The Daily Lectionary for Friday, April 14, 2023 — Easter Friday

 

The Daily Lectionary
Friday, April 14, 2023
Easter Friday
Psalm 16; Song of Songs 5:9—6:3; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Psalm 16
Fullness of joy
Conserva me, Domine

1 Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you; *
    I have said to the LORD, “You are my Lord,
      my good above all other.”

2 All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, *
    upon those who are noble among the people.

3 But those who run after other gods *
    shall have their troubles multiplied.

4 Their libations of blood I will not offer, *
    nor take the names of their gods upon my lips.

5 O LORD, you are my portion and my cup; *
    it is you who uphold my lot.

6 My boundaries enclose a pleasant land; *
    indeed, I have a goodly heritage.

7 I will bless the LORD who gives me counsel; *
    my heart teaches me, night after night.

8 I have set the LORD always before me; *
    because he is at my right hand I shall not fall.

9 My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; *
    my body also shall rest in hope.

10 For you will not abandon me to the grave, *
     nor let your holy one see the Pit.

11 You will show me the path of life; *
     in your presence there is fullness of joy,
       and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Heavenly Father, because You have revealed Yourself truly to us in the Bible, we know that we can come to You for protection and refuge. We do look with favor, even as You do, upon those who strive to live holy in Your name. We pray that You would defend them and all who seek to live wholly for You, even at the risk of their lives or livelihood. Even as those who worship false gods come to sorrow, we pray that You would keep us from depending upon the things of this world instead of trusting completely in You. Bless this hour of worship as we begin by praying the prayer that Jesus taught us:

“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.”

Song of Songs 5:9—6:3
The beloved in the garden

Friends

5:9 How is your beloved better than others,
     most beautiful of women?
  How is your beloved better than others,
     that you so charge us?

She

10 My beloved is radiant and ruddy,
      outstanding among ten thousand.
11 His head is purest gold;
      his hair is wavy
      and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves
      by the water streams,
   washed in milk,
      mounted like jewels.
13 His cheeks are like beds of spice
      yielding perfume.
   His lips are like lilies
      dripping with myrrh.
14 His arms are rods of gold
      set with topaz.
   His body is like polished ivory
      decorated with lapis lazuli.
15 His legs are pillars of marble
      set on bases of pure gold.
   His appearance is like Lebanon,
      choice as its cedars.
16 His mouth is sweetness itself;
      he is altogether lovely.
   This is my beloved, this is my friend,
      daughters of Jerusalem.

Friends

6:1 Where has your beloved gone,
     most beautiful of women?
  Which way did your beloved turn,
     that we may look for him with you?

She

2 My beloved has gone down to his garden,
     to the beds of spices,
  to browse in the gardens
     and to gather lilies.
3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;
     he browses among the lilies.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Witnesses to the risen Christ

15:1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

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 Friday, April 14, 2023
Easter Friday
Psalm 16; Song of Songs 5:9—6:3; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11