Thursday, January 5, 2023

The Daily Bible Readings for Thursday, January 5, 2023

 

The Daily Bible Readings
Thursday, January 5, 2023

Psalm 72; Joshua 1:1-9; Hebrews 11:32—12:2
(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.”
Joshua 1:1-9
(Joshua Installed as Leader)

1:1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”


11:32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.


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 Thursday, January 5, 2023
Psalm 72; Joshua 1:1-9; Hebrews 11:32—12:2

The Morning Prayer for Thursday, January 5, 2023

 

The Morning Prayer
Thursday, January 5, 2023


The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
Matthew 4:16, NIV


Dear Father in heaven, be close to us as we seek you in the quiet of our hearts. Grant us the strength of your Spirit, the strength to wait patiently for your help in our lives. Help us to hold to all that is good. Help us to feel, each one of us, that we are your children and that we may rejoice in your fatherly care. May your will be done more and more fully in us and around us. May your will be done so that we may be given ever greater freeing and your light can dawn where there is still darkness. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Thursday, January 5, 2023

 

Verse of the Day
Thursday, January 5, 2023

Isaiah 1:16-17
Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
Repeatedly in Scripture, the Lord tells us that He has no desire for half-hearted religious ritual (1 Sam. 15:22; Ps. 40:6; 51:16, 17; Is. 1:11–20; Jer. 7:22, 23; Joel 2:12, 13; Mark 12:33). Instead, He greatly desires for our hearts to be on fire for Him—for us to joyfully love Him and love others in His name (John 13:34, 35; 15:10–14; 1 John 3:23, 24).

Read all of Isaiah Chapter 1

Listen to Isaiah Chapter 1


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

The Twelve Days of Christmas — The Twelfth Day

The Twelve Days of Christmas
The Twelfth 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 Twelfth Day of Christmas


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


Twelve Drummers Drumming



According to catechism hidden meaning it means …


The twelve points of the doctrine of the Apostle’s Creed

  1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth;
  2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord;
  3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary;
  4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell;
  5. The third day he rose again from the dead;
  6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
  7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead;
  8. I believe in the Holy Ghost;
  9. I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints;
  10. The forgiveness of sins;
  11. The resurrection of the body;
  12. And the life everlasting. Amen.