Saturday 8 January 2022 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Saturday 8 January 2022
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Exodus 17:1-7

>From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites
journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim,
but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarrelled
with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to
them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ But
the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against
Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and
our children and livestock with thirst?’ So Moses cried out to the
Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to
stone me.’ The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and
take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the
staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there
in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will
come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the
sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah* and
Meribah,* because the Israelites quarrelled and tested the Lord,
saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’
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Colossians 1:15-23

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;
for in* him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or
powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He
himself is before all things, and in* him all things hold together. He
is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the
firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in
everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of
his cross.

 And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil
deeds, he has now reconciled* in his fleshly body* through death, so
as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him—
provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the
faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you
heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I,
Paul, became a servant of this gospel.
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John 7:37-52
 
On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was
standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me,
and let the one who believes in me drink. As* the scripture has said,
“Out of the believer’s heart* shall flow rivers of living
water.” ’ Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in
him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit,* because Jesus
was not yet glorified.
 When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, ‘This is
really the prophet.’ Others said, ‘This is the Messiah.’* But
some asked, ‘Surely the Messiah* does not come from Galilee, does
he? Has not the scripture said that the Messiah* is descended from
David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?’ So
there was a division in the crowd because of him. Some of them wanted
to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.
 Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees,
who asked them, ‘Why did you not arrest him?’ The police answered,
‘Never has anyone spoken like this!’ Then the Pharisees replied,
‘Surely you have not been deceived too, have you? Has any one of the
authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which
does not know the law—they are accursed.’ Nicodemus, who had gone
to Jesus* before, and who was one of them, asked, ‘Our law does not
judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they
are doing, does it?’ They replied, ‘Surely you are not also from
Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise
from Galilee.’
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Morning Psalms: Psalm 117, 118

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!

Psalm 118

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
   his steadfast love endures for ever! 

Let Israel say,
   ‘His steadfast love endures for ever.’ 
Let the house of Aaron say,
   ‘His steadfast love endures for ever.’ 
Let those who fear the Lord say,
   ‘His steadfast love endures for ever.’ 

Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
   the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. 
With the Lord on my side I do not fear.
   What can mortals do to me? 
The Lord is on my side to help me;
   I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. 
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
   than to put confidence in mortals. 
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
   than to put confidence in princes. 

All nations surrounded me;
   in the name of the Lord I cut them off! 
They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
   in the name of the Lord I cut them off! 
They surrounded me like bees;
   they blazed* like a fire of thorns;
   in the name of the Lord I cut them off! 
I was pushed hard,* so that I was falling,
   but the Lord helped me. 
The Lord is my strength and my might;
   he has become my salvation. 

There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:
‘The right hand of the Lord does valiantly; 
   the right hand of the Lord is exalted;
   the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.’ 
I shall not die, but I shall live,
   and recount the deeds of the Lord. 
The Lord has punished me severely,
   but he did not give me over to death. 

Open to me the gates of righteousness,
   that I may enter through them
   and give thanks to the Lord. 

This is the gate of the Lord;
   the righteous shall enter through it. 

I thank you that you have answered me
   and have become my salvation. 
The stone that the builders rejected
   has become the chief cornerstone. 
This is the Lord’s doing;
   it is marvellous in our eyes. 
This is the day that the Lord has made;
   let us rejoice and be glad in it.* 
Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!
   O Lord, we beseech you, give us success! 

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.*
   We bless you from the house of the Lord. 
The Lord is God,
   and he has given us light.
Bind the festal procession with branches,
   up to the horns of the altar.* 

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
   you are my God, I will extol you. 

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever.
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 112, 113

Psalm 112

Praise the Lord!
   Happy are those who fear the Lord,
   who greatly delight in his commandments. 
Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
   the generation of the upright will be blessed. 
Wealth and riches are in their houses,
   and their righteousness endures for ever. 
They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
   they are gracious, merciful, and righteous. 
It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
   who conduct their affairs with justice. 
For the righteous will never be moved;
   they will be remembered for ever. 
They are not afraid of evil tidings;
   their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord. 
Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid;
   in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. 
They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
   their righteousness endures for ever;
   their horn is exalted in honour. 
The wicked see it and are angry;
   they gnash their teeth and melt away;
   the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.

