A Regal Response To Holy Light

As Daughters Light the Seven Lamps

Sunday School Zoom Link

AME Zion Universal Reading December 20th 2020

Matthew 2:7–15 (NLT):

7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

The Escape to Egypt

13 After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, 15 and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”

First Portion

Genesis Chapter 41

1It came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh was dreaming, and behold, he was standing by the Nile.2And behold, from the Nile were coming up seven cows, of handsome appearance and robust flesh, and they pastured in the marshland.3And behold, seven other cows were coming up after them from the Nile, of ugly appearance and lean of flesh, and they stood beside the cows [which were] on the Nile bank.4And the cows of ugly appearance and lean of flesh devoured the seven cows that were of handsome appearance and healthy; then Pharaoh awoke.5And he fell asleep and dreamed again, and behold, seven ears of grain were growing on one stalk, healthy and good.6And behold, seven ears of grain, thin and beaten by the east wind, were growing up after them.7And the thin ears of grain swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears of grain; then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, a dream.8Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; so he sent and called all the necromancers of Egypt and all its sages, and Pharaoh related to them his dream, but no one interpreted them for Pharaoh.9Now the chief cupbearer spoke with Pharaoh, saying, "I call to mind my faults today.10Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he put me in prison, in the house of the chief slaughterer, me and the chief baker.11And we dreamed a dream on the same night, I and he; each one according to the interpretation of his dream, we dreamed.12And there with us was a Hebrew lad, a slave of the chief slaughterer, and we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; [for] each [of us], he interpreted according to his dream.13And it came to pass that just as he had interpreted, so it was; me he restored to my position, and him he hanged."14So Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they rushed him from the dungeon, and he shaved and changed his clothes, and he [then] came to Pharaoh.

Monday

Exodus 1:15–21 (NLT):

15 Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah: 16 “When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, too.

18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives. “Why have you done this?” he demanded. “Why have you allowed the boys to live?”

19 “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women,” the midwives replied. “They are more vigorous and have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time.”

20 So God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

Second Portion

Genesis Chapter 41

15And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter for it, but I have heard it said of you [that] you understand a dream, to interpret it."16And Joseph replied to Pharaoh, saying, "Not I; God will give an answer [that will bring] peace to Pharaoh."17And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile.18And behold, seven cows of robust flesh and handsome form were ascending from the Nile, and they pastured in the marshland.19And behold, seven other cows were ascending after them, emaciated and of very ugly form and with meager flesh; I have not seen such ugly ones throughout the entire land of Egypt.20And the meager and ugly cows devoured the first seven healthy cows.21And they went inside them, but it was not known that they had gone inside of them, for their appearance was as ugly as in the beginning; then I awoke.22Then I saw in my dream, and behold, seven ears of grain were growing on one stalk, full and good.23And behold, seven ears of grain, hardened, thin, and beaten by the east wind, were growing up after them.24And the thin ears of grain swallowed up the seven good ears of grain; I told the necromancers, but no one tells me [its meaning]."25And Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's dream is one; what God is doing He has told Pharaoh.26The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears of grain are seven years; it is one dream.27And the seven meager and ugly cows coming up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears of grain, beaten by the east wind, will be seven years of famine.28It is this matter that I have spoken to Pharaoh; what God is about to do He has shown Pharaoh.29Behold, seven years are coming, great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt.30And seven years of famine will arise after them, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will destroy the land.31And the plenty will not be known because of that famine to follow, for it [will be] very severe.32And concerning the repetition of the dream to Pharaoh twice that is because the matter is ready [to emanate] from God, and God is hastening to execute it.33So now, let Pharaoh seek out an understanding and wise man and appoint him over the land of Egypt.34Let Pharaoh do [this] and appoint officials over the land and prepare the land of Egypt during the seven years of plenty.35And let them collect all the food of these coming good years, and let them gather the grain under Pharaoh's hand, food in the cities, and keep it.36Thus the food will remain as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will be in the land of Egypt, so that the land will not be destroyed by the famine."37The matter pleased Pharaoh and all his servants.38So Pharaoh said to his servants, "Will we find [anyone] like this, a man in whom there is the spirit of God?"

Tuesday

1 Kings 3:4–14 (NLT):

5 That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”

6 Solomon replied, “You showed great and faithful love to your servant my father, David, because he was honest and true and faithful to you. And you have continued to show this great and faithful love to him today by giving him a son to sit on his throne.

7 “Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. 8 And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! 9 Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?”

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. 11 So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies—12 I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! 13 And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life! 14 And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.”

