The Wartburg Project

Daily Lectionary

March 21, 2026

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.

Genesis 49:29-50:7, 14-26

29He instructed them and said to them, “I am going to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, which is near Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham purchased along with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place. 31There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. 32The field and the cave that is in it was purchased from the descendants of Heth.”[]
The Death and Burial of Jacob
33When Jacob finished instructing his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, breathed his last breath, and was gathered to his people.
501Joseph put his face against his father's face, wept over him, and kissed him. 2Joseph commanded the physicians who served him to embalm his father, so the physicians embalmed Israel. 3Forty days were set aside for him, for that is how many days it takes to embalm. The Egyptians mourned for him for seventy days.
4When the days of mourning for Jacob were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh. He said, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak directly to Pharaoh for me and say 5that my father made me take an oath. He said to me, ‘Look, I am dying. Bury me in my tomb that I have dug for myself in the land of Canaan.’ Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will return here again.”
6Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, just as he made you swear to do.”
7Joseph went up to bury his father, and all the officials of Pharaoh went up with him: the senior officials of Pharaoh's household, all the elders of the land of Egypt,
14After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt—he and his brothers, and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.
Joseph and His Brothers
15When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and will pay us back in full for all of the evil that we did to him.”
16They sent the following message to Joseph: “Before he died your father commanded us, 17‘You are to tell Joseph, “Please forgive the offense of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ Now, please forgive the offense of the servants of the God of your father.”
Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
18His brothers also came and fell down in front of him, and they said, “See now, we are your servants.”
19Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring this to pass and to keep many people alive, as it is this day. 21Now therefore, do not be afraid. I will nourish you and your little ones.” He comforted them and spoke to them in a kind way.
The Death of Joseph
22Joseph lived in Egypt, he and his father's household. Joseph lived one hundred ten years. 23He saw Ephraim's children to the third generation. The children also of Makir, the son of Manasseh, were placed on Joseph's knees when they were born. 24Joseph said to his brothers, “I am dying, but God will surely visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25Joseph made the descendants of Israel swear an oath. He said, “God will surely visit you. Then you shall carry my bones up from here.” 26So Joseph died when he was one hundred ten years old, and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Mark 14:1-11

The Plot to Kill Jesus
141It was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the experts in the law were looking for some deceptive way to arrest Jesus and kill him. 2“Certainly not during the Festival,” they said, “or there will be a riot among the people.”
Mary Anoints Jesus
3While Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made from pure nard. She broke the alabaster jar and poured it over his head. 4But there were some who were indignant and said to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? 5Certainly this perfume could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii[] and given to the poor!” And they began to scold her.
6But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing for me. 7In fact, you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you are not always going to have me. 8She did what she could. She anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9Amen I tell you: Wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman did will also be told in memory of her.”
Judas Plans to Betray Jesus
10Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray Jesus to them. 11When they heard this, they were glad and promised to give him money. So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.