The Daily Readings for TUESDAY, June 13, 2017

Opening Sentence

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

Confession of Sin

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen

Morning Prayer

I  will kindle my fire this morning in the presence of the holy angels of heaven; Without malice, without jealousy, without envy, without fear; without terror of any one under the sun, but the Holy Son of God to shield me.

God, kindle thou in my heart within a flame of love to my neighbour, to my foe, to my friend, to my kindred all; To the brave, to the coward, to the man in the street, O Son of the lovliest Mary, from the lowliest thing that lives to the Name that is highest of all. In the name of Christ, I pray. Amen

The Old Testament Lesson

The Old Testament Lesson for today is taken from Deuteronomy 30:11-20

Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe. See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

The Epistle Lesson

The Epistle Lesson for today is taken from 2 Corinthians 11:1-21

I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by its cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough. I think that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. I may be untrained in speech, but not in knowledge; certainly in every way and in all things we have made this evident to you. Did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I proclaimed God's good news to you free of charge? I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for my needs were supplied by the friends who came from Macedonia. So I refrained and will continue to refrain from burdening you in any way. As the truth of Christ is in me, this boast of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! And what I do I will also continue to do, in order to deny an opportunity to those who want an opportunity to be recognized as our equals in what they boast about. For such boasters are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is not strange if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness. Their end will match their deeds. I repeat, let no one think that I am a fool; but if you do, then accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying in regard to this boastful confidence, I am saying not with the Lord's authority, but as a fool; since many boast according to human standards, I will also boast. For you gladly put up with fools, being wise yourselves! For you put up with it when someone makes slaves of you, or preys upon you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or gives you a slap in the face. To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever anyone dares to boast of-- I am speaking as a fool-- I also dare to boast of that.

The Holy Gospel Lesson

The Holy Gospel is written in Luke 19:1-10

He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today." So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner." Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much." Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost."

Morning Psalms

Psalm 61 Exaudi, Deus
1   Hear my cry, O God, and listen to my prayer.
2   I call upon you from the ends of the earth with heaviness in my heart; set me upon the rock that is higher than I.
3   For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.
4   I will dwell in your house for ever; I will take refuge under the cover of your wings.
5   For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have granted me the heritage of those who fear your Name.
6   Add length of days to the king's life; let his years extend over many generations.
7   Let him sit enthroned before God for ever; bid love and faithfulness watch over him.
8   So will I always sing the praise of your Name, and day by day I will fulfill my vows.

Psalm 62 Nonne Deo?
1   For God alone my soul in silence waits; from him comes my salvation.
2   He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold, so that I shall not be greatly shaken.
3   How long will you assail me to crush me, all of you together, as if you were a leaning fence, a toppling wall?
4   They seek only to bring me down from my place of honor; lies are their chief delight.
5   They bless with their lips, but in their hearts they curse.
6   For God alone my soul in silence waits; truly, my hope is in him.
7   He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken.
8   In God is my safety and my honor; God is my strong rock and my refuge.
9   Put your trust in him always, O people, pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge.
10   Those of high degree are but a fleeting breath, even those of low estate cannot be trusted.
11   On the scales they are lighter than a breath, all of them together.
12   Put no trust in extortion; in robbery take no empty pride; though wealth increase, set not your heart upon it.
13   God has spoken once, twice have I heard it, that power belongs to God.
14   Steadfast love is yours, O Lord, for you repay everyone according to his deeds.

Evening Psalms

Psalm 68 Exsurgat Deus
1   Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered; let those who hate him flee before him.
2   Let them vanish like smoke when the wind drives it away; as the wax melts at the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3   But let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; let them also be merry and joyful.
4   Sing to God, sing praises to his Name; exalt him who rides upon the heavens; YAHWEH is his Name, rejoice before him!
5   Father of orphans, defender of widows, God in his holy habitation!
6   God gives the solitary a home and brings forth prisoners into freedom; but the rebels shall live in dry places.
7   O God, when you went forth before your people, when you marched through the wilderness,
8   The earth shook, and the skies poured down rain, at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9   You sent a gracious rain, O God, upon your inheritance; you refreshed the land when it was weary.
10   Your people found their home in it; in your goodness, O God, you have made provision for the poor.
11   The Lord gave the word; great was the company of women who bore the tidings:
12   Kings with their armies are fleeing away; the women at home are dividing the spoils.
13   Though you lingered among the sheepfolds, you shall be like a dove whose wings are covered with silver, whose feathers are like green gold.
14   When the Almighty scattered kings, it was like snow falling in Zalmon.
15   O mighty mountain, O hill of Bashan! O rugged mountain, O hill of Bashan!
16   Why do you look with envy, O rugged mountain, at the hill which God chose for his resting place? truly, the LORD will dwell there for ever.
17   The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of thousands; the Lord comes in holiness from Sinai.
18   You have gone up on high and led captivity captive; you have received gifts even from your enemies, that the LORD God might dwell among them.
19   Blessed be the Lord day by day, the God of our salvation, who bears our burdens.
20   He is our God, the God of our salvation; God is the LORD, by whom we escape death.
21   God shall crush the heads of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of those who go on still in their wickedness.
22   The Lord has said, "I will bring them back from Bashan; I will bring them back from the depths of the sea;
23   That your foot may be dipped in blood, the tongues of your dogs in the blood of your enemies."
24   They see your procession, O God, your procession into the sanctuary, my God and my King.
25   The singers go before, musicians follow after, in the midst of maidens playing upon the hand-drums.
26   Bless God in the congregation; bless the LORD, you that are of the fountain of Israel.
27   There is Benjamin, least of the tribes, at the head; the princes of Judah in a company; and the princes of Zebulon and Naphtali.
28   Send forth your strength, O God; establish, O God, what you have wrought for us.
29   Kings shall bring gifts to you, for your temple's sake at Jerusalem.
30   Rebuke the wild beast of the reeds, and the peoples, a herd of wild bulls with its calves.
31   Trample down those who lust after silver; scatter the peoples that delight in war.
32   Let tribute be brought out of Egypt; let Ethiopia stretch out her hands to God.
33   Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord.
34   He rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; he sends forth his voice, his mighty voice.
35   Ascribe power to God; his majesty is over Israel; his strength is in the skies.
36   How wonderful is God in his holy places! the God of Israel giving strength and power to his people! Blessed be God!

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen

Prayer of the Day

O God, from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your inspiration we may think those things that are right, and by your merciful guiding may do them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

A Prayer for Peace

O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

A Prayer for Mission

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen

JJ Heller - I Believe
Lyrics

There are so many things about You I don't understand;
But I believe.
I keep moving forward when I'm holding Your hand;
I believe.

Chorus:
The truest things I know
Are those I cannot see.
From my birth to my dying day;
I believe.

When I'm old I'll talk about the things that You have done;
I believe.
Brokenness made beautiful.
The wars that You have won
And the storms You calmed in me.

I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands.
I'd rather be led by his nail pierced hands.
I'd rather have Jesus than anything…

Alleluia! Christ has risen.
Christ has risen indeed. Alleluia!

The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face to shine upon us, and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up his countenance upon us, and give us peace, this day and evermore. Amen

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.