The Wartburg Project

Daily Lectionary

January 8, 2019

January 7, 2019 January 9, 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 2:1-3:11

Ezekiel's Call
21He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 2The Spirit entered into me as he spoke to me and brought me up to my feet. Then I heard him speaking to me.
3He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the people of Israel,[] to disloyal nations, who have been disloyal to me. They and their fathers have rebelled against me to this very day. 4These children of mine are brazen-faced and hard-hearted. I am sending you to them, and you are to tell them that this is what the Lord God says. 5Then, whether they listen or do not listen—for they are a rebellious house—then they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them, and do not be afraid of their words. Even though briers and thorns surround you and you are living with scorpions, do not be afraid of their words, and do not be intimidated by the look on their faces, for they are a rebellious house. 7You are to speak my words to them whether they listen or they do not, for they are rebellious. 8But you, son of man, listen to what I am telling you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.”
9Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out toward me, and in it there was a rolled-up scroll. 10He unrolled it in front of me, and there was writing on both sides. Written on it was: Laments, Groaning, and Woe.
31Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat what you have received. Eat this scroll, and then go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll.
3Then he said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your belly with this scroll that I am giving you.” I ate, and in my mouth it was sweet like honey.
4He then said to me, “Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them. 5For you are not being sent to a people who have incomprehensible speech or a difficult language, but you are being sent to the house of Israel. 6Nor are you being sent to many peoples who have incomprehensible speech and difficult languages, whose words you cannot understand. Certainly, if I were to send you to such people, they would listen to you. 7But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, because the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted. 8Look, I have made your face just as hard as their faces and your forehead just as hard as their foreheads. 9I have made your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not fear them, and do not be intimidated by their looks, for they are a rebellious house.”
10Then he said to me, “Son of man, receive into your heart all my words that I will speak to you, and hear them with your ears. 11Go now to the exiles, to your own people.[] You shall speak to them and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says,’ whether they listen or they do not.”

Romans 1:18-32

God's Anger Against All Who Reject Him
18Indeed, God's wrath is being revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who try to suppress the truth by unrighteousness. 19This happens because what can be known about God is evident among them, because God made it evident among them. 20In fact, his invisible characteristics—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, because they are understood from the things he made. As a result, people are without excuse, 21because, even though they knew God, they did not honor him or give him thanks as God. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless heart was darkened.
22Although they claim to be wise, they have become fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human, or like birds, four-footed animals, and crawling things. 24So, as they followed the sinful desires of their hearts, God handed them over to the impurity of degrading their own bodies among themselves. 25Such people have traded the truth about God for the lie, worshipping and serving the creation rather than the Creator, who is worthy of praise forever. Amen.
26For this reason God handed them over to disgraceful passions. Even their females exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27And, in the same way, their males, after abandoning natural sexual relations with females, were consumed by their lust for one another. Males perform indecent acts with males and receive in themselves the penalty that is fitting for their perversion.
28And since they did not consider it worthwhile to hold on to the true knowledge of God, God handed them over to a corrupted mind to do things that should never be done. 29They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarreling, deceit, and malice. They are gossipers, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent mockers, arrogant boasters, and loudmouths. They dream up evil things. They disobey their parents. 31They are senseless, faithless, heartless, and merciless. 32Even though they know God's righteous decree that those who do these things are worthy of death, such people not only continue to do them, but also approve of others who continue to commit such sins.