The Wartburg Project

Daily Lectionary

April 25, 2024

April 24, 2024 April 26, 2024

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.

Leviticus 17:1-16

The Holiness Code
The Use and Misuse of Blood
171The Lord told Moses 2to speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and to tell them that this is what the Lord has commanded:
3If anyone from the house of Israel slaughters a head of cattle or a sheep or a goat in the camp or slaughters it outside the camp 4without bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting ˻to sacrifice it for a burnt offering or fellowship offering to the Lord to be acceptable as a pleasant aroma, and if anyone slaughters it outside the camp and does not bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting˼[] to present it as an offering to the Lord at the Dwelling of the Lord, guilt for blood will be charged to that man. He has shed blood. That man will be cut off from the midst of his people. 5This is so that the Israelites will bring the sacrifices that they have been offering in the open country to the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, to the priest. They will sacrifice them as fellowship offerings to the Lord 6so that the priest may splash the blood against the altar of the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and turn the fat into smoke as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, 7so that they no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat-demons, to which they have been prostituting themselves. This shall be a permanent regulation for them throughout their generations.
8Tell them that if anyone from the house of Israel or from the aliens who reside among them offers up a burnt offering or a sacrifice 9and does not bring it into the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to offer it to the Lord, that man will be cut off from his people.
10If anyone from the house of Israel or from the aliens who reside among them eats any blood, I will set my face against the person who eats the blood, and I will cut him off from among his people. 11For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I myself have given it to you to make atonement for your lives upon the altar, because it is the blood that makes atonement by means of the life. 12Therefore I have said to the Israelites: None of you shall eat blood, nor shall any alien who resides among you eat blood.
13If any of the Israelites or any alien who resides among them successfully hunts wild game and takes an animal or a bird that may be eaten, he must pour out its blood and cover it with earth. 14For the life of all flesh is its blood. It is its life. Therefore I have said to the Israelites: You shall not eat the blood from any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it will be cut off.
15If any person, whether native or alien, eats anything that has died naturally or has been torn by wild animals, he shall wash his clothes, bathe in water, and remain unclean until sunset. Then he shall be clean. 16But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe his body, he shall bear his guilt.

Luke 10:23-42

23Turning to the disciples, he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24Indeed, I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see the things that you are seeing, yet did not see them, and to hear the things that you are hearing, yet did not hear them.”
The Good Samaritan
25Just then, an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26“What is written in the law?” he asked him. “What do you read there?”
27He replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind;[] and, love your neighbor as yourself.”[]
28He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.”
29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He fell among robbers who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31It just so happened that a priest was going down that way. But when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32In the same way, a Levite also happened to go there, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 33A Samaritan, as he traveled, came to where the man was. When he saw him, he felt sorry for the man. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He put him on his own animal, took him to an inn, and took care of him. 35The next day, when he left, he took out two denarii,[] gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. Whatever extra you spend, I will repay you when I return.’ 36Which of these three do you think acted like a neighbor to the man who fell among robbers?”
37“The one who showed mercy to him,” he replied.
Then Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Mary and Martha
38As they went on their way, Jesus came into a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39She had a sister named Mary, who was sitting at the Lord's feet and was listening to his word. 40But Martha was distracted with all her serving. She came over and said, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me.”
41The Lord answered and told her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, 42but one thing is needed. In fact, Mary has chosen that better part, which will not be taken away from her.”