Tuesday, August 23, 2022

The Daily Lectionary for Wednesday, August 24, 2022

The Man with a Withered Hand
Matthew 12:9-13, Mark 3:1-6, and Luke 6:6-11

The Daily Lectionary
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Psalm 10; Jeremiah 7:27-34; Luke 6:6-11
(Revised Common Lectionary Year C)
(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)

Psalm 10
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
1  Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
     Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2  In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—
     let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

3  For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart,
     those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.
4  In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, “God will not seek it out”;
     all their thoughts are, “There is no God.”

5  Their ways prosper at all times;
     your judgments are on high, out of their sight;
     as for their foes, they scoff at them.
6  They think in their heart, “We shall not be moved;
     throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.”

7  Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
     under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.
8  They sit in ambush in the villages;
     in hiding places they murder the innocent.

   Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9    they lurk in secret like a lion in its covert;
   they lurk that they may seize the poor;
     they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.

10 They stoop, they crouch,
     and the helpless fall by their might.
11 They think in their heart, “God has forgotten,
     he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

12 Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
     do not forget the oppressed.
13 Why do the wicked renounce God,
     and say in their hearts, “You will not call us to account”?

14 But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief,
     that you may take it into your hands;
   the helpless commit themselves to you;
     you have been the helper of the orphan.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers;
     seek out their wickedness until you find none.
16 The Lord is king forever and ever;
     the nations shall perish from his land.

17 O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek;
     you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear
18 to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed,
     so that those from earth may strike terror no more.

Jeremiah 7:27-34
7:27 So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. You shall call to them, but they will not answer you. 28 You shall say to them: This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips.

29 Cut off your hair and throw it away;
     raise a lamentation on the bare heights,
   for the Lord has rejected and forsaken
     the generation that provoked his wrath.

30 For the people of Judah have done evil in my sight, says the Lord; they have set their abominations in the house that is called by my name, defiling it. 31 And they go on building the high place of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire—which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind. 32 Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the Lord, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of Slaughter: for they will bury in Topheth until there is no more room. 33 The corpses of this people will be food for the birds of the air, and for the animals of the earth; and no one will frighten them away. 34 And I will bring to an end the sound of mirth and gladness, the voice of the bride and bridegroom in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for the land shall become a waste.

Luke 6:6-11
The Man with a Withered Hand
6:6 On another sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. 7 The scribes and the Pharisees watched him to see whether he would cure on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. 8 Even though he knew what they were thinking, he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” He got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 After looking around at all of them, he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

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 2022, we will be in Year A. The year which ended at Advent 2021 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
Healing the man with a withered hand is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels, namely in Matthew 12:9-13, Mark 3:1-6, and Luke 6:6-11.

The Morning Prayer for Wednesday, August 24, 2022

 


The Morning Prayer
Wednesday, August 24, 2022


With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Ephesians 6:16 (NRSV)

Lord our God, we long to come into your light, to live in your strength, that we may do what pleases you and furthers your kingdom on earth. Protect us from evil and do not let us be wounded by the flaming arrows of the evil one. Make paths for us whenever we do not know how to go forward. We always know you are our Father. Because you are our Father, we want to be courageous and persevere to the end so that you can make our lives bear fruit for you, to the glory of your name. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Wednesday, August 24, 2022

 


Verse of the Day
Wednesday, August 24, 2022

I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
I love the Lord is the exact response God’s heart desires as a result of God’s interventions in our lives. It fulfills the royal law (Matt. 22:37, 38) and is a perfect “thank You.”

Understanding the Lord’s love, presence, and nearness should lead us to serve him and deepen our relationship with him. While we love God for many reasons, we want to express our love to him today, especially for his personal concern for us. In a world where important people refuse to spend time with those “beneath” them, we are truly blessed with an incomparable God who listens to our every cry, recognizes our very own distinct voice, and tunes his ear to hear every one of our whispers. Yes! I will call on him, praise him, thank him, confess to him, and speak with him as long as I live!