The Wartburg Project

Daily Lectionary

April 12, 2025

April 11, 2025 April 13, 2025

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.

Exodus 7:1-25

Moses and Aaron Appear Before Pharaoh
71The Lord said to Moses, “Look, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet. 2You are to speak everything that I command you, and Aaron your brother is to speak to Pharaoh, so that he will let the Israelites go out from his land. 3But I will make Pharaoh's heart stubborn.[] I will multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. 4Pharaoh will not listen to you, so I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my divisions, my people the Israelites, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand over Egypt, and I bring out the Israelites from their midst.”
6This is what Moses and Aaron did. Just as the Lord commanded them, that is exactly what they did. 7Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Aaron's Staff Becomes a Snake
8The Lord said to Moses and to Aaron, 9“When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Give us a warning sign,’ then you are to tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down in front of Pharaoh, and it will become a snake.’”
10Then Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They did just as the Lord had commanded. Aaron threw down his staff in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11But then Pharaoh also called for his wise men and sorcerers. Those magicians[] of Egypt did the same thing by their occult practices. 12They each threw down their staffs, and those staffs became snakes. However, Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. 13But Pharaoh's heart was hard,[] and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
The First Plague: Water to Blood
14Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh's heart is unyielding.[] He refuses to let the people go. 15Go to Pharaoh in the morning. When he goes out by the water, stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him. Take in your hand the staff that was turned into a snake.
16“You are to tell him: ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you. He says, “Let my people go so that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But look, until now you have not listened. 17So this is what the Lord says: “In this way, you will know that I am the Lord.” Look! With the staff that is in my hand, I will strike the water in the Nile, and it will be turned to blood. 18The fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink water from the Nile.’”
19The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over its rivers, its streams, its ponds, and all the reservoirs—and they will become blood. There will be blood in the entire land of Egypt, even in containers made of wood and stone.’”
20Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and his officials, Aaron lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile. All the water in the Nile was turned to blood. 21The fish that were in the river died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians were not able to drink water from the Nile. There was blood in the entire land of Egypt. 22But the magicians of Egypt did the same thing by their occult practices. So Pharaoh's heart was hard, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had told them. 23Pharaoh turned and went to his palace. He did not take to heart even this. 24All the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they were not able to drink the water from the Nile. 25Seven days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.

Mark 16:1-20

The Resurrection
(Matthew 28:1-10; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-10)
161When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could go and anoint Jesus. 2Very early on the first day of the week, at sunrise, they went to the tomb. 3They were saying to each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb for us?” 4When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.
5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6He said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
8They went out and hurried away from the tomb, trembling and perplexed. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
The Risen Savior Appears
(Matthew 28:11-20; Luke 24:9-53; John 20:11–21:25)
9After Jesus had risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10She went and reported to those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe it.
12After these things, Jesus appeared in another form to two of them as they were walking along on their way to the country. 13These two also returned and reported it to the rest. But they did not believe them either.
14Later, he appeared to the Eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table. He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
15He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
17“These signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons. They will speak in new languages. 18They will pick up snakes. And if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them. They will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well.”
19Then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
20Those who went out preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.[]