Open Word

Semicontinuous (Track 1)

FIRST READING

1 Samuel 15:34 - 16:13

Verse 34. Then Samuel went to Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. Verse 35. And to the day of his death, Samuel never again visited Saul. Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel. Verse 1. Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from his sons a king for Myself.” Verse 2. “How can I go?” Samuel asked. “Saul will hear of it and kill me!” The LORD answered, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ Verse 3. Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you are to do. You are to anoint for Me the one I indicate.” Verse 4. So Samuel did what the LORD had said and went to Bethlehem. When the elders of the town met him, they trembled and asked, “Do you come in peace?” Verse 5. “In peace,” he replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. Verse 6. When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Surely here before the LORD is His anointed.” Verse 7. But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.” Verse 8. Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel, who said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” Verse 9. Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” Verse 10. Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel told him, “The LORD has not chosen any of these.” Verse 11. And Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied, “but he is tending the sheep.” “Send for him,” Samuel replied. “For we will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” Verse 12. So Jesse sent for his youngest son and brought him in. He was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him, for he is the one.” Verse 13. So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.

PSALM

Psalm 20

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

May He send you help from the sanctuary and sustain you from Zion.

May He remember all your gifts and look favorably on your burnt offerings.

May He give you the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

May we shout for joy at your victory and raise a banner in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your petitions.

Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He answers him from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand.

Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

They collapse and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.

O LORD, save the king. Answer us on the day we call.

Complementary (Track 2)

FIRST READING

Ezekiel 17:22-24

Verse 22. This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take a shoot from the lofty top of the cedar, and I will set it out. I will pluck a tender sprig from its topmost shoots, and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. Verse 23. I will plant it on the mountain heights of Israel so that it will bear branches; it will yield fruit and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind will nest under it, taking shelter in the shade of its branches. Verse 24. Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD. I bring the tall tree down and make the low tree tall. I dry up the green tree and make the withered tree flourish. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done it.’”

PSALM

Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15

A Psalm. A song for the Sabbath day. It is good to praise the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High,

to proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning and Your faithfulness at night

with the ten-stringed harp and the melody of the lyre.

For You, O LORD, have made me glad by Your deeds; I sing for joy at the works of Your hands.

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.

In old age they will still bear fruit; healthy and green they will remain,

to proclaim, “The LORD is upright; He is my Rock, and in Him there is no unrighteousness.”

SECOND READING

2 Corinthians 5:6-10, (11-13), 14-17

Verse 6. Therefore we are always confident, although we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. Verse 7. For we walk by faith, not by sight. Verse 8. We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. Verse 9. So we aspire to please Him, whether we are at home in this body or away from it. Verse 10. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad. Verse 11. Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is clear to God, and I hope it is clear to your conscience as well. Verse 12. We are not commending ourselves to you again. Instead, we are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you can answer those who take pride in appearances rather than in the heart. Verse 13. If we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. Verse 14. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died. Verse 15. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again. Verse 16. So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Verse 17. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!

GOSPEL

Mark 4:26-34

Verse 26. Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. Verse 27. Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how. Verse 28. All by itself the earth produces a crop— first the stalk, then the head, then grain that ripens within. Verse 29. And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come. ” Verse 30. Then He asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we present it? Verse 31. It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth. Verse 32. But after it is planted, it grows to be the largest of all garden plants and puts forth great branches, so that the birds of the air nest in its shade.” Verse 33. With many such parables Jesus spoke the word to them, to the extent that they could understand. Verse 34. He did not tell them anything without using a parable. But privately He explained everything to His own disciples.