The Daily Lectionary for Wednesday, March 29, 2023

 

The Daily Lectionary
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Psalm 143; Jeremiah 32:1-9, 36-41; Matthew 22:23-33
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Psalm 143
Save me from death
Domine, exaudi

1 LORD, hear my prayer,
      and in your faithfulness heed my supplications; *
    answer me in your righteousness.

2 Enter not into judgment with your servant, *
    for in your sight shall no one living be justified.

3 For my enemy has sought my life;
      he has crushed me to the ground; *
    he has made me live in dark places like those who
      are long dead.

4 My spirit faints within me; *
    my heart within me is desolate.

5 I remember the time past;
      I muse upon all your deeds; *
    I consider the works of your hands.

6 I spread out my hands to you; *
    my soul gasps to you like a thirsty land.

7 O LORD, make haste to answer me; my spirit fails me; *
    do not hide your face from me
      or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.

8 Let me hear of your loving-kindness in the morning,
      for I put my trust in you; *
    show me the road that I must walk,
      for I lift up my soul to you.

9 Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD, *
    for I flee to you for refuge.

10 Teach me to do what pleases you, for you are my God; *
     let your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

11 Revive me, O LORD, for your Name’s sake; *
     for your righteousness’ sake, bring me out of trouble.

12 Of your goodness, destroy my enemies
       and bring all my foes to naught, *
     for truly I am your servant.

Heavenly Father, You created me in Your image. You gave me the ability to love and serve You and others. In Your faithfulness, You have listened to all of my prayers. You have met all of my needs. When I think of Your past deeds, I have courage and hope. Help me to trust You always. As I study Your word, teach me the way I should go. Guide my steps by Your Holy Spirit, Who can turn my heart to walk in right paths. For the sake of Your name, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ as He taught me 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.”

Jeremiah 32:1-9, 36-41
Jeremiah buys a field

32:1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah.

3 Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 4 Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape the Babylonians but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes. 5 He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him, declares the Lord. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’”

6 Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: 7 Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.’

8 “Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’

“I knew that this was the word of the Lord; 9 so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver.

…

36 “You are saying about this city, ‘By the sword, famine and plague it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon’; but this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 37 I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. 38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. 41 I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.

Matthew 22:23-33
God of the living

22:23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27 Finally, the woman died. 28 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”

29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 31 But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

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 Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Psalm 143; Jeremiah 32:1-9, 36-41; Matthew 22:23-33