Monday, February 3, 2025

Daily Lectionary Readings for February 03, 2025

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Daily Lectionary Readings
(Two-Year Cycle)

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Daily Lectionary Readings for February 03, 2025

By Daily Lectionary Readings, Monday, February 3, 2025 12:00 AM

Morning Psalm 62

1   For God alone my soul waits in silence;
          from him comes my salvation.
2   He alone is my rock and my salvation,
          my fortress; I shall never be shaken.


3   How long will you assail a person,
          will you batter your victim, all of you,
          as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
4   Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence.
          They take pleasure in falsehood;
     they bless with their mouths,
          but inwardly they curse. Selah


5   For God alone my soul waits in silence,
          for my hope is from him.
6   He alone is my rock and my salvation,
          my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7   On God rests my deliverance and my honor;
          my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.


8   Trust in him at all times, O people;
          pour out your heart before him;
          God is a refuge for us. Selah


9   Those of low estate are but a breath,
          those of high estate are a delusion;
     in the balances they go up;
          they are together lighter than a breath.
10  Put no confidence in extortion,
          and set no vain hopes on robbery;
          if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.


11  Once God has spoken;
          twice have I heard this:
     that power belongs to God,
12       and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord.
     For you repay to all
          according to their work.

Morning Psalm 145

1   I will extol you, my God and King,
          and bless your name forever and ever.
2   Every day I will bless you,
          and praise your name forever and ever.
3   Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
          his greatness is unsearchable.


4   One generation shall laud your works to another,
          and shall declare your mighty acts.
5   On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
          and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6   The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
          and I will declare your greatness.
7   They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
          and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.


8   The Lord is gracious and merciful,
          slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9   The Lord is good to all,
          and his compassion is over all that he has made.


10  All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
          and all your faithful shall bless you.
11  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
          and tell of your power,
12  to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
          and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
          and your dominion endures throughout all generations.


     The Lord is faithful in all his words,
          and gracious in all his deeds.
14  The Lord upholds all who are falling,
          and raises up all who are bowed down.
15  The eyes of all look to you,
          and you give them their food in due season.
16  You open your hand,
          satisfying the desire of every living thing.
17  The Lord is just in all his ways,
          and kind in all his doings.
18  The Lord is near to all who call on him,
          to all who call on him in truth.
19  He fulfills the desire of all who fear him;
          he also hears their cry, and saves them.
20  The Lord watches over all who love him,
          but all the wicked he will destroy.


21  My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
          and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.

First Reading Isaiah 51:17-23

17  Rouse yourself, rouse yourself!
          Stand up, O Jerusalem,
     you who have drunk at the hand of the LORD
          the cup of his wrath,
     who have drunk to the dregs
          the bowl of staggering.
18  There is no one to guide her
          among all the children she has borne;
     there is no one to take her by the hand
          among all the children she has brought up.
19  These two things have befallen you
          — who will grieve with you? —
     devastation and destruction, famine and sword —
          who will comfort you?
20  Your children have fainted,
          they lie at the head of every street
          like an antelope in a net;
     they are full of the wrath of the LORD,
          the rebuke of your God.

21  Therefore hear this, you who are wounded,
          who are drunk, but not with wine:
22  Thus says your Sovereign, the LORD,
          your God who pleads the cause of his people:
     See, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering;
     you shall drink no more
          from the bowl of my wrath.
23  And I will put it into the hand of your tormentors,
          who have said to you,
          “Bow down, that we may walk on you”;
     and you have made your back like the ground
          and like the street for them to walk on.

Second Reading Galatians 4:1-11

1My point is this: heirs, as long as they are minors, are no better than slaves, though they are the owners of all the property; 2but they remain under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. 3So with us; while we were minors, we were enslaved to the elemental spirits of the world. 4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. 6And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

8Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods. 9Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again? 10You are observing special days, and months, and seasons, and years. 11I am afraid that my work for you may have been wasted.

Gospel Reading Mark 7:24-37

24From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 28But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go — the demon has left your daughter.” 30So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

31Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

Evening Psalm 73

1   Truly God is good to the upright,
          to those who are pure in heart.
2   But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
          my steps had nearly slipped.
3   For I was envious of the arrogant;
          I saw the prosperity of the wicked.


4   For they have no pain;
          their bodies are sound and sleek.
5   They are not in trouble as others are;
          they are not plagued like other people.
6   Therefore pride is their necklace;
          violence covers them like a garment.
7   Their eyes swell out with fatness;
          their hearts overflow with follies.
8   They scoff and speak with malice;
          loftily they threaten oppression.
9   They set their mouths against heaven,
          and their tongues range over the earth.


