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23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - September 9 - 15, 2007
(Psalms 139:1-6, 13-18) O LORD, you have searched me and known me. (2) You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. (3) You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. (4) Even before a word is on my tongue, O LORD, you know it completely. (5) You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. (6) Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it. . . . (13) For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. (14) I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. (15) My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. (16) Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. (17) How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! (18) I try to count them--they are more than the sand; I come to the end--I am still with you.
*For Continuity with Daily Lessons: (1 Kings 12:21-33) When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred eighty thousand chosen troops to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon. (22) But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: (23) Say to King Rehoboam of Judah, son of Solomon, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, (24) "Thus says the LORD, You shall not go up or fight against your kindred the people of Israel. Let everyone go home, for this thing is from me." So they heeded the word of the LORD and went home again, according to the word of the LORD. (25) Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and resided there; he went out from there and built Penuel. (26) Then Jeroboam said to himself, "Now the kingdom may well revert to the house of David. (27) If this people continues to go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, the heart of this people will turn again to their master, King Rehoboam of Judah; they will kill me and return to King Rehoboam of Judah." (28) So the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold. He said to the people, "You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Here are your gods, Oisrael, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt." (29) He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. (30) And this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one at Bethel and before the other as far as Dan. (31) He also made houses on high places, and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not Levites. (32) Jeroboam appointed a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the festival that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar; so he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. (33) He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he alone had devised; he appointed a festival for the people of Israel, and he went up to the altar to offer incense.
(Jeremiah 18:1-11) The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: (2) "Come, go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words." (3) So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. (4) The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him. (5) Then the word of the LORD came to me: (6) Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the LORD. Just like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. (7) At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, (8) but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it. (9) And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, (10) but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it. (11) Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the LORD: Look, I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.
(Philemon 1:1-21) Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, (2) to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: (3) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (4) When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God (5) because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. (6) I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. (7) I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother. (8) For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, (9) yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love--and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. (10) I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. (11) Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. (12) I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. (13) I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; (14) but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. (15) Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, (16) no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother--especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. (17) So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. (18) If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. (19) I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. (20) Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. (21) Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
(Luke 14:25-33) Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, (26) "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. (27) Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. (28) For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? (29) Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, (30) saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' (31) Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? (32) If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. (33) So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.
Monday
(Psalms 76) In Judah God is known, his name is great in Israel. (2) His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. (3) There he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah (4) Glorious are you, more majestic than the everlasting mountains. (5) The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil; they sank into sleep; none of the troops was able to lift a hand. (6) At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse lay stunned. (7) But you indeed are awesome! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? (8) From the heavens you uttered judgment; the earth feared and was still (9) when God rose up to establish judgment, to save all the oppressed of the earth. Selah (10) Human wrath serves only to praise you, when you bind the last bit of your wrath around you. (11) Make vows to the LORD your God, and perform them; let all who are around him bring gifts to the one who is awesome, (12) who cuts off the spirit of princes, who inspires fear in the kings of the earth.
(1 Kings 13:1-10) While Jeroboam was standing by the altar to offer incense, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the LORD to Bethel (2) and proclaimed against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, "O altar, altar, thus says the LORD: 'A son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who offer incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.'" (3) He gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign that the LORD has spoken: 'The altar shall be torn down, and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out.'" (4) When the king heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, "Seize him!" But the hand that he stretched out against him withered so that he could not draw it back to himself. (5) The altar also was torn down, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. (6) The king said to the man of God, "Entreat now the favor of the LORD your God, and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored to me." So the man of God entreated the LORD; and the king's hand was restored to him, and became as it was before. (7) Then the king said to the man of God, "Come home with me and dine, and I will give you a gift." (8) But the man of God said to the king, "If you give me half your kingdom, I will not go in with you; nor will I eat food or drink water in this place. (9) For thus I was commanded by the word of the LORD: You shall not eat food, or drink water, or return by the way that you came." (10) So he went another way, and did not return by the way that he had come to Bethel.
(Philippians 1:1-11) Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: (2) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (3) I thank my God every time I remember you, (4) constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, (5) because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. (6) I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. (7) It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. (8) For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. (9) And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight (10) to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, (11) having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
(Mark 15:40-47) There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. (41) These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem. (42) When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, (43) Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. (44) Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some time. (45) When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. (46) Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. (47) Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid.
Tuesday
(Psalms 79) O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins. (2) They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the air for food, the flesh of your faithful to the wild animals of the earth. (3) They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them. (4) We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us. (5) How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealous wrath burn like fire? (6) Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call on your name. (7) For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation. (8) Do not remember against us the iniquities of our ancestors; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low. (9) Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name's sake. (10) Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes. (11) Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power preserve those doomed to die. (12) Return sevenfold into the bosom of our neighbors the taunts with which they taunted you, O Lord! (13) Then we your people, the flock of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.
