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Daily Readings For March 3

Please note that two distinct lectionaries are provided on this page: the two-year Daily Lectionary from the Book of Common Worship and the three-year Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) for Sundays and festivals; be sure you select the appropriate one.

Daily Readings Sunday/Festival Readings

Daily Readings for Friday, March 3, 2023


Morning Psalm 22

1   My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
          Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
2   O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
          and by night, but find no rest.


3   Yet you are holy,
          enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4   In you our ancestors trusted;
          they trusted, and you delivered them.
5   To you they cried, and were saved;
          in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.


6   But I am a worm, and not human;
          scorned by others, and despised by the people.
7   All who see me mock at me;
          they make mouths at me, they shake their heads;
8   “Commit your cause to the LORD; let him deliver —
          let him rescue the one in whom he delights!”


9   Yet it was you who took me from the womb;
          you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.
10  On you I was cast from my birth,
          and since my mother bore me you have been my God.
11  Do not be far from me,
          for trouble is near
          and there is no one to help.


12  Many bulls encircle me,
          strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13  they open wide their mouths at me,
          like a ravening and roaring lion.


14  I am poured out like water,
          and all my bones are out of joint;
     my heart is like wax;
          it is melted within my breast;
15  my mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
          and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
          you lay me in the dust of death.

16  For dogs are all around me;
          a company of evildoers encircles me.
     My hands and feet have shriveled;
17  I can count all my bones.
     They stare and gloat over me;
18  they divide my clothes among themselves,
          and for my clothing they cast lots.


19  But you, O LORD, do not be far away!
          O my help, come quickly to my aid!
20  Deliver my soul from the sword,
          life from the power of the dog!
21       Save me from the mouth of the lion!


     From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me.
22  I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters;
          in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23  You who fear the LORD, praise him!
          All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
          stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24  For he did not despise or abhor
          the affliction of the afflicted;
     he did not hide his face from me,
          but heard when I cried to him.


25  From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
          my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26  The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
          those who seek him shall praise the LORD.
          May your hearts live forever!


27  All the ends of the earth shall remember
          and turn to the LORD;
     and all the families of the nations
          shall worship before him.
28  For dominion belongs to the LORD,
          and he rules over the nations.


29  To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
          before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
          and I shall live for him.
30  Posterity will serve him;
          future generations will be told about the Lord,
31  and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
          saying that he has done it.

Morning Psalm 148

1   Praise the Lord!
     Praise the Lord from the heavens;
          praise him in the heights!
2   Praise him, all his angels;
          praise him, all his host!


3   Praise him, sun and moon;
          praise him, all you shining stars!
4   Praise him, you highest heavens,
          and you waters above the heavens!


5   Let them praise the name of the Lord,
          for he commanded and they were created.
6   He established them forever and ever;
          he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.


7   Praise the Lord from the earth,
          you sea monsters and all deeps,
8   fire and hail, snow and frost,
          stormy wind fulfilling his command!


9   Mountains and all hills,
          fruit trees and all cedars!
10  Wild animals and all cattle,
          creeping things and flying birds!


11  Kings of the earth and all peoples,
          princes and all rulers of the earth!
12  Young men and women alike,
          old and young together!


13  Let them praise the name of the Lord,
          for his name alone is exalted;
          his glory is above earth and heaven.
14  He has raised up a horn for his people,
          praise for all his faithful,
          for the people of Israel who are close to him.
     Praise the Lord!

First Reading Deuteronomy 10:12-22

12So now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? Only to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13and to keep the commandments of the LORD your God and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being. 14Although heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the LORD your God, the earth with all that is in it, 15yet the LORD set his heart in love on your ancestors alone and chose you, their descendants after them, out of all the peoples, as it is today. 16Circumcise, then, the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer. 17For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, 18who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them with food and clothing. 19You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 20You shall fear the LORD your God; him alone you shall worship; to him you shall hold fast, and by his name you shall swear. 21He is your praise; he is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen. 22Your ancestors went down to Egypt seventy persons; and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in heaven.

