The Daily Lectionary for MONDAY, May 4, 2020

The Daily Lectionary

MONDAY, May 4, 2020

Psalm 100; Ezekiel 34:17-23; 1 Peter 5:1-5

(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

Psalm 100

We are the sheep of God’s pasture

1  Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2    Worship the Lord with gladness;
     come before him with joyful songs.
3  Know that the Lord is God.
     It is he who made us, and we are his;
     we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4  Enter his gates with thanksgiving
     and his courts with praise;
     give thanks to him and praise his name.
5  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
     his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Ezekiel 34:17-23

God the true shepherd

34:17 “‘As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats. 18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? 19 Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away, 22 I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. 23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.

1 Peter 5:1-5

Tend the flock of God

5:1 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

   “God opposes the proud
     but shows favor to the humble.”

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 Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The Daily Lectionary is a three-year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year A. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2020, we will be in Year B. The year which ended at Advent 2019 was Year C. 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 what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
The Daily Lectionary for MONDAY, May 4, 2020
Psalm 100; Ezekiel 34:17-23; 1 Peter 5:1-5

The Daily Prayer for MONDAY, May 4, 2020

The Daily Prayer

MONDAY, May 4, 2020

Mechthild of Magdeburg, a thirteenth-century mystic, prayed, “I cannot dance, Lord, unless you lead me. If you want me to leap with abandon, you must intone the song. Then I shall leap into love, from love into knowledge, from knowledge into enjoyment, and from enjoyment beyond all human sensations. There I want to remain, yet want also to circle higher still.”

We will proclaim your bounty and your blessing, O Lord. We will sing to one another the song you have put in our hearts. Our feet will bring good news to the ends of the earth. Help us, Lord, to live out our promises. Amen.

Verse of the Day for MONDAY, May 4, 2020

2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Read all of 2 Chronicles 7

Listen to 2 Chronicles 7

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Un dia a la Vez - Lunes 04 de mayo de 2020

Aprendamos de nuestros hijos

Como flechas en las manos del guerrero son los hijos de la juventud. Dichosos los que llenan su aljaba con esta clase de flechas.

— Salmo 127:4-5, NVI

El aprendizaje de nuestros hijos es una disciplina y un ejercicio que de seguro será un gran recurso para ustedes, padres y madres de familia. A lo mejor tú y yo no recibimos en nuestra niñez todo el amor que anhelábamos o nuestros padres se separaron y hubo mucha soledad y confusión. Lo que es peor, tal vez te maltrataran tus propios padres. Sin embargo, hoy en día eres padre y no debes repetir el patrón en el que te formaron, pues eso sería vengarte con tus hijos de algo que no tienen culpa.

Por eso, te presento a otra de mis princesas, Nichole, a quien le decimos «Niki». Desde pequeñita, le ha fascinado la música y siempre nos deleita con su hermosa voz. Sueña con ser una famosa cantante cristiana. En la actualidad, juega al fútbol y usa el número «10» en su camiseta.

De ella he aprendido algo que no se ve en todas las personas. A pesar de los problemas que le ha tocado vivir a mi lado, hay dos cosas que la distinguen: Nunca pierde la calma ni tampoco el buen humor. Además, Niki me contagia con su alegría y es una niña buena que busca de Dios. A sus dieciséis años, tiene claro varios conceptos como el de llegar virgen al matrimonio y servir al Señor con sus dones y talentos. ¡Cuánto me hubiera gustado conocer a Dios en esa edad! ¡De cuántas cosas me hubiera librado!

Gracias, Niki, por tu apoyo incondicional, por ayudarme a sacar adelante a Anne, tu hermana. Sobre todo, gracias por seguir firme en los caminos de Dios. ¡Te amo también!

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
El aprendizaje de nuestros hijos es una disciplina y un ejercicio que de seguro será un gran recurso para ustedes, padres y madres de familia.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - Monday, May 4, 2020

MERCHANTS AND MOBS

But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.

— Acts 17:5, NIV

The next two groups of external tactics Satan used in the New Testament are merchants and mobs. Merchants or businessmen represent the economic establishment and are often opposed to Christians purely because Christians are a threat to their business.

The two clearest examples of opposition from businessmen in scripture are when Paul visits Philippi and later Ephesus (Acts 16 and 19). In Philippi, Paul and Silas ended up in jail because of the actions of the owners of a demon-possessed slave girl who was healed. Seeing their source of income disappearing because of her conversion, her owners pressed a false case against Paul, and had him jailed for “disturbing the peace.” But the Scripture makes clear their economic motive, “when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone…” (Acts 16:19).

Then when Paul gets to Ephesus the impact of his preaching is so great it causes the former members of the Artemis cult to hold a bonfire of their trinkets and shrines. A shop steward called Demetrius, on behalf of the silversmiths of the town, figures anything that reduces the appeal of the temple of Artemis is going to be bad for business. He stirs up a riot and Paul has to hurry out of the city.

