The Wartburg Project

Daily Lectionary

December 19, 2021

December 18, 2021 December 20, 2021

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.

Isaiah 40:1-17

The Second Book of Isaiah
The Lord reveals himself as the Savior in the deliverance from Babylon
Overview of the Lord's Plan
401Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call out to her.
Her warfare[] really is over.
Her guilt is fully paid for.
Yes, she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.
3A voice is calling out:
In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord.
In the wasteland make a level[] highway for our God.
4Every valley will be raised up,
and every mountain and hill will be made low.
The rugged ground will become level,
and the rough places will become a plain.
5Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all flesh together will see it.
Yes, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
6A voice was saying, “Cry out!”
And I said, “What shall I cry out?”
All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty[] is like a wildflower in the countryside.
7Grass withers, flowers fade,
when the breath[] of the Lord blows on them.
Yes, the people are grass.
8Grass withers, flowers fade,
but the Word of our God endures forever.
9Get up on a high mountain,
O Zion, you herald of good news.
Lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, you herald of good news.
Lift it up! Do not be afraid!
Say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10Look, God the Lord will come with strength,
and his arm is ruling for him.
Look, his reward is with him.
The result of his work is in front of him.
11Like a shepherd he will care for his flock.
With his arm he will gather the lambs.
He will lift them up on his lap.
He will gently lead the nursing mothers.
The Lord Is Beyond Compare
12Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand?
Who marked off the heavens with the width of his hand?
Who scooped up the dust of the earth with a measuring cup?
Who weighed the mountains with a balance
and the hills with scales?
13Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord?
Who can teach him anything or serve as his advisor?
14Who was his advisor to give him insight?
Who taught him the path of justice?
Who taught him knowledge?
Who showed him the way to complete understanding?
15Indeed, nations are like a drop in a bucket,
and they are treated like powder on a scale.
Look, he lifts up islands like dust!
16Not even the forests of Lebanon could provide enough wood to burn,
and its animals are not enough for a whole burnt offering.
17All the nations are nothing to him.
By him they are regarded as worthless,
as less than nothing.

Revelation 7:1-17

The Church on Earth
The Calm Before the Storm
71After this I saw four angels, who stood at the four corners of the earth. They were holding back the four winds of the earth so that the wind could not blow on the earth, the sea, or any tree.
2And I saw another angel coming up from the east, who had the seal of the living God. He called out with a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to harm the earth and the sea. He said, 3“Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees until we have placed a seal on the foreheads of God's servants.”
4And I heard the number of those sealed:
144,000 sealed from all the tribes of the people of Israel:
5from the tribe of Judah, 12,000, who were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad, 12,000,
6from the tribe of Asher, 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000,
7from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi, 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar, 12,000,
8from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000,
from the tribe of Benjamin, 12,000, who were sealed.
The Church in Heaven
9After these things I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing in front of the throne and of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. 10They called out with a loud voice and said:
Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb.
11All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures. They fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, 12saying:
Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.
13One of the elders spoke to me and said, “These people dressed in white robes, who are they and where did they come from?”
14And I answered him, “Sir, you know.”
And he said to me:
These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation.
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15Because of this they are in front of the throne of God,
and they serve him day and night in his temple.
He who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.
16They will never be hungry or thirsty ever again.
The sun will never beat upon them, nor will any scorching heat,
17for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd.
He will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.