Sunday 17 January 2010<!--StartFragment-->
<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">Genesis 7:1-10,17-23<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Then the Lord said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and its mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its mate; and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive on the face of all the earth. For in seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.’ And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth. And Noah with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. And after seven days the waters of the flood came on the earth.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The flood continued for forty days on the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters swelled and increased greatly on the earth; and the ark floated on the face of the waters. The waters swelled so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered; the waters swelled above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, domestic animals, wild animals, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all human beings; everything on dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, human beings and animals and creeping things and birds of the air; they were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Ephesians 4:1-16</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">‘When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>he gave gifts to his people.’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">(When it says, ‘He ascended’, what does it mean but that he had also descended* into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Mark 3:7-19</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus departed with his disciples to the lake, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon. He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him; for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles,* to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, and to have authority to cast out demons. So he appointed the twelve:* Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Then he went home;<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Morning Psalms: Psalm 148, 149, 150</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 148</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Praise the Lord!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Praise the Lord from the heavens;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>praise him in the heights!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Praise him, all his angels;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>praise him, all his host!</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Praise him, sun and moon;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>praise him, all you shining stars!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Praise him, you highest heavens,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and you waters above the heavens!</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Let them praise the name of the Lord,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for he commanded and they were created.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He established them for ever and ever;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.*</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Praise the Lord from the earth,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>you sea monsters and all deeps,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">fire and hail, snow and frost,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>stormy wind fulfilling his command!</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Mountains and all hills,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>fruit trees and all cedars!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Wild animals and all cattle,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>creeping things and flying birds!</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Kings of the earth and all peoples,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>princes and all rulers of the earth!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Young men and women alike,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>old and young together!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Let them praise the name of the Lord,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for his name alone is exalted;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>his glory is above earth and heaven.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He has raised up a horn for his people,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>praise for all his faithful,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for the people of Israel who are close to him.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Praise the Lord!</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 149</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Praise the Lord!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sing to the Lord a new song,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>his praise in the assembly of the faithful.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let Israel be glad in its Maker;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let them praise his name with dancing,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>he adorns the humble with victory.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let the faithful exult in glory;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>let them sing for joy on their couches.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let the high praises of God be in their throats</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and two-edged swords in their hands,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">to execute vengeance on the nations</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and punishment on the peoples,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">to bind their kings with fetters</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and their nobles with chains of iron,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">to execute on them the judgement decreed.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is glory for all his faithful ones.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Praise the Lord!</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 150</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Praise the Lord!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Praise God in his sanctuary;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>praise him in his mighty firmament!*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Praise him for his mighty deeds;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>praise him according to his surpassing greatness!</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Praise him with trumpet sound;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>praise him with lute and harp!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Praise him with tambourine and dance;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>praise him with strings and pipe!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Praise him with clanging cymbals;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>praise him with loud clashing cymbals!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Praise the Lord!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Evening Psalms: Psalm 114, 115</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 114</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">When Israel went out from Egypt,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Judah became God’s* sanctuary,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Israel his dominion.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The sea looked and fled;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Jordan turned back.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The mountains skipped like rams,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the hills like lambs.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Why is it, O sea, that you flee?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>O Jordan, that you turn back?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">O mountains, that you skip like rams?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>O hills, like lambs?</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>at the presence of the God of Jacob,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">who turns the rock into a pool of water,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the flint into a spring of water.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 115</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Why should the nations say,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>‘Where is their God?’</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our God is in the heavens;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>he does whatever he pleases.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Their idols are silver and gold,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the work of human hands.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They have mouths, but do not speak;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>eyes, but do not see.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They have ears, but do not hear;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>noses, but do not smell.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They have hands, but do not feel;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>feet, but do not walk;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>they make no sound in their throats.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Those who make them are like them;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>so are all who trust in them.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">O Israel, trust in the Lord!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He is their help and their shield.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He is their help and their shield.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He is their help and their shield.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Lord has been mindful of us; he will bless us;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>he will bless the house of Israel;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>he will bless the house of Aaron;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">he will bless those who fear the Lord,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>both small and great.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">May the Lord give you increase,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>both you and your children.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">May you be blessed by the Lord,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>who made heaven and earth.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">The heavens are the Lord’s heavens,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>but the earth he has given to human beings.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The dead do not praise the Lord,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>nor do any that go down into silence.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But we will bless the Lord</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>from this time on and for evermore.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Praise the Lord!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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