Mobs play a major role in persecution, often when an elite group cannot induce the government to do their dirty work for them. Mobs are easily manipulated. They can be believers swayed by the heady rhetoric of clerics, or ruffians ready to commit grievous bodily harm for the sake of money and excitement.

Christians in Pakistan and Indonesia face the constant threat of annihilation of their property by mobs. A news agency journalist said, “I am amazed at how quickly a mob can get going in Pakistan. It just takes three phrases from a mullah at Friday prayers, and five minutes later thousands are streaming out into the streets bent on inflicting injury or even killing Christians.”

RESPONSE: Our enemy, Satan, uses every tactic possible to come against those in the kingdom of God.

PRAYER: Pray for Christians in areas noted above that they will be protected from Satan’s arrows.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

Women of the Bible - Monday, May 4, 2020

Michal

Her name means: "Who Is Like God?"

Her character: A woman of strong emotions, she was unable to control the important circumstances of her life. Forcibly separated from two husbands, she lost her father and her brother, who was savaged by their enemies.
Her sorrow: That she was ensnared in the drawn-out battle between Saul and David.
Her joy: Though short-lived, she enjoyed a passionate love for David.
Key Scriptures: 1 Samuel 18:20-29; 19:11-17; 2 Samuel 6:16-23

Her Story

Scene One

Michal stretched herself across the window's edge. Leaning out as far as she dared, she could see her husband running through the night shadows, his movements swift and lithe, like a young stag evading its predators. Even if her father, the king, pursued with an army, she was confident he would not catch her David.

She had loved the shepherd boy since the day he had calmed Saul's troubled soul with his harp playing. After he defeated the hideous Goliath with only a sling and a stone, all Israel fell in love with him. But it was for her alone that David had slain two hundred Philistines—to prove his worth.

She turned from the window, grateful for the chance to have aided her husband's escape. Quickly she dressed one of the household idols, placing it in their bed and topping it with goat's hair to make it look like a sleeping David. She was ready for her father's men when they came pounding on her door.

"David is ill," she told them.

So they returned to King Saul, who immediately ordered them back, saying, "Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him."

Discovering the ruse, Saul confronted his daughter: "Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?"

Michal lowered her eyes and replied, "He said to me, 'Let me get away. Why should I kill you?' " She held her breath, certain her father would never swallow so bold a lie.

Scene Two

Nine years or more have passed. Michal glanced out the window, arms folded tightly against her breast, observing the scene below. David, now the king, had entered Jerusalem, leaping and dancing as the ark of the covenant was carried into Jerusalem. He looked ridiculous to Michal, more like a romping goat than a great king.

David offered the sacrifices and blessed the people. Then he entered his own house to bless it. But Saul's daughter met him with scornful eyes: "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"

"It was before the Lord, who chose me," he replied, "rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."

Her Story

Twice, Michal stood at a window observing David. In the first scene, Scripture paints her as David's wife, in the second as Saul's daughter. In fact, her attitude is so changed that we feel perplexed, watching her as she watches David. To understand what may have shaped Michal's heart in the intervening years, we need to find a corridor connecting the two windows, a passageway that somehow led from love to scorn.

Michal may have expected her separation from David to be a short one, her idealism forging a happy ending to their fairy-tale love. Perhaps she believed David would find a way to protect her from her father's wrath. Was she shocked when real life intervened and her father punished her by marrying her to another man? Did her bitterness grow during David's long absence? Had she finally made peace with her new marriage only to be torn from her husband when David demanded her back after Saul's death? Did she question God's judgments, identifying more with the dead than the living after her father perished in a desperate battle with the Philistines?

Perhaps Michal's bitterness swelled to rage when she realized she had always been someone else's pawn, a mere woman manipulated by powerful men. Her own father used her, promising her to David in hopes she would prove a snare to him. And, finally, one of her brothers handed her back to David after Saul's death, further legitimizing David's claim to the throne. A princess, then a queen, she was still a slave.

Michal's story is tragic. Throughout the difficult circumstances of her life, we see little evidence of a faith to sustain her. Instead, she is tossed back and forth, her heart left to draw its own bitter conclusions. In the last scene with David, we see a woman blind with scorn, making the very mistake God cautioned the prophet Samuel against in his search for a king to succeed the wayward Saul: "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things human beings look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

The truth is, God is the only one who can see into the depths of anyone's heart, including Michal's. He knew everything that had happened, both good and bad. Still the story of Michal seems to indicate that she grew to be more like Saul than like David. As such, she reminds us that even victims have choices. No matter how much we've been sinned against, we still have the power to choose the attitude of our hearts. If we cast ourselves on God's mercy, asking him to help us, he cannot refuse. Even in difficulty, he will dwell in us, shaping our own wayward hearts into the likeness of his own.

