The Daily Lectionary for Thursday, February 2, 2023

 

The Daily Lectionary
Thursday, February 2, 2023
Psalm 112:1-9 [10]; Deuteronomy 4:1-14; 1 John 5:1-5
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Psalm 112:1-9 [10]
Light shines in the darkness
Beatus vir

Hallelujah! Happy are they who fear the Lord
and have great delight in his commandments!

Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches will be in their house,
and their righteousness will last for ever.

Light shines in the darkness for the upright;
the righteous are merciful and full of compassion.

It is good for them to be generous in lending
and to manage their affairs with justice.

For they will never be shaken;
the righteous will be kept in everlasting remembrance.

They will not be afraid of any evil rumors;
their heart is right; they put their trust in the Lord.

Their heart is established and will not shrink,
until they see their desire upon their enemies.

They have given freely to the poor,
and their righteousness stands fast for ever; they will hold up their head with honor.

[The wicked will see it and be angry; they will gnash their teeth and pine away;
the desires of the wicked will perish.]

Lord Jesus, we delight in all of Your commandments. We love You with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. We love Your Father, our Heavenly Father, and we thank Him for sending You into the world to save us from our sins. We love the Holy Spirit, Who helps us understand the way that we should go as we study the Scriptures. Help us to love our neighbors and even our enemies, as You have commanded. Help us to love one another, as You have loved us. Now hear our prayers as You taught us to pray:

“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.”

Deuteronomy 4:1-14
The discipline of faith

4:1 Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.

3 You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, 4 but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today.

5 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” 7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. 10 Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.” 11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. 12 Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. 13 He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 And the Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.

1 John 5:1-5
God’s children obey God’s commandments

5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of 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 Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Responsive Readings from the Common Book of Prayer (1789).

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 Lectionary for Thursday, February 2, 2023
Psalm 112:1-9 [10]; Deuteronomy 4:1-14; 1 John 5:1-5