Saturday 5 January 2008 DAILY LECTIONARY

[info at dailylectionary.org]

Saturday 5 January 2008 
DAILY LECTIONARY

Email Evangelism, forward to a friend: http://www.dailylectionary.org

******************************************************************
Jonah 2:2-9

saying,
'I called to the Lord out of my distress,
   and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
   and you heard my voice. 
3You cast me into the deep,
   into the heart of the seas,
   and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
   passed over me. 
4Then I said, "I am driven away
   from your sight;
how* shall I look again
   upon your holy temple?" 
5The waters closed in over me;
   the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped around my head 
6   at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land
   whose bars closed upon me for ever;
yet you brought up my life from the Pit,
   O Lord my God. 
7As my life was ebbing away,
   I remembered the Lord;
and my prayer came to you,
   into your holy temple. 
8Those who worship vain idols
   forsake their true loyalty. 
9But I with the voice of thanksgiving
   will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
   Deliverance belongs to the Lord!'
******************************************************************
Ephesians 6:10-20

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11Put
on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil. 12For our* struggle is not against enemies of blood
and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the
cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of
evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armour of
God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having
done everything, to stand firm. 14Stand therefore, and fasten the belt
of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness.
15As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim
the gospel of peace. 16With all of these,* take the shield of faith,
with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil
one. 17Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God. 
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To
that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the
saints. 19Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given
to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,* 20for
which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly,
as I must speak. 
******************************************************************
John 11:17-27, 38-44

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus* had already been in the tomb
for four days. 18Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles* away,
19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about
their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and
met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if
you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But even now I know
that God will give you whatever you ask of him.' 23Jesus said to her,
'Your brother will rise again.' 24Martha said to him, 'I know that he
will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.' 25Jesus said to
her, 'I am the resurrection and the life.* Those who believe in me, even
though they die, will live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me
will never die. Do you believe this?' 27She said to him, 'Yes, Lord, I
believe that you are the Messiah,* the Son of God, the one coming into
the world.' 
Jesus Raises Lazarus to Life38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came
to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39Jesus
said, 'Take away the stone.' Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to
him, 'Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead for four
days.' 40Jesus said to her, 'Did I not tell you that if you believed,
you would see the glory of God?' 41So they took away the stone. And
Jesus looked upwards and said, 'Father, I thank you for having heard me.
42I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of
the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.'
43When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come
out!' 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of
cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, 'Unbind him,
and let him go.'
******************************************************************
Morning Psalms:  Psalm 2, 110:1-7

Psalm 2

1Why do the nations conspire,
   and the peoples plot in vain? 
2The kings of the earth set themselves,
   and the rulers take counsel together,
   against the Lord and his anointed, saying, 
3'Let us burst their bonds asunder,
   and cast their cords from us.' 


4He who sits in the heavens laughs;
   the Lord has them in derision. 
5Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
   and terrify them in his fury, saying, 
6'I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.' 


7I will tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to me, 'You are my son;
   today I have begotten you. 
8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
   and the ends of the earth your possession. 
9You shall break them with a rod of iron,
   and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.' 


10Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
   be warned, O rulers of the earth. 
11Serve the Lord with fear,
   with trembling 12kiss his feet,*
or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way;
   for his wrath is quickly kindled. 


Happy are all who take refuge in him.


Psalm 110:1-7

The Lord says to my lord,
   'Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool.' 


2The Lord sends out from Zion
   your mighty sceptre.
   Rule in the midst of your foes. 
3Your people will offer themselves willingly
   on the day you lead your forces
   on the holy mountains.*
>From the womb of the morning,
   like dew, your youth* will come to you. 
4The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind,
   'You are a priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedek.'* 


5The Lord is at your right hand;
   he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. 
6He will execute judgement among the nations,
   filling them with corpses;
he will shatter heads
   over the wide earth. 
7He will drink from the stream by the path;
   therefore he will lift up his head.
******************************************************************
Evening Psalms:  Psalm 29, 98

Psalm 29

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,*
   ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 
2Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
   worship the Lord in holy splendour. 


3The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
   the God of glory thunders,
   the Lord, over mighty waters. 
4The voice of the Lord is powerful;
   the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. 


5The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
   the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. 
6He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
   and Sirion like a young wild ox. 


7The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. 
8The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
   the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 


9The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl,*
   and strips the forest bare;
   and in his temple all say, 'Glory!' 


10The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
   the Lord sits enthroned as king for ever. 
11May the Lord give strength to his people!
   May the Lord bless his people with peace!


Psalm 98

O sing to the Lord a new song,
   for he has done marvellous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
   have gained him victory. 
2The Lord has made known his victory;
   he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations. 
3He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
   to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
   the victory of our God. 


4Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
   break forth into joyous song and sing praises. 
5Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
   with the lyre and the sound of melody. 
6With trumpets and the sound of the horn
   make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord. 


7Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
   the world and those who live in it. 
8Let the floods clap their hands;
   let the hills sing together for joy 
9at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming
   to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
   and the peoples with equity.
******************************************************************