Thursday, December 20, 2018

The Daily Lectionary for FRIDAY, December 21, 2018


The Daily Lectionary
FRIDAY, December 21, 2018
(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

Psalm 80:1-7
Prayer for Israel’s Restoration
To the leader: on Lilies, a Covenant. Of Asaph. A Psalm.
1   Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
      you who lead Joseph like a flock!
    You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
2     before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
    Stir up your might,
      and come to save us!

3   Restore us, O God;
      let your face shine, that we may be saved.

4   O Lord God of hosts,
      how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
5   You have fed them with the bread of tears,
      and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6   You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
      our enemies laugh among themselves.

7   Restore us, O God of hosts;
      let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Isaiah 42:10-18
A Hymn of Praise
10  Sing to the Lord a new song,
      his praise from the end of the earth!
    Let the sea roar and all that fills it,
      the coastlands and their inhabitants.
11  Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice,
      the villages that Kedar inhabits;
    let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy,
      let them shout from the tops of the mountains.
12  Let them give glory to the Lord,
      and declare his praise in the coastlands.
13  The Lord goes forth like a soldier,
      like a warrior he stirs up his fury;
    he cries out, he shouts aloud,
      he shows himself mighty against his foes.

14  For a long time I have held my peace,
      I have kept still and restrained myself;
    now I will cry out like a woman in labor,
      I will gasp and pant.
15  I will lay waste mountains and hills,
      and dry up all their herbage;
    I will turn the rivers into islands,
      and dry up the pools.
16  I will lead the blind
      by a road they do not know,
    by paths they have not known
      I will guide them.
    I will turn the darkness before them into light,
      the rough places into level ground.
    These are the things I will do,
      and I will not forsake them.
17  They shall be turned back and utterly put to shame—
      those who trust in carved images,
    who say to cast images,
      “You are our gods.”

18 Listen, you that are deaf;
    and you that are blind, look up and see!

Hebrews 10:32-39
10:32 But recall those earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and persecution, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion for those who were in prison, and you cheerfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves possessed something better and more lasting. 35 Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward. 36 For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. 37 For yet

    “in a very little while,
        the one who is coming will come and will not delay;
38  but my righteous one will live by faith.
        My soul takes no pleasure in anyone who shrinks back.”

39 But we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost, but among those who have faith and so are saved.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in square brackets.

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.

The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year C. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2019, we will be in Year A. The year which ended at Advent 2018 was Year B. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
Recall those earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings.

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