The Daily Lectionary for Friday, March 3, 2023

 

The Daily Lectionary
Friday, March 3, 2023
Psalm 121; Micah 7:18-20; Romans 3:21-31
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Psalm 121
The Lord watches over you
Levavi oculos

I lift up my eyes to the hills;
from where is my help to come?

My help comes from the LORD,
the maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved
and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.

Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep;

The LORD himself watches over you;
the LORD is your shade at your right hand,

So that the sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
it is he who shall keep you safe.

The LORD shall watch over your going out and your coming in,
from this time forth for evermore.

Heavenly Father, we look up to You as we pray today, for You are high and lifted up in reality and in our praise of You. Your word teaches that You made heaven and earth, and You made us in Your image, a little lower than yourself. You know us completely, far better than we know ourselves. You know our needs. You anticipate every problem that will cause us to struggle in the days ahead. You keep Your eyes upon us day and night, ever ready to come to our rescue. Direct our paths, so we will not stray into evil. Protect us from Your enemies and ours, through Your Son, 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.”

Micah 7:18-20
God’s faithfulness

18 Who is a God like you,
      who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
      of the remnant of his inheritance?
   You do not stay angry forever
      but delight to show mercy.
19 You will again have compassion on us;
      you will tread our sins underfoot
      and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
20 You will be faithful to Jacob,
      and show love to Abraham,
   as you pledged on oath to our ancestors
      in days long ago.

Romans 3:21-31
Paul relates law and faith

3:21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

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 3, 2023
Psalm 121; Micah 7:18-20; Romans 3:21-31

The Morning Prayer for Friday, March 3, 2023

 

The Morning Prayer
Friday, March 3, 2023

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”
Luke 9:23–24, NIV

Dear Father in heaven, you have sent us the Lord Jesus to bear our guilt and our misery. To this day we rejoice that he came, he who can free us from all evil. Teach us to understand the way of the Cross, the way Jesus went. Grant that we may always follow him, even if we also suffer and have a cross to bear. Then we can joyfully go the way he went to the glory of your name, O Father in heaven. We are your children whether we understand it or not. You protect and care for us, until your glory comes and everything is completed that was begun through Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Bless us in his Word, and help us to become his true followers. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Friday, March 3, 2023

 

Verse of the Day
Friday, March 3, 2023

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

God does not require us to understand His will, just obey it, even if it seems unreasonable. Even when we do not comprehend what the Lord is doing in our lives, He wants us to trust Him. His wisdom and perspective are far greater than our own. Even when we cannot discern His methods or timing, we must trust Him because His way is the best way.

Read all of Isaiah chapter 55

Listen to Isaiah chapter 55

Scripture from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

The Lenten Prayer for Friday, March 3, 2023

 

40 Days of Lenten Prayers
Day 9 — Friday of the First Week of Lent

Creator of my Life, renew me: bring me to new life in you. Touch me and make me feel whole again. Help me to see your love in the passion, death and resurrection of your son.

Help me to observe Lent in a way that allows me to celebrate that love. Prepare me for these weeks of Lent as I feel both deep sorrow for my sins and your undying love for me. Amen.