10  Therefore the people turn and praise them,
          and find no fault in them.
11  And they say, “How can God know?
          Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12  Such are the wicked;
          always at ease, they increase in riches.
13  All in vain I have kept my heart clean
          and washed my hands in innocence.
14  For all day long I have been plagued,
          and am punished every morning.


15  If I had said, “I will talk on in this way,”
          I would have been untrue to the circle of your children.
16  But when I thought how to understand this,
          it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17  until I went into the sanctuary of God;
          then I perceived their end.
18  Truly you set them in slippery places;
          you make them fall to ruin.
19  How they are destroyed in a moment,
          swept away utterly by terrors!
20  They are like a dream when one awakes;
          on awaking you despise their phantoms.


21  When my soul was embittered,
          when I was pricked in heart,
22  I was stupid and ignorant;
          I was like a brute beast toward you.
23  Nevertheless I am continually with you;
          you hold my right hand.
24  You guide me with your counsel,
          and afterward you will receive me with honor.
25  Whom have I in heaven but you?
          And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
26  My flesh and my heart may fail,
          but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.


27  Indeed, those who are far from you will perish;
          you put an end to those who are false to you.
28  But for me it is good to be near God;
          I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
          to tell of all your works.

Evening Psalm 9

1   I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;
          I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2   I will be glad and exult in you;
          I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.


3   When my enemies turned back,
          they stumbled and perished before you.
4   For you have maintained my just cause;
          you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.


5   You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked;
          you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6   The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins;
          their cities you have rooted out;
          the very memory of them has perished.


7   But the LORD sits enthroned forever,
          he has established his throne for judgment.
8   He judges the world with righteousness;
          he judges the peoples with equity.


9   The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
          a stronghold in times of trouble.
10  And those who know your name put their trust in you,
          for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.


11  Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion.
          Declare his deeds among the peoples.
12  For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
          he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.


13  Be gracious to me, O LORD.
          See what I suffer from those who hate me;
          you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
14  so that I may recount all your praises,
          and, in the gates of daughter Zion,
          rejoice in your deliverance.


15  The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
          in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.
16  The LORD has made himself known, he has executed judgment;
          the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah


17  The wicked shall depart to Sheol,
          all the nations that forget God.


18  For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
          nor the hope of the poor perish forever.


19  Rise up, O LORD! Do not let mortals prevail;
          let the nations be judged before you.
20  Put them in fear, O LORD;
          let the nations know that they are only human. Selah

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Bible Readings for February 3, 2025

Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today our passages are Exodus 17:8–19:15; Matthew 22:34–23:12; Psalm 27:7-14; and Proverbs 6:27-35. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. 


Exodus 17:8-19:15 (Contemporary English Version)

Israel Defeats the Amalekites

 8When the Israelites were at Rephidim, they were attacked by the Amalekites. 9So Moses told Joshua, " Have some men ready to attack the Amalekites tomorrow. I will stand on a hilltop, holding this walking stick that has the power of God."     10Joshua led the attack as Moses had commanded, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur stood on the hilltop. 11The Israelites out-fought the Amalekites as long as Moses held up his arms, but they started losing whenever he had to lower them. 12Finally, Moses was so tired that Aaron and Hur got a rock for him to sit on. Then they stood beside him and supported his arms in the same position until sunset. 13That's how Joshua defeated the Amalekites.
    14Afterwards, the LORD said to Moses, " Write an account of this victory and read it to Joshua. I want the Amalekites to be forgotten forever."
    15Moses built an altar and named it " The LORD Gives Me Victory." 16Then Moses explained, " This is because I depended on the LORD. a<="" value="[a]" >[] But in future generations, the LORD will have to fight the Amalekites again." 

Exodus 18

Jethro Visits Moses

 1Jethro was the priest of Midian and the father-in-law of Moses. And he heard what the LORD God had done for Moses and his people, after rescuing them from Egypt.     2-4In the meantime, Moses had sent his wife Zipporah and her two sons to stay with Jethro, and he had welcomed them. Moses was still a foreigner in Midian when his first son was born, and so Moses said, " I'll name him Gershom." [b<="">] When his second son was born, Moses said, " I'll name him Eliezer, [c<="">] because the God my father worshiped has saved me from the king of Egypt." [d<="">] 5-6While Israel was camped in the desert near Mount Sinai, [e<="">] Jethro sent Moses this message: " I am coming to visit you, and I am bringing your wife and two sons." 7When they arrived, Moses went out and bowed down in front of Jethro, then kissed him. After they had greeted each other, they went into the tent, 8where Moses told him everything the LORD had done to protect Israel against the Egyptians and their king. He also told him how the LORD had helped them in all of their troubles.
    9Jethro was so pleased to hear this good news about what the LORD had done, 10that he shouted, " Praise the LORD! He rescued you and the Israelites from the Egyptians and their king. 11Now I know that the LORD is the greatest God, because he has rescued Israel from their arrogant enemies." 12Jethro offered sacrifices to God. Then Aaron and Israel's leaders came to eat with Jethro there at the place of worship.     

