Friday, July 28, 2023

The Daily Lectionary for Saturday, July 29, 2023

 

The Daily Lectionary
Saturday, July 29, 2023
Psalm 105:1-11, 45b; Genesis 29:31—30:24; Matthew 12:38-42
(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 105:1-11, 45b
Give thanks to God
Part I Confitemini Domino

Give thanks to the LORD and call upon his Name; *
  make known his deeds among the peoples.


Sing to him, sing praises to him, *
  and speak of all his marvelous works.


Glory in his holy Name; *
  let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.


Search for the LORD and his strength; *
  continually seek his face.


Remember the marvels he has done, *
  his wonders and the judgments of his mouth,


O offspring of Abraham his servant, *
  O children of Jacob his chosen.


He is the LORD our God; *
  his judgments prevail in all the world.


He has always been mindful of his covenant, *
  the promise he made for a thousand generations:


The covenant he made with Abraham, *
  the oath that he swore to Isaac,


Which he established as a statute for Jacob, *
  an everlasting covenant for Israel,


Saying, “To you will I give the land of Canaan *
  to be your allotted inheritance.”
   Hallelujah!


Father God, You created all things. You created a beautiful world for us to enjoy; a world designed to meet our physical needs. Then, when we sinned and dishonored You, You sent Your only Son to meet our spiritual needs. All that we truly enjoy comes from Your hand. Therefore, with thankful hearts, 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 29:31—30:24
Children born to Jacob Leah Rachel

When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”

She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.

Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.

She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.

When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”

Then she said, “Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”

So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, and she became pregnant and bore him a son. Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son.” Because of this she named him Dan.

Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” So she named him Naphtali.

When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” So she named him Gad.

Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”

“Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.

God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.

Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.

Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” She named him Joseph, and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”

Matthew 12:38-42
Something greater than Solomon is here

Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.

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, July 29, 2023
Psalm 105:1-11, 45b; Genesis 29:31—30:24; Matthew 12:38-42

The Morning Prayer for Saturday, July 29, 2023

 

The Morning Prayer
Saturday, July 29, 2023


For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him in our dealing with you.

Lord our God, we thank you for the love you show us so that we may be delivered from weakness and sickness, from sin and misery, and may be given strength to serve you, our Father in heaven. Bless us in all we have on our hearts, that through your mercy the battle of life may be fought aright. Bless us in our times and grant that justice may gain the upper hand and we may live in peace, praising you into all eternity. Protect us, your children, forevermore. May your name be honored, your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as in heaven. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Saturday, July 29, 2023

 

Verse of the Day
Saturday, July 29, 2023


Psalm 119:93
I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.
Those who have experienced the power of the Scriptures in their lives are not likely to forget them. We were “born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever” (1 Pet. 1:23).

Read all of Psalm 119

Listen to Psalm 119


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

That The World May Know, Volume 6 | Episode 3 | The Presence of God

 

That The World May Know
The Presence of God
Volume 6 | Episode 3

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.

Volume 6 of the "Faith Lessons" series In The Dust of the Rabbi: Becoming a Disciple transports you to locations in Israel and Turkey to learn how the early church lived as disciples of Jesus. Come and follow teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan into the life of a talmid (disciple). Learn about how following a rabbi wasn't simply a hobby. It was a passion that was the driving force behind every action, every thought. And ask yourself, how passionate are you to follow Jesus?

Episode 3: A Counter-Cultural Community: Set in the beautiful Greek city of Priene, Ray Vander Laan walks us back into a time when town councils, city markets, and even the warmth of the fire were provided by the gods of the day. How does a follower of Jesus live among believers of Athena, Apollo, and Asclepius? Learn what it means to truly be part of a community of believers.


Volume 6 | Episode 3 | The Presence of God