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Thursday after the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

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    The Collect of the Day

    Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

    Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

    Psalms

    70

    Deus, in adjutoriumBCP p. 682

    1Be pleased, O God, to deliver me; *O Lord, make haste to help me.

    2Let those who seek my life be ashamed and altogether dismayed; *let those who take pleasure in my misfortune draw back and be disgraced.

    3Let those who say to me “Aha!” and gloat over me turn back, *because they are ashamed.

    4Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; *let those who love your salvation say for ever, “Great is the Lord!”

    5But as for me, I am poor and needy; *come to me speedily, O God.

    6You are my helper and my deliverer; *O Lord, do not tarry.

    71

    In te, Domine, speraviBCP p. 683

    1In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge; *let me never be ashamed.

    2In your righteousness, deliver me and set me free; *incline your ear to me and save me.

    3Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe; *you are my crag and my stronghold.

    4Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, *from the clutches of the evildoer and the oppressor.

    5For you are my hope, O Lord God, *my confidence since I was young.

    6I have been sustained by you ever since I was born; from my mother’s womb you have been my strength; *my praise shall be always of you.

    7I have become a portent to many; *but you are my refuge and my strength.

    8Let my mouth be full of your praise *and your glory all the day long.

    9Do not cast me off in my old age; *forsake me not when my strength fails.

    10For my enemies are talking against me, *and those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together.

    11They say, “God has forsaken him; go after him and seize him; *because there is none who will save.”

    12O God, be not far from me; *come quickly to help me, O my God.

    13Let those who set themselves against me be put to shame and be disgraced; *let those who seek to do me evil be covered with scorn and reproach.

    14But I shall always wait in patience, *and shall praise you more and more.

    15My mouth shall recount your mighty acts and saving deeds all day long; *though I cannot know the number of them.

    16I will begin with the mighty works of the Lord God; *I will recall your righteousness, yours alone.

    17O God, you have taught me since I was young, *and to this day I tell of your wonderful works.

    18And now that I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not forsake me, *till I make known your strength to this generation and your power to all who are to come.

    19Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens; *you have done great things; who is like you, O God?

    20You have showed me great troubles and adversities, *but you will restore my life and bring me up again from the deep places of the earth.

    21You strengthen me more and more; *you enfold and comfort me,

    22Therefore I will praise you upon the lyre for your faithfulness, O my God; *I will sing to you with the harp, O Holy One of Israel.

    23My lips will sing with joy when I play to you, *and so will my soul, which you have redeemed.

    24My tongue will proclaim your righteousness all day long, *for they are ashamed and disgraced who sought to do me harm.

    Daily Office Readings

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    Heb. 11:32-12:2

    32 And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39 Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect. 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

    Gen. 23:1-20

    1 Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years; this was the length of Sarah’s life. 2 And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3 Abraham rose up from beside his dead, and said to the Hittites, 4 “I am a stranger and an alien residing among you; give me property among you for a burying place, so that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5 The Hittites answered Abraham, 6 “Hear us, my lord; you are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places; none of us will withhold from you any burial ground for burying your dead.” 7 Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. 8 He said to them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me Ephron son of Zohar, 9 so that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as a possession for a burying place.” 10 Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city, 11 “No, my lord, hear me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it; in the presence of my people I give it to you; bury your dead.” 12 Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 13 He said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “If you only will listen to me! I will give the price of the field; accept it from me, so that I may bury my dead there.” 14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “My lord, listen to me; a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver—what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” 16 Abraham agreed with Ephron; and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants. 17 So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, passed 18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, in the presence of all who went in at the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 The field and the cave that is in it passed from the Hittites into Abraham’s possession as a burying place.

    John 6:60-71

    60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” 61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But among you there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. 65 And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.” 66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. 67 So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him.