Daily Scripture Reading for the
Liturgical Calendar Year
(beginning the 1st Sunday of Advent)

April 9, 2003

Text taken from the
Third Millennium Bible^® (TMB^®)
(New Authorized Version^TM NAV^TM)

The Lectionary According to the Christian Seasons

Daniel 3:14-25, 28

14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said unto them, "Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that ye do not serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? 15 Now if ye be ready so that at the time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made, it is well; but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not fear to answer thee in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."

19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Therefore he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was wont to be heated. 20 And he commanded the most mighty men who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their breeches, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste and spoke, and said unto his counselors, "Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said unto the king, "True, O king." 25 He answered and said, "Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. 

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God.

Three Holy Children 29-34

29 "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, God of our fathers, 
and to be praised and exalted above all for ever. 
30 And blessed is Thy glorious and holy name, 
and to be praised and exalted above all for ever. 
31 Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thine holy glory, 
and to be praised and glorified above all for ever. 
32 Blessed art Thou that beholdest the depths, and sittest upon the cherubims, 
and to be praised and exalted above all for ever. 
33 Blessed art Thou on the glorious throne of Thy Kingdom, 
and to be praised and glorified above all for ever. 
34 Blessed art Thou in the firmament of heaven, 
and above all to be praised and glorified for ever. 

John 8:31-42

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed in Him,

"If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed. 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man. How sayest thou, `Ye shall be made free'?" 34 Jesus answered them,

"Verily, verily I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever, but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed, but ye seek to kill Me, because My Word hath no place in you. 38 I speak that which I have seen with My Father, and ye do that which ye have seen with your father."

39 They answered and said unto Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said unto them,

"If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now ye seek to kill Me, a Man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard from God: this did not Abraham. 41 Ye do the deeds of your father."

Then they said to Him, "We are not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God." 42 Jesus said unto them,

"If God were your Father, ye would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me. 

Words of Worship - Luke 8:15

But that on the good ground are they that, in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience.

The Lectionary in Biblical sequence

Luke 7:18-35

18 And the disciples of John told him of all these things. 19 And John, calling unto him two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus asking, "Art thou He that should come, or look we for another?" 20 When the men had come unto Him, they said, "John the Baptist hath sent us unto thee, asking, `Art thou He that should come, or look we for another?'" 21 And in that same hour He cured many of their infirmities and plagues and of evil spirits, and unto many who were blind He gave sight. 22 Then Jesus answering said unto them,

"Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard: how the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the Gospel is preached. 23 And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me."

24 And when the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak unto the people concerning John:

"What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 25 But what went ye out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that are gorgeously appareled and live luxuriously are in kings' courts. 26 But what went ye out to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 27 This is he, of whom it is written:
`Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face,
who shall prepare Thy way before Thee.'
28 For I say unto you, among those that are born of women, there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he that is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he."

29 And all the people that heard Him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized by him.

31 And the Lord said,

"Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? And to what are they like? 32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another and saying,
`We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced;
we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.'
33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and ye say, `He hath a devil.' 34 The Son of Man is come eating and drinking, and ye say, `Behold, a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!' 35 But wisdom is justified by all her children."

Words of Wisdom - Proverbs 14:21

He that despiseth his neighbor sinneth, 
but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.