Saturday 15 April 2023 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Saturday 15 April 2023 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Isaiah 25:1-9

O Lord, you are my God;
   I will exalt you, I will praise your name;
for you have done wonderful things,
   plans formed of old, faithful and sure. 
For you have made the city a heap,
   the fortified city a ruin;
the palace of aliens is a city no more,
   it will never be rebuilt. 
Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
   cities of ruthless nations will fear you. 
For you have been a refuge to the poor,
   a refuge to the needy in their distress,
   a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.
When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm, 
   the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place,
you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds;
   the song of the ruthless was stilled. 

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
   a feast of rich food, a feast of well-matured wines,
   of rich food filled with marrow, of well-matured wines strained
clear. 
And he will destroy on this mountain
   the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
   the sheet that is spread over all nations; 
he will swallow up death for ever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
   and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the
earth,
   for the Lord has spoken. 
It will be said on that day,
   Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might
save us.
   This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
   let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
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Acts 4:13-31

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that
they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized
them as companions of Jesus. When they saw the man who had been cured
standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. So they
ordered them to leave the council while they discussed the matter with
one another. They said, ‘What will we do with them? For it is
obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done
through them; we cannot deny it. But to keep it from spreading further
among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this
name.’ So they called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at
all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether
it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you
must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen
and heard.’ After threatening them again, they let them go, finding
no way to punish them because of the people, for all of them praised
God for what had happened. For the man on whom this sign of healing
had been performed was more than forty years old.
 After they were released, they went to their friends* and reported
what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they
heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said,
‘Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and
everything in them, it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our
ancestor David, your servant:*
“Why did the Gentiles rage,
   and the peoples imagine vain things? 
The kings of the earth took their stand,
   and the rulers have gathered together
     against the Lord and against his Messiah.”* 
For in this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the
Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your
holy servant* Jesus, whom you anointed, to do whatever your hand and
your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look at their
threats, and grant to your servants* to speak your word with all
boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and
wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant* Jesus.’
When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together
was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke
the word of God with boldness.
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John 16:16-33
 
‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little
while, and you will see me.’ Then some of his disciples said to one
another, ‘What does he mean by saying to us, “A little while, and
you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see
me”; and “Because I am going to the Father”?’ They said,
‘What does he mean by this “a little while”? We do not know what
he is talking about.’ Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he
said to them, ‘Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant when
I said, “A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a
little while, and you will see me”? Very truly, I tell you, you will
weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but
your pain will turn into joy. When a woman is in labour, she has pain,
because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer
remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human
being into the world. So you have pain now; but I will see you again,
and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
On that day you will ask nothing of me.* Very truly, I tell you, if
you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.*
Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will
receive, so that your joy may be complete.
 ‘I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is
coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but will tell
you plainly of the Father. On that day you will ask in my name. I do
not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the
Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed
that I came from God.* I came from the Father and have come into the
world; again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father.’

 His disciples said, ‘Yes, now you are speaking plainly, not in any
figure of speech! Now we know that you know all things, and do not
need to have anyone question you; by this we believe that you came
from God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do you now believe? The hour is
coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to
his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the
Father is with me. I have said this to you, so that in me you may have
peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have
conquered the world!’
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Morning Psalms: Psalm 145

Psalm 145

I will extol you, my God and King,
   and bless your name for ever and ever. 
Every day I will bless you,
   and praise your name for ever and ever. 
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
   his greatness is unsearchable. 

One generation shall laud your works to another,
   and shall declare your mighty acts. 
On the glorious splendour of your majesty,
   and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. 
The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
   and I will declare your greatness. 
They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
   and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. 

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
   slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 
The Lord is good to all,
   and his compassion is over all that he has made. 

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
   and all your faithful shall bless you. 
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
   and tell of your power, 
to make known to all people your* mighty deeds,
   and the glorious splendour of your* kingdom. 
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
   and your dominion endures throughout all generations. 

The Lord is faithful in all his words,
   and gracious in all his deeds.* 
The Lord upholds all who are falling,
   and raises up all who are bowed down. 
The eyes of all look to you,
   and you give them their food in due season. 
You open your hand,
   satisfying the desire of every living thing. 
The Lord is just in all his ways,
   and kind in all his doings. 
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
   to all who call on him in truth. 
He fulfils the desire of all who fear him;
   he also hears their cry, and saves them. 
The Lord watches over all who love him,
   but all the wicked he will destroy. 

My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
   and all flesh will bless his holy name for ever and ever.
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 104

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!
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