Tuesday 21 December 2021 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Tuesday 21 December 2021
DAILY LECTIONARY

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1 Samuel 2:1b-10

Hannah prayed and said,
‘My heart exults in the Lord;
   my strength is exalted in my God.*
My mouth derides my enemies,
   because I rejoice in my* victory. 

‘There is no Holy One like the Lord,
   no one besides you;
   there is no Rock like our God. 
Talk no more so very proudly,
   let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
   and by him actions are weighed. 
The bows of the mighty are broken,
   but the feeble gird on strength. 
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
   but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.
The barren has borne seven,
   but she who has many children is forlorn. 
The Lord kills and brings to life;
   he brings down to Sheol and raises up. 
The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
   he brings low, he also exalts. 
He raises up the poor from the dust;
   he lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes
   and inherit a seat of honour.*
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
   and on them he has set the world. 

‘He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
   but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness;
   for not by might does one prevail. 
The Lord! His adversaries shall be shattered;
   the Most High* will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
   he will give strength to his king,
   and exalt the power of his anointed.’
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Titus 2:1-10

But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound doctrine. Tell the
older men to be temperate, serious, prudent, and sound in faith, in
love, and in endurance.

 Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in behaviour, not to
be slanderers or slaves to drink; they are to teach what is good, so
that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to
love their children, to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of
the household, kind, being submissive to their husbands, so that the
word of God may not be discredited.

 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself
in all respects a model of good works, and in your teaching show
integrity, gravity, and sound speech that cannot be censured; then any
opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us.

 Tell slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give
satisfaction in every respect; they are not to answer back, not to
pilfer, but to show complete and perfect fidelity, so that in
everything they may be an ornament to the doctrine of God our Saviour.
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Luke 1:26-38
 
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in
Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was
Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he
came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with
you.’* But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what
sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be
afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will
conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He
will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the
Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will
reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will
be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a
virgin?’* The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon
you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the
child to be born* will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now,
your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and
this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing
will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the
servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then
the angel departed from her.
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Morning Psalms: Psalm 66, 67

Psalm 66

Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; 
   sing the glory of his name;
   give to him glorious praise. 
Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds!
   Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you. 
All the earth worships you;
   they sing praises to you,
   sing praises to your name.’
          Selah 

Come and see what God has done:
   he is awesome in his deeds among mortals. 
He turned the sea into dry land;
   they passed through the river on foot.
There we rejoiced in him, 
   who rules by his might for ever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
   let the rebellious not exalt themselves.
          Selah 

Bless our God, O peoples,
   let the sound of his praise be heard, 
who has kept us among the living,
   and has not let our feet slip. 
For you, O God, have tested us;
   you have tried us as silver is tried. 
You brought us into the net;
   you laid burdens on our backs; 
you let people ride over our heads;
   we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.* 

I will come into your house with burnt-offerings;
   I will pay you my vows, 
those that my lips uttered
   and my mouth promised when I was in trouble. 
I will offer to you burnt-offerings of fatlings,
   with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats.
          Selah 

Come and hear, all you who fear God,
   and I will tell what he has done for me. 
I cried aloud to him,
   and he was extolled with my tongue. 
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
   the Lord would not have listened. 
But truly God has listened;
   he has given heed to the words of my prayer. 

Blessed be God,
   because he has not rejected my prayer
   or removed his steadfast love from me.

Psalm 67

May God be gracious to us and bless us
   and make his face to shine upon us,
          Selah 
that your way may be known upon earth,
   your saving power among all nations. 
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
   let all the peoples praise you. 

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
   for you judge the peoples with equity
   and guide the nations upon earth.
          Selah 
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
   let all the peoples praise you. 

The earth has yielded its increase;
   God, our God, has blessed us. 
May God continue to bless us;
   let all the ends of the earth revere him.
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 116, 117

Psalm 116

I love the Lord, because he has heard
   my voice and my supplications. 
Because he inclined his ear to me,
   therefore I will call on him as long as I live. 
The snares of death encompassed me;
   the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
   I suffered distress and anguish. 
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
   ‘O Lord, I pray, save my life!’ 

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
   our God is merciful. 
The Lord protects the simple;
   when I was brought low, he saved me. 
Return, O my soul, to your rest,
   for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. 

For you have delivered my soul from death,
   my eyes from tears,
   my feet from stumbling. 
I walk before the Lord
   in the land of the living. 
I kept my faith, even when I said,
   ‘I am greatly afflicted’; 
I said in my consternation,
   ‘Everyone is a liar.’ 

What shall I return to the Lord
   for all his bounty to me? 
I will lift up the cup of salvation
   and call on the name of the Lord, 
I will pay my vows to the Lord
   in the presence of all his people. 
Precious in the sight of the Lord
   is the death of his faithful ones. 
O Lord, I am your servant;
   I am your servant, the child of your serving-maid.
   You have loosed my bonds. 
I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice
   and call on the name of the Lord. 
I will pay my vows to the Lord
   in the presence of all his people, 
in the courts of the house of the Lord,
   in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord, all you nations!
   Extol him, all you peoples! 
For great is his steadfast love towards us,
   and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.
Praise the Lord!
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