Judges Are Appointed
(Deuteronomy 1.9-18)

 13The next morning Moses sat down at the place where he decided legal cases for the people, and everyone crowded around him until evening. 14Jethro saw how much Moses had to do for the people, and he asked, " Why are you the only judge? Why do you let these people crowd around you from morning till evening?"     15Moses answered, " Because they come here to find out what God wants them to do. 16They bring their complaints to me, and I make decisions on the basis of God's laws."
    17Jethro replied:
   That isn't the best way to do it. 18You and the people who come to you will soon be worn out. The job is too much for one person; you can't do it alone. 19God will help you if you follow my advice. You should be the one to speak to God for the people, 20and you should teach them God's laws and show them what they must do to live right.
    21You will need to appoint some competent leaders who respect God and are trustworthy and honest. Then put them over groups of ten, fifty, a hundred, and a thousand. 22These judges can handle the ordinary cases and bring the more difficult ones to you. Having them to share the load will make your work easier. 23This is the way God wants it done. You won't be under nearly as much stress, and everyone else will return home feeling satisfied.
    24Moses followed Jethro's advice. 25He chose some competent leaders from every tribe in Israel and put them over groups of ten, fifty, a hundred, and a thousand. 26They served as judges, deciding the easy cases themselves, but bringing the more difficult ones to Moses.
    27After Moses and his father-in-law Jethro had said good-by to each other, Jethro returned home.
    

Exodus 19

At Mount Sinai

 1-2The Israelites left Rephidim. [f<="">] Then two months after leaving Egypt, they arrived at the desert near Mount Sinai, where they set up camp at the foot of the mountain. 3Moses went up the mountain to meet with the LORD God, who told him to say to the people:     4You saw what I did in Egypt, and you know how I brought you here to me, just as a mighty eagle carries its young. 5Now if you will faithfully obey me, you will be my very own people. The whole world is mine, 6but you will be my holy nation and serve me as priests.
   Moses, that is what you must tell the Israelites.
    7After Moses went back, he reported to the leaders what the LORD had said, 8and they promised, " We will do everything the LORD has commanded." So Moses told the LORD about this.
    9The LORD said to Moses, " I will come to you in a thick cloud and let the people hear me speak to you. Then they will always trust you." Again Moses reported to the people what the LORD had told him.
    10Once more the LORD spoke to Moses:
   Go back and tell the people that today and tomorrow they must get themselves ready to meet me. They must wash their clothes 11and be ready by the day after tomorrow, when I will come down to Mount Sinai, where all of them can see me.
    12Warn the people that they are forbidden to touch any part of the mountain. Anyone who does will be put to death, 13either with stones or arrows, and no one must touch the body of a person killed in this way. Even an animal that touches this mountain must be put to death. You may go up the mountain only after a signal is given on the trumpet.
    14After Moses went down the mountain, he gave orders for the people to wash their clothes and make themselves acceptable to worship God. 15He told them to be ready in three days and not to have sex in the meantime.
    
Footnotes:
  1. Exodus 17:16 This. . . LORD: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  2. Exodus 18:2 Gershom: See the note at 2.22.
  3. Exodus 18:2 Eliezer: In Hebrew " Eliezer" means " God has helped me."
  4. Exodus 18:2 saved. . . Egypt: See 2.1-15.
  5. Exodus 18:5 Mount Sinai: Hebrew " the mountain of God."
  6. Exodus 19:1 Rephidim: See the note at 17.1.


Matthew 22:34-23:12 (Contemporary English Version)

The Most Important Commandment
(Mark 12.28-34; Luke 10.25-28)

 34After Jesus had made the Sadducees look foolish, the Pharisees heard about it and got together. 35One of them was an expert in the Jewish Law. So he tried to test Jesus by asking, 36"Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?"     37Jesus answered:
   Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. 38This is the first and most important commandment. 39The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, "Love others as much as you love yourself." 40All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets a<="" value="[a]" >[] are based on these two commandments. 

