Open Word

FIRST READING

Isaiah 30:19-26

Verse 19. O people in Zion who dwell in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will surely be gracious when you cry for help; when He hears, He will answer you. Verse 20. The Lord will give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, but your Teacher will no longer hide Himself — with your own eyes you will see Him. Verse 21. And whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.” Verse 22. So you will desecrate your silver-plated idols and your gold-plated images. You will throw them away like menstrual cloths, saying to them, “Be gone!” Verse 23. Then He will send rain for the seed that you have sown in the ground, and the food that comes from your land will be rich and plentiful. On that day your cattle will graze in open pastures. Verse 24. The oxen and donkeys that work the ground will eat salted fodder, winnowed with shovel and pitchfork. Verse 25. And from every high mountain and every raised hill, streams of water will flow in the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall. Verse 26. The light of the moon will be as bright as the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter— like the light of seven days— on the day that the LORD binds up the brokenness of His people and heals the wounds He has inflicted.

PSALM

Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19

Of Solomon. Endow the king with Your justice, O God, and the son of the king with Your righteousness.

May he judge Your people with righteousness and Your afflicted with justice.

May the mountains bring peace to the people, and the hills bring righteousness.

May he vindicate the afflicted among the people; may he save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor.

May they fear him as long as the sun shines, as long as the moon remains, through all generations.

May he be like rain that falls on freshly cut grass, like spring showers that water the earth.

May the righteous flourish in his days and prosperity abound until the moon is no more.

Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.

And blessed be His glorious name forever; may all the earth be filled with His glory. Amen and amen.

SECOND READING

Acts 13:16-25

Verse 16. Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and began to speak: “Men of Israel and you Gentiles who fear God, listen to me! Verse 17. The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers. He made them into a great people during their stay in Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out of that land. Verse 18. He endured their conduct for about forty years in the wilderness. Verse 19. And having vanquished seven nations in Canaan, He gave their land to His people as an inheritance. Verse 20. All this took about 450 years. After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. Verse 21. Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. Verse 22. After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety.’ Verse 23. From the descendants of this man, God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised. Verse 24. Before the arrival of Jesus, John preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. Verse 25. As John was completing his course, he said, ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not that One. But there is One coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’