Thursday 23 February 2023 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Thursday 23 February 2023
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Deuteronomy 7:6-11

For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has
chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his
treasured possession.

 It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that
the Lord set his heart on you and chose you—for you were the fewest
of all peoples. It was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath
that he swore to your ancestors, that the Lord has brought you out
with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from
the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your
God is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those
who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and
who repays in their own person those who reject him. He does not delay
but repays in their own person those who reject him. Therefore,
observe diligently the commandment—the statutes and the
ordinances—that I am commanding you today.
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Titus 1:1-16

Paul, a servant* of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake
of the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that is
in accordance with godliness, in the hope of eternal life that God,
who never lies, promised before the ages began— in due time he
revealed his word through the proclamation with which I have been
entrusted by the command of God our Saviour,

 To Titus, my loyal child in the faith we share:

Grace* and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour. 

 I left you behind in Crete for this reason, that you should put in
order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in every
town, as I directed you: someone who is blameless, married only once,*
whose children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not
rebellious. For a bishop,* as God’s steward, must be blameless; he
must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent
or greedy for gain; but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness,
prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled. He must have a firm
grasp of the word that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching,
so that he may be able both to preach with sound doctrine and to
refute those who contradict it.

 There are also many rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers,
especially those of the circumcision; they must be silenced, since
they are upsetting whole families by teaching for sordid gain what it
is not right to teach. It was one of them, their very own prophet, who
said,
‘Cretans are always liars, vicious brutes, lazy gluttons.’ 
That testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply, so that
they may become sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish
myths or to commandments of those who reject the truth. To the pure
all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is
pure. Their very minds and consciences are corrupted. They profess to
know God, but they deny him by their actions. They are detestable,
disobedient, unfit for any good work.
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John 1:29-34

The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is
the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of
whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he
was before me.” I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with
water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And
John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a
dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one
who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see
the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy
Spirit.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the
Son of God.’
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Morning Psalms: Psalm 37:1-18

Psalm 37:1-18

Do not fret because of the wicked;
   do not be envious of wrongdoers, 
for they will soon fade like the grass,
   and wither like the green herb. 

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
   so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. 
Take delight in the Lord,
   and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

Commit your way to the Lord;
   trust in him, and he will act. 
He will make your vindication shine like the light,
   and the justice of your cause like the noonday. 

Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
   do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
   over those who carry out evil devices. 

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
   Do not fret—it leads only to evil. 
For the wicked shall be cut off,
   but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. 

Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
   though you look diligently for their place, they will not be
there. 
But the meek shall inherit the land,
   and delight in abundant prosperity. 

The wicked plot against the righteous,
   and gnash their teeth at them; 
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
   for he sees that their day is coming. 

The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
   to bring down the poor and needy,
   to kill those who walk uprightly; 
their sword shall enter their own heart,
   and their bows shall be broken. 

Better is a little that the righteous person has
   than the abundance of many wicked. 
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
   but the Lord upholds the righteous. 

The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
   and their heritage will abide for ever;
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 37:19-42

Psalm 37:19-42

they are not put to shame in evil times,
   in the days of famine they have abundance. 

But the wicked perish,
   and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
   they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. 

The wicked borrow, and do not pay back,
   but the righteous are generous and keep giving; 
for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
   but those cursed by him shall be cut off. 

Our steps* are made firm by the Lord,
   when he delights in our* way; 
though we stumble,* we* shall not fall headlong,
   for the Lord holds us* by the hand. 

I have been young, and now am old,
   yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
   or their children begging bread. 
They are ever giving liberally and lending,
   and their children become a blessing. 

Depart from evil, and do good;
   so you shall abide for ever. 
For the Lord loves justice;
   he will not forsake his faithful ones. 

The righteous shall be kept safe for ever,
   but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 
The righteous shall inherit the land,
   and live in it for ever. 

The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
   and their tongues speak justice. 
The law of their God is in their hearts;
   their steps do not slip. 

The wicked watch for the righteous,
   and seek to kill them. 
The Lord will not abandon them to their power,
   or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial. 

Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way,
   and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
   you will look on the destruction of the wicked. 

I have seen the wicked oppressing,
   and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.* 
Again I* passed by, and they were no more;
   though I sought them, they could not be found. 

Mark the blameless, and behold the upright,
   for there is posterity for the peaceable. 
But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
   the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off. 

The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
   he is their refuge in the time of trouble. 
The Lord helps them and rescues them;
   he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
   because they take refuge in him.
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