Third Portion

Genesis Chapter 41

39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has let you know all this, there is no one as understanding and wise as you.40You shall be [appointed] over my household, and through your command all my people shall be nourished; only [with] the throne will I be greater than you."41So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Look, I have appointed you over the entire land of Egypt."42And Pharaoh removed his ring from his hand and placed it on Joseph's hand, and he attired him [with] raiment of fine linen, and he placed the golden chain around his neck.43And he had him ride in his chariot of second rank, and they called out before him, "[This is] the king's patron," appointing him over the entire land of Egypt.44And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and besides you, no one may lift his hand or his foot in the entire land of Egypt."45And Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath Pa'neach, and he gave him Asenath the daughter of Poti phera, the governor of On, for a wife, and Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt.46And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and Joseph went out from before Pharaoh and passed through the entire land of Egypt.47And in the seven years of plenty, [the inhabitants of] the land gathered [food] by handfuls.48And he collected all the food of the seven years that was in the land of Egypt, and he placed food in the cities, the food of the field surrounding the city, he put within it.49And Joseph gathered grain like the sand of the sea, in great abundance, until [one] stopped counting, because there was no number.50And to Joseph were born two sons before the year of the famine set in, whom Asenath the daughter of Poti phera, the governor of On, bore to him.51And Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, for "God has caused me to forget all my toil and all my father's house."52And the second one he named Ephraim, for "God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."

Wednesday

Daniel 1:8–17 (NLT):

8 But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. 9 Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. 10 But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.”

11 Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 12 “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. 13 “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” 14 The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.

15 At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. 16 So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.

17 God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.

Fourth Portion

Genesis Chapter 41

53And the seven years of plenty that were in the land of Egypt were finished.54And the seven years of famine began, as Joseph had said, and there was famine in all the lands, but throughout the land of Egypt there was bread.55When the entire land of Egypt hungered, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread, but Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph; what he tells you, do."56Now the famine spread over all the face of the land, and Joseph opened all [the storehouses] in which there was [grain], and he sold [it] to the Egyptians, and the famine intensified in the land of Egypt.57And all [the inhabitants of] the land came to Egypt to Joseph to purchase, for the famine had intensified in the entire land.Genesis Chapter 42 1Jacob saw that there was grain being sold in Egypt; so Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you appear satiated?"2And he said, "Behold, I have heard that there is grain being sold in Egypt. Go down there and buy us [some] from there, so that we will live and not die."3So Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.4But Joseph's brother, Benjamin, Jacob did not send with his brothers, because, he said, "Lest misfortune befall him."5So the sons of Israel came to purchase among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.6Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; it was he who sold grain to the entire populace of the land, and Joseph's brothers came and prostrated themselves to him, with their faces to the ground.7And Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but he made himself a stranger to them, and he spoke to them harshly, and he said to them, "Where do you come from?" And they said, "From the land of Canaan to purchase food."8Now Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.9And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, "You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land."10And they said to him, "No, my master, your servants have come to buy food.11We are all sons of one man. We are honest. Your servants were never spies."12But he said to them, "No! But you have come to see the nakedness of the land."13And they said, "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is gone."14And Joseph said to them, "This is just what I have spoken to you, saying, 'You are spies.'15With this you shall be tested: By Pharaoh's life, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.16Send one of you and let him fetch your brother, and you will be imprisoned so that your words will be tested whether truth is with you, and if not, as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!"17And he put them in prison for three days.18On the third day, Joseph said to them: "Do this and live I fear God.

Thursday

Galatians 3:24–29 (NLT):

25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.

