Sunday 31 December 2023 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Sunday 31 December 2023
DAILY LECTIONARY

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1 Samuel 1:1-2,7b-28

There was a certain man of Ramathaim, a Zuphite* from the hill country
of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of
Tohu son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives; the name of one was
Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but
Hannah had no children. So it went on year after year; as often as she
went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore
Hannah wept and would not eat. Her husband Elkanah said to her,
‘Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad?
Am I not more to you than ten sons?’

 After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented
herself before the Lord.* Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat
beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. She was deeply
distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly. She made this
vow: ‘O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your
servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give
to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a
nazirite* until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor
intoxicants,* and no razor shall touch his head.’

 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth.
Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was
not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her,
‘How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away
your wine.’ But Hannah answered, ‘No, my lord, I am a woman deeply
troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been
pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a
worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and
vexation all this time.’ Then Eli answered, ‘Go in peace; the God
of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.’ And she said,
‘Let your servant find favour in your sight.’ Then the woman went
to her quarters,* ate and drank with her husband,* and her countenance
was sad no longer.*

 They rose early in the morning and worshipped before the Lord; then
they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah,
and the Lord remembered her. In due time Hannah conceived and bore a
son. She named him Samuel, for she said, ‘I have asked him of the
Lord.’

 The man Elkanah and all his household went up to offer to the Lord
the yearly sacrifice, and to pay his vow. But Hannah did not go up,
for she said to her husband, ‘As soon as the child is weaned, I will
bring him, that he may appear in the presence of the Lord, and remain
there for ever; I will offer him as a nazirite* for all time.’* Her
husband Elkanah said to her, ‘Do what seems best to you, wait until
you have weaned him; only—may the Lord establish his word.’* So
the woman remained and nursed her son, until she weaned him. When she
had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old
bull,* an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. She brought him to the
house of the Lord at Shiloh; and the child was young. Then they
slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. And she said,
‘Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing
here in your presence, praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed;
and the Lord has granted me the petition that I made to him. Therefore
I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he is given to the
Lord.’

She left him there for* the Lord.
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Colossians 1:9-20

For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying
for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of
God’s* will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you
may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear
fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. May
you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious
power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience,
while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled* you* to
share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us
from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his
beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.*
 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.
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Luke 2:22-40
 
When the time came for their purification according to the law of
Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as
it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be
designated as holy to the Lord’), and they offered a sacrifice
according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of
turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’

 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon;* this man
was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of
Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him
by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the
Lord’s Messiah.* Guided by the Spirit, Simeon* came into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what
was customary under the law, Simeon* took him in his arms and praised
God, saying, 
‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant* in peace,
   according to your word; 
for my eyes have seen your salvation, 
   which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
   and for glory to your people Israel.’

 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being
said about him. Then Simeon* blessed them and said to his mother Mary,
‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in
Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner
thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own
soul too.’

 There was also a prophet, Anna* the daughter of Phanuel, of the
tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband
for seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of
eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with
fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began
to praise God and to speak about the child* to all who were looking
for the redemption of Jerusalem.
 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child
grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was
upon him.
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Morning Psalms: Psalm 93, 96

Psalm 93

The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty;
   the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength.
He has established the world; it shall never be moved; 
   your throne is established from of old;
   you are from everlasting. 

The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
   the floods have lifted up their voice;
   the floods lift up their roaring. 
More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters,
   more majestic than the waves* of the sea,
   majestic on high is the Lord! 

Your decrees are very sure;
   holiness befits your house,
   O Lord, for evermore.

Psalm 96

O sing to the Lord a new song;
   sing to the Lord, all the earth. 
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
   tell of his salvation from day to day. 
Declare his glory among the nations,
   his marvellous works among all the peoples. 
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
   he is to be revered above all gods. 
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
   but the Lord made the heavens. 
Honour and majesty are before him;
   strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
   ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
   bring an offering, and come into his courts. 
Worship the Lord in holy splendour;
   tremble before him, all the earth. 

