Thursday 21 December 2023 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Thursday 21 December 2023 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Zechariah 4:1-14

The angel who talked with me came again, and wakened me, as one is
wakened from sleep. He said to me, ‘What do you see?’ And I said,
‘I see a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it; there
are seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are
on the top of it. And by it there are two olive trees, one on the
right of the bowl and the other on its left.’ I said to the angel
who talked with me, ‘What are these, my lord?’ Then the angel who
talked with me answered me, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ I
said, ‘No, my lord.’ He said to me, ‘This is the word of the
Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says
the Lord of hosts. What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel
you shall become a plain; and he shall bring out the top stone amid
shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’

 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘The hands of
Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall
also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent
me to you. For whoever has despised the day of small things shall
rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel.

‘These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole
earth.’ Then I said to him, ‘What are these two olive trees on the
right and the left of the lampstand?’ And a second time I said to
him, ‘What are these two branches of the olive trees, which pour out
the oil* through the two golden pipes?’ He said to me, ‘Do you not
know what these are?’ I said, ‘No, my lord.’ Then he said,
‘These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole
earth.’
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Revelation 4:9-5:5

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to
the one who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, the
twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and
worship the one who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns
before the throne, singing, 
‘You are worthy, our Lord and God,
   to receive glory and honour and power,
for you created all things,
   and by your will they existed and were created.’
Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll
written on the inside and on the back, sealed* with seven seals; and I
saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to
open the scroll and break its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on
earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into
it. And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to
open the scroll or to look into it. Then one of the elders said to me,
‘Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of
David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven
seals.’
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Matthew 25:1-13

‘Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids* took
their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.* Five of them were
foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they
took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their
lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and
slept. But at midnight there was a shout, “Look! Here is the
bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” Then all those bridesmaids* got
up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, “Give us
some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the wise
replied, “No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had
better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.” And while
they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready
went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later
the other bridesmaids* came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to
us.” But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.” Keep
awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
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Morning Psalms: Psalm 50

Psalm 50

The mighty one, God the Lord,
   speaks and summons the earth
   from the rising of the sun to its setting. 
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
   God shines forth. 

Our God comes and does not keep silence,
   before him is a devouring fire,
   and a mighty tempest all around him. 
He calls to the heavens above
   and to the earth, that he may judge his people: 
‘Gather to me my faithful ones,
   who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!’ 
The heavens declare his righteousness,
   for God himself is judge.
          Selah 

‘Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
   O Israel, I will testify against you.
   I am God, your God. 
Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
   your burnt-offerings are continually before me. 
I will not accept a bull from your house,
   or goats from your folds. 
For every wild animal of the forest is mine,
   the cattle on a thousand hills. 
I know all the birds of the air,*
   and all that moves in the field is mine. 

‘If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
   for the world and all that is in it is mine. 
Do I eat the flesh of bulls,
   or drink the blood of goats? 
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,*
   and pay your vows to the Most High. 
Call on me in the day of trouble;
   I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.’ 

But to the wicked God says:
   ‘What right have you to recite my statutes,
   or take my covenant on your lips? 
For you hate discipline,
   and you cast my words behind you. 
You make friends with a thief when you see one,
   and you keep company with adulterers. 

‘You give your mouth free rein for evil,
   and your tongue frames deceit. 
You sit and speak against your kin;
   you slander your own mother’s child. 
These things you have done and I have been silent;
   you thought that I was one just like yourself.
But now I rebuke you, and lay the charge before you. 

‘Mark this, then, you who forget God,
   or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver. 
Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honour me;
   to those who go the right way*
   I will show the salvation of God.’
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 33

Psalm 33

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.
   Praise befits the upright. 
Praise the Lord with the lyre;
   make melody to him with the harp of ten strings. 
Sing to him a new song;
   play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts. 

For the word of the Lord is upright,
   and all his work is done in faithfulness. 
He loves righteousness and justice;
   the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. 

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
   and all their host by the breath of his mouth. 
He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;
   he put the deeps in storehouses. 

Let all the earth fear the Lord;
   let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 
For he spoke, and it came to be;
   he commanded, and it stood firm. 

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
   he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 
The counsel of the Lord stands for ever,
   the thoughts of his heart to all generations. 
Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
   the people whom he has chosen as his heritage. 

The Lord looks down from heaven;
   he sees all humankind. 
>From where he sits enthroned he watches
   all the inhabitants of the earth— 
he who fashions the hearts of them all,
   and observes all their deeds. 
A king is not saved by his great army;
   a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 
The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
   and by its great might it cannot save. 

Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
   on those who hope in his steadfast love, 
to deliver their soul from death,
   and to keep them alive in famine. 

Our soul waits for the Lord;
   he is our help and shield. 
Our heart is glad in him,
   because we trust in his holy name. 
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
   even as we hope in you.
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