26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

Fifth Portion

Genesis Chapter 42

19If you are honest, your one brother will be confined in your prison, and you, go bring the grain for the hunger of your households.20And bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified, and you will not die." And they did so.21And they said to one another, "Indeed, we are guilty for our brother, that we witnessed the distress of his soul when he begged us, and we did not listen. That is why this trouble has come upon us."22And Reuben answered them, saying, "Didn't I tell you, saying, 'Do not sin against the lad,' but you did not listen? Behold, his blood, too, is being demanded!"23They did not know that Joseph understood, for the interpreter was between them.24And he turned away from them and wept, then returned to them and spoke to them; and he took Simeon from among them and imprisoned him before their eyes.25And Joseph commanded, and they filled their vessels with grain, and [he commanded] to return their money into each one's sack, and to give them provisions for the journey, and he did so for them.26And they loaded their grain upon their donkeys, and they went away from there.27The one opened his sack to give fodder to his donkey at the lodging place, and he saw his money there it was, in the mouth of his sack.28And he said to his brothers, "My money has been returned, and indeed, here it is in my sack! " Their hearts sank, and trembling, they turned to one another, saying, "What is this that God has done to us?"29And they came to Jacob their father, to the land of Canaan, and they told him all that had befallen them, saying,30"The man, the lord of the land, spoke to us harshly, and he accused us of spying on the land.31And we said to him, 'We are honest; we were never spies.32We are twelve brothers, the sons of our father; one is gone, and today the youngest is with our father in the land of Canaan.'33And the man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'With this I will know that you are honest; leave one of your brothers with me, and [what is needed for] the hunger of your households, take and go.34And bring your youngest brother to me, so that I will know that you are not spies, that you are honest; [then] I will give you your brother, and you may travel around in the land.' "35And it came to pass that they were emptying their sacks and behold! Each one's bundle of money was in his sack; they saw the bundles of their money, they and their father, and they became frightened.36And their father Jacob said to them, "You have bereaved me-Joseph is gone, and Simeon is gone, and you want to take Benjamin! All these troubles have come upon me."37And Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "You may put my two sons to death if I don't bring him (Benjamin) to you. Put him into my hand[s] and I will return him to you."38But he (Jacob) said, "My son shall not go down with you, because his brother is dead, and he alone is left, and if misfortune befalls him on the way you are going, you will bring down my gray head in sorrow to the grave."Genesis Chapter 43 1But the hunger was severe in the land.2And it came to pass, when they finished eating the grain that they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, "Go back [and] buy us a little food."3But Judah spoke to him, saying, "The man warned us repeatedly, saying, 'You shall not see my face if your brother is not with you.'4If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you.5But if you do not send [him], we will not go down, because the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face if your brother is not with you.' "6And Israel said, "Why have you harmed me, by telling the man that you have another brother?"7They said, "The man asked about us and about our family, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have a brother?' And we told him according to these words. Could we have known that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?"8And Judah said to Israel, his father, "Send the lad with me, and we will get up and go, and we will live and not die, both we and you and also our young children.9I will guarantee him; from my hand you can demand him. If I do not bring him to you and stand him up before you, I will have sinned against you forever.10For had we not tarried, by now we would have already returned twice."11So Israel, their father, said to them, "If so, then do this: take some of the choice products of the land in your vessels, and take down to the man as a gift, a little balm and a little honey, wax and lotus, pistachios and almonds.12And take double the money in your hand[s], and the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks you shall return in your hand[s], perhaps it was an error.13And take your brother, and get up, go back to the man.14And may the Almighty God grant you compassion before the man, and he will release to you your other brother and Benjamin, and as for me as I am bereaved, I am bereaved."15So the men took this gift, and they took double the money in their hand[s] and Benjamin, and they got up and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

Friday

Micah 5:1–5 (NLT):

1  Mobilize! Marshal your troops!

The enemy is laying siege to Jerusalem.

They will strike Israel’s leader

in the face with a rod.

A Ruler from Bethlehem

2  But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

are only a small village among all the people of Judah.

Yet a ruler of Israel

whose origins are in the distant past,

will come from you on my behalf.

3 The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies

until the woman in labor gives birth.

Then at last his fellow countrymen

will return from exile to their own land.

4 And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength,

in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

Then his people will live there undisturbed,

for he will be highly honored around the world.

5 And he will be the source of peace.

When the Assyrians invade our land

and break through our defenses,

we will appoint seven rulers to watch over us,

eight princes to lead us.

Sixth Portion

Genesis Chapter 43

16[When] Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the overseer of his house, "Bring the men into the house and [give orders] to slaughter an animal and to prepare, for the men will eat with me at lunch."17And the man did as Joseph had said, and the man brought the men into Joseph's house.18Now the men were frightened because they had been brought into Joseph's house, and they said, "On account of the money that came back in our sacks at first, we are brought, to roll upon us and to fall upon us and to take us as slaves and our donkeys [as well]."19So they drew near the man who was over Joseph's house, and they spoke to him at the entrance of the house.20And they said, "Please, my lord, we came down at first to purchase food.21And it came to pass when we came to the lodging place that we opened our sacks, and behold! each man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; and we returned it in our hand[s].22And we brought down other money in our hand[s] to purchase food. We do not know who put our money into our sacks."23And he said, "Peace to you; fear not. Your God and the God of your father gave you a treasure in your sacks; your money came to me." And he brought Simeon out to them.24Then the man brought the men (the brothers) into Joseph's house, and he gave [them] water, and they washed their feet, and he gave fodder to their donkeys.25And they prepared the gift until Joseph would come at lunchtime, for they heard that there they would eat bread.26And Joseph came home, and they brought him the gift that was in their hand[s], into the house, and they prostrated themselves to him to the ground.27He inquired after their welfare, and he said to them, "Is your elderly father, whom you mentioned, well? Is he still alive?"28And they said, "Your servant, our father, is well; he is still alive." And they bowed and prostrated themselves.29And he lifted his eyes and saw Benjamin, his brother, the son of his mother, and he said, "Is this your little brother, whom you told me about?" And he said, "May God favor you, my son. "

