Readings

Saturday after the Fourth Sunday of Easter

    The Collect of the Day

    Fourth Sunday of Easter

    O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

    Psalms

    55

    Exaudi, DeusBCP p. 660

    1Hear my prayer, O God; *do not hide yourself from my petition.

    2Listen to me and answer me; *I have no peace, because of my cares.

    3I am shaken by the noise of the enemy *and by the pressure of the wicked;

    4For they have cast an evil spell upon me *and are set against me in fury.

    5My heart quakes within me, *and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

    6Fear and trembling have come over me, *and horror overwhelms me.

    7And I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! *I would fly away and be at rest.

    8I would flee to a far-off place *and make my lodging in the wilderness.

    9I would hasten to escape *from the stormy wind and tempest.”

    10Swallow them up, O Lord; confound their speech; *for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

    11Day and night the watchmen make their rounds upon her walls, *but trouble and misery are in the midst of her.

    12 There is corruption at her heart; *her streets are never free of oppression and deceit.

    13For had it been an adversary who taunted me, then I could have borne it; *or had it been an enemy who vaunted himself against me, then I could have hidden from him.

    14But it was you, a man after my own heart, *my companion, my own familiar friend.

    15We took sweet counsel together, *and walked with the throng in the house of God.

    16Let death come upon them suddenly; let them go down alive to the grave; *for wickedness is in their dwellings, in their very midst.

    17But I will call upon God, *and the Lord will deliver me.

    18In the evening, in the morning, and at noonday, I will complain and lament, *and he will hear my voice.

    19He will bring me safely back from the battle waged against me; *for there are many who fight me.

    20God, who is enthroned of old, will hear me and bring them down; *they never change; they do not fear God.

    21My companion stretched forth his hand against his comrade; *he has broken his covenant.

    22His speech is softer than butter, *but war is in his heart.

    23His words are smoother than oil, *but they are drawn swords.

    24Cast your burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain you; *he will never let the righteous stumble.

    25For you will bring the bloodthirsty and deceitful *down to the pit of destruction, O God.

    26They shall not live out half their days, *but I will put my trust in you.

    Daily Office Readings

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    Matt. 5:38-48

    38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41 and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

    Exod. 40:18-38

    18 Moses set up the tabernacle; he laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars; 19 and he spread the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent over it; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 20 He took the covenant and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark, and set the mercy seat above the ark; 21 and he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the curtain for screening, and screened the ark of the covenant; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 22 He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the curtain, 23 and set the bread in order on it before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 24 He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle, 25 and set up the lamps before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 26 He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the curtain, 27 and offered fragrant incense on it; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 28 He also put in place the screen for the entrance of the tabernacle. 29 He set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering as the Lord had commanded Moses. 30 He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, 31 with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. 32 When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 33 He set up the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and put up the screen at the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work. 34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Whenever the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out on each stage of their journey; 37 but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, before the eyes of all the house of Israel at each stage of their journey.

    1 Thess. 4:1-12

    1 Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication; 4 that each one of you know how to control your own body in holiness and honor, 5 not with lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one wrong or exploit a brother or sister in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, just as we have already told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever rejects this rejects not human authority but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you. 9 Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; 10 and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more, 11 to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you, 12 so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and be dependent on no one.