Monday, March 20, 2023

The Daily Lectionary for Tuesday, March 21, 2023

 

The Daily Lectionary
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
Psalm 146; Isaiah 42:14-21; Colossians 1:9-14

(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Psalm 146
God opens the eyes of the blind
Lauda, anima mea

1 Hallelujah!
    Praise the LORD, O my soul! *
I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
    I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.


2 Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *
  for there is no help in them.


3 When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *
  and in that day their thoughts perish.

4 Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! *
  whose hope is in the LORD their God;


5 Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them;*
  who keeps his promise for ever;


6 Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *
  and food to those who hunger.


7 The LORD sets the prisoners free;
    the LORD opens the eyes of the blind; *
  the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;


8 The LORD loves the righteous;
    the LORD cares for the stranger; *
  he sustains the orphan and widow,
    but frustrates the way of the wicked.


9 The LORD shall reign for ever, *
  your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.


  Hallelujah!

Heavenly Father, today we gather to praise Your name together, as Your people. With one heart and mind in undivided loyalty to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, we seek to serve You. O Lord, we trust in You and rejoice that You hold our lives in Your hands. Help us to be faithful and righteous in all of our dealings with You and others as we trust and pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,
“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.”

Isaiah 42:14-21
God will heal the blind


14 “For a long time I have kept silent,
      I have been quiet and held myself back.
   But now, like a woman in childbirth,
      I cry out, I gasp and pant.

15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills
      and dry up all their vegetation;
   I will turn rivers into islands
      and dry up the pools.

16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
      along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
   I will turn the darkness into light before them
      and make the rough places smooth.
   These are the things I will do;
      I will not forsake them.

17 But those who trust in idols,
      who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’
      will be turned back in utter shame.


18 “Hear, you deaf;
      look, you blind, and see!

19 Who is blind but my servant,
      and deaf like the messenger I send?
   Who is blind like the one in covenant with me,
      blind like the servant of the Lord?

20 You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;
      your ears are open, but you do not listen.”

21 It pleased the Lord
      for the sake of his righteousness
      to make his law great and glorious.


Colossians 1:9-14
The inheritance of the saints in light

1:9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

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 Tuesday, March 21, 2023
Psalm 146; Isaiah 42:14-21; Colossians 1:9-14

The Morning Prayer for Tuesday, March 21, 2023

 

The Morning Prayer
Tuesday, March 21, 2023


…till the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field. The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
Isaiah 32:15-17, NIV


Lord our God, we look to your Holy Spirit. Unite us with your Spirit, we pray. May we be children of your Spirit, ruled throughout our lives by your Spirit. There is so much else around us wanting to teach us and claiming to represent the truth, and we are full of fear unless help comes from your Spirit alone. Your Spirit comes to us as helper and comforter, who helps us find the way to go. Hear us, your children, whom you want to lead and whose Savior you want to be through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Tuesday, March 21, 2023

 

Verse of the Day
Tuesday, March 21, 2023


Jeremiah 17:7-8
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.
God loves to bless His obedient children. He moves out ahead of us, preparing the way, and always supplies our every need as we follow Him in faith and love (Phil. 4:19). He doesn’t promise a lack of trials, but He does promise eventual victory.

Read all of Jeremiah Chapter 17

Listen to Jeremiah Chapter 17

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

The Lenten Prayer for Tuesday, March 21, 2023

 

40 Days of Lenten Prayers
Day 24 — Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent


Joyful praise in Lent? I'm not sure I always feel that. I ask you to help me prepare to understand and embrace the paschal mystery in my life. I don't always see the beauty and mystery of this season and often I run from the pain.

Help me to see how your saving grace and your loving touch in my life can fill me with joyful praise of the salvation you have sent to me. Amen.