Wednesday, November 20 | St. Andrew's Anglican Church

Psalm 101

¹ I will sing of steadfast love and justice;
    to you, O Lord, I will make music.
²I will ponder the way that is blameless.
    Oh when will you come to me?
    I will walk with integrity of heart
    within my house;
³I will not set before my eyes
    anything that is worthless.
    I hate the work of those who fall away;
    it shall not cling to me.
⁴A perverse heart shall be far from me;
    I will know nothing of evil.
⁵Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly
    I will destroy.
    Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart
    I will not endure.
⁶I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,
    that they may dwell with me;
    he who walks in the way that is blameless
    shall minister to me.
⁷No one who practices deceit
    shall dwell in my house;
    no one who utters lies
    shall continue before my eyes.
⁸Morning by morning I will destroy
    all the wicked in the land,
    cutting off all the evildoers
    from the city of the Lord.

Psalm 109

¹Be not silent, O God of my praise!
²For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
    speaking against me with lying tongues.
³They encircle me with words of hate,
    and attack me without cause.
⁴In return for my love they accuse me,
    but I give myself to prayer.
⁵So they reward me evil for good,
    and hatred for my love.
⁶Appoint a wicked man against him;
    let an accuser stand at his right hand.
⁷When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;
    let his prayer be counted as sin!
⁸May his days be few;
    may another take his office!
⁹May his children be fatherless
    and his wife a widow!
¹⁰May his children wander about and beg,
    seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
¹¹May the creditor seize all that he has;
    may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
¹²Let there be none to extend kindness to him,
    nor any to pity his fatherless children!
¹³May his posterity be cut off;
    may his name be blotted out in the second generation!
¹⁴May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,
    and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!
¹⁵Let them be before the Lord continually,
    that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!
¹⁶For he did not remember to show kindness,
    but pursued the poor and needy
    and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
¹⁷He loved to curse; let curses come upon him!
    He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him!
¹⁸He clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
    may it soak into his body like water,
    like oil into his bones!
¹⁹May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,
    like a belt that he puts on every day!
²⁰May this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord,
    of those who speak evil against my life!
²¹But you, O God my Lord,
    deal on my behalf for your name’s sake;
    because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!
²²For I am poor and needy,
    and my heart is stricken within me.
²³I am gone like a shadow at evening;
    I am shaken off like a locust.
²⁴My knees are weak through fasting;
    my body has become gaunt, with no fat.
²⁵I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
    when they see me, they wag their heads.
²⁶Help me, O Lord my God!
    Save me according to your steadfast love!
²⁷Let them know that this is your hand;
    you, O Lord, have done it!
²⁸Let them curse, but you will bless!
    They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad!
²⁹May my accusers be clothed with dishonor;
    may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!
³⁰With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;
    I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
³¹For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,
    to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.

Psalm 119:121-144

¹²¹I have done what is just and right;
    do not leave me to my oppressors.
¹²²Give your servant a pledge of good;
    let not the insolent oppress me.
¹²³My eyes long for your salvation
    and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.
¹²⁴Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love,
    and teach me your statutes.
¹²⁵I am your servant; give me understanding,
    that I may know your testimonies!
¹²⁶It is time for the Lord to act,
    for your law has been broken.
¹²⁷Therefore I love your commandments
    above gold, above fine gold.
¹²⁸Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right;
    I hate every false way.
¹²⁹Your testimonies are wonderful;
    therefore my soul keeps them.
¹³⁰The unfolding of your words gives light;
    it imparts understanding to the simple.
¹³¹I open my mouth and pant,
    because I long for your commandments.
¹³²Turn to me and be gracious to me,
    as is your way with those who love your name.
¹³³Keep steady my steps according to your promise,
    and let no iniquity get dominion over me.
¹³⁴Redeem me from man’s oppression,
    that I may keep your precepts.
¹³⁵Make your face shine upon your servant,
    and teach me your statutes.
¹³⁶My eyes shed streams of tears,
    because people do not keep your law.
¹³⁷Righteous are you, O Lord,
    and right are your rules.
¹³⁸You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness
    and in all faithfulness.
¹³⁹My zeal consumes me,
    because my foes forget your words.
¹⁴⁰Your promise is well tried,
    and your servant loves it.
¹⁴¹I am small and despised,
    yet I do not forget your precepts.
¹⁴²Your righteousness is righteous forever,
    and your law is true.
¹⁴³Trouble and anguish have found me out,
    but your commandments are my delight.
¹⁴⁴Your testimonies are righteous forever;
    give me understanding that I may live.

Malachi 1:1, 6-14

¹ The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. … ⁶“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ ⁷By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the Lord’s table may be despised. ⁸When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts. ⁹And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts. ¹⁰Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. ¹¹For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. ¹²But you profane it when you say that the Lord’s table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised. ¹³But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord. ¹⁴Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.

James 3:13-4:12

¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. ¹⁵This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. ¹⁷But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. ^4:1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? ²You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. ³You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. ⁴You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? ⁶But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” ⁷Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. ¹¹Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. ¹²There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Luke 17:11-19

¹¹ On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance ¹³ and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” ¹⁴ When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. ¹⁵ Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; ¹⁶ and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷ Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸ Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”