Psalm 65 and Isaiah 49:1-12

PSALM 65
1   Praise is due to you,
          O God, in Zion;
     and to you shall vows be performed,
2        O you who answer prayer!
     To you all flesh shall come.
3   When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
          you forgive our transgressions.
4   Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
          to live in your courts.
     We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
          your holy temple.

5   By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
          O God of our salvation;
     you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
          and of the farthest seas.
6   By your strength you established the mountains;
          you are girded with might.
7   You silence the roaring of the seas,
          the roaring of their waves,
          the tumult of the peoples.
8   Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
          you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.

9   You visit the earth and water it,
          you greatly enrich it;
     the river of God is full of water;
          you provide the people with grain,
          for so you have prepared it.
10  You water its furrows abundantly,
          settling its ridges,
     softening it with showers,
          and blessing its growth.
11  You crown the year with your bounty;
          your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
12  The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
          the hills gird themselves with joy,
13  the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
          the valleys deck themselves with grain,
          they shout and sing together for joy.

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ISAIAH 49:1–12
1   Listen to me, O coastlands,
          pay attention, you peoples from far away!
     The LORD called me before I was born,
          while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.
2   He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
          in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
     he made me a polished arrow,
          in his quiver he hid me away.
3   And he said to me, “You are my servant,
          Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
4   But I said, “I have labored in vain,
          I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
     yet surely my cause is with the LORD,
          and my reward with my God.”
5   And now the LORD says,
          who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
     to bring Jacob back to him,
          and that Israel might be gathered to him,
     for I am honored in the sight of the LORD,
          and my God has become my strength —
6   he says,
     “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
          to raise up the tribes of Jacob
          and to restore the survivors of Israel;
     I will give you as a light to the nations,
          that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

7   Thus says the LORD,
          the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
     to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
          the slave of rulers,
     “Kings shall see and stand up,
          princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
     because of the LORD, who is faithful,
          the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

8   Thus says the LORD:
     In a time of favor I have answered you,
           on a day of salvation I have helped you;
     I have kept you and given you
          as a covenant to the people,
     to establish the land,
          to apportion the desolate heritages;
9   saying to the prisoners, “Come out,”
          to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.”
     They shall feed along the ways,
          on all the bare heights shall be their pasture;
10  they shall not hunger or thirst,
          neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,
     for he who has pity on them will lead them,
          and by springs of water will guide them.
11  And I will turn all my mountains into a road,
          and my highways shall be raised up.
12  Lo, these shall come from far away,
          and lo, these from the north and from the west,
          and these from the land of Syene.

Psalm 146 and Isaiah 48:12-21

PSALM 146 
1   Praise the LORD!
     Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2   I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
          I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

3   Do not put your trust in princes,
          in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4   When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
          on that very day their plans perish.

5   Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
          whose hope is in the LORD their God,
6   who made heaven and earth,
          the sea, and all that is in them;
     who keeps faith forever;
7        who executes justice for the oppressed;
          who gives food to the hungry.

     The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8        the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
     The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
          the LORD loves the righteous.
9   The LORD watches over the strangers;
          he upholds the orphan and the widow,
          but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10  The LORD will reign forever,
          your God, O Zion, for all generations.
     Praise the LORD!

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ISAIAH 48:12–21
12  Listen to me, O Jacob,
          and Israel, whom I called:
     I am He; I am the first,
          and I am the last.
13  My hand laid the foundation of the earth,
          and my right hand spread out the heavens;
     when I summon them,
          they stand at attention.

14  Assemble, all of you, and hear!
          Who among them has declared these things?
     The LORD loves him;
          he shall perform his purpose on Babylon,
          and his arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
15  I, even I, have spoken and called him,
          I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way.
16   Draw near to me, hear this!
          From the beginning I have not spoken in secret,
          from the time it came to be I have been there.
     And now the Lord GOD has sent me and his spirit.

17  Thus says the LORD,
          your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
     I am the LORD your God,
          who teaches you for your own good,
          who leads you in the way you should go.
18  O that you had paid attention to my commandments!
          Then your prosperity would have been like a river,
          and your success like the waves of the sea;
19  your offspring would have been like the sand,
          and your descendants like its grains;
     their name would never be cut off
          or destroyed from before me.
20  Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea,
          declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it,
     send it forth to the end of the earth;
          say, “The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob!”
21  They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts;
          he made water flow for them from the rock;
          he split open the rock and the water gushed out.

Psalm 57 and Mark 5:21-43

PSALM 57
1   Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
          for in you my soul takes refuge;
     in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
          until the destroying storms pass by.
2   I cry to God Most High,
          to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3   He will send from heaven and save me,
          he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah 
     God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.

4   I lie down among lions
          that greedily devour human prey;
     their teeth are spears and arrows,
          their tongues sharp swords.

5   Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
          Let your glory be over all the earth.

