The Daily Bible Readings for Friday, December 30, 2022

 

The Daily Bible Readings
Friday, December 30, 2022
Psalm 20; Isaiah 26:1-9; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions

Psalm 20
Exaudiat te Dominus

Leader: May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble,
People: the Name of the God of Jacob defend you;

Leader: Send you help from his holy place
People: and strengthen you out of Zion;

Leader: Remember all your offerings
People: and accept your burnt sacrifice;

Leader: Grant you your heart’s desire
People: and prosper all your plans.

Leader: We will shout for joy at your victory and triumph in the Name of our God;
People: may the LORD grant all your requests.

Leader: Now I know that the LORD gives victory to his anointed;
People: he will answer him out of his holy heaven, with the victorious strength of his right hand.

Leader: Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses,
People: but we will call upon the Name of the LORD our God.

Leader: They collapse and fall down,
People: but we will arise and stand upright.

Leader: O LORD, give victory to the king
People: and answer us when we call.

O Lord Jesus, risen from the dead and reigning from on high, hear our prayers this day. We praise You for Your mighty deeds in our behalf. We humbly thank You for bearing Your cross for us. Empower us to bear our cross in behalf of others, that we might share the gospel message with them. Fill us with Your Spirit, that others might see Your love for them in the way we live each day. As Christians, we feel honored to bear Your holy name. Help us to bring You honor by the way we treat You and others. And now we pray once again the prayer You taught us:

“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.”

Isaiah 26:1-9
(Trust in God forever)

A Song of Praise

1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

  We have a strong city;
     God makes salvation
     its walls and ramparts.
2 Open the gates
     that the righteous nation may enter,
     the nation that keeps faith.
3 You will keep in perfect peace
     those whose minds are steadfast,
     because they trust in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
     for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.
5 He humbles those who dwell on high,
     he lays the lofty city low;
  he levels it to the ground
     and casts it down to the dust.
6 Feet trample it down—
     the feet of the oppressed,
     the footsteps of the poor.

7 The path of the righteous is level;
     you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth.
8 Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,
     we wait for you;
  your name and renown
     are the desire of our hearts.
9 My soul yearns for you in the night;
     in the morning my spirit longs for you.
  When your judgments come upon the earth,
     the people of the world learn righteousness.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
(The temporary and the eternal)

4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

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 2023, we will be in Year B. The year which ended at Advent 2022 was Year A. 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
The Daily Bible Readings for Friday, December 30, 2022
Psalm 20; Isaiah 26:1-9; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18