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Book of Common Prayer

Daily Old and New Testament readings based on the Book of Common Prayer.
Duration: 861 days
Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)
Version
Psalm 20-21

Psalm 20

A Prayer for Victory for the King

Heading
For the choir director. A psalm by David.

The People’s Prayer

May the Lord answer you in the day of distress.
May the name of the God of Jacob lift you up.
May he send you help from the holy place.
May he support you from Zion.
May he remember all your sacrificial gifts. Interlude
May he accept your burnt offerings.
May he give you whatever your heart desires.
May he fulfill all your plans.
We will shout joyfully when God saves you.
In the name of our God we will lift up our banners.
May the Lord fulfill all your prayers.

The King’s Response

Now I know that the Lord saves his Anointed.[a]
He answers him from his holy heavens
    with powerful acts of salvation from his right hand.

The People’s Prayer

Some rely on chariots, and some on horses,
but we rely on the name of the Lord our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
Lord, save the king! Answer us in the day we call!

Psalm 21

Thanksgiving for Victory

Heading
For the choir director. A psalm by David.

The People Thank the Lord for Victory

O Lord, the king rejoices in your strength.
He joyfully celebrates salvation from you.
You have granted him what his heart desired. Interlude
You have not denied the request from his lips.
Yes, you meet him to give him great blessings.
You place a crown of pure gold on his head.
He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
length of days, forever and ever.
He receives great glory through the salvation you gave.
You bestow splendor and majesty on him.
Surely you grant him blessings forever.
You make him glad with joy in your presence.
Surely the king trusts in the Lord,
and through the mercy of the Most High he will not be shaken.

The People Assure the King of Future Victory

Your hand will reach all your enemies.
Your right hand will reach those who hate you.
At the time when you appear, O Lord,
you will make them like a blazing furnace.
In his anger he will swallow them.
Fire will consume them.
10 You will cause their fruit to perish from the earth,
their seed[b] from among the children of Adam.
11 Indeed, they intend[c] evil against you.
They plan wicked schemes,
but they will not succeed,
12     because you will make them turn and run
    when you get ready to aim your arrows at them.

The People Praise the Lord

13 Rise up, O Lord, in your strength.
We will sing and make music because of your might.

Psalm 110

Psalm 110

The Lord’s Decree to My Lord

Heading
By David. A psalm.

The First Decree of the Lord

The decree of the Lord to my lord:[a]
“Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies
    a footstool under your feet.”

Description of King Messiah’s Rule

The Lord will stretch out your strong scepter from Zion.
Rule in the midst of your enemies.
Your people will be willing on the day of your power.
In majesty of holiness, from the womb of the dawn,
    the dew of your youth will be yours.[b]

The Second Decree of the Lord

The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever, in the manner of Melchizedek.”

Description of King Messiah’s Rule

The Lord is at your right hand.
He will crush kings on the day of his wrath.
He will judge the nations.
He will fill valleys with corpses.[c]
He will crush heads over the wide world.[d]
He will drink from a stream beside the way;
therefore, he will lift up his head.

Psalm 116-117

Psalm 116

Deliverance From Death

Overview

I love the Lord, because he hears my voice.
He hears my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call to him all my days.
The ropes of death entangled me.
The walls of the grave hemmed me in.[a]
I found distress and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Ah, Lord, please save my life!”
The Lord is gracious and righteous,
and our God is compassionate.
The Lord protects the inexperienced.[b]
In my weakness he saves me too.

Past Deliverance

Return, my soul, to your rest,
for the Lord has accomplished his purpose for you.
Indeed, you have delivered my soul from death,
my eye from weeping, my foot from stumbling,
so that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
10 I believed. Therefore, I have spoken:
“I am greatly afflicted.”
11 In my haste I said:
“All people are deceptive.”

Future Devotion

12 How can I repay the Lord for all his benefits to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation,
and I will call on[c] the name of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord,
now in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his favored ones.
16 Ah, Lord, truly I am your servant.
I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
You opened my chains.
17 To you I will sacrifice a thank offering,
and I will call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
    here in the presence of all his people,
19     in the courtyards of the house of the Lord,
    in the middle of Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord

Praise the Lord, all you nations.
Worship him, every race of people.[d]
For his mercy overwhelms us,
and the faithfulness[e] of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord.

Isaiah 4:2-6

The Branch of the Lord Will Be Beautiful

On that day, the Branch[a] of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the beauty and glory of the survivors of Israel. Then whoever is left in Zion and whoever remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, that is, everyone who is registered for life in Jerusalem. The Lord will wash away the disgusting filth[b] of the daughters of Zion and cleanse the blood of Jerusalem from its midst by the Spirit[c] of judgment and by the Spirit of burning. Then over the entire site[d] of Mount Zion and over her assemblies, the Lord will create a cloud of smoke by day and a bright flaming fire by night, so there will be a canopy over all the glory. In the daytime there will be a shelter to provide shade from the heat and to provide refuge and a hiding place from the storm and the rain.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Instruction Concerning the Resurrection of the Dead at Christ’s Second Coming

13 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep,[a] so that you do not grieve in the same way as the others, who have no hope. 14 Indeed, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then in the same way we also believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.

15 In fact, we tell you this by the word of the Lord: We who are alive and left until the coming of the Lord will certainly not go on ahead of those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them, to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore, encourage one another with these words.

Luke 21:5-19

The Destruction of Jerusalem and the End of the World

As some were talking about the temple, how it was decorated with beautiful stones and offerings, Jesus said, “These things that you see here—the days will come when there will not be one stone left on another—every one will be thrown down.”

They asked him, “Teacher, when will these things happen? And what is the sign that these things are about to happen?”

He said, “Watch out so that you are not deceived! For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. Whenever you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end will not be right then.”

10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines, and plagues in various places. There will be horrifying sights and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, handing you over to synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 13 It will turn out to be your opportunity to testify. 14 So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand how to defend yourselves, 15 for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers,[a] relatives, and friends. They will put some of you to death. 17 You will be hated by all people for my name’s sake. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By patient endurance you will gain your lives.

Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.