Wednesday, December 21, 2022

The Daily Bible Readings for Wednesday, December 21, 2022

https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/revised-common-lectionary-semicontinuous/2019/12/21?version=NRSV

The Daily Bible Readings
Wednesday, December 21, 2022
1 Samuel 2:1-10; Genesis 37:2-11; Matthew 1:1-17
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

1 Samuel 2:1-10
(Hannah’s song)
2:1 Hannah prayed and said,

  “My heart exults in the Lord;
     my strength is exalted in my God.
  My mouth derides my enemies
     because I rejoice in your victory.

2 There is no Holy One like the Lord,
     no one besides you;
     there is no Rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so very proudly;
     let not arrogance come from your mouth,
  for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
     and by him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty are broken,
     but the feeble gird on strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
     but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.
  The barren has borne seven,
     but she who has many children is forlorn.
6 The Lord kills and brings to life;
     he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
     he brings low; he also exalts.
8 He raises up the poor from the dust;
     he lifts the needy from the ash heap
  to make them sit with princes
     and inherit a seat of honor.
  For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
     and on them he has set the world.

9 He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
     but the wicked will perish in darkness,
     for not by might does one prevail.
10 The Lord! His adversaries will be shattered;
      the Most High will thunder in heaven.
   The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
      he will give strength to his king
      and exalt the power of his anointed.”
Genesis 37:2-11
(The patriarch Joseph dreams)
37:2 These are the descendants of Jacob.

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives, and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children because he was the son of his old age, and he made him an ornamented robe. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.

5 Once Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream that I dreamed. 7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright; then your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Are you indeed to have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more because of his dreams and his words.

9 He had another dream and told it to his brothers, saying, “Look, I have had another dream: the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What kind of dream is this that you have had? Shall we indeed come, I and your mother and your brothers, and bow to the ground before you?” 11 So his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Matthew 1:1-17
(Jesus’ genealogy)
The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah

1:1 An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, 4 and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, who bore Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

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 New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.

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 Bible Readings for Wednesday, December 21, 2022
1 Samuel 2:1-10; Genesis 37:2-11; Matthew 1:1-17

The Morning Prayer for Wednesday, December 21, 2022

 

The Morning Prayer
Wednesday, December 21, 2022


He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
—  Peter 1:17–18 (NIV)

Lord Jesus Christ, to you we may lift our eyes, for you have broken free from our world of death and live in the glory of life, and you offer your life to us on earth. Let the power of your life be revealed today in us and in many others who want to celebrate Christmas. Send your Spirit to move our hearts so that we hear, see, experience, and understand what you and your gift of eternal life truly mean for us. So watch over us in these days and strengthen us in faith. Shed the light of your grace over us and within us. Protect us as your disciples. Lead us into communion with our Father in heaven and into community with you, O Jesus Christ, for all eternity. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Wednesday, December 21, 2022

 

Verse of the Day
Wednesday, December 21, 2022


Luke 2:6-7
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
Amazingly, God stepped into this world not as the reigning King with pomp and ceremony, but as the humble Child who was wrapped in simple swaddling clothes. Far from a royal crib, Jesus’ first resting place was a primitive feeding trough.

Read all of Luke Chapter 2

Listen to Luke Chapter 2


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

Travel the World from Home — Psalm 23: Finding Safety in the Wilderness

 

The Holy Land:
Connecting the Land with Its Stories

Psalm 23: Finding Safety in the Wilderness
Season 2 Episode 1
 
The wilderness is a place of hardship and danger. At first glance at the barren landscape, it looks impossible for people and animals to survive in it. Yet, as Jack Beck says, "It's not about what you don't have, but what you do." We'll look at two "characters" that appear regularly in the Bible—wilderness and shepherds—and answer these questions: How could David survive in this desperate land and even find comfort enough to write Psalm 23? Why is Jesus called the Good Shepherd? And how do we find what we need when we experience times of desperation?

In the season 2 opener, Jack Beck invites a friend, Dr. Con Campbell, to the Wadi Qelt in the Judean Wilderness to show the harshness of this tough environment. Standing atop a mountain between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, they ponder the role of shepherds to their sheep. From the nomadic shepherds to Jesus, who identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd in John 10:11, we see the role of the shepherd is to protect, sustain, and comfort his flock. And for those who treasure the popular Psalm 23 passage, you'll come to an even richer understanding of these meaningful verses. Then we'll meet, Khalid, a goat and sheep herder whose family has been herding for generations. And while the animals are interesting to watch, we definitely learn the deeper meaning of the great responsibility of the shepherd to protect his sheep, as well as the trust it takes for them to depend on him for their very lives.

Join us as we learn that the key to survival in this wilderness, and in your own personal times of wilderness, is who you put your trust in.

Season 2 — Episode 1 | Psalm 23: Finding Safety in the Wilderness