Daily Lectionary:

Morning: Psalm 147:1-11
Isaiah 4:2-6
Ephesians 4:1-16
Matthew 8:28-34
Evening: Psalm 118:1-29

Morning: Psalm 147:1-11

¹Praise the Lord!

How good it is to sing praises to our God;

for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.

²The Lord builds up Jerusalem;

he gathers the outcasts of Israel.

³He heals the brokenhearted,

and binds up their wounds.

⁴He determines the number of the stars;

he gives to all of them their names.

⁵Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;

his understanding is beyond measure.

⁶The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;

he casts the wicked to the ground.

⁷Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;

make melody to our God on the lyre.

⁸He covers the heavens with clouds,

prepares rain for the earth,

makes grass grow on the hills.

⁹He gives to the animals their food,

and to the young ravens when they cry.

¹⁰His delight is not in the strength of the horse,

nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;

¹¹but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,

in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Isaiah 4:2-6

²On that day the branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel. ³Whoever is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, ⁴once the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. ⁵Then the LORD will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over its places of assembly a cloud by day and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night. Indeed over all the glory there will be a canopy. ⁶It will serve as a pavilion, a shade by day from the heat, and a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.

Ephesians 4:1-16

¹I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ²with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

⁷But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people." ⁹(When it says, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) ¹¹The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, ¹²to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. ¹⁴We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. ¹⁵But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

Matthew 8:28-34

²⁸When he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way. ²⁹Suddenly they shouted, "What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" ³⁰Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them. ³¹The demons begged him, "If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine." ³²And he said to them, "Go!" So they came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. ³³The swineherds ran off, and on going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs. ³⁴Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.

Evening: Psalm 118:1-29

¹O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his steadfast love endures for ever!

²Let Israel say,

"His steadfast love endures for ever."

³Let the house of Aaron say,

"His steadfast love endures for ever."

⁴Let those who fear the LORD say,

"His steadfast love endures for ever."

⁵Out of my distress I called on the LORD;

the LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.

⁶With the LORD on my side I do not fear.

What can mortals do to me?

⁷The LORD is on my side to help me;

I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.

⁸It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to put confidence in mortals.

⁹It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to put confidence in princes.

¹⁰All nations surrounded me;

in the name of the LORD I cut them off!

¹¹They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;

in the name of the LORD I cut them off!

¹²They surrounded me like bees;

they blazed like a fire of thorns;

in the name of the LORD I cut them off!

¹³I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,

but the LORD helped me.

¹⁴The LORD is my strength and my might;

he has become my salvation.

¹⁵There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:

"The right hand of the LORD does valiantly;

¹⁶the right hand of the LORD is exalted;

the right hand of the LORD does valiantly."

¹⁷I shall not die, but I shall live,

and recount the deeds of the LORD.

¹⁸The LORD has punished me severely,

but he did not give me over to death.

¹⁹Open to me the gates of righteousness,

that I may enter through them

and give thanks to the LORD.

²⁰This is the gate of the LORD;

the righteous shall enter through it.

²¹I thank you that you have answered me

and have become my salvation.

²²The stone that the builders rejected

has become the chief cornerstone.

²³This is the LORD's doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

²⁴This is the day that the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

²⁵Save us, we beseech you, O LORD!

O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!

²⁶Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD.

We bless you from the house of the LORD.

²⁷The LORD is God,

and he has given us light.

Bind the festal procession with branches,

up to the horns of the altar.

²⁸You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;

you are my God, I will extol you.

²⁹O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures for ever.