First Lesson
Genesis 15:1-12,17-18
15After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid,
Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
2But Abram said, “O Lord God,
what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is
Eliezer of Damascus?” 3And
Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is
to be my heir.” 4But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall
not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” 5He
brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you
are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6And he
believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as
righteousness.
7Then he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give
you this land to possess.” 8But he
said, “O Lord God, how am I
to know that I shall possess it?” 9He said
to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a
ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10He
brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the
other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11And when
birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a
deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.
17When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot
and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18On that
day the Lord made a
covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the
river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
Psalm
Psalm 27
1The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear? The Lord is
the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2When
evildoers assail me to devour my flesh— my adversaries and foes— they shall
stumble and fall.
3Though
an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against
me, yet I will be confident.
4One
thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to
behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.
5For he
will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the
cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
6Now my
head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to
me and answer me!
8“Come,”
my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9Do not
hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have
been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!
10If my
father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.
11Teach
me your way, O Lord, and
lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12Do not
give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen
against me, and they are breathing out violence.
13I
believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14Wait
for the Lord; be strong, and
let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
Second
Lesson
Philippians 3:17-4:1
17Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those
who live according to the example you have in us. 18For
many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and
now I tell you even with tears. 19Their
end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame;
their minds are set on earthly things. 20But our
citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ. 21He will
transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of
his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to
himself.
4Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my
joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
Gospel
Luke 13:31-35
31At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away
from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32He said
to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and
performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33Yet
today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible
for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ 34Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to
it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers
her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35See, your
house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes
when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”