Support our siblings affected by disaster, hunger and oppression through One Great Hour of Sharing.

Daily Readings For September 27

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, September 27, 2024


Morning Psalm 88

1   O LORD, God of my salvation,
     when, at night, I cry out in your presence,
2   let my prayer come before you;
          incline your ear to my cry.


3   For my soul is full of troubles,
          and my life draws near to Sheol.
4   I am counted among those who go down to the Pit;
          I am like those who have no help,
5   like those forsaken 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.
6   You have put me in the depths of the Pit,
          in the regions dark and deep.
7   Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
          and you overwhelm me with all your waves.               Selah


8   You have caused my companions to shun me;
          you have made me a thing of horror to them.
     I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9        my eye grows dim through sorrow.
     Every day I call on you, O LORD;
          I spread out my hands to you.
10  Do you work wonders for the dead?
          Do the shades rise up to praise you?                                   Selah
11  Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
          or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12  Are your wonders known in the darkness,
          or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness?


13  But I, O LORD, cry out to you;
          in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14  O LORD, why do you cast me off?
          Why do you hide your face from me?
15  Wretched and close to death from my youth up,
          I suffer your terrors; I am desperate.
16  Your wrath has swept over me;
          your dread assaults destroy me.
17  They surround me like a flood all day long;
          from all sides they close in on me.
18  You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me;
          my companions are in darkness.

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 Esther 8:1-8, 15-17

1On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews; and Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her. 2Then the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. So Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

3Then Esther spoke again to the king; she fell at his feet, weeping and pleading with him to avert the evil design of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. 4The king held out the golden scepter to Esther, 5and Esther rose and stood before the king. She said, "If it pleases the king, and if I have won his favor, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I have his approval, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote giving orders to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. 6For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming on my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?" 7Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to the Jew Mordecai, "See, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he plotted to lay hands on the Jews. 8You may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king's ring; for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's ring cannot be revoked."

15Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king, wearing royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a mantle of fine linen and purple, while the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. 16For the Jews there was light and gladness, joy and honor. 17In every province and in every city, wherever the king's command and his edict came, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a festival and a holiday. Furthermore, many of the peoples of the country professed to be Jews, because the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.

Second Reading Acts 19:21-41

21Now after these things had been accomplished, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go through Macedonia and Achaia, and then to go on to Jerusalem. He said, "After I have gone there, I must also see Rome." 22So he sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he himself stayed for some time longer in Asia.

23About that time no little disturbance broke out concerning the Way. 24A man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the artisans. 25These he gathered together, with the workers of the same trade, and said, "Men, you know that we get our wealth from this business. 26You also see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost the whole of Asia this Paul has persuaded and drawn away a considerable number of people by saying that gods made with hands are not gods. 27And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be scorned, and she will be deprived of her majesty that brought all Asia and the world to worship her."

28When they heard this, they were enraged and shouted, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 29The city was filled with the confusion; and people rushed together to the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's travel companions. 30Paul wished to go into the crowd, but the disciples would not let him; 31even some officials of the province of Asia, who were friendly to him, sent him a message urging him not to venture into the theater. 32Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing, some another; for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33Some of the crowd gave instructions to Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed forward. And Alexander motioned for silence and tried to make a defense before the people. 34But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours all of them shouted in unison, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 35But when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, "Citizens of Ephesus, who is there that does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple keeper of the great Artemis and of the statue that fell from heaven? 36Since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37You have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38If therefore Demetrius and the artisans with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges there against one another. 39If there is anything further you want to know, it must be settled in the regular assembly. 40For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion." 41When he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

Gospel Reading Luke 4:31-37

31He went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and was teaching them on the sabbath. 32They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. 33In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34"Let us alone! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." 35But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" When the demon had thrown him down before them, he came out of him without having done him any harm. 36They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, "What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!" 37And a report about him began to reach every place in the region.

Evening Psalm 6

1   O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger,
          or discipline me in your wrath.
2   Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing;
          O LORD, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.
3   My soul also is struck with terror,
          while you, O LORD — how long?


4   Turn, O LORD, save my life;
          deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5   For in death there is no remembrance of you;
          in Sheol who can give you praise?


6   I am weary with my moaning;
          every night I flood my bed with tears;
          I drench my couch with my weeping.
7   My eyes waste away because of grief;
          they grow weak because of all my foes.


8   Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
          for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
9   The LORD has heard my supplication;
          the LORD accepts my prayer.
10  All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror;
          they shall turn back, and in a moment be put to shame.

Evening Psalm 20

1   The LORD answer you in the day of trouble!
          The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2   May he send you help from the sanctuary,
          and give you support from Zion.
3   May he remember all your offerings,
          and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices.                    Selah


4   May he grant your heart’s desire
          and fulfill all your plans.
5   May we shout for joy over your victory,
          and in the name of our God set up our banners.
     May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.


6   Now I know that the LORD will help his anointed;
          he will answer him from his holy heaven
          with mighty victories by his right hand.
7   Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses,
          but our pride is in the name of the LORD our God.
8   They will collapse and fall,
          but we shall rise and stand upright.


9   Give victory to the king, O LORD;
          answer us when we call.