Saturday 11 December 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">Isaiah 8:1-15<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Then the Lord said to me, Take a large tablet and write on it in common characters, ‘Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz’,* and have it attested* for me by reliable witnesses, the priest Uriah and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah. And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz; for before the child knows how to call ‘My father’ or ‘My mother’, the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Lord spoke to me again: Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and melt in fear before* Rezin and the son of Remaliah; therefore, the Lord is bringing up against it the mighty flood waters of the River, the king of Assyria and all his glory; it will rise above all its channels and overflow all its banks; it will sweep on into Judah as a flood, and, pouring over, it will reach up to the neck; and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Band together, you peoples, and be dismayed;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>listen, all you far countries;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">gird yourselves and be dismayed;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>gird yourselves and be dismayed!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Take counsel together, but it shall be brought to naught;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>speak a word, but it will not stand,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for God is with us.*</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For the Lord spoke thus to me while his hand was strong upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what it fears, or be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. He will become a sanctuary, a stone one strikes against; for both houses of Israel he will become a rock one stumbles over—a trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">2 Thessalonians 3:6-18</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">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.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>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.*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>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.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Luke 22:31-38</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">‘Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded* to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death!’ Jesus* said, ‘I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me.’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He said to them, ‘When I sent you out without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?’ They said, ‘No, not a thing.’ He said to them, ‘But now, the one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag. And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you, this scripture must be fulfilled in me, “And he was counted among the lawless”; and indeed what is written about me is being fulfilled.’ They said, ‘Lord, look, here are two swords.’ He replied, ‘It is enough.’<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Morning Psalms: Psalm 30, 32</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 30</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and did not let my foes rejoice over me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and you have healed me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.*</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and give thanks to his holy name.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For his anger is but for a moment;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>his favour is for a lifetime.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Weeping may linger for the night,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>but joy comes with the morning.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">As for me, I said in my prosperity,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>‘I shall never be moved.’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">By your favour, O Lord,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>you had established me as a strong mountain;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">you hid your face;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was dismayed.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">To you, O Lord, I cried,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and to the Lord I made supplication:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">‘What profit is there in my death,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>if I go down to the Pit?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Will the dust praise you?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Will it tell of your faithfulness?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>O Lord, be my helper!’</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">You have turned my mourning into dancing;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>you have taken off my sackcloth</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and clothed me with joy,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">so that my soul* may praise you and not be silent.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you for ever.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 32</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>whose sin is covered.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and in whose spirit there is no deceit.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While I kept silence, my body wasted away</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>through my groaning all day long.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>my strength was dried up* as by the heat of summer.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>Selah</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then I acknowledged my sin to you,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and I did not hide my iniquity;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and you forgave the guilt of my sin.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>Selah</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Therefore let all who are faithful</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>offer prayer to you;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">at a time of distress,* the rush of mighty waters</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>shall not reach them.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You are a hiding-place for me;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>you preserve me from trouble;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>Selah</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I will counsel you with my eye upon you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>else it will not stay near you.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Many are the torments of the wicked,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Evening Psalms: Psalm 42, 43</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 42</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">As a deer longs for flowing streams,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>so my soul longs for you, O God.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My soul thirsts for God,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for the living God.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When shall I come and behold</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the face of God?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My tears have been my food</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>day and night,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">while people say to me continually,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>‘Where is your God?’</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">These things I remember,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>as I pour out my soul:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">how I went with the throng,*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and led them in procession to the house of God,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>a multitude keeping festival.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Why are you cast down, O my soul,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and why are you disquieted within me?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>my help and my God.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My soul is cast down within me;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>therefore I remember you</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>from Mount Mizar.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Deep calls to deep</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>at the thunder of your cataracts;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">all your waves and your billows</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>have gone over me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and at night his song is with me,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>a prayer to the God of my life.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I say to God, my rock,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>‘Why have you forgotten me?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Why must I walk about mournfully</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>because the enemy oppresses me?’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As with a deadly wound in my body,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>my adversaries taunt me,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">while they say to me continually,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>‘Where is your God?’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Why are you cast down, O my soul,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and why are you disquieted within me?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>my help and my God.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 43</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>against an ungodly people;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">from those who are deceitful and unjust</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>deliver me!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For you are the God in whom I take refuge;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>why have you cast me off?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Why must I walk about mournfully</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>because of the oppression of the enemy?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">O send out your light and your truth;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>let them lead me;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">let them bring me to your holy hill</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and to your dwelling.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then I will go to the altar of God,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>to God my exceeding joy;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">and I will praise you with the harp,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>O God, my God.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Why are you cast down, O my soul,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and why are you disquieted within me?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>my help and my God.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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