The Daily Bible Readings
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Psalm 42; Zechariah 8:1-17; Matthew 8:14-17, 28-34
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)
A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Quemadmodum
Leader: As the deer longs for the water-brooks,
People: so longs my soul for you, O God.
Leader: My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God;
People: when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?
Leader: My tears have been my food day and night,
People: while all day long they say to me, “Where now is your God?”
Leader: I pour out my soul when I think on these things;
People: how I went with the multitude and led them into the house of God,
Leader: With the voice of praise and thanksgiving,
People: among those who keep holy-day.
Leader: Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul?
People: and why are you so disquieted within me?
Leader: Put your trust in God;
People: for I will yet give thanks to him, who is the help of my countenance, and my God.
Leader: My soul is heavy within me;
People: therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan, and from the peak of Mizar among the heights of Hermon.
Leader: One deep calls to another in the noise of your cataracts;
People: all your rapids and floods have gone over me.
Leader: The LORD grants his loving-kindness in the daytime;
People: in the night season his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
Leader: I will say to the God of my strength, “Why have you forgotten me?
People: and why do I go so heavily while the enemy oppresses me?”
Leader: While my bones are being broken,
People: my enemies mock me to my face;
Leader: All day long they mock me
People: and say to me, “Where now is your God?”
Leader: Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul?
People: and why are you so disquieted within me?
Leader: Put your trust in God;
People: for I will yet give thanks to him, who is the help of my countenance, and my God.
O God, You are the great Creator. You reign as the Lord over all. Some do not acknowledge You as their Creator. Some deny Your very existence. Others know that You created them, but they do not obey You as the Lord over their lives. Help me to look upon the world around me and remember You are the source of all life and light. When evil seems to be on the winning side, and when it seems there is no chance for good to prevail, help me remember that You are Lord over all and more powerful than any circumstance. Forgive me when I have acted as though You did not exist, as though I had no responsibility to You as my Creator, Lord, and Savior. Fill my heart with love for You. Open my mind to see Your work in the world. Help me understand the Bible. Help me know how to apply Your Word to the way I live each day. Look into all our hearts today as we pray together:
“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.”
(God’s promise to Zion)
God’s Promises to Zion
8:1 The word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying: 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. 3 Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain. 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age. 5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. 6 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me, says the Lord of hosts? 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: I will save my people from the east country and from the west country; 8 and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.
9 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Let your hands be strong—you that have recently been hearing these words from the mouths of the prophets who were present when the foundation was laid for the rebuilding of the temple, the house of the Lord of hosts. 10 For before those days there were no wages for people or for animals, nor was there any safety from the foe for those who went out or came in, and I set them all against one another. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, says the Lord of hosts. 12 For there shall be a sowing of peace; the vine shall yield its fruit, the ground shall give its produce, and the skies shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. 13 Just as you have been a cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you and you shall be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.
14 For thus says the Lord of hosts: Just as I purposed to bring disaster upon you, when your ancestors provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts, 15 so again I have purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; do not be afraid. 16 These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace, 17 do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath; for all these are things that I hate, says the Lord.
(Jesus heals)
Jesus Heals Many at Peter’s House
8:14 When Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever; 15 he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, “He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.”
Jesus Heals the Gadarene Demoniacs
28 When he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 Suddenly they shouted, “What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them. 31 The demons begged him, “If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” 32 And he said to them, “Go!” So they came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. 33 The swineherds ran off, and on going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs. 34 Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.
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 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 Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Psalm 42; Zechariah 8:1-17; Matthew 8:14-17, 28-34
