Daily Lectionary

January 7, 2019

January 6, 2019 January 8, 2019

These daily readings from the EHV follow the one-year daily lectionary provided in Christian Worship: Hymnal, the Lutheran Service Book, and the Treasury of Daily Prayer. In this lectionary, two readings of 15-25 verses each are provided for each day. Under this plan, nearly all of the New Testament and approximately one-third of the Old Testament are read each year. These readings fit well within the daily offices of Matins, Vespers, or Compline as daily family devotions.

Ezekiel 1:1-14, 22-28

Ezekiel's First Vision

1¹In the thirtieth year,^[] in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, when I was among the exiles by the Kebar Canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. ²On the fifth of that month, in the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin, ³the word of the Lord came in a dramatic way^[] to Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans,^[] by the Kebar Canal, and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.

The Glory of the Lord Appears

⁴As I watched, I noticed a windstorm coming from the north. There was a large cloud, with fire flashing through it, and there was a bright light all around it. In the middle of it, there was something that looked like glowing metal^[] in the middle of the fire.

⁵In the middle of it I saw what looked like four living creatures. This was what they looked like. Each of them had a human appearance, ⁶but each one had four faces, and each of them had four wings. ⁷Each of their legs was straight,^[] and their feet were like a calf's hoof, and they gleamed like polished bronze. ⁸They had human hands under their wings on all four of their sides. All four of them had faces and wings.

⁹Their wings were touching one another. The creatures did not turn from side to side as they moved, but each one faced straight ahead.^[]

¹⁰This is what their faces looked like. Each one had a face like a man's face. On the right side of their heads, all four of them had a face like a lion. On the left side, all four of them had a face like an ox. All four of them also had a face like an eagle. ¹¹Those were their faces.

Their wings were stretched upward. Each of them had one pair of wings which touched the wings of each of the cherubs next to it, and another pair of wings which covered their bodies.

¹²Each one faced straight ahead as it moved. They went in whatever direction the spirit^[] wanted to go. They did not turn as they moved ahead.

¹³The appearance of the living creatures was like red-hot coals, like the appearance of blazing torches. Fire was moving back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and lightning was coming out of the fire. ¹⁴The creatures darted back and forth. They looked like jagged bolts of lightning.

²²There was something above the heads of the living creatures like the dome of a vaulted ceiling.^[] It looked like ice. It was spectacular. It stretched out above their heads. ²³Under the dome, two of their wings were stretched out to touch the wing of another one of the creatures. Each of the creatures also had two wings covering themselves, each had two wings covering themselves—covering their bodies.^[] ²⁴I heard the sound of their wings, like the sound of rushing water. It was like the voice of the Almighty when they moved—a sound of commotion, like the noise in an army camp. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. ²⁵A voice came from above the dome that was over their heads. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.

²⁶Above the dome that was over their heads, there was something that appeared to be a sapphire that was shaped like a throne. Seated on that throne-like form there was a figure that looked like a man. ²⁷I saw something like the gleam of glowing metal^[] with fire in it and all around it. It extended upward from what appeared to be the man's waist. Below what appeared to be his waist, I saw what appeared to be fire, and a bright light surrounded him. ²⁸The bright light that surrounded him looked like the rainbow that is in the clouds on a rainy day.

This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw this, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice speaking.

Romans 1:1-17

Greeting

1¹Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ²which he promised in advance through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. ³This gospel is about his Son, who in the flesh^[] was born a descendant of David, ⁴who in the spirit^[] of holiness was declared to be God's powerful Son by his resurrection from the dead—Jesus Christ, our Lord. ⁵Through him we received grace and the call to be an apostle on behalf of his name, to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, ⁶including you, who were called by Jesus Christ.

⁷To all those loved by God who are in Rome, called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul's Desire to Come to Rome

⁸First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ concerning all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. ⁹To be sure, God, whom I serve with my spirit by proclaiming the gospel of his Son, is my witness to how constantly I make mention of you. In all my prayers, ¹⁰I always ask if perhaps at last a way might be opened, if God wills, for me to come to you. ¹¹I certainly long to see you, in order that I may deliver some spiritual gift to you, so that you are strengthened— ¹²that is, when I am with you, that we will be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, yours and also mine.

¹³I do not want you to be unaware of the fact, brothers,^[] that I have often planned to come to you but have been prevented from doing so until now. I wanted to have some fruit among you in the same way as I did among the rest of the Gentiles. ¹⁴I have an obligation both to Greeks and non-Greeks,^[] to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵That is why I am eager to proclaim the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

The Power of the Gospel

¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes—to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. ¹⁷For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed by faith, for faith,^[] just as it is written, “The righteous will live by faith.”^[]