(1 Kings 16:23-34) In the thirty-first year of King Asa of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel; he reigned for twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. (24) He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver; he fortified the hill, and called the city that he built, Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill. (25) Omri did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; he did more evil than all who were before him. (26) For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and in the sins that he caused Israel to commit, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger by their idols. (27) Now the rest of the acts of Omri that he did, and the power that he showed, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel? (28) Omri slept with his ancestors, and was buried in Samaria; his son Ahab succeeded him. (29) In the thirty-eighth year of King Asa of Judah, Ahab son of Omri began to reign over Israel; Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. (30) Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD more than all who were before him. (31) And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he took as his wife Jezebel daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him. (32) He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. (33) Ahab also made a sacred pole. Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than had all the kings of Israel who were before him. (34) In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho; he laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Joshua son of Nun.
(Philippians 1:12-30) I want you to know, beloved that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, (13) so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; (14) and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear. (15) Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. (16) These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defense of the gospel; (17) the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment. (18) What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, (19) for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance. (20) It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. (21) For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. (22) If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. (23) I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; (24) but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. (25) Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, (26) so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again. (27) Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, (28) and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God's doing. (29) For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well-- (30) since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
(Mark 16) When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. (2) And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. (3) They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" (4) When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. (5) As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. (6) But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. (7) But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." (8) So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. (9) Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. (10) She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping. (11) But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. (12) After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. (13) And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. (14) Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. (15) And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. (16) The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. (17) And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; (18) they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." (19) So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. (20) And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.
Wednesday
(Psalms 77) I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that he may hear me. (2) In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. (3) I think of God, and I moan; I meditate, and my spirit faints. Selah (4) You keep my eyelids from closing; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. (5) I consider the days of old, and remember the years of long ago. (6) I commune with my heart in the night; I meditate and search my spirit: (7) "Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? (8) Has his steadfast love ceased forever? Are his promises at an end for all time? (9) Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?" Selah (10) And I say, "It is my grief that the right hand of the Most High has changed." (11) I will call to mind the deeds of the LORD; I will remember your wonders of old. (12) I will meditate on all your work, and muse on your mighty deeds. (13) Your way, O God, is holy. What god is so great as our God? (14) You are the God who works wonders; you have displayed your might among the peoples. (15) With your strong arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah (16) When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; the very deep trembled. (17) The clouds poured out water; the skies thundered; your arrows flashed on every side. (18) The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook. (19) Your way was through the sea, your path, through the mighty waters; yet your footprints were unseen. (20) You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
(1 Kings 17) Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." (2) The word of the LORD came to him, saying, (3) "Go from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. (4) You shall drink from the wadi, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." (5) So he went and did according to the word of the LORD; he went and lived by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. (6) The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the wadi. (7) But after a while the wadi dried up, because there was no rain in the land. (8) Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, (9) "Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you." (10) So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink." (11) As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." (12) But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." (13) Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. (14) For thus says the LORD the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth." (15) She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. (16) The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah. (17) After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill; his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. (18) She then said to Elijah, "What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to cause the death of my son!" (19) But he said to her, "Give me your son." He took him from her bosom, carried him up into the upper chamber where he was lodging, and laid him on his own bed. (20) He cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?" (21) Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this child's life come into him again." (22) The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. (23) Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother; then Elijah said, "See, your son is alive." (24) So the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth."
(Philippians 2:1-11) If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, (2) make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. (3) Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. (4) Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. (5) Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, (6) who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, (7) but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, (8) he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross. (9) Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, (10) so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (11) and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(Matthew 2:1-12) In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, (2) asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." (3) When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; (4) and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. (5) They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: (6) 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" (7) Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. (8) Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." (9) When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. (10) When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. (11) On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (12) And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Thursday
(Psalms 78:1-8, 69-72) Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. (2) I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, (3) things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us. (4) We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. (5) He established a decree in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children; (6) that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and rise up and tell them to their children, (7) so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; (8) and that they should not be like their ancestors, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. . . (69) He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever. (70) He chose his servant David, and took him from the sheepfolds; (71) from tending the nursing ewes he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel, his inheritance. (72) With upright heart he tended them, and guided them with skillful hand.
(1 Kings 18:1-19) After many days the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year of the drought, saying, "Go, present yourself to Ahab; I will send rain on the earth." (2) So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria. (3) Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah revered the LORD greatly; (4) when Jezebel was killing off the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah took a hundred prophets, hid them fifty to a cave, and provided them with bread and water.) (5) Then Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the wadis; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals." (6) So they divided the land between them to pass through it; Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself. (7) As Obadiah was on the way, Elijah met him; Obadiah recognized him, fell on his face, and said, "Is it you, my lord Elijah?" (8) He answered him, "It is I. Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here." (9) And he said, "How have I sinned, that you would hand your servant over to Ahab, to kill me? (10) As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom to which my lord has not sent to seek you; and when they would say, 'He is not here,' he would require an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you. (11) But now you say, 'Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here.' (12) As soon as I have gone from you, the spirit of the LORD will carry you I know not where; so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have revered the LORD from my youth. (13) Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid a hundred of the Lord's prophets fifty to a cave, and provided them with bread and water? (14) Yet now you say, 'Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here'; he will surely kill me." (15) Elijah said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today." (16) So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. (17) When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is it you, you troubler of Israel?" (18) He answered, "I have not troubled Israel; but you have, and your father's house, because you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals. (19) Now therefore have all Israel assemble for me at Mount Carmel, with the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."
