Saturday 4 May 2024 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Saturday 4 May 2024 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Leviticus 23:23-44

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the people of Israel,
saying: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall
observe a day of complete rest, a holy convocation commemorated with
trumpet blasts. You shall not work at your occupations; and you shall
present the Lord’s offering by fire.
 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Now, the tenth day of this seventh
month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you:
you shall deny yourselves* and present the Lord’s offering by fire;
and you shall do no work during that entire day; for it is a day of
atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God.
For anyone who does not practise self-denial* during that entire day
shall be cut off from the people. And anyone who does any work during
that entire day, such a one I will destroy from the midst of the
people. You shall do no work: it is a statute for ever throughout your
generations in all your settlements. It shall be to you a sabbath of
complete rest, and you shall deny yourselves;* on the ninth day of the
month at evening, from evening to evening you shall keep your sabbath.
 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the people of Israel,
saying: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month, and lasting seven
days, there shall be the festival of booths* to the Lord. The first
day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not work at your
occupations. For seven days you shall present the Lord’s offerings
by fire; on the eighth day you shall observe a holy convocation and
present the Lord’s offerings by fire; it is a solemn assembly; you
shall not work at your occupations.

 These are the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you shall
celebrate as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the Lord
offerings by fire—burnt-offerings and grain-offerings, sacrifices
and drink-offerings, each on its proper day— apart from the sabbaths
of the Lord, and apart from your gifts, and apart from all your votive
offerings, and apart from all your freewill-offerings, which you give
to the Lord.

 Now, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered
in the produce of the land, you shall keep the festival of the Lord,
lasting seven days; a complete rest on the first day, and a complete
rest on the eighth day. On the first day you shall take the fruit of
majestic* trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and
willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God
for seven days. You shall keep it as a festival to the Lord seven days
in the year; you shall keep it in the seventh month as a statute for
ever throughout your generations. You shall live in booths for seven
days; all that are citizens in Israel shall live in booths, so that
your generations may know that I made the people of Israel live in
booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord
your God.

 Thus Moses declared to the people of Israel the appointed festivals
of the Lord.
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2 Thessalonians 3:1-18

Finally, brothers and sisters,* pray for us, so that the word of the
Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere, just as it is
among you, and that we may be rescued from wicked and evil people; for
not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you
and guard you from the evil one.* And we have confidence in the Lord
concerning you, that you are doing and will go on doing the things
that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God
and to the steadfastness of Christ.
 Now we command you, beloved,* in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to keep away from believers who are* living in idleness and not
according to the tradition that they* received from us. For you
yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we
were with you, and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for
it; but with toil and labour we worked night and day, so that we might
not burden any of you. This was not because we do not have that right,
but in order to give you an example to imitate. For even when we were
with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should
not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere
busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort
in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their
own living. Brothers and sisters,* do not be weary in doing what is
right.

 Take note of those who do not obey what we say in this letter; have
nothing to do with them, so that they may be ashamed. Do not regard
them as enemies, but warn them as believers.*
 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all
ways. The Lord be with all of you.

 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the mark in
every letter of mine; it is the way I write. The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with all of you.
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Matthew 7:13-21

‘Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is
easy* that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For
the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there
are few who find it.
 ‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing
but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.
Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same
way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad
fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good
fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown
into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.
 ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in
heaven.
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Morning Psalms: Psalm 75, 76

Psalm 75

We give thanks to you, O God;
   we give thanks; your name is near.
People tell of your wondrous deeds. 

At the set time that I appoint
   I will judge with equity. 
When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants,
   it is I who keep its pillars steady.
          Selah 
I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast’,
   and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn; 
do not lift up your horn on high,
   or speak with insolent neck.’ 

For not from the east or from the west
   and not from the wilderness comes lifting up; 
but it is God who executes judgement,
   putting down one and lifting up another. 
For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup
   with foaming wine, well mixed;
he will pour a draught from it,
   and all the wicked of the earth
   shall drain it down to the dregs. 
But I will rejoice* for ever;
   I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. 

All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
   but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

Psalm 76

In Judah God is known,
   his name is great in Israel. 
His abode has been established in Salem,
   his dwelling-place in Zion. 
There he broke the flashing arrows,
   the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.
          Selah 

Glorious are you, more majestic
   than the everlasting mountains.* 
The stout-hearted were stripped of their spoil;
   they sank into sleep;
none of the troops
   was able to lift a hand. 
At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
   both rider and horse lay stunned. 

But you indeed are awesome!
   Who can stand before you
   when once your anger is roused? 
>From the heavens you uttered judgement;
   the earth feared and was still 
when God rose up to establish judgement,
   to save all the oppressed of the earth.
          Selah 

Human wrath serves only to praise you,
   when you bind the last bit of your* wrath around you. 
Make vows to the Lord your God, and perform them;
   let all who are around him bring gifts
   to the one who is awesome, 
who cuts off the spirit of princes,
   who inspires fear in the kings of the earth.
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 23, 27

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 
   He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;* 
   he restores my soul.*
He leads me in right paths*
   for his name’s sake. 

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,*
   I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff—
   they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows. 
Surely* goodness and mercy* shall follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
   my whole life long.

Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
   whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold* of my life;
   of whom shall I be afraid? 

When evildoers assail me
   to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
   they shall stumble and fall. 

Though an army encamp against me,
   my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
   yet I will be confident. 

One thing I asked of the Lord,
   that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
   all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
   and to inquire in his temple. 

For he will hide me in his shelter
   in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
   he will set me high on a rock. 

Now my head is lifted up
   above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
   sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord. 

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
   be gracious to me and answer me! 
‘Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek his face!’
   Your face, Lord, do I seek. 
   Do not hide your face from me. 

Do not turn your servant away in anger,
   you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
   O God of my salvation! 
If my father and mother forsake me,
   the Lord will take me up. 

Teach me your way, O Lord,
   and lead me on a level path
   because of my enemies. 
Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
   for false witnesses have risen against me,
   and they are breathing out violence. 

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
   in the land of the living. 
Wait for the Lord;
   be strong, and let your heart take courage;
   wait for the Lord!
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