Monday 12 May 2008 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Monday 12 May 2008  
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Ezekiel 33:1-11

The word of the Lord came to me: O Mortal, speak to your people and say
to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land
take one of their number as their sentinel; and if the sentinel sees the
sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people;
then if any who hear the sound of the trumpet do not take warning, and
the sword comes and takes them away, their blood shall be upon their own
heads. They heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning;
their blood shall be upon themselves. But if they had taken warning,
they would have saved their lives. But if the sentinel sees the sword
coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned,
and the sword comes and takes any of them, they are taken away in their
iniquity, but their blood I will require at the sentinel's hand.

 So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel;
whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from
me. If I say to the wicked, 'O wicked ones, you shall surely die', and
you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked
shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your
hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do
not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but
you will have saved your life.
 Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: 'Our
transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of
them; how then can we live?' Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God,
I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn
from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for
why will you die, O house of Israel?
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1 John1:1-10

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what
we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our
hands, concerning the word of life- this life was revealed, and we have
seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was
with the Father and was revealed to us- we declare to you what we have
seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly
our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are
writing these things so that our* joy may be complete.
 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that
God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we
have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do
not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his
Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is
faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar,
and his word is not in us.
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Matthew 9:27-34

As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly,
'Have mercy on us, Son of David!' When he entered the house, the blind
men came to him; and Jesus said to them, 'Do you believe that I am able
to do this?' They said to him, 'Yes, Lord.' Then he touched their eyes
and said, 'According to your faith let it be done to you.' And their
eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them, 'See that no one
knows of this.' But they went away and spread the news about him
throughout that district.
 After they had gone away, a demoniac who was mute was brought to him.
And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke;
and the crowds were amazed and said, 'Never has anything like this been
seen in Israel.' But the Pharisees said, 'By the ruler of the demons he
casts out the demons.'*
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 106:1-18

Psalm 106:1-18

Praise the Lord!
   O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
   for his steadfast love endures for ever. 
Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord,
   or declare all his praise? 
Happy are those who observe justice,
   who do righteousness at all times. 


Remember me, O Lord, when you show favour to your people;
   help me when you deliver them; 
that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
   that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
   that I may glory in your heritage. 


Both we and our ancestors have sinned;
   we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly. 
Our ancestors, when they were in Egypt,
   did not consider your wonderful works;
they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,
   but rebelled against the Most High* at the Red Sea.* 
Yet he saved them for his name's sake,
   so that he might make known his mighty power. 
He rebuked the Red Sea,* and it became dry;
   he led them through the deep as through a desert. 
So he saved them from the hand of the foe,
   and delivered them from the hand of the enemy. 
The waters covered their adversaries;
   not one of them was left. 
Then they believed his words;
   they sang his praise. 


But they soon forgot his works;
   they did not wait for his counsel. 
But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness,
   and put God to the test in the desert; 
he gave them what they asked,
   but sent a wasting disease among them. 


They were jealous of Moses in the camp,
   and of Aaron, the holy one of the Lord. 
The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
   and covered the faction of Abiram. 
Fire also broke out in their company;
   the flame burned up the wicked.
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Evening Psalms:  Psalm 106:19-48

Psalm 106:19-48

They made a calf at Horeb
   and worshipped a cast image. 
They exchanged the glory of God*
   for the image of an ox that eats grass. 
They forgot God, their Saviour,
   who had done great things in Egypt, 
wondrous works in the land of Ham,
   and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.* 
Therefore he said he would destroy them-
   had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
   to turn away his wrath from destroying them. 


Then they despised the pleasant land,
   having no faith in his promise. 
They grumbled in their tents,
   and did not obey the voice of the Lord. 
Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them
   that he would make them fall in the wilderness, 
and would disperse* their descendants among the nations,
   scattering them over the lands. 


Then they attached themselves to the Baal of Peor,
   and ate sacrifices offered to the dead; 
they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds,
   and a plague broke out among them. 
Then Phinehas stood up and interceded,
   and the plague was stopped. 
And that has been reckoned to him as righteousness
   from generation to generation for ever. 


They angered the Lord * at the waters of Meribah,
   and it went ill with Moses on their account; 
for they made his spirit bitter,
   and he spoke words that were rash. 


They did not destroy the peoples
   as the Lord commanded them, 
but they mingled with the nations
   and learned to do as they did. 
They served their idols,
   which became a snare to them. 
They sacrificed their sons
   and their daughters to the demons; 
they poured out innocent blood,
   the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
   and the land was polluted with blood. 
Thus they became unclean by their acts,
   and prostituted themselves in their doings. 


Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,
   and he abhorred his heritage; 
he gave them into the hand of the nations,
   so that those who hated them ruled over them. 
Their enemies oppressed them,
   and they were brought into subjection under their power. 
Many times he delivered them,
   but they were rebellious in their purposes,
   and were brought low through their iniquity. 
Nevertheless, he regarded their distress
   when he heard their cry. 
For their sake he remembered his covenant,
   and showed compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast
love. 
He caused them to be pitied
   by all who held them captive. 


Save us, O Lord our God,
   and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
   and glory in your praise. 


Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
   from everlasting to everlasting.
And let all the people say, 'Amen.'
   Praise the Lord!
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