Wednesday 30 January 2008 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Wednesday 30 January 2008 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Genesis 16:1-14

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children. She had an Egyptian
slave-girl whose name was Hagar, and Sarai said to Abram, 'You see that
the Lord has prevented me from bearing children; go in to my slave-girl;
it may be that I shall obtain children by her.' And Abram listened to
the voice of Sarai. So, after Abram had lived for ten years in the land
of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave-girl,
and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife. He went in to Hagar, and
she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with
contempt on her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, 'May the wrong done
to me be on you! I gave my slave-girl to your embrace, and when she saw
that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord
judge between you and me!' But Abram said to Sarai, 'Your slave-girl is
in your power; do to her as you please.' Then Sarai dealt harshly with
her, and she ran away from her.

 The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness,
the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, 'Hagar, slave-girl of Sarai,
where have you come from and where are you going?' She said, 'I am
running away from my mistress Sarai.' The angel of the Lord said to her,
'Return to your mistress, and submit to her.' The angel of the Lord also
said to her, 'I will so greatly multiply your offspring that they cannot
be counted for multitude.' And the angel of the Lord said to her,
'Now you have conceived and shall bear a son;
   you shall call him Ishmael,*
   for the Lord has given heed to your affliction. 
He shall be a wild ass of a man,
with his hand against everyone,
   and everyone's hand against him;
and he shall live at odds with all his kin.' 
So she named the Lord who spoke to her, 'You are El-roi';* for she said,
'Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing him?'* Therefore
the well was called Beer-lahai-roi;* it lies between Kadesh and Bered.
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Hebrews 9:15-28

For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who
are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death
has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first
covenant.* Where a will* is involved, the death of the one who made it
must be established. For a will* takes effect only at death, since it is
not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. Hence not even the
first covenant was inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment
had been told to all the people by Moses in accordance with the law, he
took the blood of calves and goats,* with water and scarlet wool and
hyssop, and sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people, saying,
'This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.' And
in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent* and all the
vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is
purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no
forgiveness of sins.
 Thus it was necessary for the sketches of the heavenly things to be
purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves need
better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made
by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven
itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it
to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy
Place year after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would
have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world.
But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to
remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for
mortals to die once, and after that the judgement, so Christ, having
been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time,
not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
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John 5:19-29

Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on
his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the
Father* does, the Son does likewise. The Father loves the Son and shows
him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works
than these, so that you will be astonished. Indeed, just as the Father
raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to
whomsoever he wishes. The Father judges no one but has given all
judgement to the Son, so that all may honour the Son just as they honour
the Father. Anyone who does not honour the Son does not honour the
Father who sent him. Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word
and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under
judgement, but has passed from death to life.

 'Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the
dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will
live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the
Son also to have life in himself; and he has given him authority to
execute judgement, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be astonished at
this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear
his voice and will come out-those who have done good, to the
resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection
of condemnation.
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 119:49-72

Psalm 119:49-72

Remember your word to your servant,
   in which you have made me hope. 
This is my comfort in my distress,
   that your promise gives me life. 
The arrogant utterly deride me,
   but I do not turn away from your law. 
When I think of your ordinances from of old,
   I take comfort, O Lord. 
Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,
   those who forsake your law. 
Your statutes have been my songs
   wherever I make my home. 
I remember your name in the night, O Lord,
   and keep your law. 
This blessing has fallen to me,
   for I have kept your precepts. 


The Lord is my portion;
   I promise to keep your words. 
I implore your favour with all my heart;
   be gracious to me according to your promise. 
When I think of your ways,
   I turn my feet to your decrees; 
I hurry and do not delay
   to keep your commandments. 
Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,
   I do not forget your law. 
At midnight I rise to praise you,
   because of your righteous ordinances. 
I am a companion of all who fear you,
   of those who keep your precepts. 
The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;
   teach me your statutes. 


You have dealt well with your servant,
   O Lord, according to your word. 
Teach me good judgement and knowledge,
   for I believe in your commandments. 
Before I was humbled I went astray,
   but now I keep your word. 
You are good and do good;
   teach me your statutes. 
The arrogant smear me with lies,
   but with my whole heart I keep your precepts. 
Their hearts are fat and gross,
   but I delight in your law. 
It is good for me that I was humbled,
   so that I might learn your statutes. 
The law of your mouth is better to me
   than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
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Evening Psalms:  Psalm 49, 53

Psalm 49

Hear this, all you peoples;
   give ear, all inhabitants of the world, 
both low and high,
   rich and poor together. 
My mouth shall speak wisdom;
   the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. 
I will incline my ear to a proverb;
   I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp. 


Why should I fear in times of trouble,
   when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me, 
those who trust in their wealth
   and boast of the abundance of their riches? 
Truly, no ransom avails for one's life,*
   there is no price one can give to God for it. 
For the ransom of life is costly,
   and can never suffice, 
that one should live on for ever
   and never see the grave.* 


When we look at the wise, they die;
   fool and dolt perish together
   and leave their wealth to others. 
Their graves* are their homes for ever,
   their dwelling-places to all generations,
   though they named lands their own. 
Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
   they are like the animals that perish. 


Such is the fate of the foolhardy,
   the end of those* who are pleased with their lot.
          Selah 
Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
   Death shall be their shepherd;
straight to the grave they descend,*
   and their form shall waste away;
   Sheol shall be their home.* 
But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
   for he will receive me.
          Selah 


Do not be afraid when some become rich,
   when the wealth of their houses increases. 
For when they die they will carry nothing away;
   their wealth will not go down after them. 
Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy
   -for you are praised when you do well for yourself- 
they* will go to the company of their ancestors,
   who will never again see the light. 
Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
   they are like the animals that perish.


Psalm 53

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


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


They have all fallen away, they are all alike perverse;
   there is no one who does good,
   no, not one. 


Have they no knowledge, those evildoers,
   who eat up my people as they eat bread,
   and do not call upon God? 


There they shall be in great terror,
   in terror such as has not been.
For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly;*
   they will be put to shame,* for God has rejected them. 


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