Open Word

Semicontinuous (Track 1)

FIRST READING

Genesis 48:15-22

Verse 15. Then he blessed Joseph and said: “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, Verse 16. the angel who has redeemed me from all harm— may He bless these boys. And may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth.” Verse 17. When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was displeased and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s. Verse 18. “Not so, my father!” Joseph said. “This one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.” Verse 19. But his father refused. “I know, my son, I know!” he said. “He too shall become a people, and he too shall be great; nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” Verse 20. So that day Jacob blessed them and said: “By you shall Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” So he put Ephraim before Manasseh. Verse 21. Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. Verse 22. And to you, as one who is above your brothers, I give the ridge of land that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”

PSALM

Psalm 100

A Psalm of thanksgiving. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.

Serve the LORD with gladness; come into His presence with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and bless His name.

For the LORD is good, and His loving devotion endures forever; His faithfulness continues to all generations.

Complementary (Track 2)

FIRST READING

1 Kings 22:13-23

Verse 13. Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah instructed him, “Behold now, with one accord the words of the prophets are favorable to the king. So please let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.” Verse 14. But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I will speak whatever the LORD tells me.” Verse 15. When Micaiah arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?” “Go up and triumph,” Micaiah replied, “for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.” Verse 16. But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the LORD?” Verse 17. So Micaiah declared: “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These people have no master; let each one return home in peace.’” Verse 18. Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good for me, but only bad?” Verse 19. Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. Verse 20. And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one suggested this, and another that. Verse 21. Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ‘By what means?’ asked the LORD. Verse 22. And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’ Verse 23. So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”

PSALM

Psalm 95:1-7a

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout to the Rock of our salvation!

Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him in song.

For the LORD is a great God, a great King above all gods.

In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him.

The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land.

O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care.

SECOND READING

Revelation 14:1-11

Verse 1. Then I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads. Verse 2. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of many waters and the loud rumbling of thunder. And the sound I heard was like harpists strumming their harps. Verse 3. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. Verse 4. These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. Verse 5. And no lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless. Verse 6. Then I saw another angel flying overhead, with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth — to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. Verse 7. And he said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and the springs of waters.” Verse 8. Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.” Verse 9. And a third angel followed them, calling out in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on his forehead or on his hand, Verse 10. he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. Verse 11. And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. Day and night there is no rest for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”