The Daily Lectionary for THURSDAY, June 20, 2019

The Daily Lectionary

THURSDAY, June 20, 2019

(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)

Psalm 22:19-28

19 But you, O Lord, do not be far away!
     O my help, come quickly to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
     my life from the power of the dog!
21   Save me from the mouth of the lion!

   From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me.
22 I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters;
     in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
     All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
     stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he did not despise or abhor
     the affliction of the afflicted;
   he did not hide his face from me,
     but heard when I cried to him.

25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
     my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
     those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
     May your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth shall remember
     and turn to the Lord;
   and all the families of the nations
     shall worship before him.
28 For dominion belongs to the Lord,
     and he rules over the nations.

Isaiah 56:9-12

The Corruption of Israel’s Rulers
56:9 All you wild animals,
     all you wild animals in the forest, come to devour!
10 Israel’s sentinels are blind,
     they are all without knowledge;
   they are all silent dogs
     that cannot bark;
   dreaming, lying down,
     loving to slumber.
11 The dogs have a mighty appetite;
     they never have enough.
   The shepherds also have no understanding;
     they have all turned to their own way,
     to their own gain, one and all.
12 “Come,” they say, “let us get wine;
     let us fill ourselves with strong drink.
   And tomorrow will be like today,
     great beyond measure.”

Romans 2:17-29

The Jews and the Law
2:17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relation to God 18 and know his will and determine what is best because you are instructed in the law, 19 and if you are sure that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth, 21 you, then, that teach others, will you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You that forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You that abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You that boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

25 Circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law; but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 So, if those who are uncircumcised keep the requirements of the law, will not their uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then those who are physically uncircumcised but keep the law will condemn you that have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. 29 Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart—it is spiritual and not literal. Such a person receives praise not from others but from God.

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
Circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law; but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.