DAILY OFFICE

Daily scripture readings from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer

Sunday, May 12

Today's readings include passages from Psalms, Exodus, Hebrews and Luke.

Psalm 19

1 The heavens declare the glory of God,     and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech,     and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words,     whose voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,     and their words to the end of the world.     In them he has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,     and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,     and its circuit to the end of them,     and there is nothing hidden from its heat. 7 The law of the Lord is perfect,     reviving the soul;     the testimony of the Lord is sure,     making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right,     rejoicing the heart;     the commandment of the Lord is pure,     enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean,     enduring forever;     the rules of the Lord are true,     and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold,     even much fine gold;     sweeter also than honey     and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;     in keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can discern his errors?     Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;     let them not have dominion over me!     Then I shall be blameless,     and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart     be acceptable in your sight,     Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

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 66

1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth; 2 sing the glory of his name;     give to him glorious praise! 3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!     So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. 4 All the earth worships you     and sings praises to you;     they sing praises to your name.” Selah 5 Come and see what God has done:     he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. 6 He turned the sea into dry land;     they passed through the river on foot.     There did we rejoice in him, 7 who rules by his might forever,     whose eyes keep watch on the nations—     let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah 8 Bless our God, O peoples;     let the sound of his praise be heard, 9 who has kept our soul among the living     and has not let our feet slip. 10 For you, O God, have tested us;     you have tried us as silver is tried. 11 You brought us into the net;     you laid a crushing burden on our backs; 12 you let men ride over our heads;     we went through fire and through water;     yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance. 13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings;     I will perform my vows to you, 14 that which my lips uttered     and my mouth promised when I was in trouble. 15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals,     with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;     I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah 16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,     and I will tell what he has done for my soul. 17 I cried to him with my mouth,     and high praise was on my tongue. 18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,     the Lord would not have listened. 19 But truly God has listened;     he has attended to the voice of my prayer. 20 Blessed be God,     because he has not rejected my prayer     or removed his steadfast love from me!

Psalm 67

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
2 that your way may be known on earth,
    your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you!
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you judge the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you!
6 The earth has yielded its increase;
    God, our God, shall bless us.
7 God shall bless us;
    let all the ends of the earth fear him!

Exodus 3:1-12

1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 7 Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

Hebrews 12:18-29

18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

Luke 10:17-24

17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” 21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

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