Her Promise

Michal's contempt for true worship can be contrasted with David's love of worship. He worshiped God with abandon, with a true heart. His devotion was so deep, so real, it had to be expressed in the most extravagant praise and in dancing "with all his might." That's the sort of worship God is looking for from his people, and he responds with a promise to bless.

This devotional is drawn from Women of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Women in Scripture by Ann Spangler and Jean Syswerda. Used with permission.
A woman of strong emotions, she was unable to control the important circumstances of her life.

LHM Daily Devotions May 4, 2020 - "Help and Hope"

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Help and Hope"

May 4, 2020

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever.

— Psalm 146:5-6, ESV

The majesty of creation is all around us, but we may not always notice it until we see its glory reflected in a beautiful sunset, a delicate flower, or the uncoiling power of a seedling, pushing its way up through rocky soil. Much of God's wonderful creation is not readily visible. A far-away star named UY Scuti has a radius 1,700 times greater than that of our sun. The deepest part of the ocean, in the Mariana Trench of the western Pacific, is called the Challenger Deep and plunges to a depth of 36,200 feet. Yet all of this ordered splendor pales before the glory of its Creator. By His Word, God created the sun and moon, the planets and distant stars. By His Word, He gathered the waters into seas and carved the ocean depths.

Our psalm praises the Creator as our help and our hope. The God who "made heaven and earth," who created the great stars and ocean depths, is present to help us. He is "the God of Jacob," whose mighty acts in Israel's history brought to fulfillment His promise to send the Savior. When the right time had come, the Word by whom all things were made, who "laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning" (Hebrews 1:10b), took on human flesh. His birth heralded by a star He created—Jesus the Word came to live among us. He came to take onto Himself the sins of the world and carry them to the cross. He suffered the penalty of death that we deserved, the penalty decreed against human creatures lost in willful rebellion against their Creator.

Jesus overcame death and the grave, and He is our help and our hope, our help against the powers of sin and death, and our hope of life and resurrection. For the sake of His Son, God, who created the vast oceans, has "cast all our sins into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:19b). Through Baptism, each of us is a new creation, and in Christ Jesus, we "have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator" (Colossians 3:10).

Our God and Creator "keeps faith forever." He continues to care for His splendid, ordered creation, causing "springs to gush forth in the valleys" and "the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate" (Psalm 104:10a, 14a). He "makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45b). He keeps faith forever and will, when Jesus returns on the Last Day, raise us up from a death as He has promised. He will create a new heaven and a new earth where we will live in His presence forever. But there we will have no need of the sun or moon, for the glory of God, our help and hope, will be our light (see Revelation 21:22-23).

THE PRAYER: Thank You, God our Savior, for every gift of Your creation. You have created us anew in Christ Jesus, and we look forward to the day when You will make all things news. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

1. Do you enjoy the subject of science? What's something you've studied scientifically?

2. What does it say to you that the One who made the universe is faithful and is there to help you?

3. Has your view of the universe, and how it came to be, changed over time? How so?

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Do you enjoy the subject of science? What's something you've studied scientifically?

Devocional CPTLN del 04 de mayo de 2020 - "Ayuda y esperanza"

ALIMENTO DIARIO

Ayuda y esperanza

04 de Mayo de 2020

¡Dichosos los que confían en el Dios de Jacob, los que cuentan con la ayuda de Dios, el Señor! El Señor creó los cielos y la tierra, y el mar y todos los seres que contiene. El Señor siempre cumple su palabra.

— Salmo 146:5-6, RVC

La majestuosidad de la creación siempre está a nuestro alrededor pero a veces no la notamos, hasta que veamos su gloria reflejada en una hermosa puesta de sol, una flor delicada o el poder tenaz de una semilla que se abre paso a través del suelo rocoso. Gran parte de la maravillosa creación de Dios no es fácilmente visible. Una estrella lejana llamada UY Scuti tiene un radio 1.700 veces mayor que el del sol. La parte más profunda del océano, en la Fosa de las Marianas del Pacífico, se llama la fosa de Challenger y se sumerge a una profundidad de 36.200 pies o casi 11,000 metros. Sin embargo, todo este esplendor ordenado palidece ante la gloria de su Creador. Con su Palabra Dios creó el sol y la luna, los planetas y las estrellas distantes. Con su Palabra reunió las aguas en mares y talló las profundidades del océano.

