The Daily Lectionary for Friday, March 10, 2023

 

The Daily Lectionary
Friday, March 10, 2023
Psalm 95; Exodus 16:9-21; Ephesians 2:11-22
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Psalm 95
The rock of our salvation
Venite, exultemus

1 Come, let us sing to the LORD; *
  let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
  and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

3 For the LORD is a great God, *
  and a great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
  and the heights of the hills are his also.

5 The sea is his, for he made it, *
  and his hands have molded the dry land.

6 Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
  and kneel before the LORD our Maker.

7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
  Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

8 Harden not your hearts, as your forebears did in the wilderness, *
  at Meribah, and on that day at Massah, when they tempted me.

9 They put me to the test, *
  though they had seen my works.

10 Forty years long I detested that generation and said, *
   “This people are wayward in their hearts; they do not know my ways.”

11 So I swore in my wrath, *
   “They shall not enter into my rest.”

Father God, we gather together to thank You for the gift of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. He demonstrated Your great love for us by dying on the cross in our behalf, and He has promised to cleanse us from our sins when we confess them to You and repent of them. Pour out Your grace within us, and empower us to live in ways that will bring You and others great joy, especially as we seek to serve as vessels overflowing with Your unmerited love. Guide us in our study of the Scriptures. Shine the light of Your Holy Spirit into our minds and hearts, and encourage us to conform our lives to Your perfect will as we follow our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who 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.”

Exodus 16:9-21
God gives manna and quail

16:9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”

10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.

11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”

13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.

Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’”

17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.

19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

21 Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.

Ephesians 2:11-22
Christ the reconciliation of Jew and Gentile

2:11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

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 Friday, March 10, 2023
Psalm 95; Exodus 16:9-21; Ephesians 2:11-22