Friday 28 July 2023 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Friday 28 July 2023 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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1 Samuel 31:1-13

Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled
before the Philistines, and many fell on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines
overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan and
Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. The battle pressed hard
upon Saul; the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by them.
Then Saul said to his armour-bearer, ‘Draw your sword and thrust me
through with it, so that these uncircumcised may not come and thrust
me through, and make sport of me.’ But his armour-bearer was
unwilling; for he was terrified. So Saul took his own sword and fell
upon it. When his armour-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell
upon his sword and died with him. So Saul and his three sons and his
armour-bearer and all his men died together on the same day. When the
men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those
beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul
and his sons were dead, they forsook their towns and fled; and the
Philistines came and occupied them. 
The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found
Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. They cut off his head,
stripped off his armour, and sent messengers throughout the land of
the Philistines to carry the good news to the houses of their idols
and to the people. They put his armour in the temple of Astarte; and
they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. But when the
inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to
Saul, all the valiant men set out, travelled all night long, and took
the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of
Beth-shan. They came to Jabesh and burned them there. Then they took
their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and
fasted for seven days.
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Acts 15:12-21

The whole assembly kept silence, and listened to Barnabas and Paul as
they told of all the signs and wonders that God had done through them
among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, ‘My
brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first looked
favourably on the Gentiles, to take from among them a people for his
name. This agrees with the words of the prophets, as it is written, 
“After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen;
   from its ruins I will rebuild it,
     and I will set it up, 
so that all other peoples may seek the Lord—
   even all the Gentiles over whom my name has been called.
     Thus says the Lord, who has been making these things known
from long ago.” 
Therefore I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those
Gentiles who are turning to God, but we should write to them to
abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and
from whatever has been strangled and from blood. For in every city,
for generations past, Moses has had those who proclaim him, for he has
been read aloud every sabbath in the synagogues.’
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Mark 5:21-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great
crowd gathered round him; and he was by the lake. Then one of the
leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell
at his feet and begged him repeatedly, ‘My little daughter is at the
point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be
made well, and live.’ So he went with him.
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a
woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years. She
had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she
had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about
Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for
she said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.’
Immediately her haemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she
was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth
from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my
clothes?’ And his disciples said to him, ‘You see the crowd
pressing in on you; how can you say, “Who touched me?” ’ He
looked all round to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what
had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him,
and told him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith
has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.’ 
While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s
house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any
further?’ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader
of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’ He allowed no one
to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a
commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he
said to them, ‘Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is
not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at him. Then he put them
all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who
were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the
hand and said to her, ‘Talitha cum’, which means, ‘Little girl,
get up!’ And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about
(she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with
amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and
told them to give her something to eat.
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 40, 54

Psalm 40

I waited patiently for the Lord;
   he inclined to me and heard my cry. 
He drew me up from the desolate pit,
   out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
   making my steps secure. 
He put a new song in my mouth,
   a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
   and put their trust in the Lord. 

Happy are those who make
   the Lord their trust,
who do not turn to the proud,
   to those who go astray after false gods. 
You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
   your wondrous deeds and your thoughts towards us;
   none can compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
   they would be more than can be counted. 

Sacrifice and offering you do not desire,
   but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt-offering and sin-offering
   you have not required. 
Then I said, ‘Here I am;
   in the scroll of the book it is written of me. 
I delight to do your will, O my God;
   your law is within my heart.’ 

I have told the glad news of deliverance
   in the great congregation;
see, I have not restrained my lips,
   as you know, O Lord. 
I have not hidden your saving help within my heart,
   I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
   from the great congregation. 

Do not, O Lord, withhold
   your mercy from me;
let your steadfast love and your faithfulness
   keep me safe for ever. 
For evils have encompassed me
   without number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
   until I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head,
   and my heart fails me. 

Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
   O Lord, make haste to help me. 
Let all those be put to shame and confusion
   who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonour
   who desire my hurt. 
Let those be appalled because of their shame
   who say to me, ‘Aha, Aha!’ 

But may all who seek you
   rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
   say continually, ‘Great is the Lord!’ 
As for me, I am poor and needy,
   but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
   do not delay, O my God.

Psalm 54

Save me, O God, by your name,
   and vindicate me by your might. 
Hear my prayer, O God;
   give ear to the words of my mouth. 

For the insolent have risen against me,
   the ruthless seek my life;
   they do not set God before them.
          Selah 

But surely, God is my helper;
   the Lord is the upholder of my life. 
He will repay my enemies for their evil.
   In your faithfulness, put an end to them. 

With a freewill-offering I will sacrifice to you;
   I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. 
For he has delivered me from every trouble,
   and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

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Evening Psalms: Psalm 51

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God,
   according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
   blot out my transgressions. 
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
   and cleanse me from my sin. 

For I know my transgressions,
   and my sin is ever before me. 
Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
   and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
   and blameless when you pass judgement. 
Indeed, I was born guilty,
   a sinner when my mother conceived me. 

You desire truth in the inward being;
   therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. 
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
   wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 
Let me hear joy and gladness;
   let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. 
Hide your face from my sins,
   and blot out all my iniquities. 

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
   and put a new and right spirit within me. 
Do not cast me away from your presence,
   and do not take your holy spirit from me. 
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
   and sustain in me a willing spirit. 

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
   and sinners will return to you. 
Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
   O God of my salvation,
   and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance. 

O Lord, open my lips,
   and my mouth will declare your praise. 
For you have no delight in sacrifice;
   if I were to give a burnt-offering, you would not be pleased. 
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
   a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 

Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
   rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, 
then you will delight in right sacrifices,
   in burnt-offerings and whole burnt-offerings;
   then bulls will be offered on your altar.

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