6   They set a net for my steps;
          my soul was bowed down.
     They dug a pit in my path,
          but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah 
7   My heart is steadfast, O God,
          my heart is steadfast.
     I will sing and make melody.
8        Awake, my soul!
     Awake, O harp and lyre!
          I will awake the dawn.
9   I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
          I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10   For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens;
          your faithfulness extends to the clouds.

11   Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
     Let your glory be over all the earth.

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MARK 5:21–43
21 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. 22 Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 23 and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” 24 So he went with him.

And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. 25 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. 26 She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” 29 Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 He looked all around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

35 While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” 36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37 He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38 When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. 43 He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Psalm 51 and Isaiah 42:1-6

PSALM 51

¹   Have mercy on me, O God, 
          according to your steadfast love; 
     according to your abundant mercy 
          blot out my transgressions. 
²   Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, 
          and cleanse me from my sin.

³   For I know my transgressions, 
          and my sin is ever before me. 
⁴   Against you, you alone, have I sinned, 
          and done what is evil in your sight, 
     so that you are justified in your sentence 
          and blameless when you pass judgment. 

⁵   Indeed, I was born guilty, 
          a sinner when my mother conceived me.

⁶   You desire truth in the inward being; 
          therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. 
⁷   Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; 
          wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 
⁸   Let me hear joy and gladness; 
          let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. 
⁹   Hide your face from my sins, 
          and blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰  Create in me a clean heart, O God, 
          and put a new and right spirit within me. 
¹¹  Do not cast me away from your presence, 
          and do not take your holy spirit from me. 
¹²  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, 
          and sustain in me a willing spirit.

¹³  Then I will teach transgressors your ways, 
          and sinners will return to you. 
¹⁴  Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, 
          O God of my salvation, 
          and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.

¹⁵  O Lord, open my lips, 
          and my mouth will declare your praise. 
¹⁶  For you have no delight in sacrifice; 
          if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased. 
¹⁷  The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; 
          a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

¹⁸  Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; 
          rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, 
¹⁹  then you will delight in right sacrifices, 
          in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; 
          then bulls will be offered on your altar.

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ISAIAH 42:1–16

¹   Here is my servant, whom I uphold, 
          my chosen, in whom my soul delights; 
     I have put my spirit upon him; 
          he will bring forth justice to the nations. 
²   He will not cry or lift up his voice, 
          or make it heard in the street; 
³   a bruised reed he will not break, 
          and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; 
          he will faithfully bring forth justice. 
⁴   He will not grow faint or be crushed 
          until he has established justice in the earth; 
          and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

 

⁵   Thus says God, the LORD, 
          who created the heavens and stretched them out, 
          who spread out the earth and what comes from it, 
     who gives breath to the people upon it 
          and spirit to those who walk in it: 
⁶   I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, 
          I have taken you by the hand and kept you; 
     I have given you as a covenant to the people, 
          a light to the nations, 
⁷        to open the eyes that are blind, 
     to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, 
          from the prison those who sit in darkness. 
⁸   I am the LORD, that is my name; 
          my glory I give to no other, 
          nor my praise to idols. 
⁹   See, the former things have come to pass, 
          and new things I now declare; 
     before they spring forth, 
          I tell you of them.

 

¹⁰  Sing to the LORD a new song, 
          his praise from the end of the earth! 
     Let the sea roar and all that fills it, 
          the coastlands and their inhabitants. 
¹¹  Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice, 
          the villages that Kedar inhabits; 
     let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy, 
          let them shout from the tops of the mountains. 
¹²  Let them give glory to the LORD, 
          and declare his praise in the coastlands. 
¹³  The LORD goes forth like a soldier, 
          like a warrior he stirs up his fury; 
     he cries out, he shouts aloud, 
          he shows himself mighty against his foes.

 

¹⁴  For a long time I have held my peace, 
          I have kept still and restrained myself; 
     now I will cry out like a woman in labor, 
          I will gasp and pant. 
¹⁵  I will lay waste mountains and hills, 
          and dry up all their herbage; 
     I will turn the rivers into islands, 
          and dry up the pools. 
¹⁶  I will lead the blind 
          by a road they do not know, 
     by paths they have not known 
          I will guide them. 
     I will turn the darkness before them into light, 
          the rough places into level ground. 
     These are the things I will do, 
          and I will not forsake them. 

Isaiah 41:17-29 and Ephesians 2:14-22

ISAIAH 41:17–29
17  When the poor and needy seek water,
          and there is none,
          and their tongue is parched with thirst,
     I the LORD will answer them,
          I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
18  I will open rivers on the bare heights,
          and fountains in the midst of the valleys;
     I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
          and the dry land springs of water.
19  I will put in the wilderness the cedar,
          the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive;
     I will set in the desert the cypress,
          the plane and the pine together,
20  so that all may see and know,
          all may consider and understand,
     that the hand of the LORD has done this,
          the Holy One of Israel has created it.

