Wednesday, January 4, 2023

The Daily Bible Readings for Wednesday, January 4, 2023

 

The Daily Bible Readings
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Psalm 72; Exodus 3:1-5; Hebrews 11:23-31
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)
 
A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions


Psalm 72
Deus, judicium

Leader: Give the King your justice, O God,
People: and your righteousness to the King’s son;

Leader: That he may rule your people righteously
People: and the poor with justice.

Leader: That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people,
People: and the little hills bring righteousness.

Leader: He shall defend the needy among the people;
People: he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.

Leader: He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure,
People: from one generation to another.

Leader: He shall come down like rain upon the mown field,
People: like showers that water the earth.

Leader: In his time shall the righteous flourish;
People: there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more.

Leader: He shall rule from sea to sea,
People: and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Leader: His foes shall bow down before him,
People: and his enemies lick the dust.

Leader: The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute,
People: and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.

Leader: All kings shall bow down before him,
People: and all the nations do him service.

Leader: For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress,
People: and the oppressed who has no helper.

Leader: He shall have pity on the lowly and poor;
People: he shall preserve the lives of the needy.

Leader: He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence,
People: and dear shall their blood be in his sight.

Leader: Long may he live! and may there be given to him gold from Arabia;
People: may prayer be made for him always, and may they bless him all the day long.

Leader: May there be abundance of grain on the earth, growing thick even on the hilltops;
People: may its fruit flourish like Lebanon, and its grain like grass upon the earth.

Leader: May his Name remain for ever and be established as long as the sun endures;
People: may all the nations bless themselves in him and call him blessed.

Leader: Blessed be the Lord GOD, the God of Israel,
People: who alone does wondrous deeds!

Leader: And blessed be his glorious Name for ever!
People: and may all the earth be filled with his glory. Amen. Amen.

Heavenly Father, we praise You for the many blessings You bestow upon us. We honor You for the faithfulness You show to Your children from generation to generation. We pray that You will cleanse us from all unrighteousness so we can live and work with pure hearts. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, so we can tell others of Your saving grace and mighty works, even as we pray in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ:
“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.”
Exodus 3:1-5
(The burning bush)

3:1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

Hebrews 11:23-31
(Moses acts on faith)

11:23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.

31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.


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.

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, January 4, 2023
Psalm 72; Exodus 3:1-5; Hebrews 11:23-31

The Morning Prayer for Wednesday, January 4, 2023

 

Prayer of the Day
Wednesday, January 4, 2023

He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.” But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the LORD's hand, and my reward is with my God.”
Lord our God, we thank you for the help you have given us over and over again so that we can stand before you, rejoicing in the certainty of faith. We thank you for guiding and leading our lives and for letting us see a goal ahead, a goal to be revealed to all people. Be with us in times of silence when we seem to be alone. Keep us strong and steadfast through temptation and through all the turmoil of life. Help us to remain unshaken, for you walk with us holding us by the hand, and you can lift us above all that does not endure. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Wednesday, January 4, 2023

 

Verse of the Day
Wednesday, January 4, 2023


Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
To be a “good Christian” requires more than merely performing religious rituals. Rather, to live the Christian life is to allow Jesus to live His life in and through us. God wants us to show the world what He is doing inside of us—and that takes humble, merciful, just action—behavior such as Christ would exhibit.

Read all of Micah 6

Listen to Micah 6


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

Travel the World from Home — Where Jesus Was Tempted In The Desert

 

The Holy Land:
Connecting the Land with Its Stories
Where Jesus Was Tempted In The Desert

Season 2 — Episode 3

We know that surviving in the wilderness is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical struggle. The Bible shows this reality through countless stories, including the Israelites wandering in the the desert for 40 years and Jesus retreating there for 40 days and nights. The key to both these stories comes from Matthew 4:4 when Jesus responds to satan saying: “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” So what exactly does that mean? Why did God allow His people to wander for so long before entering the Promised Land? And why did the Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness to be alone?

In Episode 3, Jack Beck will answer these questions amid the rock and rubble of the Judean Wilderness, but first we'll enjoy a plentiful bedouin feast complete with good music and generous friends. His gracious host, Adnan, shares how his family has passed down the secrets to survival from generation to generation. After experiencing the hospitality, safety, and comfort of an evening with friends, Jack gets up the next morning to venture out into the wilderness to experience the harsh conditions and landscape that Jesus experienced when the Spirit called Him into the desert. Jesus was alone, hungry, and exposed to the elements where the wilderness makes the rules. It was similar to the Israelites' time when Moses led them into wilderness, but with one major difference—they faltered and failed many times while Jesus remained steadfast.

Before we judge the Israelites too harshly as we read Scriptures from our easy chair, we need to understand that everything boils down to one question that God is asking each of us: "Do you trust me?" Watch and decide for yourself.



Season 2 — Episode 3 | Where Jesus Was Tempted In The Desert

The Twelve Days of Christmas — The Eleventh Day

The Twelve Days of Christmas
The Eleventh Day

The 12 days of Christmas are the 12 days that separate Christmas Day on December 25 and ends on January 5, with the next day being Epiphany, which is celebrated January 6. Depending on the church, January 6 may mark Christ’s baptism (in the Catholic tradition), or it may mark the day that the wise men (or the Magi) visited Jesus with their gifts.

The Day of Epiphany is when the church celebrates the revelation of Christ as the light of the world and recalls the journey of the Magi. Magi means wise men.

From 1558 until 1829 Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their faith openly. During that era someone wrote ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas‘ as a kind of secret catechism that could be sung in public without risk of persecution. The song has two levels of interpretation: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of the church. Each element in the carol is a code word for a religious reality.

Some beliefs believe that the day after Christmas started the 12 Days of Christmas. You also hear some people think its the 12 days that lead up to Christmas. But reality, it starts on December 25, that is the first day.



The Eleventh Day of Christmas


The carol says On The Eleventh Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me...


Eleven Pipers Piping


According to catechism hidden meaning it means …


The Eleven Faithful Apostles. As we know there were 12 Apostles, or known as Disciples. One of them betrayed Jesus. That was Judas, he was the unfaithful one. 

  1. Simon Peter
  2. Andrew
  3. James (the son of Zebedee)
  4. John
  5. Philip
  6. Bartholomew
  7. Thomas
  8. Matthew
  9. James (the son of Alphaeus)
  10. Thaddaeus
  11. Simon the Zealot