Wednesday 13 September 2023 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Wednesday 13 September 2023
DAILY LECTIONARY

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1 Kings 17:1-24

Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe* in Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the
Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be
neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.’ The word of
the Lord came to him, saying, ‘Go from here and turn eastwards, and
hide yourself by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You
shall drink from the wadi, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you
there.’ So he went and did according to the word of the Lord; he
went and lived by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. The
ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat
in the evening; and he drank from the wadi. But after a while the wadi
dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘Go now to
Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have
commanded a widow there to feed you.’ So he set out and went to
Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there
gathering sticks; he called to her and said, ‘Bring me a little
water in a vessel, so that I may drink.’ As she was going to bring
it, he called to her and said, ‘Bring me a morsel of bread in your
hand.’ But she said, ‘As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing
baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I
am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare
it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.’ Elijah said
to her, ‘Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first
make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make
something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord the God of
Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will
not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ She
went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her
household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither
did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he
spoke by Elijah.
 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became
ill; his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.
She then said to Elijah, ‘What have you against me, O man of God?
You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to cause the
death of my son!’ But he said to her, ‘Give me your son.’ He
took him from her bosom, carried him up into the upper chamber where
he was lodging, and laid him on his own bed. He cried out to the Lord,
‘O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with
whom I am staying, by killing her son?’ Then he stretched himself
upon the child three times, and cried out to the Lord, ‘O Lord my
God, let this child’s life come into him again.’ The Lord listened
to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and
he revived. Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper
chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother; then Elijah said,
‘See, your son is alive.’ So the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now I
know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your
mouth is truth.’
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Philippians 2:1-11

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from
love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my
joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full
accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,
but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of
you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.
Let the same mind be in you that was* in Christ Jesus, 
who, though he was in the form of God,
   did not regard equality with God
   as something to be exploited, 
but emptied himself,
   taking the form of a slave,
   being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form, 
   he humbled himself
   and became obedient to the point of death—
   even death on a cross. 

Therefore God also highly exalted him
   and gave him the name
   that is above every name, 
so that at the name of Jesus
   every knee should bend,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 
and every tongue should confess
   that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father.
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Matthew 2:1-12
 
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
wise men* from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the
child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at
its rising,* and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard
this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling
together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired
of them where the Messiah* was to be born. They told him, ‘In
Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
   are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
   who is to shepherd* my people Israel.” ’

 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men* and learned from them
the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to
Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when
you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him
homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there,
ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising,* until
it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the
star had stopped,* they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the
house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down
and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered
him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in
a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by
another road.
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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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