Monday 10 September 2007 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Monday 10 September 2007 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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1 Kings 13:1-10

While Jeroboam was standing by the altar to offer incense, a man of God
came out of Judah by the word of the Lord to Bethel 2and proclaimed
against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, 'O altar, altar,
thus says the Lord: "A son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah
by name; and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places
who offer incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you." ' 3He
gave a sign the same day, saying, 'This is the sign that the Lord has
spoken: "The altar shall be torn down, and the ashes that are on it
shall be poured out." ' 4When the king heard what the man of God cried
out against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from
the altar, saying, 'Seize him!' But the hand that he stretched out
against him withered so that he could not draw it back to himself. 5The
altar also was torn down, and the ashes poured out from the altar,
according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the
Lord. 6The king said to the man of God, 'Entreat now the favour of the
Lord your God, and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored to me.'
So the man of God entreated the Lord; and the king's hand was restored
to him, and became as it was before. 7Then the king said to the man of
God, 'Come home with me and dine, and I will give you a gift.' 8But the
man of God said to the king, 'If you give me half your kingdom, I will
not go in with you; nor will I eat food or drink water in this place.
9For thus I was commanded by the word of the Lord: You shall not eat
food, or drink water, or return by the way that you came.' 10So he went
another way, and did not return by the way that he had come to Bethel.
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Philippians 1:1-11

Paul and Timothy, servants* of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops*
and deacons:* 
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 


Paul's Prayer for the Philippians3 I thank my God every time I remember
you, 4constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of
you, 5because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until
now. 6I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among
you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. 7It is right
for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your
heart,* for all of you share in God's grace* with me, both in my
imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel. 8For God
is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ
Jesus. 9And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more
with knowledge and full insight 10to help you to determine what is best,
so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11having
produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ
for the glory and praise of God.
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Mark 15:40-47

There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary
Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and
Salome. 41These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in
Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to
Jerusalem. 
The Burial of Jesus42 When evening had come, and since it was the day of
Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, 43Joseph of Arimathea,
a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting
expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for
the body of Jesus. 44Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and
summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some
time. 45When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted
the body to Joseph. 46Then Joseph* bought a linen cloth, and taking down
the body,* wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had
been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of
the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the
body* was laid.
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 41, 52

Psalm 41

Happy are those who consider the poor;*
   the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble. 
2The Lord protects them and keeps them alive;
   they are called happy in the land.
   You do not give them up to the will of their enemies. 
3The Lord sustains them on their sickbed;
   in their illness you heal all their infirmities.* 


4As for me, I said, 'O Lord, be gracious to me;
   heal me, for I have sinned against you.' 
5My enemies wonder in malice
   when I will die, and my name perish. 
6And when they come to see me, they utter empty words,
   while their hearts gather mischief;
   when they go out, they tell it abroad. 
7All who hate me whisper together about me;
   they imagine the worst for me. 


8They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me,
   that I will not rise again from where I lie. 
9Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted,
   who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me. 
10But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,
   and raise me up, that I may repay them. 


11By this I know that you are pleased with me;
   because my enemy has not triumphed over me. 
12But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
   and set me in your presence for ever. 


13Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
   from everlasting to everlasting.Amen and Amen.



Psalm 52

'David has come to the house of Ahimelech.'
1Why do you boast, O mighty one,
   of mischief done against the godly?*
   All day long 2you are plotting destruction.
Your tongue is like a sharp razor,
   you worker of treachery. 
3You love evil more than good,
   and lying more than speaking the truth.
          Selah 
4You love all words that devour,
   O deceitful tongue. 


5But God will break you down for ever;
   he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
   he will uproot you from the land of the living.
          Selah 
6The righteous will see, and fear,
   and will laugh at the evildoer,* saying, 
7'See the one who would not take
   refuge in God,
but trusted in abundant riches,
   and sought refuge in wealth!'* 


8But I am like a green olive tree
   in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
   for ever and ever. 
9I will thank you for ever,
   because of what you have done.
In the presence of the faithful
   I will proclaim* your name, for it is good.
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 44

Psalm 44

We have heard with our ears, O God,
   our ancestors have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
   in the days of old: 
2you with your own hand drove out the nations,
   but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
   but them you set free; 
3for not by their own sword did they win the land,
   nor did their own arm give them victory;
but your right hand, and your arm,
   and the light of your countenance,
   for you delighted in them. 


4You are my King and my God;
   you command* victories for Jacob. 
5Through you we push down our foes;
   through your name we tread down our assailants. 
6For not in my bow do I trust,
   nor can my sword save me. 
7But you have saved us from our foes,
   and have put to confusion those who hate us. 
8In God we have boasted continually,
   and we will give thanks to your name for ever.
          Selah 


9Yet you have rejected us and abased us,
   and have not gone out with our armies. 
10You made us turn back from the foe,
   and our enemies have taken spoil for themselves. 
11You have made us like sheep for slaughter,
   and have scattered us among the nations. 
12You have sold your people for a trifle,
   demanding no high price for them. 


13You have made us the taunt of our neighbours,
   the derision and scorn of those around us. 
14You have made us a byword among the nations,
   a laughing-stock* among the peoples. 
15All day long my disgrace is before me,
   and shame has covered my face 
16at the words of the taunters and revilers,
   at the sight of the enemy and the avenger. 


17All this has come upon us,
   yet we have not forgotten you,
   or been false to your covenant. 
18Our heart has not turned back,
   nor have our steps departed from your way, 
19yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals,
   and covered us with deep darkness. 


20If we had forgotten the name of our God,
   or spread out our hands to a strange god, 
21would not God discover this?
   For he knows the secrets of the heart. 
22Because of you we are being killed all day long,
   and accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 


23Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
   Awake, do not cast us off for ever! 
24Why do you hide your face?
   Why do you forget our affliction and oppression? 
25For we sink down to the dust;
   our bodies cling to the ground. 
26Rise up, come to our help.
   Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.
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