Tuesday, April 18, 2023

The Daily Lectionary for Wednesday, April 19, 2023

 

The Daily Lectionary
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Psalm 114; Jonah 2:1-10; Matthew 12:38-42
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Psalm 114
God saves through water
In exitu Israel

1 Hallelujah!
      When Israel came out of Egypt, *
    the house of Jacob from a people of strange speech,


2 Judah became God’s sanctuary *
    and Israel his dominion.


3 The sea beheld it and fled; *
    Jordan turned and went back.


4 The mountains skipped like rams, *
    and the little hills like young sheep.


5 What ailed you, O sea, that you fled? *
    O Jordan, that you turned back?


6 You mountains, that you skipped like rams? *
    you little hills like young sheep?


7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, *
    at the presence of the God of Jacob,


8 Who turned the hard rock into a pool of water *
    and flint-stone into a flowing spring.


Father God, Creator and Sustainer of all that exists; we praise You as Lord and King over all the Earth, as Ruler and Judge over all the nations of the Earth. We praise You as our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Redeemer and Lord. Help us honor and serve You always, through the power of Your indwelling Holy Spirit. Now hear us as we pray in the name of 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.”
Jonah 2:1-10
Jonah’s praise for deliverance

2:1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 He said:
  “In my distress I called to the Lord,
     and he answered me.
  From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
     and you listened to my cry.

3 You hurled me into the depths,
     into the very heart of the seas,
     and the currents swirled about me;
  all your waves and breakers
     swept over me.

4 I said, ‘I have been banished
     from your sight;
  yet I will look again
     toward your holy temple.’

5 The engulfing waters threatened me,
     the deep surrounded me;
     seaweed was wrapped around my head.

6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
     the earth beneath barred me in forever.
  But you, Lord my God,
     brought my life up from the pit.


7 “When my life was ebbing away,
     I remembered you, Lord,
  and my prayer rose to you,
     to your holy temple.


8 “Those who cling to worthless idols
     turn away from God’s love for them.

9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
     will sacrifice to you.
  What I have vowed I will make good.
     I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”
10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Matthew 12:38-42
Jesus speaks of the sign of Jonah

12:38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.

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, April 19, 2023
Psalm 114; Jonah 2:1-10; Matthew 12:38-42

The Morning Prayer for Wednesday, April 19, 2023

 

The Morning Prayer
Wednesday, April 19, 2023


And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:20, NLT


Dear Father in heaven, accept our thanks today for all you allow us to learn and to receive from you. Help us, your children, to follow the Savior with a right spirit and with true understanding. Protect us from evil, from all the works of Satan. In our generation may we experience your rulership and your wonders. In the name of Jesus we pray, reveal yourself with power. May your will be done on earth as in heaven, that all may realize they are in your hands and that it is your will to set everything right. Be with us this night. Bless and strengthen us for all the work entrusted to us. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Wednesday, April 19, 2023

 

Verse of the Day
Wednesday, April 19, 2023


1 Corinthians 15:20-22
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
During the Feast of First Fruits, the Israelites were required to bring the first crop of their barley harvest to the priest as a symbol of their trust that the Lord would make the rest of their crop flourish bountifully. In the same way, Jesus is the first of the resurrection, showing that we can have absolute confidence that He will raise us from the dead as well (Rom. 8:23).

Just as sin came into the world through Adam’s fall in the Garden of Eden, death also comes to us through that first transgression (Gen. 3; Rom. 5:12–15). But we have eternal redemption through Jesus Christ who gave His life for us. The choice is ours: we either remain in sin or accept the gift of His forgiveness that was demonstrated for us on the Cross.