The Wartburg Project

Daily Lectionary

October 1, 2023

September 30, 2023 October 2, 2023

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.

Deuteronomy 2:16-37

The Journey Past Edom
16Just as soon as all those fighting men were eliminated from the people by their death, 17the Lord spoke to me: 18“Today you are going to cross the border of Moab at Ar. 19When you come near the people of Ammon, do not be hostile toward them and do not wage war against them, because I am not going to give any of the land of the people of Ammon to you as a possession, since I have given it to the people of Lot as a possession.”
20(It also is considered to be the land of the Rephaim. The Rephaim lived in it formerly, but the Ammonites call them Zamzumites. 21They are a strong and numerous people and as tall as the Anakites. But the Lord destroyed the Rephaim from among the Ammonites. The Ammonites took possession of their land and lived there in their place. 22The Lord had done the same things for the people of Esau, who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites before them, and they took possession of their land and settled there in their place and remain there to this day. 23Now the Caphtorites, who came out of Caphtor,[] destroyed the Avvites who were living in villages as far as Gaza and settled in their place.)
Confrontation With the Amorites
(Numbers 21:21-35)
24Then the Lord told us:[] “Get ready to travel and cross over the Arnon Canyon. See, I have given into your hands Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Start to take possession of it and wage war against him. 25This very day I will begin to put dread and fear of you on the faces of the people everywhere under heaven, so that they will hear reports about you and they will tremble, and they will be shaking because of you.”
26So I sent messengers from the Wilderness of Kedmoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with an offer of peace. I said, 27“Let us pass through your land. We will proceed only on the road. We will not turn aside to the right or to the left. 28You can sell us food in exchange for money so we can eat, and you can give us water in exchange for money so we can drink. Only let us pass through on foot, 29as did the people of Esau living in Seir and the Moabites living in Ar, until we can cross over the Jordan into the land that the Lord our God is giving us.”
30But Sihon king of the Amorites was not willing to let us pass through on the road, because the Lord your God gave him a stubborn attitude by making his heart obstinate, in order to give him over into your hands, as is now the case today. 31Then the Lord said to me, “Look now, I have begun to give you Sihon and his land. Start taking action to take possession of his land.”
32Then Sihon and all of his people went out to meet us in battle at Jahaz. 33The Lord our God gave him to us, and we struck him down, as well as his sons and all his people. 34So we captured each of his cities at that time. We devoted each city to destruction, with the men, women, and children. We did not leave a survivor. 35We took only the livestock as plunder for ourselves, as well as the spoils of war from the cities that we captured. 36From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Arnon Canyon, from the city that is in the canyon, all the way up to Gilead, there was not a city that was out of reach for us. The Lord our God gave us everything. 37But it was only the land of the people of Ammon that you did not approach: the land along both sides of the Jabbok Canyon, the cities of the hill country, and everything that the Lord our God had forbidden us to take.

Matthew 6:16-34

Fasting
16Whenever you fast, do not make yourself look sad like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show everyone that they are fasting. Amen I tell you: They have received their reward. 17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18so that it is not apparent to people that you are fasting, but only to your Father who sees what is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Treasures
19Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22The eye is the lamp of the body. So then if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.[]
Do Not Worry
(Luke 12:22-34)
25For this reason I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
27Which of you can add a single moment to his lifespan by worrying? 28Why do you worry about clothing? Consider how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin, 29but I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will he not clothe you even more, you of little faith?
31So do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” 32For the unbelievers[] chase after all these things. Certainly your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.