Sunday, March 13, 2011

Episcopalian Daily And Sunday Readings For Sunday, 13 March

From satucket.com, wapedia.com, oremus.org and forewardmovement.org:

Daily and Sunday Readings:


Saints/Martyrs/Heroes/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated:  the First Sunday of Lent,
James Theodore Holly, bishop of Haiti and Dominican Republic






Scriptural Readings:

Morning Office:

Psalm 63


Comfort and Assurance in God’s PresenceA Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.

1 O God, you are my God, I seek you,

my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

beholding your power and glory.

3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you.

4 So I will bless you as long as I live;

I will lift up my hands and call on your name.





5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,*

and my mouth praises you with joyful lips

6 when I think of you on my bed,

and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

7 for you have been my help,

and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.

8 My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me.





9 But those who seek to destroy my life

shall go down into the depths of the earth;

10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword,

they shall be prey for jackals.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God;

all who swear by him shall exult,

for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

 
Psalm 98


Praise the Judge of the WorldA Psalm.

1 O sing to the Lord a new song,

for he has done marvellous things.

His right hand and his holy arm

have gained him victory.

2 The Lord has made known his victory;

he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.

3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness

to the house of Israel.

All the ends of the earth have seen

the victory of our God.





4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;

break forth into joyous song and sing praises.

5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,

with the lyre and the sound of melody.

6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn

make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.





7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

the world and those who live in it.

8 Let the floods clap their hands;

let the hills sing together for joy

9 at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming

to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with righteousness,

and the peoples with equity.

 
Deuteronomy 8:1-10


A Warning Not to Forget God in Prosperity8This entire commandment that I command you today you must diligently observe, so that you may live and increase, and go in and occupy the land that the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. 2Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. 3He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.* 4The clothes on your back did not wear out and your feet did not swell these forty years. 5Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the Lord your God disciplines you. 6Therefore keep the commandments of the Lord your God, by walking in his ways and by fearing him. 7For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, 8a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, 9a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. 10You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you.

 
1 Corinthians 1:17-3117For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.


Christ the Power and Wisdom of God18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written,

‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’

20Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

26 Consider your own call, brothers and sisters:* not many of you were wise by human standards,* not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, 29so that no one* might boast in the presence of God. 30He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31in order that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in* the Lord.’

 
 
Evening Office:
 
Psalm 103


Thanksgiving for God’s GoodnessOf David.

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name.

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and do not forget all his benefits—

3 who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the Pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live*

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.





6 The Lord works vindication

and justice for all who are oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,

his acts to the people of Israel.

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9 He will not always accuse,

nor will he keep his anger for ever.

10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

so far he removes our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion for his children,

so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.

14 For he knows how we were made;

he remembers that we are dust.





15 As for mortals, their days are like grass;

they flourish like a flower of the field;

16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

and its place knows it no more.

17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting

on those who fear him,

and his righteousness to children’s children,

18 to those who keep his covenant

and remember to do his commandments.





19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,

and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his bidding,

obedient to his spoken word.

21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts,

his ministers that do his will.

22 Bless the Lord, all his works,

in all places of his dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

 
Mark 2:18-22


The Question about Fasting18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people* came and said to him, ‘Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’ 19Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding-guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.

21 ‘No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.’*

 
Sunday Readings:
 
Psalm 32


The Joy of ForgivenessOf David. A Maskil.

1 Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered.

2 Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity,

and in whose spirit there is no deceit.





3 While I kept silence, my body wasted away

through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;

my strength was dried up* as by the heat of summer.

Selah





5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you,

and I did not hide my iniquity;

I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’,

and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Selah





6 Therefore let all who are faithful

offer prayer to you;

at a time of distress,* the rush of mighty waters

shall not reach them.

7 You are a hiding-place for me;

you preserve me from trouble;

you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.

Selah





8 I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;

I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

9 Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,

whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,

else it will not stay near you.





10 Many are the torments of the wicked,

but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.

11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous,

and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

 
Genesis 2:15-17; Genesis 3:1-7 (Revised Standard Version)


Share this Revised Standard Version ------------------------------------ American Standard Version Bible in Basic English Complete Jewish Bible Douay-Rheims Elberfelder 1905 (German) English Standard Version Giovanni Diodati 1649 (Italian) GOD'S WORD Translation Good News Translation Good News Translation w/ Apocrypha Hebrew Names Version Holman Christian Standard King James Version King James Version w/ Apocrypha La Biblia de las Américas La Biblia Reina-Valera Louis Segond 1910 (French) Luther Bible 1912 (German) New American Standard New Century Version New International Reader's Version New International Version New King James Version New Living Translation New Revised Standard New Revised Standard w/ Apocrypha Ostervald (French) Revised Standard Version w/ Apocrypha Riveduta 1927 (Italian) Sagradas Escrituras (1569) Statenvertaling (Dutch) The Darby Translation The Latin Vulgate The Latin Vulgate w/ Apocrypha The Message The Webster Bible Third Millennium Bible Third Millennium Bible w/ Apocrypha Today's New International Version World English Bible Wycliffe Young's Literal Translation Genesis 2:15-1715 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die."

View in parallelCompare Translations

Genesis 3:1-71 Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" 4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.

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Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. (Revised Standard Version - Holy Bible)

 
Romans 5:12-19


Adam and Christ12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned— 13sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. 14Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come.

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. 16And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin. For the judgement following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. 17If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

18 Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. 19For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

 
Matthew 4:1-11


The Temptation of Jesus4Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ 4But he answered, ‘It is written,

“One does not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ’

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,

“He will command his angels concerning you”,

and “On their hands they will bear you up,

so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’

7Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; 9and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ 10Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

“Worship the Lord your God,

and serve only him.” ’

11Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
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Foreward Movement:

Today's Meditation


SUNDAY, March 13

Matthew 4:1-11. The tempter came to him.



Today’s lessons are heavy into sin. There’s the story of the fall of Adam and Eve. Then comes part of Paul’s long reflection in Romans on the universality of sin. And then we have Jesus’ temptation by Satan in the wilderness.



The story of Jesus’ temptation points to the nature of sin. The devil tempts Jesus with pleasure, fame, and power. These are not wrong in themselves—we need bread, some people will be famous, and someone must exercise authority in the world. These are morally neutral facts. But when pleasure, fame, or power begins to drive our minds and actions, we find ourselves lost in the empty and the transitory. None of it lasts; it comes and goes. Why drool over nothing?



Jesus saw that, but we often do not see it, marinating as we do in materialistic values and advertisements urging us to seek pleasure, fame, and power. Then we wonder why we feel so empty and discontented. Nor is this anything new. The psalmist experienced it: “Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul? and why are you so disquieted within me? Put your trust in God; for I will yet give thanks to him, who is the help of my countenance, and my God” (Psalm 42:6-7).



Jesus did that. So can we.



PRAY for the Diocese of Minna (Prov. of Abuja, Nigeria)



Ps 32; Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19






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