Saturday 16 December 2023 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Saturday 16 December 2023 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Haggai 2:1-9

In the second year of King Darius,in the seventh month, on the
twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the
prophet Haggai, saying: Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,
governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest,
and to the remnant of the people, and say, Who is left among you that
saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it
not in your sight as nothing? Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says
the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest;
take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I
am with you, says the Lord of hosts, according to the promise that I
made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do
not fear. For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in a little
while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry
land; and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all
nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendour, says
the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the
Lord of hosts. The latter splendour of this house shall be greater
than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give
prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.
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Revelation 3:1-6

‘And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words
of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars:

‘I know your works; you have a name for being alive, but you are
dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is at the point of
death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God.
Remember then what you received and heard; obey it, and repent. If you
do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at
what hour I will come to you. Yet you have still a few people in
Sardis who have not soiled their clothes; they will walk with me,
dressed in white, for they are worthy. If you conquer, you will be
clothed like them in white robes, and I will not blot your name out of
the book of life; I will confess your name before my Father and before
his angels. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is
saying to the churches.
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Matthew 24:1-14

As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came
to point out to him the buildings of the temple. Then he asked them,
‘You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will
be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.’
 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to
him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be
the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ Jesus answered
them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my
name, saying, “I am the Messiah!”* and they will lead many astray.
And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that you are not
alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation
will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will
be famines* and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the
beginning of the birth pangs.
 ‘Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to
death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. Then
many will fall away,* and they will betray one another and hate one
another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And
because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow
cold. But anyone who endures to the end will be saved. And this good
news* of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a
testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come.
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Morning Psalms: Psalm 30, 32

Psalm 30

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up,
   and did not let my foes rejoice over me. 
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
   and you have healed me. 
O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
   restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.* 

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
   and give thanks to his holy name. 
For his anger is but for a moment;
   his favour is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
   but joy comes with the morning. 

As for me, I said in my prosperity,
   ‘I shall never be moved.’ 
By your favour, O Lord,
   you had established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
   I was dismayed. 

To you, O Lord, I cried,
   and to the Lord I made supplication: 
‘What profit is there in my death,
   if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
   Will it tell of your faithfulness? 
Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!
   O Lord, be my helper!’ 

You have turned my mourning into dancing;
   you have taken off my sackcloth
   and clothed me with joy, 
so that my soul* may praise you and not be silent.
   O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you for ever.

Psalm 32

Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,
   whose sin is covered. 
Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity,
   and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 

While I kept silence, my body wasted away
   through my groaning all day long. 
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
   my strength was dried up* as by the heat of summer.
          Selah 

Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
   and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’,
   and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
          Selah 

Therefore let all who are faithful
   offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress,* the rush of mighty waters
   shall not reach them. 
You are a hiding-place for me;
   you preserve me from trouble;
   you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.
          Selah 

I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
   I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 
Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
   whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
   else it will not stay near you. 

Many are the torments of the wicked,
   but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord. 
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous,
   and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 42, 43

Psalm 42

As a deer longs for flowing streams,
   so my soul longs for you, O God. 
My soul thirsts for God,
   for the living God.
When shall I come and behold
   the face of God? 
My tears have been my food
   day and night,
while people say to me continually,
   ‘Where is your God?’ 

These things I remember,
   as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng,*
   and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
   a multitude keeping festival. 
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
   and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
   my help and my God. 

My soul is cast down within me;
   therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
   from Mount Mizar. 
Deep calls to deep
   at the thunder of your cataracts;
all your waves and your billows
   have gone over me. 
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
   and at night his song is with me,
   a prayer to the God of my life. 

I say to God, my rock,
   ‘Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I walk about mournfully
   because the enemy oppresses me?’ 
As with a deadly wound in my body,
   my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me continually,
   ‘Where is your God?’ 

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
   and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
   my help and my God.

Psalm 43

Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
   against an ungodly people;
from those who are deceitful and unjust
   deliver me! 
For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
   why have you cast me off?
Why must I walk about mournfully
   because of the oppression of the enemy? 

O send out your light and your truth;
   let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
   and to your dwelling. 
Then I will go to the altar of God,
   to God my exceeding joy;
and I will praise you with the harp,
   O God, my God. 

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
   and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
   my help and my God.
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