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Psalm 87 ( Listen ) Glorious Things of You Are Spoken A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. A Song. 87:1? On the holy mount stands the city he founded; ?? the LORD loves the gates of Zion ?? more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. Glorious things of you are spoken, ?? O city of God. ???? Selah Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; ?? behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush— ?? “This one was born there,” they say. And of Zion it shall be said, ?? “This one and that one were born in her”; ?? for the Most High himself will establish her. The LORD records as he registers the peoples, ?? “This one was born there.” ???? Selah Singers and dancers alike say, ?? “All my springs are in you.” Psalm 90 ( Listen ) Book Four From Everlasting to Everlasting A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. 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. 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. Who considers the power of your anger, ?? and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days ?? that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O LORD! How long? ?? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, ?? that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, ?? and for as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be shown to your servants, ?? and your glorious power to their children. 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! Psalm 136 ( Listen ) His Steadfast Love Endures Forever 136:1? Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who alone does great wonders, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who by understanding made the heavens, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who spread out the earth above the waters, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who made the great lights, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; the sun to rule over the day, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; the moon and stars to rule over the night, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; and brought Israel out from among them, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who divided the Red Sea in two, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; and made Israel pass through the midst of it, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who led his people through the wilderness, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who struck down great kings, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; and killed mighty kings, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; Sihon, king of the Amorites, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; and Og, king of Bashan, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; and gave their land as a heritage, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; a heritage to Israel his servant, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever. It is he who remembered us in our low estate, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; and rescued us from our foes, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever; he who gives food to all flesh, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of heaven, ?? for his steadfast love endures forever. Genesis 47:27-48:7 ( Listen ) Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were 147 years. And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.” He answered, “I will do as you have said.” And he said, “Swear to me”; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed. Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh 48:1? After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed. And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’ And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).” 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 ( Listen ) Warning Against Idolatry 10:1? For I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Mark 7:1-23 ( Listen ) Traditions and Commandments 7:1? Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, ?? but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, ?? teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)— then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” What Defiles a Person And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” Footnotes [1] 87:4 Probably Nubia [2] 90:1 Some Hebrew manuscripts (compare Septuagint) our refuge [3] 90:3 Or of Adam [4] 90:10 Or pride [5] 90:17 Or beauty [6] 136:15 Hebrew shook off [7] 47:31 Hebrew; Septuagint staff [8] 48:3 Hebrew El Shaddai [9] 48:7 Or about two hours’ distance [10] 10:1 Or brothers and sisters [11] 10:9 Some manuscripts the Lord [12] 7:3 Greek unless they wash with a fist , probably indicating a kind of ceremonial washing [13] 7:4 Greek unless they baptize ; some manuscripts unless they purify themselves [14] 7:4 Some manuscripts omit and dining couches [15] 7:11 Or an offering [16] 7:15 Some manuscripts add verse 16: If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear [17] 7:19 Greek goes out into the latrine The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright ??2001 by Crossway Bibles , a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Quotation information . This reading plan is adapted from the Daily Office Lectionary found in The Book of Common Prayer .

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March 13 (3 Lent): Ps. 87, 90; Ps. 136; Gen. 47:27-48:7; 1 Cor. 10:1-13; Mark 7:1-23 (ESV)

Psalm 95 ( Listen ) Let Us Sing Songs of Praise 95:1? Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; ?? let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; ?? let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the LORD is a great God, ?? and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; ?? the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, ?? and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; ?? let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, ?? and we are the people of his pasture, ?? and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, ?? do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, ?? as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test ?? and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. For forty years I loathed that generation ?? and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, ?? and they have not known my ways.” Therefore I swore in my wrath, ?? “They shall not enter my rest.” Psalm 88 ( Listen ) I Cry Out Day and Night Before You A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite. 88:1? O LORD, God of my salvation; ?? I cry out day and night before you. Let my prayer come before you; ?? incline your ear to my cry! For my soul is full of troubles, ?? and my life draws near to Sheol. I am counted among those who go down to the pit; ?? I am a man who has no strength, like one set loose among the dead, ?? like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, ?? for they are cut off from your hand. You have put me in the depths of the pit, ?? in the regions dark and deep. Your wrath lies heavy upon me, ?? and you overwhelm me with all your waves. ???? Selah You have caused my companions to shun me; ?? you have made me a horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape; ?? my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call upon you, O LORD; ?? I spread out my hands to you. Do you work wonders for the dead? ?? Do the departed rise up to praise you? ???? Selah Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, ?? or your faithfulness in Abaddon? Are your wonders known in the darkness, ?? or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? But I, O LORD, cry to you; ?? in the morning my prayer comes before you. O LORD, why do you cast my soul away? ?? Why do you hide your face from me? Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, ?? I suffer your terrors; I am helpless. Your wrath has swept over me; ?? your dreadful assaults destroy me. They surround me like a flood all day long; ?? they close in on me together. You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; ?? my companions have become darkness. Psalm 91 ( Listen ) My Refuge and My Fortress 91:1? He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High ?? will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, ?? my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler ?? and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, ?? and under his wings you will find refuge; ?? his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, ?? nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, ?? nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ?? ten thousand at your right hand, ?? but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes ?? and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— ?? the Most High, who is my refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you, ?? no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you ?? to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, ?? lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; ?? the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; ?? I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; ?? I will be with him in trouble; ?? I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him ?? and show him my salvation.” Psalm 92 ( Listen ) How Great Are Your Works A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath. 92:1? It is good to give thanks to the LORD, ?? to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, ?? and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, ?? to the melody of the lyre. For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; ?? at the works of your hands I sing for joy. How great are your works, O LORD! ?? Your thoughts are very deep! The stupid man cannot know; ?? the fool cannot understand this: that though the wicked sprout like grass ?? and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever; ?? but you, O LORD, are on high forever. For behold, your enemies, O LORD, ?? for behold, your enemies shall perish; ?? all evildoers shall be scattered. But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; ?? you have poured over me fresh oil. My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; ?? my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants. The righteous flourish like the palm tree ?? and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; ?? they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; ?? they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; ?? he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. Genesis 47:1-26 ( Listen ) Jacob’s Family Settles in Goshen 47:1? So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.” And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.” Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.” And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their dependents. Joseph and the Famine Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in exchange for the grain that they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone.” And Joseph answered, “Give your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, if your money is gone.” So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. He supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year. And when that year was ended, they came to him the following year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent. The herds of livestock are my lord’s. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.” So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for all the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh’s. As for the people, he made servants of them from one end of Egypt to the other. Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land. Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. And at the harvests you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households, and as food for your little ones.” And they said, “You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh.” So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh’s. 1 Corinthians 9:16-27 ( Listen ) For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. Mark 6:47-56 ( Listen ) And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well. Footnotes [1] 88:1 Probably musical or liturgical terms [2] 88:8 Or an abomination [3] 88:15 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain [4] 88:18 Or darkness has become my only companion [5] 91:2 Septuagint He will say [6] 91:9 Or For you, O Lord , are my refuge! You have made the Most High your dwelling place [7] 92:10 Compare Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [8] 47:21 Samaritan, Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew he removed them to the cities [9] 9:27 Greek I pummel my body and make it a slave [10] 6:48 That is, between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright ??2001 by Crossway Bibles , a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Quotation information . This reading plan is adapted from the Daily Office Lectionary found in The Book of Common Prayer .

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March 12 (3 Lent): Ps. 95, 88; Ps. 91, 92; Gen. 47:1-26; 1 Cor. 9:16-27; Mark 6:47-56 (ESV)

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

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2 Timothy 4:7