The Daily Lectionary for Thursday, June 8, 2023

 

The Daily Lectionary
Thursday, June 8, 2023
Psalm 33:1-12; Genesis 13:1-18; 2 Peter 2:17-22
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)
(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)

A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Psalm 33:1-12
Happy the people whom God has chosen
Exultate, justi

Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous; *
  it is good for the just to sing praises.

Praise the LORD with the harp; *
  play to him upon the psaltery and lyre.

Sing for him a new song; *
  sound a fanfare with all your skill upon the trumpet.

For the word of the LORD is right, *
  and all his works are sure.

He loves righteousness and justice; *
  the loving-kindness of the LORD fills the whole earth.

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, *
  by the breath of his mouth all the heavenly hosts.

He gathers up the waters of the ocean as in a water-skin *
  and stores up the depths of the sea.

Let all the earth fear the LORD; *
  let all who dwell in the world stand in awe of him.

For he spoke, and it came to pass; *
  he commanded, and it stood fast.

The LORD brings the will of the nations to naught; *
  he thwarts the designs of the peoples.

But the LORD’s will stands fast for ever, *
  and the designs of his heart from age to age.

Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD! *
  happy the people he has chosen to be his own!

O God, we rejoice in Your presence and praise You for all that You have made. We give You thanks for watching over us daily and meeting all of our needs. We give You special thanks for making yourself known to us through the world You have made, but Father, we thank You even more for teaching us about yourself through the Bible, Your word written. Thank You for demonstrating Your loving grace and truth to us through Your only Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we 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.”

Genesis 13:1-18
Abram and Lot separate

So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.

From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.

Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. And quarreling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.

So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”

Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.

The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”

So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord.

2 Peter 2:17-22
The world’s entanglements

These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

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, June 8, 2023
Psalm 33:1-12; Genesis 13:1-18; 2 Peter 2:17-22