Tuesday 10 December 2024 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Tuesday 10 December 2024  
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Isaiah 5:13-17,24-25

Therefore my people go into exile without knowledge;
their nobles are dying of hunger,
   and their multitude is parched with thirst. 

Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite
   and opened its mouth beyond measure;
the nobility of Jerusalem* and her multitude go down,
   her throng and all who exult in her. 
People are bowed down, everyone is brought low,
   and the eyes of the haughty are humbled. 
But the Lord of hosts is exalted by justice,
   and the Holy God shows himself holy by righteousness. 
Then the lambs shall graze as in their pasture,
   fatlings and kids* shall feed among the ruins. 

Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble,
   and as dry grass sinks down in the flame,
so their root will become rotten,
   and their blossom go up like dust;
for they have rejected the instruction of the Lord of hosts,
   and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. 

Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,
   and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them;
   the mountains quaked,
and their corpses were like refuse
   in the streets.
For all this his anger has not turned away,
   and his hand is stretched out still.
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1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters,* to respect those who
labour among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you;
esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace
among yourselves. And we urge you, beloved,* to admonish the idlers,
encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of
them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do
good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the
words of prophets,* but test everything; hold fast to what is good;
abstain from every form of evil.

 May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your
spirit and soul and body be kept sound* and blameless at the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will
do this.

 Beloved,* pray for us.

 Greet all the brothers and sisters* with a holy kiss. I solemnly
command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all of them.*

 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
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Luke 21:29-38

Then he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree and all the
trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and
know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things
taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell
you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken
place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass
away.
 ‘Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with
dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day
does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon
all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times,
praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that
will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.’

 Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go
out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called. And
all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in
the temple.
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 26, 28

Psalm 26

Vindicate me, O Lord,
   for I have walked in my integrity,
   and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. 
Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
   test my heart and mind. 
For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
   and I walk in faithfulness to you.* 

I do not sit with the worthless,
   nor do I consort with hypocrites; 
I hate the company of evildoers,
   and will not sit with the wicked. 

I wash my hands in innocence,
   and go around your altar, O Lord, 
singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,
   and telling all your wondrous deeds. 

O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell,
   and the place where your glory abides. 
Do not sweep me away with sinners,
   nor my life with the bloodthirsty, 
those in whose hands are evil devices,
   and whose right hands are full of bribes. 

But as for me, I walk in my integrity;
   redeem me, and be gracious to me. 
My foot stands on level ground;
   in the great congregation I will bless the Lord.

Psalm 28

To you, O Lord, I call;
   my rock, do not refuse to hear me,
for if you are silent to me,
   I shall be like those who go down to the Pit. 
Hear the voice of my supplication,
   as I cry to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
   towards your most holy sanctuary.* 

Do not drag me away with the wicked,
   with those who are workers of evil,
who speak peace with their neighbours,
   while mischief is in their hearts. 
Repay them according to their work,
   and according to the evil of their deeds;
repay them according to the work of their hands;
   render them their due reward. 
Because they do not regard the works of the Lord,
   or the work of his hands,
he will break them down and build them up no more. 

Blessed be the Lord,
   for he has heard the sound of my pleadings. 
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
   in him my heart trusts;
so I am helped, and my heart exults,
   and with my song I give thanks to him. 

The Lord is the strength of his people;
   he is the saving refuge of his anointed. 
O save your people, and bless your heritage;
   be their shepherd, and carry them for ever.
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 36, 39

Psalm 36

Transgression speaks to the wicked
   deep in their hearts;
there is no fear of God
   before their eyes. 
For they flatter themselves in their own eyes
   that their iniquity cannot be found out and hated. 
The words of their mouths are mischief and deceit;
   they have ceased to act wisely and do good. 
They plot mischief while on their beds;
   they are set on a way that is not good;
   they do not reject evil. 

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
   your faithfulness to the clouds. 
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
   your judgements are like the great deep;
   you save humans and animals alike, O Lord. 

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
   All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 
They feast on the abundance of your house,
   and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 
For with you is the fountain of life;
   in your light we see light. 

O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
   and your salvation to the upright of heart! 
Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me,
   or the hand of the wicked drive me away. 
There the evildoers lie prostrate;
   they are thrust down, unable to rise.

Psalm 39

I said, ‘I will guard my ways
   that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will keep a muzzle on my mouth
   as long as the wicked are in my presence.’ 
I was silent and still;
   I held my peace to no avail;
my distress grew worse, 
   my heart became hot within me.
While I mused, the fire burned;
   then I spoke with my tongue: 

‘Lord, let me know my end,
   and what is the measure of my days;
   let me know how fleeting my life is. 
You have made my days a few handbreadths,
   and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight.
Surely everyone stands as a mere breath. 
          Selah 
   Surely everyone goes about like a shadow.
Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;
   they heap up, and do not know who will gather. 

‘And now, O Lord, what do I wait for?
   My hope is in you. 
Deliver me from all my transgressions.
   Do not make me the scorn of the fool. 
I am silent; I do not open my mouth,
   for it is you who have done it. 
Remove your stroke from me;
   I am worn down by the blows* of your hand. 

‘You chastise mortals
   in punishment for sin,
consuming like a moth what is dear to them;
   surely everyone is a mere breath. 
          Selah

‘Hear my prayer, O Lord,
   and give ear to my cry;
   do not hold your peace at my tears.
For I am your passing guest,
   an alien, like all my forebears. 
Turn your gaze away from me, that I may smile again,
   before I depart and am no more.’
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