Thursday 13 March 2008 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Thursday 13 March 2008 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Exodus 7:25-8:19

Seven days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile. 
The Second Plague: Frogs8*Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Go to Pharaoh
and say to him, "Thus says the Lord: Let my people go, so that they may
worship me. 2If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole
country with frogs. 3The river shall swarm with frogs; they shall come
up into your palace, into your bedchamber and your bed, and into the
houses of your officials and of your people,* and into your ovens and
your kneading bowls. 4The frogs shall come up on you and on your people
and on all your officials." ' 5*And the Lord said to Moses, 'Say to
Aaron, "Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, the
canals, and the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt." '
6So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs
came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7But the magicians did the same
by their secret arts, and brought frogs up on the land of Egypt. 
8 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, 'Pray to the Lord to
take away the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go
to sacrifice to the Lord.' 9Moses said to Pharaoh, 'Kindly tell me when
I am to pray for you and for your officials and for your people, that
the frogs may be removed from you and your houses and be left only in
the Nile.' 10And he said, 'Tomorrow.' Moses said, 'As you say! So that
you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God, 11the frogs
shall leave you and your houses and your officials and your people; they
shall be left only in the Nile.' 12Then Moses and Aaron went out from
Pharaoh; and Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs that he
had brought upon Pharaoh.* 13And the Lord did as Moses requested: the
frogs died in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. 14And they
gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. 15But when Pharaoh
saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart, and would not
listen to them, just as the Lord had said. 
The Third Plague: Gnats16 Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Say to Aaron,
"Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may
become gnats throughout the whole land of Egypt." ' 17And they did so;
Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the
earth, and gnats came on humans and animals alike; all the dust of the
earth turned into gnats throughout the whole land of Egypt. 18The
magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, but they could
not. There were gnats on both humans and animals. 19And the magicians
said to Pharaoh, 'This is the finger of God!' But Pharaoh's heart was
hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
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2 Corinthians 3:7-18

Now if the ministry of death, chiselled in letters on stone tablets,*
came in glory so that the people of Israel could not gaze at Moses' face
because of the glory of his face, a glory now set aside, 8how much more
will the ministry of the Spirit come in glory? 9For if there was glory
in the ministry of condemnation, much more does the ministry of
justification abound in glory! 10Indeed, what once had glory has lost
its glory because of the greater glory; 11for if what was set aside came
through glory, much more has the permanent come in glory! 
12 Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, 13not
like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel
from gazing at the end of the glory that* was being set aside. 14But
their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the
reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only
in Christ is it set aside. 15Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is
read, a veil lies over their minds; 16but when one turns to the Lord,
the veil is removed. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit
of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And all of us, with unveiled faces,
seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being
transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for
this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.
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Mark 10:17-31

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him,
and asked him, 'Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'
18Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good but God
alone. 19You know the commandments: "You shall not murder; You shall not
commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness;
You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother." ' 20He said to
him, 'Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.' 21Jesus, looking
at him, loved him and said, 'You lack one thing; go, sell what you own,
and give the money* to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;
then come, follow me.' 22When he heard this, he was shocked and went
away grieving, for he had many possessions. 
23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, 'How hard it will
be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!' 24And the
disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again,
'Children, how hard it is* to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is
rich to enter the kingdom of God.' 26They were greatly astounded and
said to one another,* 'Then who can be saved?' 27Jesus looked at them
and said, 'For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all
things are possible.' 
28 Peter began to say to him, 'Look, we have left everything and
followed you.' 29Jesus said, 'Truly I tell you, there is no one who has
left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or
fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news,* 30who will not
receive a hundredfold now in this age-houses, brothers and sisters,
mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions-and in the age to
come eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last
will be first.' 
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 131, 132

Psalm 131

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
   my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
   too great and too marvellous for me. 
2But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
   like a weaned child with its mother;
   my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.* 


3O Israel, hope in the Lord
   from this time on and for evermore.


Psalm 132

O Lord, remember in David's favour
   all the hardships he endured; 
2how he swore to the Lord
   and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, 
3'I will not enter my house
   or get into my bed; 
4I will not give sleep to my eyes
   or slumber to my eyelids, 
5until I find a place for the Lord,
   a dwelling-place for the Mighty One of Jacob.' 


6We heard of it in Ephrathah;
   we found it in the fields of Jaar. 
7'Let us go to his dwelling-place;
   let us worship at his footstool.' 


8Rise up, O Lord, and go to your resting-place,
   you and the ark of your might. 
9Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
   and let your faithful shout for joy. 
10For your servant David's sake
   do not turn away the face of your anointed one. 


11The Lord swore to David a sure oath
   from which he will not turn back:
'One of the sons of your body
   I will set on your throne. 
12If your sons keep my covenant
   and my decrees that I shall teach them,
their sons also, for evermore,
   shall sit on your throne.' 


13For the Lord has chosen Zion;
   he has desired it for his habitation: 
14'This is my resting-place for ever;
   here I will reside, for I have desired it. 
15I will abundantly bless its provisions;
   I will satisfy its poor with bread. 
16Its priests I will clothe with salvation,
   and its faithful will shout for joy. 
17There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David;
   I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one. 
18His enemies I will clothe with disgrace,
   but on him, his crown will gleam.'
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Evening Psalms:  Psalm 140, 142

Psalm 140

Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers;
   protect me from those who are violent, 
2who plan evil things in their minds
   and stir up wars continually. 
3They make their tongue sharp as a snake's,
   and under their lips is the venom of vipers.
          Selah 


4Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
   protect me from the violent
   who have planned my downfall. 
5The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
   and with cords they have spread a net;*
   along the road they have set snares for me.
          Selah 


6I say to the Lord, 'You are my God;
   give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.' 
7O Lord, my Lord, my strong deliverer,
   you have covered my head in the day of battle. 
8Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
   do not further their evil plot.*
          Selah 


9Those who surround me lift up their heads;*
   let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them! 
10Let burning coals fall on them!
   Let them be flung into pits, no more to rise! 
11Do not let the slanderer be established in the land;
   let evil speedily hunt down the violent! 


12I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy,
   and executes justice for the poor. 
13Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
   the upright shall live in your presence.


Psalm 142

With my voice I cry to the Lord;
   with my voice I make supplication to the Lord. 
2I pour out my complaint before him;
   I tell my trouble before him. 
3When my spirit is faint,
   you know my way. 


In the path where I walk
   they have hidden a trap for me. 
4Look on my right hand and see-
   there is no one who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
   no one cares for me. 


5I cry to you, O Lord;
   I say, 'You are my refuge,
   my portion in the land of the living.' 
6Give heed to my cry,
   for I am brought very low. 


Save me from my persecutors,
   for they are too strong for me. 
7Bring me out of prison,
   so that I may give thanks to your name.
The righteous will surround me,
   for you will deal bountifully with me.
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