Tuesday 12 February 2008 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Tuesday 12 February 2008 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Genesis 37:12-24

Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem.
13And Israel said to Joseph, 'Are not your brothers pasturing the flock
at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.' He answered, 'Here I am.'
14So he said to him, 'Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and
with the flock; and bring word back to me.' So he sent him from the
valley of Hebron.
He came to Shechem, 15and a man found him wandering in the fields; the
man asked him, 'What are you seeking?' 16'I am seeking my brothers,' he
said; 'tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.' 17The man
said, 'They have gone away, for I heard them say, "Let us go to Dothan."
' So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. 18They
saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired
to kill him. 19They said to one another, 'Here comes this dreamer.
20Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we
shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what
will become of his dreams.' 21But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him
out of their hands, saying, 'Let us not take his life.' 22Reuben said to
them, 'Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness,
but lay no hand on him'-that he might rescue him out of their hand and
restore him to his father. 23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they
stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves* that he wore;
24and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there
was no water in it.
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1 Corinthians 1:20-31

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater
of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For
since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom,
God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those
who believe. 22For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23but we
proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to
Gentiles, 24but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For God's foolishness
is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human
strength. 
26 Consider your own call, brothers and sisters:* not many of you were
wise by human standards,* not many were powerful, not many were of noble
birth. 27But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise;
God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28God chose
what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to
nothing things that are, 29so that no one* might boast in the presence
of God. 30He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for
us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
31in order that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in*
the Lord.'
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Mark 1:14-28

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good
news* of God,* 15and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of
God has come near;* repent, and believe in the good news.'* 


Jesus Calls the First Disciples16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of
Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the
lake-for they were fishermen. 17And Jesus said to them, 'Follow me and I
will make you fish for people.' 18And immediately they left their nets
and followed him. 19As he went a little farther, he saw James son of
Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets.
20Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the
boat with the hired men, and followed him. 
The Man with an Unclean Spirit21 They went to Capernaum; and when the
sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22They were astounded
at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as
the scribes. 23Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an
unclean spirit, 24and he cried out, 'What have you to do with us, Jesus
of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy
One of God.' 25But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be silent, and come out
of him!' 26And the unclean spirit, throwing him into convulsions and
crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27They were all amazed, and
they kept on asking one another, 'What is this? A new teaching-with
authority! He* commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.'
28At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of
Galilee.
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 45

Psalm 45

My heart overflows with a goodly theme;
   I address my verses to the king;
   my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe. 


2You are the most handsome of men;
   grace is poured upon your lips;
   therefore God has blessed you for ever. 
3Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
   in your glory and majesty. 


4In your majesty ride on victoriously
   for the cause of truth and to defend* the right;
   let your right hand teach you dread deeds. 
5Your arrows are sharp
   in the heart of the king's enemies;
   the peoples fall under you. 


6Your throne, O God,* endures for ever and ever.
   Your royal sceptre is a sceptre of equity; 
7   you love righteousness and hate wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
   with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; 
8   your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
>From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad; 
9   daughters of kings are among your ladies of honour;
   at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir. 


10Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear;
   forget your people and your father's house, 
11   and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him; 
12   the people* of Tyre will seek your favour with gifts,
   the richest of the people 13with all kinds of wealth. 


The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;* 
14   in many-coloured robes she is led to the king;
   behind her the virgins, her companions, follow. 
15With joy and gladness they are led along
   as they enter the palace of the king. 


16In the place of ancestors you, O king,* shall have sons;
   you will make them princes in all the earth. 
17I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations;
   therefore the peoples will praise you for ever and ever.
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Evening Psalms:  Psalm 47, 48

Psalm 47

Clap your hands, all you peoples;
   shout to God with loud songs of joy. 
2For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome,
   a great king over all the earth. 
3He subdued peoples under us,
   and nations under our feet. 
4He chose our heritage for us,
   the pride of Jacob whom he loves.
          Selah 


5God has gone up with a shout,
   the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. 
6Sing praises to God, sing praises;
   sing praises to our King, sing praises. 
7For God is the king of all the earth;
   sing praises with a psalm.* 


8God is king over the nations;
   God sits on his holy throne. 
9The princes of the peoples gather
   as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
   he is highly exalted.


Psalm 48

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
   in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, 2beautiful in elevation,
   is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
   the city of the great King. 
3Within its citadels God
   has shown himself a sure defence. 


4Then the kings assembled,
   they came on together. 
5As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
   they were in panic, they took to flight; 
6trembling took hold of them there,
   pains as of a woman in labour, 
7as when an east wind shatters
   the ships of Tarshish. 
8As we have heard, so have we seen
   in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God,
   which God establishes for ever.
          Selah 


9We ponder your steadfast love, O God,
   in the midst of your temple. 
10Your name, O God, like your praise,
   reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with victory. 
11   Let Mount Zion be glad,
let the towns* of Judah rejoice
   because of your judgements. 


12Walk about Zion, go all around it,
   count its towers, 
13consider well its ramparts;
   go through its citadels,
that you may tell the next generation 
14   that this is God,
our God for ever and ever.
   He will be our guide for ever.
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