Friday, April 7, 2023

The Daily Lectionary for Saturday, April 8, 2023 — Holy Saturday

 

The Daily Lectionary
Saturday, April 8, 2023
Holy Saturday
In Silence We Wait
Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24; Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16;
1 Peter 4:1-8; Matthew 27:57-66
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24
I will hope in the Lord


1 I am the man who has seen affliction
     by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.

2 He has driven me away and made me walk
     in darkness rather than light;

3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me
     again and again, all day long.


4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old
     and has broken my bones.

5 He has besieged me and surrounded me
     with bitterness and hardship.

6 He has made me dwell in darkness
     like those long dead.


7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape;
     he has weighed me down with chains.

8 Even when I call out or cry for help,
     he shuts out my prayer.

9 He has barred my way with blocks of stone;
     he has made my paths crooked.



19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
      the bitterness and the gall.

20 I well remember them,
      and my soul is downcast within me.

21 Yet this I call to mind
      and therefore I have hope:


22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
      for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;
      great is your faithfulness.

24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
      therefore I will wait for him.”


A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16
Take me out of the net

In te, Domine, speravi

1 In you, O LORD, have I taken refuge;
      let me never be put to shame; *
    deliver me in your righteousness.


2 Incline your ear to me; *
    make haste to deliver me.


3 Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe,
      for you are my crag and my stronghold; *
    for the sake of your Name, lead me and guide me.


4 Take me out of the net that they have secretly set for me, *
    for you are my tower of strength.


15 My times are in your hand; *
     rescue me from the hand of my enemies,
       and from those who persecute me.


16 Make your face to shine upon your servant, *
    and in your loving-kindness save me.”


O God, we praise and thank You for the many mercies we have received from Your steadfast love. We continue to pray for all those in need, knowing that You will keep your many precious promises, revealed in Your word, to us. And now 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.”

1 Peter 4:1-8
The gospel proclaimed even to the dead


4:1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4 They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. 5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Matthew 27:57-66
The burial of Jesus


27:57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

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 Saturday, April 8, 2023
Holy Saturday — In Silence We Wait
Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24; Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16; 1 Peter 4:1-8; Matthew 27:57-66

The Morning Prayer for Saturday, April 8, 2023

 

The Morning Prayer
Saturday, April 8, 2023


He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20, NIV


Lord our God, we thank you for revealing your rulership, which is for the good of each of us. Each one of us will become what we ought to be when our faith is united with your divine power. Protect this faith in us through every temptation and through all we have yet to endure in this earthly life. Free us again and again for one thing alone, that your kingdom may come into being within us and around us, to the praise and glory of the everlasting truth you have given us in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Saturday, April 8, 2023

 

Verse of the Day
Saturday, April 8, 2023


Romans 5:10
For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
It is a blessed truth that God “has not dealt with us according to our sins” (Ps. 103:10). For the sake of His name, He restrains His anger and pours out mercy rather than wrath on those who put their faith in His Son, Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:8–11).

Read all of Romans Chapter 5

Listen to Romans Chapter 5

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

The Lenten Prayer for Saturday, April 8, 2023

 

40 Days of Lenten Prayers
Day 40 — Holy Saturday


Father, Creator of heaven and earth, Grant that as your son Jesus lay dead in the tomb, on this holy Sabbath, That we may wait along with him, and the holy apostles and blessed Virgin Mary, for his glorious resurrection, on Easter morning. And, that along with all the saints, grant us the grace to boldly celebrate his conquering of sin and death. Amen.

That The World May Know, Volume 4 | Episode 2 | Piercing the Darkness

 

That The World May Know
Piercing the Darkness

Volume 4 | Episode 2

The ancient land of Israel is a testimony, an evidence if you will, of the greatness of what God did in that country, a testimony to the truth of the words that we find in the pages of the Bible.

In Volume 4 of the "Faith Lessons" series, historian and teacher Ray Vander Laan teaches how confronting evil can be loudly proclaiming the name of Jesus or quietly caring for someone in need.

In Episode 2, Kursi was believed to be the home of demons. There, in a deliberate choice to aggressively confront evil, Jesus healed the demon-possessed man.



Volume 4 | Episode 2 | Piercing the Darkness