Seventh Portion

Genesis Chapter 43

30And Joseph hastened, for his mercy was stirred toward his brother, and he wanted to weep; so he went into the room and wept there.31And he washed his face and came out, and he restrained himself and said, "Serve the food."32And they set for him separately and for them separately, and for the Egyptians who ate with him separately, because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, because it is an abomination to the Egyptians.33They sat before him, the firstborn according to his age, and the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked at each other in astonishment.34And he had portions brought to them from before him, and Benjamin's portion was five times as large as the portions of any of them, and they drank and became intoxicated with him.Genesis Chapter 44 1Then he commanded the overseer of his house, saying, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money into the mouth of his sack.2And my goblet, the silver goblet, put into the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his purchase money." And he did according to Joseph's word, which he had spoken.3The morning became light, and the men were sent [on their way] they and their donkeys.4They had exited the city, but had not gone far when Joseph said to the overseer of his house, "Get up, pursue the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid good with evil?5Is not this the one my master drinks from? Why, he even divines with it! You have done evil by the way you have acted.' "6He overtook them, and he said these words to them.7And they said to him, "Why should my master say such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do a thing like this!8Behold, the money we found in the mouth of our sacks we returned to you from the land of Canaan; so how could we steal from your master's house silver or gold?9Whichever one of your servants with whom it is found shall die, and also we will be slaves to my master."10And he said, "Now indeed, so it is as you have spoken. [But] the one with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be cleared."11So they hastened, and each one lowered his sack to the ground, and each one opened his sack.12He searched; he started with the eldest and finished with the youngest, and the goblet was found in Benjamin's sack.13So they rent their garments, and each one loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.14And Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and he was still there, and they fell before him upon the ground.15And Joseph said to them, "What is this deed that you have committed? Don't you know that a person like me practices divination?"16And Judah said, "What shall we say to my master? What shall we speak, and how shall we exonerate ourselves? God has found your servants' iniquity, behold, we are my lord's servants, both we and the one in whose possession the goblet has been found."17But he said, "Far be it from me to do this! The man in whose possession the goblet was found he shall be my slave, but as for you go up in peace to your father."

Saturday

Matthew 2:19–23 (NLT): The Return to Nazareth

19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. 20 “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”

21 So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother. 22 But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee. 23 So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Maftir Portion

Genesis Chapter 44

14And Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and he was still there, and they fell before him upon the ground.15And Joseph said to them, "What is this deed that you have committed? Don't you know that a person like me practices divination?"16And Judah said, "What shall we say to my master? What shall we speak, and how shall we exonerate ourselves? God has found your servants' iniquity, behold, we are my lord's servants, both we and the one in whose possession the goblet has been found."17But he said, "Far be it from me to do this! The man in whose possession the goblet was found he shall be my slave, but as for you go up in peace to your father."

Haftarah

I Kings Chapter 3

15And Solomon awoke, and behold (it was) a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.16Then came two women, harlots, to the king, and stood before him.17And the one woman said, "Oh, my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I gave birth to a child with her in the house.18And it came to pass the third day after I had given birth, that this woman gave birth also; and we (were) together, (there was) no stranger with us in the house, besides us two in the house.19And this woman's son died at night; because she had lain on him.20And she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me, while your handmaid slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom.21And I rose in the morning to nurse my son, and behold he was dead, but I looked closely at him in the morning, and behold, it was not my son whom I had borne."22And the other woman said, "Not so, the living (is) my son, and the dead (is) your son," and this one said, "Not so, the dead (is) your son, and the living (is) my son." Thus they spoke before the king.23And the king said, "This one says, 'This (is) my son that lives, and your son (is) the dead, and the other says, 'Not so, your son (is) the dead, and my son (is) the living.' "24And the king said, "Fetch me a sword." And they brought a sword before the king.25And the king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.26And the woman whose son (was) the live one, said to the king, for her compassion was aroused for her son, and she said, "O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means slay him." But the other said, "Let it be neither mine nor yours, divide (it)."27And the king answered and said, "Give her the living child, and by no means slay him: she (is) his mother."28And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king; for they saw that the wisdom of God (was) in him to do judgment.I Kings Chapter 4 1And King Solomon was king over all Israel.