Wednesday, March 8, 2023

The Daily Lectionary for Wednesday, March 8, 2023

 

The Daily Lectionary
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Psalm 128; Ezekiel 36:22-32; John 7:53—8:11

(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions

Psalm 128
God promises life
Beati omnes

1 Happy are they all who fear the LORD, *
and who follow in his ways!

2 You shall eat the fruit of your labor; *
happiness and prosperity shall be yours.

3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, *
your children like olive shoots round about your table.

4 The man who fears the LORD *
shall thus indeed be blessed.

5 The LORD bless you from Zion, *
and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.

6 May you live to see your children’s children; *
may peace be upon Israel.

Heavenly Father, many times we weep in sorrow and weep with those who weep. As we turn our thoughts to You and Your promises, turn our sorrow into joy. When we work hard to meet the needs of our families, others and ourselves, please give us good success and rejoicing in the fruit of our labors. We pray that you would build and guard our homes as we pray and trust in You. Fill us with your Spirit so we will walk in Your ways. Teach us to pray in faith as Jesus Christ taught us to pray,
“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.”

Ezekiel 36:22-32
God will renew the people


36:22 “Therefore say to the Israelites, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. 23 I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.

24 “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 28 Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. 30 I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. 32 I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel!

John 7:53—8:11
Jesus does not condemn the sinner


[The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53—8:11.]

7:53 Then they all went home, 8:1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”


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 Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Psalm 128; Ezekiel 36:22-32; John 7:53—8:11

The Morning Prayer for Wednesday, March 8, 2023

 

The Morning Prayer
Wednesday, March 8, 2023


Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9–11, NIV


Lord Jesus, we bow before you, before you to whom all power is given. We will love you, O Lord. We will treasure you. Your thoughts shall be our thoughts, that we may learn how you are named in heaven, on earth, and below the earth. Watch over us and be with us until you can come, until the time is fulfilled when you will appear among us and establish God’s kingdom. Then the whole world will rejoice and all people will bend their knees before you, the one Lord and Savior. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Wednesday, March 8, 2023

 

Verse of the Day
Wednesday, March 8, 2023


2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
As we follow the Lord in obedience, we can be sure that He will come to our aid. Why? First, because it is His nature to do so. Second, because through our adversities, He trains us to trust Him in greater ways and then trains us in how to comfort others. If we are going to be His representatives, we must experience His comfort. Then we will have the tools to encourage other hurting souls.

Read all of 2 Corinthians 1

Listen to 2 Corinthians 1

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

The Lenten Prayer for Wednesday, March 8, 2023

 

40 Days of Lenten Prayers
Day 13 — Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent


God of Love, through this Lenten journey, purify my desires to serve you. Free me from any temptations to judge others, to place myself above others. Please let me surrender even my impatience with others, that with your love and your grace, I might be less and less absorbed with myself, and more and more full of the desire to follow you, in laying down my life according to your example. Amen.

Travel the World from Home — Galilee Region: The Unexpected Home of the Messiah

 

The Holy Land:
Connecting the Land with Its Stories

Galilee Region: The Unexpected Home of the Messiah
Season 3 — Episode 4

How can a place that struggled so long to understand who God was now help us understand who He is?

“The Holy Land: Connecting the Land with Its Stories” Season 3 is a nine-episode series hosted by Dr. John (Jack) Beck that takes you to the Jordan River Valley systems to experience the land, the culture, and the customs that surround the sacred stories of the Bible.

In the 4th episode of “The Holy Land” Season 3, Dr. Jack Beck takes us to Jesus’ hometown in the Galilee Region to explore how the Messiah’s humble upbringings shaped His life and ministry.



Season 3 — Episode 4 | Galilee Region: The Unexpected Home of the Messiah