Wednesday 16 January 2008 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Wednesday 16 January 2008 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Genesis 4:1-16

Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying,
'I have produced* a man with the help of the Lord.' 2Next she bore his
brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the
ground. 3In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of
the fruit of the ground, 4and Abel for his part brought of the
firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for
Abel and his offering, 5but for Cain and his offering he had no regard.
So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6The Lord said to
Cain, 'Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? 7If you
do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is
lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.' 
8 Cain said to his brother Abel, 'Let us go out to the field.'* And when
they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed
him. 9Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Where is your brother Abel?' He said,
'I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?' 10And the Lord said, 'What
have you done? Listen; your brother's blood is crying out to me from the
ground! 11And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its
mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12When you till
the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a
fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.' 13Cain said to the Lord, 'My
punishment is greater than I can bear! 14Today you have driven me away
from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a
fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill
me.' 15Then the Lord said to him, 'Not so!* Whoever kills Cain will
suffer a sevenfold vengeance.' And the Lord put a mark on Cain, so that
no one who came upon him would kill him. 16Then Cain went away from the
presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod,* east of Eden. 
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Hebrews 2:11-18

For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one
Father.* For this reason Jesus* is not ashamed to call them brothers and
sisters,* 12saying,
'I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters,*
   in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.' 
13And again,
'I will put my trust in him.'
And again,
'Here am I and the children whom God has given me.' 
14 Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself
likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy
the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and free those
who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. 16For it
is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of
Abraham. 17Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters* in
every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest
in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of
the people. 18Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is
able to help those who are being tested. 
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John 1:29-42

The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, 'Here is the
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is he of whom I
said, "After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before
me." 31I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for
this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.' 32And John testified,
'I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on
him. 33I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize
with water said to me, "He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain
is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." 34And I myself have seen
and have testified that this is the Son of God.'* 
The First Disciples of Jesus35 The next day John again was standing with
two of his disciples, 36and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed,
'Look, here is the Lamb of God!' 37The two disciples heard him say this,
and they followed Jesus. 38When Jesus turned and saw them following, he
said to them, 'What are you looking for?' They said to him, 'Rabbi'
(which translated means Teacher), 'where are you staying?' 39He said to
them, 'Come and see.' They came and saw where he was staying, and they
remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon.
40One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon
Peter's brother. 41He first found his brother Simon and said to him, 'We
have found the Messiah' (which is translated Anointed*). 42He brought
Simon* to Jesus, who looked at him and said, 'You are Simon son of John.
You are to be called Cephas' (which is translated Peter*).
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 119:1-24

Psalm 119:1-24

Happy are those whose way is blameless,
   who walk in the law of the Lord. 
2Happy are those who keep his decrees,
   who seek him with their whole heart, 
3who also do no wrong,
   but walk in his ways. 
4You have commanded your precepts
   to be kept diligently. 
5O that my ways may be steadfast
   in keeping your statutes! 
6Then I shall not be put to shame,
   having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. 
7I will praise you with an upright heart,
   when I learn your righteous ordinances. 
8I will observe your statutes;
   do not utterly forsake me. 


9How can young people keep their way pure?
   By guarding it according to your word. 
10With my whole heart I seek you;
   do not let me stray from your commandments. 
11I treasure your word in my heart,
   so that I may not sin against you. 
12Blessed are you, O Lord;
   teach me your statutes. 
13With my lips I declare
   all the ordinances of your mouth. 
14I delight in the way of your decrees
   as much as in all riches. 
15I will meditate on your precepts,
   and fix my eyes on your ways. 
16I will delight in your statutes;
   I will not forget your word. 


17Deal bountifully with your servant,
   so that I may live and observe your word. 
18Open my eyes, so that I may behold
   wondrous things out of your law. 
19I live as an alien in the land;
   do not hide your commandments from me. 
20My soul is consumed with longing
   for your ordinances at all times. 
21You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,
   who wander from your commandments; 
22take away from me their scorn and contempt,
   for I have kept your decrees. 
23Even though princes sit plotting against me,
   your servant will meditate on your statutes. 
24Your decrees are my delight,
   they are my counsellors. 
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Evening Psalms:  Psalm 12, 13, 14

Psalm 12

Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly;
   the faithful have disappeared from humankind. 
2They utter lies to each other;
   with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. 


3May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
   the tongue that makes great boasts, 
4those who say, 'With our tongues we will prevail;
   our lips are our own-who is our master?' 


5'Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,
   I will now rise up,' says the Lord;
   'I will place them in the safety for which they long.' 
6The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure,
   silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
   purified seven times. 


7You, O Lord, will protect us;
   you will guard us from this generation for ever. 
8On every side the wicked prowl,
   as vileness is exalted among humankind.


Psalm 13

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me for ever?
   How long will you hide your face from me? 
2How long must I bear pain* in my soul,
   and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 


3Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
   Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, 
4and my enemy will say, 'I have prevailed';
   my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. 


5But I trusted in your steadfast love;
   my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 
6I will sing to the Lord,
   because he has dealt bountifully with me.


Psalm 14

Fools say in their hearts, 'There is no God.'
   They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
   there is no one who does good. 


2The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind
   to see if there are any who are wise,
   who seek after God. 


3They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse;
   there is no one who does good,
   no, not one. 


4Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
   who eat up my people as they eat bread,
   and do not call upon the Lord? 


5There they shall be in great terror,
   for God is with the company of the righteous. 
6You would confound the plans of the poor,
   but the Lord is their refuge. 


7O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
   When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
   Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
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