Wednesday 25 January 2023 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Wednesday 25 January 2023 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Isaiah 49:1-12

Listen to me, O coastlands,
   pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born,
   while I was in my mother’s womb he named me. 
He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
   in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow,
   in his quiver he hid me away. 
And he said to me, ‘You are my servant,
   Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’ 
But I said, ‘I have laboured in vain,
   I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord,
   and my reward with my God.’ 

And now the Lord says,
   who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
   and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honoured in the sight of the Lord,
   and my God has become my strength— 
he says,
‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
   to raise up the tribes of Jacob
   and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
   that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’ 

Thus says the Lord,
   the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
   the slave of rulers,
‘Kings shall see and stand up,
   princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
   the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.’ 

Thus says the Lord:
In a time of favour I have answered you,
   on a day of salvation I have helped you;
I have kept you and given you
   as a covenant to the people,*
to establish the land,
   to apportion the desolate heritages; 
saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out’,
   to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
They shall feed along the ways,
   on all the bare heights* shall be their pasture; 
they shall not hunger or thirst,
   neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
   and by springs of water will guide them. 
And I will turn all my mountains into a road,
   and my highways shall be raised up. 
Lo, these shall come from far away,
   and lo, these from the north and from the west,
   and these from the land of Syene.
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Galatians 2:11-21

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he
stood self-condemned; for until certain people came from James, he
used to eat with the Gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and
kept himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction. And the
other Jews joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led
astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not acting
consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before
them all, ‘If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a
Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?’*
 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know
that a person is justified* not by the works of the law but through
faith in Jesus Christ.* And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus,
so that we might be justified by faith in Christ,* and not by doing
the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of
the law. But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we ourselves
have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin?
Certainly not! But if I build up again the very things that I once
tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor. For through
the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been
crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is
Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by
faith in the Son of God,* who loved me and gave himself for me. I do
not nullify the grace of God; for if justification* comes through the
law, then Christ died for nothing.
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Mark 6:13-29

They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick
and cured them.
 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’* name had become known. Some
were* saying, ‘John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and
for this reason these powers are at work in him.’ But others said,
‘It is Elijah.’ And others said, ‘It is a prophet, like one of
the prophets of old.’ But when Herod heard of it, he said, ‘John,
whom I beheaded, has been raised.’

 For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put
him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,
because Herod* had married her. For John had been telling Herod, ‘It
is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ And Herodias
had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not,
for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man,
and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed;*
and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod
on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for
the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias* came in and
danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the
girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.’ And he
solemnly swore to her, ‘Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even
half of my kingdom.’ She went out and said to her mother, ‘What
should I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the baptizer.’
Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, ‘I want you
to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’ The
king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the
guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a
soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s* head. He went and
beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it
to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples
heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.
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Morning Psalms: Psalm 119:49-72

Psalm 119:49-72

Remember your word to your servant,
   in which you have made me hope. 
This is my comfort in my distress,
   that your promise gives me life. 
The arrogant utterly deride me,
   but I do not turn away from your law. 
When I think of your ordinances from of old,
   I take comfort, O Lord. 
Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,
   those who forsake your law. 
Your statutes have been my songs
   wherever I make my home. 
I remember your name in the night, O Lord,
   and keep your law. 
This blessing has fallen to me,
   for I have kept your precepts. 

The Lord is my portion;
   I promise to keep your words. 
I implore your favour with all my heart;
   be gracious to me according to your promise. 
When I think of your ways,
   I turn my feet to your decrees; 
I hurry and do not delay
   to keep your commandments. 
Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,
   I do not forget your law. 
At midnight I rise to praise you,
   because of your righteous ordinances. 
I am a companion of all who fear you,
   of those who keep your precepts. 
The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;
   teach me your statutes. 

You have dealt well with your servant,
   O Lord, according to your word. 
Teach me good judgement and knowledge,
   for I believe in your commandments. 
Before I was humbled I went astray,
   but now I keep your word. 
You are good and do good;
   teach me your statutes. 
The arrogant smear me with lies,
   but with my whole heart I keep your precepts. 
Their hearts are fat and gross,
   but I delight in your law. 
It is good for me that I was humbled,
   so that I might learn your statutes. 
The law of your mouth is better to me
   than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 49, 53

Psalm 49

Hear this, all you peoples;
   give ear, all inhabitants of the world, 
both low and high,
   rich and poor together. 
My mouth shall speak wisdom;
   the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. 
I will incline my ear to a proverb;
   I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp. 

Why should I fear in times of trouble,
   when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me, 
those who trust in their wealth
   and boast of the abundance of their riches? 
Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life,*
   there is no price one can give to God for it. 
For the ransom of life is costly,
   and can never suffice, 
that one should live on for ever
   and never see the grave.* 

When we look at the wise, they die;
   fool and dolt perish together
   and leave their wealth to others. 
Their graves* are their homes for ever,
   their dwelling-places to all generations,
   though they named lands their own. 
Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
   they are like the animals that perish. 

Such is the fate of the foolhardy,
   the end of those* who are pleased with their lot.
          Selah 
Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
   Death shall be their shepherd;
straight to the grave they descend,*
   and their form shall waste away;
   Sheol shall be their home.* 
But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
   for he will receive me.
          Selah 

Do not be afraid when some become rich,
   when the wealth of their houses increases. 
For when they die they will carry nothing away;
   their wealth will not go down after them. 
Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy
   —for you are praised when you do well for yourself— 
they* will go to the company of their ancestors,
   who will never again see the light. 
Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
   they are like the animals that perish.

Psalm 53

Fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’
   They are corrupt, they commit abominable acts;
   there is no one who does good. 

God looks down from heaven on humankind
   to see if there are any who are wise,
   who seek after God. 

They have all fallen away, they are all alike perverse;
   there is no one who does good,
   no, not one. 

Have they no knowledge, those evildoers,
   who eat up my people as they eat bread,
   and do not call upon God? 

There they shall be in great terror,
   in terror such as has not been.
For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly;*
   they will be put to shame,* for God has rejected them. 

O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
   When God restores the fortunes of his people,
   Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
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