Wednesday 24 September 2008<span style="mso-spacerun:
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<p class="MsoNormal">DAILY LECTIONARY</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Email Evangelism, forward to a friend: http://www.dailylectionary.org</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Esther 6:1-14</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">That night the king could not sleep, and he gave orders to bring the book of records, the annals, and they were read to the king. It was found written how Mordecai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had conspired to assassinate* King Ahasuerus. Then the king said, ‘What honour or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?’ The king’s servants who attended him said, ‘Nothing has been done for him.’ The king said, ‘Who is in the court?’ Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace to speak to the king about having Mordecai hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for him. So the king’s servants told him, ‘Haman is there, standing in the court.’ The king said, ‘Let him come in.’ So Haman came in, and the king said to him, ‘What shall be done for the man whom the king wishes to honour?’ Haman said to himself, ‘Whom would the king wish to honour more than me?’ So Haman said to the king, ‘For the man whom the king wishes to honour, let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and a horse that the king has ridden, with a royal crown on its head. Let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials; let him* robe the man whom the king wishes to honour, and let him* conduct the man on horseback through the open square of the city, proclaiming before him: “Thus shall it be done for the man whom the king wishes to honour.” ’ Then the king said to Haman, ‘Quickly, take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to the Jew Mordecai who sits at the king’s gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.’ So Haman took the robes and the horse and robed Mordecai and led him riding through the open square of the city, proclaiming, ‘Thus shall it be done for the man whom the king wishes to honour.’</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate, but Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered. When Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him, his advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, ‘If Mordecai, before whom your downfall has begun, is of the Jewish people, you will not prevail against him, but will surely fall before him.’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman off to the banquet that Esther had prepared.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Acts 19:1-10</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the inland regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. He said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ They replied, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’ Then he said, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ They answered, ‘Into John’s baptism.’ Paul said, ‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.’ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied— altogether there were about twelve of them.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He entered the synagogue and for three months spoke out boldly, and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. When some stubbornly refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way before the congregation, he left them, taking the disciples with him, and argued daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.* This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Luke 4:1-13</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.” ’</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Then the devil* led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil* said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Worship the Lord your God,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and serve only him.” ’</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Then the devil* took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“He will command his angels concerning you,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>to protect you”,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">and</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“On their hands they will bear you up,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’ When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. ******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Morning Psalms:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Psalm 119:97-120</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 119:97-120</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Oh, how I love your law!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is my meditation all day long.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for it is always with me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have more understanding than all my teachers,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for your decrees are my meditation.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I understand more than the aged,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for I keep your precepts.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I hold back my feet from every evil way,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>in order to keep your word.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I do not turn away from your ordinances,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for you have taught me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How sweet are your words to my taste,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>sweeter than honey to my mouth!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Through your precepts I get understanding;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>therefore I hate every false way.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Your word is a lamp to my feet</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and a light to my path.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>to observe your righteous ordinances.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am severely afflicted;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>give me life, O Lord, according to your word.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Accept my offerings of praise, O Lord,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and teach me your ordinances.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I hold my life in my hand continually,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>but I do not forget your law.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The wicked have laid a snare for me,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>but I do not stray from your precepts.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Your decrees are my heritage for ever;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>they are the joy of my heart.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I incline my heart to perform your statutes</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for ever, to the end.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">I hate the double-minded,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>but I love your law.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You are my hiding-place and my shield;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I hope in your word.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Go away from me, you evildoers,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>that I may keep the commandments of my God.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and let me not be put to shame in my hope.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hold me up, that I may be safe</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and have regard for your statutes continually.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You spurn all who go astray from your statutes;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for their cunning is in vain.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All the wicked of the earth you count as dross;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>therefore I love your decrees.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My flesh trembles for fear of you,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and I am afraid of your judgements.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Evening Psalms:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Psalm 81, 82</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 81</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Sing aloud to God our strength;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>shout for joy to the God of Jacob.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Raise a song, sound the tambourine,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the sweet lyre with the harp.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Blow the trumpet at the new moon,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>at the full moon, on our festal day.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For it is a statute for Israel,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>an ordinance of the God of Jacob.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He made it a decree in Joseph,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>when he went out over* the land of Egypt.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I hear a voice I had not known:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">‘I relieved your* shoulder of the burden;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>your* hands were freed from the basket.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In distress you called, and I rescued you;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I answered you in the secret place of thunder;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I tested you at the waters of Meribah.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>Selah</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hear, O my people, while I admonish you;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>O Israel, if you would but listen to me!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There shall be no strange god among you;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>you shall not bow down to a foreign god.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am the Lord your God,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">‘But my people did not listen to my voice;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Israel would not submit to me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>to follow their own counsels.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">O that my people would listen to me,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>that Israel would walk in my ways!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then I would quickly subdue their enemies,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and turn my hand against their foes.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and their doom would last for ever.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I would feed you* with the finest of the wheat,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.’</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 82</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">God has taken his place in the divine council;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>in the midst of the gods he holds judgement:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">‘How long will you judge unjustly</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and show partiality to the wicked?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>Selah</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Give justice to the weak and the orphan;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rescue the weak and the needy;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>deliver them from the hand of the wicked.’</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They have neither knowledge nor understanding,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>they walk around in darkness;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>all the foundations of the earth are shaken.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I say, ‘You are gods,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>children of the Most High, all of you;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">nevertheless, you shall die like mortals,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and fall like any prince.’*</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Rise up, O God, judge the earth;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for all the nations belong to you!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
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