Daily Devotion – Great Plains Episcopal Area – Sunday, 5 January
2014
Pastor Michael Tomson-DeGreeff of Wamego UMC of the Flint Hills
District of the Kansas East Conference
Pastor Rob Winslow of Wichita Grace UMC of the Wichita West
District of the Kansas West Conference
Pastor Jerald Brabec of Omaha St. Paul UMC of the Missouri River
District of the Nebraska Conference
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This Week's Lectionary
Epiphany Sunday – White or Gold
Isaiah The Ingathering of the Dispersed
60: Arise,
shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
3 Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
3 Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 Lift
up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
5 Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,[a]
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
6 A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
5 Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,[a]
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
6 A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
Footnotes:
a. Isaiah 60:5 Heb be
enlarged
Psalm 72: Prayer for Guidance and Support for
the King
Of Solomon.
1 Give
the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a king’s son.
2 May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
3 May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor.
and your righteousness to a king’s son.
2 May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
3 May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor.
5 May
he live[a] while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
7 In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
7 In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 72:5 Gk: Heb may they fear you
10 May
the kings of Tarshish and of the isles
render him tribute,
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts.
11 May all kings fall down before him,
all nations give him service.
render him tribute,
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts.
11 May all kings fall down before him,
all nations give him service.
12 For
he delivers the needy when they call,
the poor and those who have no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life;
and precious is their blood in his sight.
the poor and those who have no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life;
and precious is their blood in his sight.
Ephesians Paul’s Ministry to the Gentiles
3: This is the
reason that I Paul am a prisoner for[a] Christ Jesus for the sake of
you Gentiles— 2 for
surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given
me for you, 3 and
how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few
words, 4 a
reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of
Christ. 5 In
former generations this mystery[b] was not made known to
humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the
Spirit: 6 that
is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and
sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
7 Of this gospel
I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me
by the working of his power.8 Although
I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to
the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make
everyone see[c] what is the plan of the mystery
hidden for ages in[d] God who created all things;10 so that through the church the wisdom of
God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities
in the heavenly places. 11 This
was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ
Jesus our Lord, 12 in
whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.[e]
Footnotes:
a. Ephesians 3:1 Or of
b. Ephesians 3:5 Gk it
c. Ephesians 3:9 Other ancient authorities read to bring to light
d. Ephesians 3:9 Or by
e. Ephesians 3:12 Or the
faith of him
Matthew The Visit of the Wise Men
2: In the time of
King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men[a] from the East came to
Jerusalem, 2 asking,
“Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his
star at its rising,[b] and have come to pay him
homage.” 3 When
King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling
together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them
where the Messiah[c] was to be born. 5 They told him,
“In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And
you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd[d] my people Israel.’”
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd[d] my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod
secretly called for the wise men[e] and learned from them the exact
time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent
them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when
you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had
heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they
had seen at its rising,[f] until it stopped over the place
where the child was. 10 When
they saw that the star had stopped,[g] they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering
the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and
paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of
gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And
having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own
country by another road.
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 2:1 Or astrologers;
Gk magi
b. Matthew 2:2 Or in
the East
c. Matthew 2:4 Or the
Christ
d. Matthew 2:6 Or rule
e. Matthew 2:7 Or astrologers;
Gk magi
f. Matthew 2:9 Or in
the East
g. Matthew 2:10 Gk saw
the star
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Today's Devotional:
1 Peter 2:4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by
mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and 5 like living stones, let
yourselves be built[a] into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to
offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it
stands in scripture:
“See, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen
and precious;
and whoever believes in him[b] will not be put to shame.”
7 To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do
not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the very
head of the corner,”
8 and
“A stone that makes them stumble,
and a rock that makes
them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were
destined to do.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
God’s own people,[c] in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who
called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
10 Once you were not a people,
but now you are God’s
people;
once you had not received mercy,
but now you have
received mercy.
Footnotes:
a. 1 Peter 2:5 Or you yourselves are being built
b. 1 Peter 2:6 Or it
c. 1 Peter 2:9 Gk a people for his possession
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Great Churches. Great Leaders. Great Disciples. Transformed World.
Contact Information:
Great Plains Episcopal Office
9440 E Boston, Suite 160
Wichita KS 67207
316-686-0600
800-745-2350
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