Saturday 15 July 2023 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Saturday 15 July 2023 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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1 Samuel 17:31-49

When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before
Saul; and he sent for him. David said to Saul, ‘Let no one’s heart
fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this
Philistine.’ Saul said to David, ‘You are not able to go against
this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has
been a warrior from his youth.’ But David said to Saul, ‘Your
servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a
bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and struck
it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against
me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. Your
servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised
Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies
of the living God.’ David said, ‘The Lord, who saved me from the
paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the
hand of this Philistine.’ So Saul said to David, ‘Go, and may the
Lord be with you!’ 
Saul clothed David with his armour; he put a bronze helmet on his head
and clothed him with a coat of mail. David strapped Saul’s sword
over the armour, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to
them. Then David said to Saul, ‘I cannot walk with these; for I am
not used to them.’ So David removed them. Then he took his staff in
his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in
his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he
drew near to the Philistine. 
The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer
in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he
disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in
appearance. The Philistine said to David, ‘Am I a dog, that you come
to me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The
Philistine said to David, ‘Come to me, and I will give your flesh to
the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.’ But
David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with sword and spear
and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the
God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the
Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut
off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army
this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the
earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by
sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you
into our hand.’ 
When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly
towards the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in
his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his
forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on
the ground.
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Acts 11:1-18

Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the
Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to
Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, ‘Why
did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?’ Then Peter began
to explain it to them, step by step, saying, ‘I was in the city of
Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something
like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four
corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw
four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I
also heard a voice saying to me, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.”
But I replied, “By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean
has ever entered my mouth.” But a second time the voice answered
from heaven, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.”
This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to
heaven. At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea,
arrived at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them
and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers
also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how
he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, “Send to
Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message
by which you and your entire household will be saved.” And as I
began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us
at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had
said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the
Holy Spirit.” If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us
when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could
hinder God?’ When they heard this, they were silenced. And they
praised God, saying, ‘Then God has given even to the Gentiles the
repentance that leads to life.’
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Mark 1:14-28

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the
good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good
news.’ 

As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother
Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And
Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for
people.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As
he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother
John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called
them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired
men, and followed him. 
They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the
synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he
taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then
there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he
cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you
come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ But
Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ And
the unclean spirit, throwing him into convulsions and crying with a
loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on
asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching—with authority!
He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’ At once
his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 20, 21:1-14

Psalm 20

The Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
   The name of the God of Jacob protect you! 
May he send you help from the sanctuary,
   and give you support from Zion. 
May he remember all your offerings,
   and regard with favour your burnt sacrifices.
          Selah 

May he grant you your heart’s desire,
   and fulfil all your plans. 
May we shout for joy over your victory,
   and in the name of our God set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfil all your petitions. 

Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed;
   he will answer him from his holy heaven
   with mighty victories by his right hand. 
Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses,
   but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God. 
They will collapse and fall,
   but we shall rise and stand upright. 

Give victory to the king, O Lord;
   answer us when we call.

Psalm 21:1-14

In your strength the king rejoices, O Lord,
   and in your help how greatly he exults! 
You have given him his heart’s desire,
   and have not withheld the request of his lips.
          Selah 
For you meet him with rich blessings;
   you set a crown of fine gold on his head. 
He asked you for life; you gave it to him—
   length of days for ever and ever. 
His glory is great through your help;
   splendour and majesty you bestow on him. 
You bestow on him blessings for ever;
   you make him glad with the joy of your presence. 
For the king trusts in the Lord,
   and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be
moved.

Your hand will find out all your enemies;
   your right hand will find out those who hate you. 
You will make them like a fiery furnace
   when you appear.
The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
   and fire will consume them. 
You will destroy their offspring from the earth,
   and their children from among humankind. 
If they plan evil against you,
   if they devise mischief, they will not succeed. 
For you will put them to flight;
   you will aim at their faces with your bows. 

Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!
   We will sing and praise your power.
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 110:1-7, 116, 117

Psalm 110:1-7

The Lord says to my lord,
   ‘Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool.’ 

The Lord sends out from Zion
   your mighty sceptre.
   Rule in the midst of your foes. 
Your people will offer themselves willingly
   on the day you lead your forces
   on the holy mountains.
>From the womb of the morning,
   like dew, your youth will come to you. 
The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind,
   ‘You are a priest for ever according to the order of
Melchizedek.’ 

The Lord is at your right hand;
   he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. 
He will execute judgement among the nations,
   filling them with corpses;
he will shatter heads
   over the wide earth. 
He will drink from the stream by the path;
   therefore he will lift up his head.

Psalm 116

I love the Lord, because he has heard
   my voice and my supplications. 
Because he inclined his ear to me,
   therefore I will call on him as long as I live. 
The snares of death encompassed me;
   the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
   I suffered distress and anguish. 
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
   ‘O Lord, I pray, save my life!’ 

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
   our God is merciful. 
The Lord protects the simple;
   when I was brought low, he saved me. 
Return, O my soul, to your rest,
   for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. 

For you have delivered my soul from death,
   my eyes from tears,
   my feet from stumbling. 
I walk before the Lord
   in the land of the living. 
I kept my faith, even when I said,
   ‘I am greatly afflicted’; 
I said in my consternation,
   ‘Everyone is a liar.’ 

What shall I return to the Lord
   for all his bounty to me? 
I will lift up the cup of salvation
   and call on the name of the Lord, 
I will pay my vows to the Lord
   in the presence of all his people. 
Precious in the sight of the Lord
   is the death of his faithful ones. 
O Lord, I am your servant;
   I am your servant, the child of your serving-maid.
   You have loosed my bonds. 
I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice
   and call on the name of the Lord. 
I will pay my vows to the Lord
   in the presence of all his people, 
in the courts of the house of the Lord,
   in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord, all you nations!
   Extol him, all you peoples! 
For great is his steadfast love towards us,
   and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.
Praise the Lord!
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