Daily Readings: December 26, 2022

Feast of St. Stephen

Morning	Evening
Psalm 28 Psalm 30	Psalm 118
2 Chron. 24:17-22 Acts 6:1-7	Wisdom 4:7-15 Acts 7:59-8:8

The Collect of the Day

Saint Stephen

December 26

We give you thanks, O Lord of glory, for the example of the first martyr Stephen, who looked up to heaven and prayed for his persecutors to your Son Jesus Christ, who stands at your right hand; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Psalms

28

Ad te, DomineBCP p. 619

¹O Lord, I call to you; my Rock, do not be deaf to my cry; *lest, if you do not hear me, I become like those who go down to the Pit.

²Hear the voice of my prayer when I cry out to you, *when I lift up my hands to your holy of holies.

³Do not snatch me away with the wicked or with the evildoers, *who speak peaceably with their neighbors, while strife is in their hearts.

⁴Repay them according to their deeds, *and according to the wickedness of their actions.

⁵According to the work of their hands repay them, *and give them their just deserts.

⁶They have no understanding of the Lord’s doings, nor of the works of his hands; *therefore he will break them down and not build them up.

⁷Blessed is the Lord! *for he has heard the voice of my prayer.

⁸The Lord is my strength and my shield; *my heart trusts in him, and I have been helped;

⁹Therefore my heart dances for joy, *and in my song will I praise him.

¹⁰The Lord is the strength of his people, *a safe refuge for his anointed.

¹¹Save your people and bless your inheritance; *shepherd them and carry them for ever.

30

Exaltabo te, DomineBCP p. 621

¹I will exalt you, O Lord, because you have lifted me up *and have not let my enemies triumph over me.

²O Lord my God, I cried out to you, *and you restored me to health.

³You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead; *you restored my life as I was going down to the grave.

⁴Sing to the Lord, you servants of his; *give thanks for the remembrance of his holiness.

⁵For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye, *his favor for a lifetime.

⁶Weeping may spend the night, *but joy comes in the morning.

⁷While I felt secure, I said, “I shall never be disturbed. *You, Lord, with your favor, made me as strong as the mountains.”

⁸Then you hid your face, *and I was filled with fear.

⁹I cried to you, O Lord; *I pleaded with the Lord, saying,

¹⁰“What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit? *will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?

¹¹Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; *O Lord, be my helper.”

¹²You have turned my wailing into dancing; *you have put off my sack-cloth and clothed me with joy.

¹³Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; *O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever.

Daily Office Readings

¹Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. ²And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. ³Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, ⁴while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.” ⁵What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. ⁶They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. ⁷The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.