Psalm 113

Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord;
   praise the name of the Lord. 

Blessed be the name of the Lord
   from this time on and for evermore. 
>From the rising of the sun to its setting
   the name of the Lord is to be praised. 
The Lord is high above all nations,
   and his glory above the heavens. 

Who is like the Lord our God,
   who is seated on high, 
who looks far down
   on the heavens and the earth? 
He raises the poor from the dust,
   and lifts the needy from the ash heap, 
to make them sit with princes,
   with the princes of his people. 
He gives the barren woman a home,
   making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the Lord!
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Eve of 1 Ephiphany

Psalm 104

Bless the Lord, O my soul.
   O Lord my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honour and majesty, 
   wrapped in light as with a garment.
You stretch out the heavens like a tent, 
   you set the beams of your* chambers on the waters,
you make the clouds your* chariot,
   you ride on the wings of the wind, 
you make the winds your* messengers,
   fire and flame your* ministers. 

You set the earth on its foundations,
   so that it shall never be shaken. 
You cover it with the deep as with a garment;
   the waters stood above the mountains. 
At your rebuke they flee;
   at the sound of your thunder they take to flight. 
They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys
   to the place that you appointed for them. 
You set a boundary that they may not pass,
   so that they might not again cover the earth. 

You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
   they flow between the hills, 
giving drink to every wild animal;
   the wild asses quench their thirst. 
By the streams* the birds of the air have their habitation;
   they sing among the branches. 
>From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
   the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. 

You cause the grass to grow for the cattle,
   and plants for people to use,*
to bring forth food from the earth, 
   and wine to gladden the human heart,
oil to make the face shine,
   and bread to strengthen the human heart. 
The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
   the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. 
In them the birds build their nests;
   the stork has its home in the fir trees. 
The high mountains are for the wild goats;
   the rocks are a refuge for the coneys. 
You have made the moon to mark the seasons;
   the sun knows its time for setting. 
You make darkness, and it is night,
   when all the animals of the forest come creeping out. 
The young lions roar for their prey,
   seeking their food from God. 
When the sun rises, they withdraw
   and lie down in their dens. 
People go out to their work
   and to their labour until the evening. 

O Lord, how manifold are your works!
   In wisdom you have made them all;
   the earth is full of your creatures. 
Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
   creeping things innumerable are there,
   living things both small and great. 
There go the ships,
   and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. 

These all look to you
   to give them their food in due season; 
when you give to them, they gather it up;
   when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. 
When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
   when you take away their breath, they die
   and return to their dust. 
When you send forth your spirit,* they are created;
   and you renew the face of the ground. 

May the glory of the Lord endure for ever;
   may the Lord rejoice in his works— 
who looks on the earth and it trembles,
   who touches the mountains and they smoke. 
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
   I will sing praise to my God while I have being. 
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
   for I rejoice in the Lord. 
Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
   and let the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord!

Isaiah 61:1-9

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
   because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
   to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
   and release to the prisoners; 
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour,
   and the day of vengeance of our God;
   to comfort all who mourn; 
to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
   to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
   the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
   the planting of the Lord, to display his glory. 
They shall build up the ancient ruins,
   they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
   the devastations of many generations. 

Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
   foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines; 
but you shall be called priests of the Lord,
   you shall be named ministers of our God;
you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations,
   and in their riches you shall glory. 
Because their* shame was double,
   and dishonour was proclaimed as their lot,
therefore they shall possess a double portion;
   everlasting joy shall be theirs. 

For I the Lord love justice,
   I hate robbery and wrongdoing;*
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
   and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 
Their descendants shall be known among the nations,
   and their offspring among the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge
   that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.

Galatians 3:23-29, 4:4-7

Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law
until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our
disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by
faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a
disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God
through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have
clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there
is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for
all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then
you are Abraham’s offspring,* heirs according to the promise. But
when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman,
born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are
children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our*hearts, crying,
‘Abba!* Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if
a child then also an heir, through God.

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