DAILY OFFICE

Daily scripture readings from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer

Saturday, December 31

Today's readings include passages from Psalms, Isaiah, 2 Corinthians and John.

Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength,     a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,     though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam,     though the mountains tremble at its swelling. 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 her; she shall not be moved;     God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;     he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us;     the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah 8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,     how he has brought desolations 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 chariots with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God.     I will be exalted among the nations,     I will be exalted in the earth!” 11 The Lord of hosts is with us;     the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

 

Psalm 48

1 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised     in the city of our God!     His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation,     is the joy of all the earth,     Mount Zion, in the far north,     the city of the great King. 3 Within her citadels God     has made himself known as a fortress. 4 For behold, the kings assembled;     they came on together. 5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;     they were in panic; they took to flight. 6 Trembling took hold of them there,     anguish as of a woman in labor. 7 By the east wind you shattered     the ships of Tarshish. 8 As we have heard, so have we seen     in the city of the Lord of hosts,     in the city of our God,     which God will establish forever. Selah 9 We have thought on your steadfast love, O God,     in the midst of your temple. 10 As your name, O God,     so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth.     Your right hand is filled with righteousness. 11 Let Mount Zion be glad!     Let the daughters of Judah rejoice     because of your judgments! 12 Walk about Zion, go around her,     number her towers, 13 consider well her ramparts,     go through her citadels,     that you may tell the next generation 14 that this is God,     our God forever and ever.     He will guide us forever.

 

Psalm 90

1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place     in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth,     or ever you had formed the earth and the world,     from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You return man to dust     and say, “Return, O children of man!” For a thousand years in your sight     are but as yesterday when it is past,     or as a watch in the night. You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,     like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;     in the evening it fades and withers. For we are brought to an end by your anger;     by your wrath we are dismayed. You have set our iniquities before you,     our secret sins in the light of your presence. For all our days pass away under your wrath;     we bring our years to an end like a sigh. 10 The years of our life are seventy,     or even by reason of strength eighty;     yet their span is but toil and trouble;     they are soon gone, and we fly away. 11 Who considers the power of your anger,     and your wrath according to the fear of you? 12 So teach us to number our days     that we may get a heart of wisdom. 13 Return, O Lord! How long?     Have pity on your servants! 14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,     that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,     and for as many years as we have seen evil. 16 Let your work be shown to your servants,     and your glorious power to their children. 17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,     and establish the work of our hands upon us;     yes, establish the work of our hands!

 

Isaiah 26:1-9

1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:     “We have a strong city;     he sets up salvation     as walls and bulwarks. 2 Open the gates,     that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in. 3 You keep him in perfect peace     whose mind is stayed on you,     because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the Lord forever,     for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. 5 For he has humbled     the inhabitants of the height,     the lofty city.     He lays it low, lays it low to the ground,     casts it to the dust. 6 The foot tramples it,     the feet of the poor,     the steps of the needy.” 7 The path of the righteous is level;     you make level the way of the righteous. 8 In the path of your judgments,     Lord, we wait for you;     your name and remembrance     are the desire of our soul. 9 My soul yearns for you in the night;     my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.     For when your judgments are in the earth,     the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

 

Isaiah 65:15-25

15 You shall leave your name to my chosen for a curse,     and the Lord God will put you to death,     but his servants he will call by another name, 16 so that he who blesses himself in the land     shall bless himself by the God of truth,     and he who takes an oath in the land     shall swear by the God of truth;     because the former troubles are forgotten     and are hidden from my eyes. 17 “For behold, I create new heavens     and a new earth,     and the former things shall not be remembered     or come into mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever     in that which I create;     for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,     and her people to be a gladness. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem     and be glad in my people;     no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping     and the cry of distress. 20 No more shall there be in it     an infant who lives but a few days,     or an old man who does not fill out his days,     for the young man shall die a hundred years old,     and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. 21 They shall build houses and inhabit them;     they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 They shall not build and another inhabit;     they shall not plant and another eat;     for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,     and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labor in vain     or bear children for calamity,     for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord,     and their descendants with them. 24 Before they call I will answer;     while they are yet speaking I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;     the lion shall eat straw like the ox,     and dust shall be the serpent's food.     They shall not hurt or destroy     in all my holy mountain,”     says the Lord.

 

2 Corinthians 5:16-6:2

16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 6:1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,     “In a favorable time I listened to you,     and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”     Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

 

Revelation 21:1-6

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.

 

John 8:12-19

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. 17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”

  English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.