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

August 21, 2008

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

The Lectionary According to the Christian Seasons

Ezekiel 36:22-28

22 "Therefore say unto the house of Israel, `Thus saith the Lord GOD: I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for Mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen whither ye went. 23 And I will sanctify My great name which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the heathen and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

25 "`Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments and do them. 28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I will be your God.

Psalm 51

1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness;
according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in Thy sight,
that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou judgest.

5 Behold, I was shaped in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, Thou desirest truth in my inward parts;
in the hidden part Thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness,
that the bones which Thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide Thy face from my sins,
and blot out all mine iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from Thy presence,
and take not Thy holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation,
and uphold me with Thy free Spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways,
and sinners shall be converted unto Thee.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation,
and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness.
15 O Lord, open Thou my lips,
and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise.
16 For Thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it;
Thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.

18 Do good in Thy good pleasure unto Zion;
build Thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then shalt Thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
then shall they offer bullocks upon Thine altar.

Words of Worship - Psalm 95:8

"Harden not your heart as in the provocation,
and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness

Matthew 22:1-14

1 And Jesus answered and spoke unto them again in parables and said,

2 "The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a certain king, who made a marriage for his son. 3 And he sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding, and they would not come. 4 Again he sent forth other servants, saying, 'Tell them that are bidden, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come unto the marriage."' 5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his farm, and another to his merchandise, 6 and the remnant took his servants and treated them spitefully and slew them. 7 But when the king heard thereof he was wroth, and he sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned up their city. 8 Then said he to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.' 10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered all together as many as they found, both bad and good, and the wedding was furnished with guests.

11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 And he said unto him, 'Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 For many are called, but few are chosen."

Words of Wisdom - Wisdom of Solomon 12:23-24

Therefore, whereas men have lived dissolutely and unrighteously, Thou hast tormented them with their own abominations. For they went astray very far in the ways of error, and had them for gods, which even amongst the beasts of their enemies were despised, being deceived, as children of no understanding.

Jesus Speaks Morals & Values - Matthew 13:47-50
         (see UniversalJesusSpeaks.info for more information)

"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."