Friday 7 November 2008<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><!--StartFragment-->
<p class="MsoNormal">DAILY LECTIONARY</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Email Evangelism, forward to a friend: http://www.dailylectionary.org</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ecclesiasticus 50:1,11-24</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The leader of his brothers and the pride of his people*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>was the high priest, Simon son of Onias,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">who in his life repaired the house,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and in his time fortified the temple.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When he put on his glorious robe</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and clothed himself in perfect splendour,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">when he went up to the holy altar,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>he made the court of the sanctuary glorious.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When he received the portions from the hands of the priests,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>as he stood by the hearth of the altar</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">with a garland of brothers around him,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>he was like a young cedar on Lebanon</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>surrounded by the trunks of palm trees.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All the sons of Aaron in their splendour</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>held the Lord’s offering in their hands</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>before the whole congregation of Israel.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Finishing the service at the altars,*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and arranging the offering to the Most High, the Almighty,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">he held out his hand for the cup</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and poured a drink-offering of the blood of the grape;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">he poured it out at the foot of the altar,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>a pleasing odour to the Most High, the king of all.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then the sons of Aaron shouted;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>they blew their trumpets of hammered metal;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">they sounded a mighty fanfare</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>as a reminder before the Most High.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then all the people together quickly</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>fell to the ground on their faces</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">to worship their Lord,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the Almighty, God Most High.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then the singers praised him with their voices</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>in sweet and full-toned melody.*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And the people of the Lord Most High offered</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>their prayers before the Merciful One,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">until the order of worship of the Lord was ended,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and they completed his ritual.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then Simon* came down and raised his hands</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>over the whole congregation of Israelites,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">to pronounce the blessing of the Lord with his lips,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and to glory in his name;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">and they bowed down in worship a second time,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>to receive the blessing from the Most High.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And now bless the God of all,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>who everywhere works great wonders,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">who fosters our growth from birth,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and deals with us according to his mercy.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">May he give us* gladness of heart,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and may there be peace in our* days</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>in Israel, as in the days of old.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">May he entrust to us his mercy,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and may he deliver us in our* days!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Revelation 17:1-18</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the judgement of the great whore who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the inhabitants of the earth have become drunk.’ So he carried me away in the spirit* into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication; and on her forehead was written a name, a mystery: ‘Babylon the great, mother of whores and of earth’s abominations.’ And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses to Jesus.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When I saw her, I was greatly amazed. But the angel said to me, ‘Why are you so amazed? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the inhabitants of the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will be amazed when they see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>‘This calls for a mind that has wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; also, they are seven kings, of whom five have fallen, one is living, and the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain for only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are united in yielding their power and authority to the beast; they will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And he said to me, ‘The waters that you saw, where the whore is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the whore; they will make her desolate and naked; they will devour her flesh and burn her up with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by agreeing to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled. The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Luke 13:31-35</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me,* “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.” Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when* you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” ’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Morning Psalms:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Psalm 69:1-38</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 69:1-38</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Save me, O God,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for the waters have come up to my neck.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I sink in deep mire,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>where there is no foothold;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have come into deep waters,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and the flood sweeps over me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am weary with my crying;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>my throat is parched.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My eyes grow dim</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>with waiting for my God.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">More in number than the hairs of my head</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>are those who hate me without cause;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">many are those who would destroy me,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>my enemies who accuse me falsely.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What I did not steal</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>must I now restore?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">O God, you know my folly;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Do not let those who hope in you be put to shame because of me,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>O Lord God of hosts;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">do not let those who seek you be dishonoured because of me,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>O God of Israel.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is for your sake that I have borne reproach,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>that shame has covered my face.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have become a stranger to my kindred,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>an alien to my mother’s children.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is zeal for your house that has consumed me;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When I humbled my soul with fasting,*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>they insulted me for doing so.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When I made sackcloth my clothing,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I became a byword to them.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am the subject of gossip for those who sit in the gate,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and the drunkards make songs about me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At an acceptable time, O God,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With your faithful help rescue me</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>from sinking in the mire;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">let me be delivered from my enemies</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and from the deep waters.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Do not let the flood sweep over me,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>or the deep swallow me up,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>or the Pit close its mouth over me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Do not hide your face from your servant,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for I am in distress—make haste to answer me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Draw near to me, redeem me,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>set me free because of my enemies.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You know the insults I receive,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and my shame and dishonour;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>my foes are all known to you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Insults have broken my heart,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>so that I am in despair.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I looked for pity, but there was none;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and for comforters, but I found none.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They gave me poison for food,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let their table be a trap for them,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>a snare for their allies.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and make their loins tremble continually.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pour out your indignation upon them,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and let your burning anger overtake them.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">May their camp be a desolation;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>let no one live in their tents.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For they persecute those whom you have struck down,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and those whom you have wounded, they attack still more.*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Add guilt to their guilt;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>may they have no acquittal from you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let them be blotted out of the book of the living;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>let them not be enrolled among the righteous.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But I am lowly and in pain;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>let your salvation, O God, protect me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I will praise the name of God with a song;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I will magnify him with thanksgiving.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This will please the Lord more than an ox</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>or a bull with horns and hoofs.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let the oppressed see it and be glad;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>you who seek God, let your hearts revive.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For the Lord hears the needy,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and does not despise his own that are in bonds.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let heaven and earth praise him,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the seas and everything that moves in them.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For God will save Zion</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and rebuild the cities of Judah;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">and his servants shall live* there and possess it;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the children of his servants shall inherit it,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and those who love his name shall live in it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Evening Psalms:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Psalm 73</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 73</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Truly God is good to the upright,*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>to those who are pure in heart.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>my steps had nearly slipped.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For I was envious of the arrogant;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I saw the prosperity of the wicked.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For they have no pain;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>their bodies are sound and sleek.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They are not in trouble as others are;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>they are not plagued like other people.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Therefore pride is their necklace;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>violence covers them like a garment.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Their eyes swell out with fatness;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>their hearts overflow with follies.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They scoff and speak with malice;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>loftily they threaten oppression.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They set their mouths against heaven,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and their tongues range over the earth.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Therefore the people turn and praise them,*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and find no fault in them.*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And they say, ‘How can God know?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Is there knowledge in the Most High?’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Such are the wicked;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>always at ease, they increase in riches.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All in vain I have kept my heart clean</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and washed my hands in innocence.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For all day long I have been plagued,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and am punished every morning.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If I had said, ‘I will talk on in this way’,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I would have been untrue to the circle of your children.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But when I thought how to understand this,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>it seemed to me a wearisome task,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">until I went into the sanctuary of God;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>then I perceived their end.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Truly you set them in slippery places;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>you make them fall to ruin.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How they are destroyed in a moment,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>swept away utterly by terrors!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They are* like a dream when one awakes;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>on awaking you despise their phantoms.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When my soul was embittered,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>when I was pricked in heart,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I was stupid and ignorant;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was like a brute beast towards you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nevertheless I am continually with you;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>you hold my right hand.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You guide me with your counsel,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and afterwards you will receive me with honour.*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Whom have I in heaven but you?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My flesh and my heart may fail,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>but God is the strength* of my heart and my portion for ever.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Indeed, those who are far from you will perish;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>you put an end to those who are false to you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But for me it is good to be near God;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I have made the Lord God my refuge,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>to tell of all your works.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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