Wednesday 25 August 2021 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Wednesday 25 August 2021 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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1 Kings 3:1-15

Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt; he took
Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David, until he
had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the
wall around Jerusalem. The people were sacrificing at the high places,
however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.

 Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David;
only, he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places. The king
went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high
place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt-offerings on that altar.
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God
said, ‘Ask what I should give you.’ And Solomon said, ‘You have
shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David,
because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in
uprightness of heart towards you; and you have kept for him this great
and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne
today. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in
place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not
know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the
people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot
be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding
mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for
who can govern this your great people?’

 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him,
‘Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long
life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for
yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to
your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like
you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. I
give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honour all your
life; no other king shall compare with you. If you will walk in my
ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David
walked, then I will lengthen your life.’

 Then Solomon awoke; it had been a dream. He came to Jerusalem, where
he stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. He offered up
burnt-offerings and offerings of well-being, and provided a feast for
all his servants.
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Acts 27:9-26

Since much time had been lost and sailing was now dangerous, because
even the Fast had already gone by, Paul advised them, saying, ‘Sirs,
I can see that the voyage will be with danger and much heavy loss, not
only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.’ But the
centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the
ship than to what Paul said. Since the harbour was not suitable for
spending the winter, the majority was in favour of putting to sea from
there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, where they
could spend the winter. It was a harbour of Crete, facing south-west
and north-west.

 When a moderate south wind began to blow, they thought they could
achieve their purpose; so they weighed anchor and began to sail past
Crete, close to the shore. But soon a violent wind, called the
northeaster, rushed down from Crete.* Since the ship was caught and
could not be turned with its head to the wind, we gave way to it and
were driven. By running under the lee of a small island called Cauda*
we were scarcely able to get the ship’s boat under control. After
hoisting it up they took measures* to undergird the ship; then,
fearing that they would run on the Syrtis, they lowered the sea-anchor
and so were driven. We were being pounded by the storm so violently
that on the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard, and on
the third day with their own hands they threw the ship’s tackle
overboard. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no
small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last
abandoned.

 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul then stood up
among them and said, ‘Men, you should have listened to me and not
have set sail from Crete and thereby avoided this damage and loss. I
urge you now to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of
life among you, but only of the ship. For last night there stood by me
an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said,
“Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before the emperor; and
indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with
you.” So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it
will be exactly as I have been told. But we will have to run aground
on some island.’
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Mark 14:1-11

It was two days before the Passover and the festival of Unleavened
Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to
arrest Jesus* by stealth and kill him; for they said, ‘Not during
the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.’

 While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,* as he sat
at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly
ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment
on his head. But some were there who said to one another in anger,
‘Why was the ointment wasted in this way? For this ointment could
have been sold for more than three hundred denarii,* and the money
given to the poor.’ And they scolded her. But Jesus said, ‘Let her
alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for
me. For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness
to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. She has
done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its
burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the good news* is proclaimed in the
whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.’

 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief
priests in order to betray him to them. When they heard it, they were
greatly pleased, and promised to give him money. So he began to look
for an opportunity to betray him.
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 119:1-24

Psalm 119:1-24

Happy are those whose way is blameless,
   who walk in the law of the Lord. 
Happy are those who keep his decrees,
   who seek him with their whole heart, 
who also do no wrong,
   but walk in his ways. 
You have commanded your precepts
   to be kept diligently. 
O that my ways may be steadfast
   in keeping your statutes! 
Then I shall not be put to shame,
   having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. 
I will praise you with an upright heart,
   when I learn your righteous ordinances. 
I will observe your statutes;
   do not utterly forsake me. 

How can young people keep their way pure?
   By guarding it according to your word. 
With my whole heart I seek you;
   do not let me stray from your commandments. 
I treasure your word in my heart,
   so that I may not sin against you. 
Blessed are you, O Lord;
   teach me your statutes. 
With my lips I declare
   all the ordinances of your mouth. 
I delight in the way of your decrees
   as much as in all riches. 
I will meditate on your precepts,
   and fix my eyes on your ways. 
I will delight in your statutes;
   I will not forget your word. 

Deal bountifully with your servant,
   so that I may live and observe your word. 
Open my eyes, so that I may behold
   wondrous things out of your law. 
I live as an alien in the land;
   do not hide your commandments from me. 
My soul is consumed with longing
   for your ordinances at all times. 
You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,
   who wander from your commandments; 
take away from me their scorn and contempt,
   for I have kept your decrees. 
Even though princes sit plotting against me,
   your servant will meditate on your statutes. 
Your decrees are my delight,
   they are my counsellors.
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 12, 13, 14

Psalm 12

Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly;
   the faithful have disappeared from humankind. 
They utter lies to each other;
   with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. 

May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
   the tongue that makes great boasts, 
those who say, ‘With our tongues we will prevail;
   our lips are our own—who is our master?’ 

‘Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,
   I will now rise up,’ says the Lord;
   ‘I will place them in the safety for which they long.’ 
The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure,
   silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
   purified seven times. 

You, O Lord, will protect us;
   you will guard us from this generation for ever. 
On every side the wicked prowl,
   as vileness is exalted among humankind.

Psalm 13

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me for ever?
   How long will you hide your face from me? 
How long must I bear pain* in my soul,
   and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
   Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, 
and my enemy will say, ‘I have prevailed’;
   my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. 

But I trusted in your steadfast love;
   my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 
I will sing to the Lord,
   because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 14

Fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’
   They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
   there is no one who does good. 

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

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

Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
   who eat up my people as they eat bread,
   and do not call upon the Lord? 

There they shall be in great terror,
   for God is with the company of the righteous. 
You would confound the plans of the poor,
   but the Lord is their refuge. 

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