Saturday 10 May 2008 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Saturday 10 May 2008  
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Ezekiel 36:22-27

Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not
for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the
sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which
you came. I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among
the nations, and which you have profaned among them; and the nations
shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when through you I
display my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations,
and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land.
I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all
your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new
heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I
will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of
flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes
and be careful to observe my ordinances.
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Ephesians 6:10-24

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on
the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil. For 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. Therefore 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. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth
around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes
for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel
of peace. With all of these,* take the shield of faith, with which you
will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the
helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God.

 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. Pray 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,* for which
I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I
must speak. 

 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus will
tell you everything. He is a dear brother and a faithful minister in the
Lord. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, to let you know how
we are, and to encourage your hearts.

 Peace be to the whole community,* and love with faith, from God the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who have an undying
love for our Lord Jesus Christ.*
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Matthew 9:18-26

While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the
synagogue* came in and knelt before him, saying, 'My daughter has just
died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.' And Jesus
got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who
had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him
and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, 'If I only
touch his cloak, I will be made well.' Jesus turned, and seeing her he
said, 'Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.' And
instantly the woman was made well. When Jesus came to the leader's house
and saw the flute-players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, 'Go
away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.' And they laughed at him.
But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the
hand, and the girl got up. And the report of this spread throughout that
district.
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 107:33-43, 108:1-13

Psalm 107:33-43

He turns rivers into a desert,
   springs of water into thirsty ground, 
a fruitful land into a salty waste,
   because of the wickedness of its inhabitants. 
He turns a desert into pools of water,
   a parched land into springs of water. 
And there he lets the hungry live,
   and they establish a town to live in; 
they sow fields, and plant vineyards,
   and get a fruitful yield. 
By his blessing they multiply greatly,
   and he does not let their cattle decrease. 


When they are diminished and brought low
   through oppression, trouble, and sorrow, 
he pours contempt on princes
   and makes them wander in trackless wastes; 
but he raises up the needy out of distress,
   and makes their families like flocks. 
The upright see it and are glad;
   and all wickedness stops its mouth. 
Let those who are wise give heed to these things,
   and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.



Psalm 108:1-13

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;*
   I will sing and make melody.
   Awake, my soul!* 
Awake, O harp and lyre!
   I will awake the dawn. 
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples,
   and I will sing praises to you among the nations. 
For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens,
   and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. 


Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
   and let your glory be over all the earth. 
Give victory with your right hand, and answer me,
   so that those whom you love may be rescued. 


God has promised in his sanctuary:*
   'With exultation I will divide up Shechem,
   and portion out the Vale of Succoth. 
Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
   Ephraim is my helmet;
   Judah is my sceptre. 
Moab is my wash-basin;
   on Edom I hurl my shoe;
   over Philistia I shout in triumph.' 


Who will bring me to the fortified city?
   Who will lead me to Edom? 
Have you not rejected us, O God?
   You do not go out, O God, with our armies. 
O grant us help against the foe,
   for human help is worthless. 
With God we shall do valiantly;
   it is he who will tread down our foes.
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Evening Psalms:  Psalm 33

Psalm 33

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.
   Praise befits the upright. 
Praise the Lord with the lyre;
   make melody to him with the harp of ten strings. 
Sing to him a new song;
   play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts. 


For the word of the Lord is upright,
   and all his work is done in faithfulness. 
He loves righteousness and justice;
   the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. 


By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
   and all their host by the breath of his mouth. 
He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;
   he put the deeps in storehouses. 


Let all the earth fear the Lord;
   let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 
For he spoke, and it came to be;
   he commanded, and it stood firm. 


The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
   he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 
The counsel of the Lord stands for ever,
   the thoughts of his heart to all generations. 
Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
   the people whom he has chosen as his heritage. 


The Lord looks down from heaven;
   he sees all humankind. 
>From where he sits enthroned he watches
   all the inhabitants of the earth- 
he who fashions the hearts of them all,
   and observes all their deeds. 
A king is not saved by his great army;
   a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 
The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
   and by its great might it cannot save. 


Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
   on those who hope in his steadfast love, 
to deliver their soul from death,
   and to keep them alive in famine. 


Our soul waits for the Lord;
   he is our help and shield. 
Our heart is glad in him,
   because we trust in his holy name. 
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
   even as we hope in you.

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