21  Set forth your case, says the LORD;
          bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob.
22  Let them bring them, and tell us
          what is to happen.
     Tell us the former things, what they are,
          so that we may consider them,
     and that we may know their outcome;
          or declare to us the things to come.
23  Tell us what is to come hereafter,
          that we may know that you are gods;
     do good, or do harm,
          that we may be afraid and terrified.
24  You, indeed, are nothing
          and your work is nothing at all;
          whoever chooses you is an abomination.

25  I stirred up one from the north, and he has come,
          from the rising of the sun he was summoned by name.
     He shall trample on rulers as on mortar,
          as the potter treads clay.
26  Who declared it from the beginning, so that we might know,
          and beforehand, so that we might say, “He is right”
     There was no one who declared it, none who proclaimed,
          none who heard your words.
27  I first have declared it to Zion,
          and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good tidings.
28  But when I look there is no one;
          among these there is no counselor
          who, when I ask, gives an answer.
29  No, they are all a delusion;
          their works are nothing;
          their images are empty wind.

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EPHESIANS 2:14-22
14 For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15 He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, 16 and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. 17 So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18 for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God.

Psalm 89:1-18; Ephesians 2:1-10

PSALM 89:1–18 

1   I will sing of your steadfast love, O LORD, forever;
          with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
2   I declare that your steadfast love is established forever;
          your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.

3   You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
          I have sworn to my servant David:
4   ‘I will establish your descendants forever,
          and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah

5   Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD,
          your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.
6   For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD?
          Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD,
7   a God feared in the council of the holy ones,
          great and awesome above all that are around him?
8   O LORD God of hosts,
          who is as mighty as you, O LORD?
          Your faithfulness surrounds you.
9   You rule the raging of the sea;
          when its waves rise, you still them.
10  You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
          you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11  The heavens are yours, the earth also is yours;
          the world and all that is in it — you have founded them.
12  The north and the south — you created them;
          Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
13  You have a mighty arm;
          strong is your hand, high your right hand.
14  Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
          steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
15  Happy are the people who know the festal shout,
          who walk, O LORD, in the light of your countenance;
16  they exult in your name all day long,
          and extol your righteousness.
17  For you are the glory of their strength;
          by your favor our horn is exalted.
18  For our shield belongs to the LORD,
          our king to the Holy One of Israel.

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EPHESIANS 2:1–10

1 You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God — 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

Psalm 46 and John 2:1-11

PSALM 46

¹   God is our refuge and strength, 
          a very present help in trouble. 
²   Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, 
          though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; 
³   though its waters roar and foam, 
          though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah

⁴   There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, 
          the holy habitation of the Most High. 
⁵   God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; 
          God will help it when the morning dawns. 
⁶   The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; 
          he utters his voice, the earth melts.
⁷   The LORD of hosts is with us; 
          the God of Jacob is our refuge.Selah

⁸   Come, behold the works of the LORD;
          see what desolations he has brought on the earth. 
⁹   He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; 
          he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; 
          he burns the shields with fire. 
¹⁰  “Be still, and know that I am God! 
          I am exalted among the nations, 
          I am exalted in the earth.” 
¹¹  The LORD of hosts is with us; 
          the God of Jacob is our refuge.Selah

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JOHN 2:1–11

¹On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ²Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” ⁴And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” ⁵His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” ⁶Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. ⁷Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. ⁹When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom ¹⁰and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.”¹¹Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Isaiah 60:1-6 and Matthew 2:1-12

ISAIAH 60:1–6

 

1   Arise, shine; for your light has come, 

          and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 

2   For darkness shall cover the earth, 

          and thick darkness the peoples; 

     but the LORD will arise upon you, 

          and his glory will appear over you. 

3   Nations shall come to your light, 

          and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

 

4   Lift up your eyes and look around; 

          they all gather together, they come to you; 

     your sons shall come from far away, 

          and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. 

5   Then you shall see and be radiant; 

          your heart shall thrill and rejoice, 

     because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, 

          the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 

6   A multitude of camels shall cover you, 

          the young camels of Midian and Ephah; 

          all those from Sheba shall come. 

     They shall bring gold and frankincense, 

          and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.

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MATTHEW 2:1–12

 

1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 

6   ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, 

          are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; 

     for from you shall come a ruler 

          who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

 

7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Psalm 99 and Joshua 1:1-9

PSALM 99

1   The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble!
          He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2   The LORD is great in Zion;
          he is exalted over all the peoples.
3   Let them praise your great and awesome name.
          Holy is he!
4   Mighty King, lover of justice,
          you have established equity;
     you have executed justice
          and righteousness in Jacob.
5   Extol the LORD our God;
          worship at his footstool.
          Holy is he!
6   Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
          Samuel also was among those who called on his name.
          They cried to the LORD, and he answered them.
7   He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud;
          they kept his decrees,
          and the statutes that he gave them.

8   O LORD our God, you answered them;
          you were a forgiving God to them,
          but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9   Extol the LORD our God,
          and worship at his holy mountain;
          for the LORD our God is holy.

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JOSHUA 1:1-9

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying, 2 “My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your territory. 5 No one shall 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 not fail you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. 9 I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”