Wednesday 11 December 2013 DAILY LECTIONARY

[Daily Lectionary]

Wednesday 11 December 2013
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Amos 8:1-14

This is what the Lord God showed me—a basket of summer fruit.* He said, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A basket of summer fruit.’* Then the Lord said to me,
‘The end* has come upon my people Israel;
   I will never again pass them by. 
The songs of the temple* shall become wailings on that day,’

says the Lord God;
‘the dead bodies shall be many,
   cast out in every place. Be silent!’ 


Hear this, you that trample on the needy,
   and bring to ruin the poor of the land, 
saying, ‘When will the new moon be over
   so that we may sell grain;
and the sabbath,
   so that we may offer wheat for sale?
We will make the ephah small and the shekel great,
   and practise deceit with false balances, 
buying the poor for silver
   and the needy for a pair of sandals,
   and selling the sweepings of the wheat.’ 


The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
Surely I will never forget any of their deeds. 
Shall not the land tremble on this account,
   and everyone mourn who lives in it,
and all of it rise like the Nile,
   and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt? 


On that day, says the Lord God,
   I will make the sun go down at noon,
   and darken the earth in broad daylight. 
I will turn your feasts into mourning,
   and all your songs into lamentation;
I will bring sackcloth on all loins,
   and baldness on every head;
I will make it like the mourning for an only son,
   and the end of it like a bitter day. 


The time is surely coming, says the Lord God,
   when I will send a famine on the land;
not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water,
   but of hearing the words of the Lord. 
They shall wander from sea to sea,
   and from north to east;
they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord,
   but they shall not find it. 


In that day the beautiful young women and the young men
   shall faint for thirst. 
Those who swear by Ashimah of Samaria,
   and say, ‘As your god lives, O Dan’,
and, ‘As the way of Beer-sheba lives’—
   they shall fall, and never rise again.
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Revelation 1:17-2:7

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive for ever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades. Now write what you have seen, what is, and what is to take place after this. As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. 

‘To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands:

 ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be false. I also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for the sake of my name, and that you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this is to your credit: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.
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Matthew 23:1-12

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practise what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,* and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students.* And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.* The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
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Morning Psalms: Psalm 38

Psalm 38

O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger,
   or discipline me in your wrath. 
For your arrows have sunk into me,
   and your hand has come down on me. 


There is no soundness in my flesh
   because of your indignation;
there is no health in my bones
   because of my sin. 
For my iniquities have gone over my head;
   they weigh like a burden too heavy for me. 


My wounds grow foul and fester
   because of my foolishness; 
I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;
   all day long I go around mourning. 
For my loins are filled with burning,
   and there is no soundness in my flesh. 
I am utterly spent and crushed;
   I groan because of the tumult of my heart. 


O Lord, all my longing is known to you;
   my sighing is not hidden from you. 
My heart throbs, my strength fails me;
   as for the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me. 
My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction,
   and my neighbours stand far off. 


Those who seek my life lay their snares;
   those who seek to hurt me speak of ruin,
   and meditate treachery all day long. 


But I am like the deaf, I do not hear;
   like the mute, who cannot speak. 
Truly, I am like one who does not hear,
   and in whose mouth is no retort. 


But it is for you, O Lord, that I wait;
   it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer. 
For I pray, ‘Only do not let them rejoice over me,
   those who boast against me when my foot slips.’ 


For I am ready to fall,
   and my pain is ever with me. 
I confess my iniquity;
   I am sorry for my sin. 
Those who are my foes without cause* are mighty,
   and many are those who hate me wrongfully. 
Those who render me evil for good
   are my adversaries because I follow after good. 


Do not forsake me, O Lord;
   O my God, do not be far from me; 
make haste to help me,
   O Lord, my salvation.
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 119:25-48

Psalm 119:25-48

My soul clings to the dust;
   revive me according to your word. 
When I told of my ways, you answered me;
   teach me your statutes. 
Make me understand the way of your precepts,
   and I will meditate on your wondrous works. 
My soul melts away for sorrow;
   strengthen me according to your word. 
Put false ways far from me;
   and graciously teach me your law. 
I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
   I set your ordinances before me. 
I cling to your decrees, O Lord;
   let me not be put to shame. 
I run the way of your commandments,
   for you enlarge my understanding. 


Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes,
   and I will observe it to the end. 
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
   and observe it with my whole heart. 
Lead me in the path of your commandments,
   for I delight in it. 
Turn my heart to your decrees,
   and not to selfish gain. 
Turn my eyes from looking at vanities;
   give me life in your ways. 
Confirm to your servant your promise,
   which is for those who fear you. 
Turn away the disgrace that I dread,
   for your ordinances are good. 
See, I have longed for your precepts;
   in your righteousness give me life. 


Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,
   your salvation according to your promise. 
Then I shall have an answer for those who taunt me,
   for I trust in your word. 
Do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
   for my hope is in your ordinances. 
I will keep your law continually,
   for ever and ever. 
I shall walk at liberty,
   for I have sought your precepts. 
I will also speak of your decrees before kings,
   and shall not be put to shame; 
I find my delight in your commandments,
   because I love them. 
I revere your commandments, which I love,
   and I will meditate on your statutes.
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