(Philippians 2:12-30) Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; (13) for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (14) Do all things without murmuring and arguing, (15) so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. (16) It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (17) But even if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you-- (18) and in the same way you also must be glad and rejoice with me. (19) I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you. (20) I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. (21) All of them are seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. (22) But Timothy's worth you know, how like a son with a father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. (23) I hope therefore to send him as soon as I see how things go with me; (24) and I trust in the Lord that I will also come soon. (25) Still, I think it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus--my brother and co-worker and fellow soldier, your messenger and minister to my need; (26) for he has been longing for all of you, and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. (27) He was indeed so ill that he nearly died. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, so that I would not have one sorrow after another. (28) I am the more eager to send him, therefore, in order that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. (29) Welcome him then in the Lord with all joy, and honor such people, (30) because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for those services that you could not give me.
(Matthew 2:13-23) Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." (14) Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, (15) and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called my son." (16) When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. (17) Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: (18) "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more." (19) When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, (20) "Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead." (21) Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. (22) But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. (23) There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He will be called a Nazorean."
Friday
(Psalms 10) Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? (2) In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor-- let them be caught in the schemes they have devised. (3) For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart, those greedy for gain curse and renounce the LORD. (4) In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, "God will not seek it out"; all their thoughts are, "There is no God." (5) Their ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of their sight; as for their foes, they scoff at them. (6) They think in their heart, "We shall not be moved; throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity." (7) Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under their tongues are mischief and iniquity. (8) They sit in ambush in the villages; in hiding places they murder the innocent. Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; (9) they lurk in secret like a lion in its covert; they lurk that they may seize the poor; they seize the poor and drag them off in their net. (10) They stoop, they crouch, and the helpless fall by their might. (11) They think in their heart, "God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it." (12) Rise up, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; do not forget the oppressed. (13) Why do the wicked renounce God, and say in their hearts, "You will not call us to account"? (14) But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief, that you may take it into your hands; the helpless commit themselves to you; you have been the helper of the orphan. (15) Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers; seek out their wickedness until you find none. (16) The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations shall perish from his land. (17) O LORD, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear (18) to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth may strike terror no more.
(1 Kings 18:20-40) So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. (21) Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." The people did not answer him a word. (22) Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets number four hundred fifty. (23) Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. (24) Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the LORD; the god who answers by fire is indeed God." All the people answered, "Well spoken!" (25) Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it." (26) So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made. (27) At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, "Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." (28) Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. (29) As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response. (30) Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come closer to me"; and all the people came closer to him. First he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been thrown down; (31) Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, "Israel shall be your name"; (32) with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. (33) Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood." (34) Then he said, "Do it a second time"; and they did it a second time. Again he said, "Do it a third time"; and they did it a third time, (35) so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water. (36) At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding. (37) Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back." (38) Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. (39) When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, "The LORD indeed is God; the LORD indeed is God." (40) Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape." Then they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, and killed them there.
(Philippians 3:1-16) Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is not troublesome to me, and for you it is a safeguard. (2) Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! (3) For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh-- (4) even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: (5) circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; (6) as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. (7) Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. (8) More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ (9) and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. (10) I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, (11) if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (12) Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. (13) Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, (14) I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. (15) Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you. (16) Only let us hold fast to what we have attained.
(Matthew 3:1-12) In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, (2) "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." (3) This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'" (4) Now John wore clothing of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. (5) Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, (6) and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. (7) But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (8) Bear fruit worthy of repentance. (9) Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. (10) Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (11) "I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (12) His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Saturday
(Psalms 141) I call upon you, O LORD; come quickly to me; give ear to my voice when I call to you. (2) Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice. (3) Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. (4) Do not turn my heart to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with those who work iniquity; do not let me eat of their delicacies. (5) Let the righteous strike me; let the faithful correct me. Never let the oil of the wicked anoint my head, for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds. (6) When they are given over to those who shall condemn them, then they shall learn that my words were pleasant. (7) Like a rock that one breaks apart and shatters on the land, so shall their bones be strewn at the mouth of Sheol. (8) But my eyes are turned toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless. (9) Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me, and from the snares of evildoers. (10) Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I alone escape.
(1 Kings 18:41-19:8) Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of rushing rain." (42) So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; there he bowed himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees. (43) He said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." He went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." Then he said, "Go again seven times." (44) At the seventh time he said, "Look, a little cloud no bigger than a person's hand is rising out of the sea." Then he said, "Go say to Ahab, 'Harness your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'" (45) In a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind; there was a heavy rain. Ahab rode off and went to Jezreel. (46) But the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; he girded up his loins and ran in front of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. (19:1) Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. (2) Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow." (3) Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there. (4) But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." (5) Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, "Get up and eat." (6) He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. (7) The angel of the LORD came a second time, touched him, and said, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you." (8) He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.
(Philippians 3:17-4:7) Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. (18) For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. (19) Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. (20) But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (21) He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. (4:1) Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. (2) I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. (3) Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. (4) Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. (5) Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. (6) Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (7) And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Matthew 3:13-17) Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. (14) John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" (15) But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. (16) And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. (17) And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."