About David's Son
(Mark 12.35-37; Luke 20.41-44)

 41While the Pharisees were still there, Jesus asked them, 42"What do you think about the Messiah? Whose family will he come from?"    They answered, "He will be a son of King David." [b<="">] 43Jesus replied, "How then could the Spirit lead David to call the Messiah his Lord? David said,
    44'The Lord said to my Lord:
   Sit at my right side [c<="">] until I make your enemies
   into a footstool for you.'
    45If David called the Messiah his Lord, how can the Messiah be a son of King David?" 46No one was able to give Jesus an answer, and from that day on, no one dared ask him any more questions.
    

Matthew 23

Jesus Condemns the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law of Moses
(Mark 12.38-40; Luke 11.37-52; 20.45-47)

 1Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:     2The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law are experts in the Law of Moses. 3So obey everything they teach you, but don't do as they do. After all, they say one thing and do something else.
    4They pile heavy burdens on people's shoulders and won't lift a finger to help. 5Everything they do is just to show off in front of others. They even make a big show of wearing Scripture verses on their foreheads and arms, and they wear big tassels [d<="">] for everyone to see. 6They love the best seats at banquets and the front seats in the meeting places. 7And when they are in the market, they like to have people greet them as their teachers. 8But none of you should be called a teacher. You have only one teacher, and all of you are like brothers and sisters. 9Don't call anyone on earth your father. All of you have the same Father in heaven. 10None of you should be called the leader. The Messiah is your only leader. 11Whoever is the greatest should be the servant of the others. 12If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.
    
Footnotes:
  1. Matthew 22:40 the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament.
  2. Matthew 22:42 son of King David: See the note at 9.27.
  3. Matthew 22:44 right side: The place of power and honor.
  4. Matthew 23:5 wearing Scripture verses on their foreheads and arms. . . tassels: As a sign of their love for the Lord and his teachings, the Jewish people had started wearing Scripture verses in small leather boxes. But the Pharisees tried to show off by making the boxes bigger than necessary. The Jewish people were also taught to wear tassels on the four corners of their robes to show their love for God.


Psalm 27:7-14 (Contemporary English Version)


7Please listen when I pray!
   Have pity. Answer my prayer.
    8My heart tells me to pray.
   I am eager to see your face,
    9so don't hide from me.
   I am your servant,
   and you have helped me.
   Don't turn from me in anger.
   You alone keep me safe.
   Don't reject or desert me.
    10Even if my father and mother
   should desert me,
   you will take care of me.
    11Teach me to follow, LORD,
   and lead me on the right path
   because of my enemies.
    12Don't let them do to me
   what they want.
   People tell lies about me
   and make terrible threats,
    13but I know I will live
   to see how kind you are.
    14Trust the LORD!
   Be brave and strong
   and trust the LORD.


Proverbs 6:27-35 (Contemporary English Version)


27If you carry burning coals,
   you burn your clothes;
    28if you step on hot coals,
   you burn your feet.
    29And if you go to bed
   with another man's wife,
   you pay the price.
    30We don't put up with thieves,
   not even a<="" value="[a]" >[] with one who steals for something to eat.
    31And thieves who get caught
   must pay back
   seven times what was stolen
   and lose everything.
    32But if you go to bed
   with another man's wife,
   you will destroy yourself
   by your own stupidity.
    33You will be beaten
   and forever disgraced,
    34because a jealous husband
   can be furious and merciless
   when he takes revenge.
    35He won't let you pay him off,
   no matter what you offer.
    
Footnotes:
  1. Proverbs 6:30 not even: Or " except."


Thought for the Day

“But I will sing about your strength, my God, and I will celebrate because of your love. You are my fortress, my place of protection in times of trouble.” (Psalm 59:16 - Contemporary English Version) Strength and love is powerful combination. The first affirms that God can do anything, and the second reminds us that his power will be used to help us, not hurt us.


Finnish architect and designer, Alvar Aalto wrote, "We should work for simple, good, undecorated things, but things which are in harmony with the human being and organically suited to the little man in the street."

Joke for Today

A woman phones up her husband at work for a chat.

HIM "I'm sorry dear but I'm up to my neck in work today.

HER "But I've got some good news and some bad news for you dear."

HIM "OK darling, but as I've got no time now, just give me the good news."

HER "Well, the air bag works."


A Prayer Request

As Christians, we can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Below is the need that we're laying before God today.

That parents and communities would teach young people the importance of love and compassion.

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