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord!
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