Second Reading Hebrews 4:11-16

11Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs.

12Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.

14Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Gospel Reading John 3:22-36

22After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized. 23John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there; and people kept coming and were being baptized — 24John, of course, had not yet been thrown into prison.

25Now a discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew. 26They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27John answered, “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. 28You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ 29He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. 30He must increase, but I must decrease.”

31The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. 33Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. 34He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. 36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God's wrath.

Evening Psalm 105

1   O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name,
          make known his deeds among the peoples.
2   Sing to him, sing praises to him;
          tell of all his wonderful works.
3   Glory in his holy name;
          let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4   Seek the LORD and his strength;
          seek his presence continually.
5   Remember the wonderful works he has done,
          his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered,
6   O offspring of his servant Abraham,
          children of Jacob, his chosen ones.


7   He is the LORD our God;
          his judgments are in all the earth.
8   He is mindful of his covenant forever,
          of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9   the covenant that he made with Abraham,
          his sworn promise to Isaac,
10  which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
          to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11  saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
          as your portion for an inheritance.”


12  When they were few in number,
          of little account, and strangers in it,
13  wandering from nation to nation,
          from one kingdom to another people,
14  he allowed no one to oppress them;
          he rebuked kings on their account,
15  saying, “Do not touch my anointed ones;
          do my prophets no harm.”

16  When he summoned famine against the land,
          and broke every staff of bread,
17  he had sent a man ahead of them,
          Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18  His feet were hurt with fetters,
          his neck was put in a collar of iron;
19  until what he had said came to pass,
          the word of the LORD kept testing him.
20  The king sent and released him;
          the ruler of the peoples set him free.
21  He made him lord of his house,
          and ruler of all his possessions,
22  to instruct his officials at his pleasure,
          and to teach his elders wisdom.


23  Then Israel came to Egypt;
          Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.
24  And the LORD made his people very fruitful,
          and made them stronger than their foes,
25  whose hearts he then turned to hate his people,
          to deal craftily with his servants.


26  He sent his servant Moses,
          and Aaron whom he had chosen.
27  They performed his signs among them,
          and miracles in the land of Ham.
28  He sent darkness, and made the land dark;
          they rebelled against his words.

29  He turned their waters into blood,
          and caused their fish to die.
30  Their land swarmed with frogs,
          even in the chambers of their kings.
31  He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
          and gnats throughout their country.
32  He gave them hail for rain,
          and lightning that flashed through their land.
33  He struck their vines and fig trees,
          and shattered the trees of their country.
34  He spoke, and the locusts came,
          and young locusts without number;
35  they devoured all the vegetation in their land,
          and ate up the fruit of their ground.
36  He struck down all the firstborn in their land,
          the first issue of all their strength.


37  Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold,
          and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.
38  Egypt was glad when they departed,
          for dread of them had fallen upon it.
39  He spread a cloud for a covering,
          and fire to give light by night.

40  They asked, and he brought quails,
          and gave them food from heaven in abundance.
41  He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
          it flowed through the desert like a river.
42  For he remembered his holy promise,
          and Abraham, his servant.


43  So he brought his people out with joy,
          his chosen ones with singing.
44  He gave them the lands of the nations,
          and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples,
45  that they might keep his statutes
          and observe his laws.
     Praise the LORD!

Evening Psalm 130

1   Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.
2       Lord, hear my voice!
     Let your ears be attentive
          to the voice of my supplications!


3   If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
          Lord, who could stand?
4   But there is forgiveness with you,
          so that you may be revered.


5   I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
          and in his word I hope;
6   my soul waits for the Lord
          more than those who watch for the morning,
          more than those who watch for the morning.


7   O Israel, hope in the LORD!
          For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
          and with him is great power to redeem.
8   It is he who will redeem Israel
          from all its iniquities.