Say among the nations, ‘The Lord is king!
   The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
   He will judge the peoples with equity.’ 
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
   let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 
   let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 
   before the Lord; for he is coming,
   for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
   and the peoples with his truth.
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 34

Psalm 34

I will bless the Lord at all times;
   his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
   let the humble hear and be glad. 
O magnify the Lord with me,
   and let us exalt his name together. 

I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
   and delivered me from all my fears. 
Look to him, and be radiant;
   so your* faces shall never be ashamed. 
This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
   and was saved from every trouble. 
The angel of the Lord encamps
   around those who fear him, and delivers them. 
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
   happy are those who take refuge in him. 
O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
   for those who fear him have no want. 
The young lions suffer want and hunger,
   but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. 

Come, O children, listen to me;
   I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 
Which of you desires life,
   and covets many days to enjoy good? 
Keep your tongue from evil,
   and your lips from speaking deceit. 
Depart from evil, and do good;
   seek peace, and pursue it. 

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
   and his ears are open to their cry. 
The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
   to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears,
   and rescues them from all their troubles. 
The Lord is near to the broken-hearted,
   and saves the crushed in spirit. 

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
   but the Lord rescues them from them all. 
He keeps all their bones;
   not one of them will be broken. 
Evil brings death to the wicked,
   and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. 
The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
   none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
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Eve of Holy Name

Isaiah 65:15b-25

You shall leave your name to my chosen to use as a curse,
   and the Lord God will put you to death;
   but to his servants he will give a different name. 
Then whoever invokes a blessing in the land
   shall bless by the God of faithfulness,
and whoever takes an oath in the land
   shall swear by the God of faithfulness;
because the former troubles are forgotten
   and are hidden from my sight. 

For I am about to create new heavens
   and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered
   or come to mind. 
But be glad and rejoice for ever
   in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,
   and its people as a delight. 
I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
   and delight in my people;
no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,
   or the cry of distress. 
No more shall there be in it
   an infant that lives but a few days,
   or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;
for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,
   and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered
accursed. 
They shall build houses and inhabit them;
   they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 
They shall not build and another inhabit;
   they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
   and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 
They shall not labour in vain,
   or bear children for calamity;
for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord—
   and their descendants as well. 
Before they call I will answer,
   while they are yet speaking I will hear. 
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
   the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
   but the serpent—its food shall be dust!
They shall not hurt or destroy
   on all my holy mountain,

says the Lord.

Revelation 21:1-6

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the
first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the
holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice
from the throne saying,
‘See, the home* of God is among mortals.
He will dwell* with them;
they will be his peoples,*
and God himself will be with them;* 
4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’

5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making
all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are
trustworthy and true.’ 6Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the
Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will
give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

Psalm 90

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.
Lord, you have been our dwelling-place*
   in all generations. 
Before the mountains were brought forth,
   or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
   from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 

You turn us* back to dust,
   and say, ‘Turn back, you mortals.’ 
For a thousand years in your sight
   are like yesterday when it is past,
   or like a watch in the night. 

You sweep them away; they are like a dream,
   like grass that is renewed in the morning; 
in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
   in the evening it fades and withers. 

For we are consumed by your anger;
   by your wrath we are overwhelmed. 
You have set our iniquities before you,
   our secret sins in the light of your countenance. 

For all our days pass away under your wrath;
   our years come to an end* like a sigh. 
The days of our life are seventy years,
   or perhaps eighty, if we are strong;
even then their span* is only toil and trouble;
   they are soon gone, and we fly away. 

Who considers the power of your anger?
   Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due to you. 
So teach us to count our days
   that we may gain a wise heart. 

Turn, O Lord! How long?
   Have compassion on your servants! 
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
   so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
   and for as many years as we have seen evil. 
Let your work be manifest to your servants,
   and your glorious power to their children. 
Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon us,
   and prosper for us the work of our hands—
   O prosper the work of our hands!
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