Monday 11 February 2008 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Monday 11 February 2008 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Genesis 37:1-11

Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the
land of Canaan. 2This is the story of the family of Jacob.
Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his
brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's
wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3Now
Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was
the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves.*
4But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his
brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him. 
5 Once Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they
hated him even more. 6He said to them, 'Listen to this dream that I
dreamed. 7There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Suddenly my sheaf
rose and stood upright; then your sheaves gathered around it, and bowed
down to my sheaf.' 8His brothers said to him, 'Are you indeed to reign
over us? Are you indeed to have dominion over us?' So they hated him
even more because of his dreams and his words. 
9 He had another dream, and told it to his brothers, saying, 'Look, I
have had another dream: the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing
down to me.' 10But when he told it to his father and to his brothers,
his father rebuked him, and said to him, 'What kind of dream is this
that you have had? Shall we indeed come, I and your mother and your
brothers, and bow to the ground before you?' 11So his brothers were
jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
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1 Corinthians 1:1-19

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and
our brother Sosthenes, 
2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified
in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in
every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord*
and ours: 
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 


4 I give thanks to my* God always for you because of the grace of God
that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5for in every way you have been
enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind- 6just as the
testimony of* Christ has been strengthened among you- 7so that you are
not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our
Lord Jesus Christ. 8He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you
may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful;
by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our
Lord. 
Divisions in the Church10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,* by
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in
agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you
should be united in the same mind and the same purpose. 11For it has
been reported to me by Chloe's people that there are quarrels among you,
my brothers and sisters.* 12What I mean is that each of you says, 'I
belong to Paul', or 'I belong to Apollos', or 'I belong to Cephas', or
'I belong to Christ.' 13Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for
you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14I thank God* that I
baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so that no one can say
that you were baptized in my name. 16(I did baptize also the household
of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone
else.) 17For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the
gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might
not be emptied of its power. 
Christ the Power and Wisdom of God18 For the message about the cross is
foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it
is the power of God. 19For it is written,
'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
   and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.'
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Mark 1:1-13

The beginning of the good news* of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.* 
2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,*
'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,*
   who will prepare your way; 
3the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
   "Prepare the way of the Lord,
   make his paths straight" ', 
4John the baptizer appeared* in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of
repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And people from the whole
Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to
him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their
sins. 6Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt
around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7He proclaimed,
'The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy
to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8I have baptized you
with* water; but he will baptize you with* the Holy Spirit.' 
The Baptism of Jesus9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee
and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And just as he was coming up
out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit
descending like a dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven, 'You are
my Son, the Beloved;* with you I am well pleased.' 
The Temptation of Jesus12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into
the wilderness. 13He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by
Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
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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

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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