Thursday in Lent — Open Word

FIRST READING

Daniel 9:1-14

Verse 1. In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes, a Mede by descent, who was made ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans — Verse 2. in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the sacred books, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. Verse 3. So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. Verse 4. And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments, Verse 5. we have sinned and done wrong. We have acted wickedly and rebelled. We have turned away from Your commandments and ordinances. Verse 6. We have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, leaders, fathers, and all the people of the land. Verse 7. To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but this day we are covered with shame— the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and all Israel near and far, in all the countries to which You have driven us because of our unfaithfulness to You. Verse 8. O LORD, we are covered with shame — our kings, our leaders, and our fathers — because we have sinned against You. Verse 9. To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, even though we have rebelled against Him Verse 10. and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God to walk in His laws, which He set before us through His servants the prophets. Verse 11. All Israel has transgressed Your law and turned away, refusing to obey Your voice; so the oath and the curse written in the Law of Moses the servant of God has been poured out on us, because we have sinned against You. Verse 12. You have carried out the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us a great disaster. For under all of heaven, nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. Verse 13. Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquities and giving attention to Your truth. Verse 14. Therefore the LORD has kept the calamity in store and brought it upon us. For the LORD our God is righteous in all He does; yet we have not obeyed His voice.

PSALM

Psalm 25:1-10

Of David. To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul;

in You, my God, I trust. Do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.

Surely none who wait for You will be put to shame; but those who engage in treachery without cause will be disgraced.

Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths.

Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; all day long I wait for You.

Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and loving devotion, for they are from age to age.

Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my rebellious acts; remember me according to Your loving devotion, because of Your goodness, O LORD.

Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He shows sinners the way.

He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.

All the LORD’s ways are loving and faithful to those who keep His covenant and His decrees.

SECOND READING

1 John 1:3-10

Verse 3. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. Verse 4. We write these things so that our joy may be complete. Verse 5. And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. Verse 6. If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. Verse 7. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. Verse 8. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. Verse 9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Verse 10. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.