Nuestro salmo alaba al Creador como nuestra ayuda y nuestra esperanza. El Dios que "creó los cielos y la tierra", las grandes estrellas y las profundidades del océano, está presente para ayudarnos. Él es "el Dios de Jacob", cuyos actos poderosos en la historia de Israel cumplieron su promesa de enviar al Salvador. Cuando llegó el momento adecuado, la Palabra por la cual fueron hechas todas las cosas, y la tierra fue fundada (Hebreos 1:10), se hizo carne. Su nacimiento fue anunciado por una de las estrellas que él había creado. Jesús, la Palabra, vino a vivir entre nosotros. Él vino para tomar sobre sí los pecados del mundo y llevarlos a la cruz. Jesús sufrió la pena de muerte que merecíamos, la pena decretada contra las criaturas humanas perdidas en rebelión deliberada contra su Creador.

Jesús venció la muerte y la tumba. Él es nuestro socorro y nuestra esperanza, nuestra ayuda contra los poderes del pecado y la muerte y nuestra esperanza de vida y resurrección. Gracias al sacrificio de su Hijo, Dios, que creó los vastos océanos, arrojó todos nuestros pecados a las profundidades del mar (Miqueas 7:19). A través del Bautismo, cada uno de nosotros somos una nueva creación, y en Cristo Jesús nos hemos revestido del nuevo hombre que se renueva en conocimiento según la imagen de su Creador (Colosenses 3:10).

Nuestro Dios y Creador nos alimenta siempre en la fe. Él continúa cuidando su creación espléndida y ordenada, haciendo que se "llenen las fuentes con los arroyos" y "que crezca la hierba para los ganados y las plantas para que el hombre cultive" (Salmo 104:10a, 14a). Él hace "salir su sol sobre malos y buenos, y hace llover sobre justos e injustos" (Mateo 5:45b). Y cuando Jesús regrese el último día, nos resucitará de la muerte como lo ha prometido. Él creará un cielo nuevo y una tierra nueva donde viviremos en su presencia para siempre. Pero allí no tendremos necesidad del sol o la luna, porque la gloria de Dios, nuestra ayuda y esperanza, será nuestra luz (ver Apocalipsis 21:22-23).

ORACIÓN: Gracias, Dios nuestro Salvador, por cada regalo de tu creación y gracias porque nos has creado de nuevo en Cristo Jesús. Esperamos con ansias el día en que hagas que todas las cosas sean nuevas. Amén.

Dra. Carol Geisler

Para reflexionar:

* ¿Qué significa para tu vida que Aquél que creó el universo esté a tu lado dispuesto a ayudarte?

* ¿Ha cambiado con el tiempo tu visión del universo y de cómo llegó a ser? ¿De qué manera?

© Copyright 2020 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
¿Qué significa para tu vida que Aquél que creó el universo esté a tu lado dispuesto a ayudarte?

Notre Pain Quotidien - Éclipse

Éclipse

Lisez : Amos 8.9-12 ; 9.11,12
La Bible en un an : 1 Rois 19 – 20 ; Luc 23.1-25

En ce temps-là, je relèverai de sa chute la maison de David, j’en réparerai les brèches, j’en redresserai les ruines, et je la rebâtirai comme elle était autrefois.

— Amos 9.11

J’étais fin prête : une protection des yeux, un point de vue idéal et des desserts faits maison. Avec des millions de gens aux États-Unis, ma famille a observé l’événement rare d’une éclipse solaire totale – la Lune couvrant entièrement le disque du Soleil.

Cette éclipse a répandu des ténèbres inhabituelles sur cet après-midi d’été typiquement lumineux. Même si pour nous cette éclipse constituait une célébration et un rappel agréables de la toute-puissance de Dieu sur la création (PS 135.6,7), tout au long de l’Histoire, les ténèbres en plein jour ont été perçues comme anormales et de mauvais augure (EX 10.21 ; MT 27.45), un signe que tout ne va pas comme il se devrait.

C’est ce qu’évoquaient les ténèbres pour Amos, un prophète de l’Antiquité ayant vécu à l’époque où la monarchie d’Israël était divisée. Amos a prévenu les gens du royaume du nord que la destruction s’abattrait sur eux s’ils continuaient de tourner le dos à Dieu : « En ce jour-là, dit le Seigneur, l’Éternel, je ferai coucher le soleil à midi, et j’obscurcirai la terre en plein jour » (AM 8.9). Dieu désirait – et désire encore – rétablir les choses. Même quand le peuple a été emmené en exil, Dieu lui a promis de ramener un reste à Jérusalem, dont il réparerait les brèches et redresserait les ruines (9.11).

Même durant nos heures les plus sombres, comme pour Israël, nous pouvons nous consoler en sachant que Dieu œuvre à ramener la lumière et l’espoir – à tous ses enfants (AC 15.14-18).

Jésus, comme dans Apocalypse 21.23, merci de nous éclairer plus que le soleil et de repousser les ténèbres.

Dieu est la lumière qui éclaire les lieux ténébreux.

par Lisa M. Samra

© 2020 Ministères NPQ
Avec des millions de gens aux États-Unis, ma famille a observé l’événement rare d’une éclipse solaire totale.