Monday 14 January 2008 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Monday 14 January 2008 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Genesis 2:4-25

These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were
created.
Another Account of the CreationIn the day that the Lord God made the
earth and the heavens, 5when no plant of the field was yet in the earth
and no herb of the field had yet sprung up-for the Lord God had not
caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the
ground; 6but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole
face of the ground- 7then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the
ground,* and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man
became a living being. 8And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in
the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9Out of the
ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the
sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the
garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 
10 A river flows out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it
divides and becomes four branches. 11The name of the first is Pishon; it
is the one that flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is
gold; 12and the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are
there. 13The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one that flows
around the whole land of Cush. 14The name of the third river is Tigris,
which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till
it and keep it. 16And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You may freely
eat of every tree of the garden; 17but of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you
shall die.' 
18 Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone;
I will make him a helper as his partner.' 19So out of the ground the
Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and
brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the
man called each living creature, that was its name. 20The man gave names
to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the
field; but for the man* there was not found a helper as his partner.
21So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he
slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
22And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a
woman and brought her to the man. 23Then the man said,
'This at last is bone of my bones
   and flesh of my flesh;
this one shall be called Woman,*
   for out of Man* this one was taken.' 
24Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his
wife, and they become one flesh. 25And the man and his wife were both
naked, and were not ashamed.
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Hebrews 1:1-14

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the
prophets, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son,* whom he
appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.
3He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very
being, and he sustains* all things by his powerful word. When he had
made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty
on high, 4having become as much superior to angels as the name he has
inherited is more excellent than theirs. 
The Son Is Superior to Angels5 For to which of the angels did God ever
say,
'You are my Son;
   today I have begotten you'?
Or again,
'I will be his Father,
   and he will be my Son'? 
6And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
'Let all God's angels worship him.' 
7Of the angels he says,
'He makes his angels winds,
   and his servants flames of fire.' 
8But of the Son he says,
'Your throne, O God, is* for ever and ever,
   and the righteous sceptre is the sceptre of your* kingdom. 
9You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
   with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.' 
10And,
'In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth,
   and the heavens are the work of your hands; 
11they will perish, but you remain;
   they will all wear out like clothing; 
12like a cloak you will roll them up,
   and like clothing* they will be changed.
But you are the same,
   and your years will never end.' 
13But to which of the angels has he ever said,
'Sit at my right hand
   until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet'? 
14Are not all angels* spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for
the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
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John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being
through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has
come into being 4in him was life,* and the life was the light of all
people. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not
overcome it. 
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a
witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
8He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9The
true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.* 
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet
the world did not know him. 11He came to what was his own,* and his own
people did not accept him. 12But to all who received him, who believed
in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13who were born,
not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of
God. 
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his
glory, the glory as of a father's only son,* full of grace and truth.
15(John testified to him and cried out, 'This was he of whom I said, "He
who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me." ')
16From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17The law
indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus
Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son,* who is
close to the Father's heart,* who has made him known. 
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 1, 2, 3

Psalm 1

Happy are those
   who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
   or sit in the seat of scoffers; 
2but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
   and on his law they meditate day and night. 
3They are like trees
   planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
   and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper. 


4The wicked are not so,
   but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 
5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement,
   nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 
6for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
   but the way of the wicked will perish.


Psalm 2

Why 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 3

O Lord, how many are my foes!
   Many are rising against me; 
2many are saying to me,
   'There is no help for you* in God.'
          Selah 


3But you, O Lord, are a shield around me,
   my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. 
4I cry aloud to the Lord,
   and he answers me from his holy hill.
          Selah 


5I lie down and sleep;
   I wake again, for the Lord sustains me. 
6I am not afraid of tens of thousands of people
   who have set themselves against me all around. 


7Rise up, O Lord!
   Deliver me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
   you break the teeth of the wicked. 


8Deliverance belongs to the Lord;
   may your blessing be on your people!
          Selah
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Evening Psalms:  Psalm 4, 7

Psalm 4

Answer me when I call, O God of my right!
   You gave me room when I was in distress.
   Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer. 


2How long, you people, shall my honour suffer shame?
   How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies?
          Selah 
3But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself;
   the Lord hears when I call to him. 


4When you are disturbed,* do not sin;
   ponder it on your beds, and be silent.
          Selah 
5Offer right sacrifices,
   and put your trust in the Lord. 


6There are many who say, 'O that we might see some good!
   Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!' 
7You have put gladness in my heart
   more than when their grain and wine abound. 


8I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
   for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.


Psalm 7

O Lord my God, in you I take refuge;
   save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me, 
2or like a lion they will tear me apart;
   they will drag me away, with no one to rescue. 


3O Lord my God, if I have done this,
   if there is wrong in my hands, 
4if I have repaid my ally with harm
   or plundered my foe without cause, 
5then let the enemy pursue and overtake me,
   trample my life to the ground,
   and lay my soul in the dust.
          Selah 


6Rise up, O Lord, in your anger;
   lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
   awake, O my God;* you have appointed a judgement. 
7Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered around you,
   and over it take your seat* on high. 
8The Lord judges the peoples;
   judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness
   and according to the integrity that is in me. 


9O let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
   but establish the righteous,
you who test the minds and hearts,
   O righteous God. 
10God is my shield,
   who saves the upright in heart. 
11God is a righteous judge,
   and a God who has indignation every day. 


12If one does not repent, God* will whet his sword;
   he has bent and strung his bow; 
13he has prepared his deadly weapons,
   making his arrows fiery shafts. 
14See how they conceive evil,
   and are pregnant with mischief,
   and bring forth lies. 
15They make a pit, digging it out,
   and fall into the hole that they have made. 
16Their mischief returns upon their own heads,
   and on their own heads their violence descends. 


17I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness,
   and sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.
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