AME Zion Universal Reading

February 28th 2021

Sunday School Zoom Link

Queries of Kings

First Portion

Exodus Chapter 27

20And you shall command the children of Israel, and they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed for lighting, to kindle the lamps continually.21In the Tent of Meeting, outside the dividing curtain that is in front of the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall set it up before the Lord from evening to morning; [it shall be] an everlasting statute for their generations, from the children of Israel.Exodus Chapter 28 1And you bring near to yourself your brother Aaron, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel to serve Me [as kohanim]: Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.2You shall make holy garments for your brother Aaron, for honor and glory.3And you shall speak to all the wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, and they shall make Aaron's garments to sanctify him, [so] that he serve Me [as a kohen].4And these are the garments that they shall make: a choshen, an ephod, a robe, a tunic of checker work, a cap, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for your brother Aaron and for his sons to serve Me [as kohanim].5They shall take the gold, the blue, purple, and crimson wool, and the linen,6and they shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and crimson wool, and twisted fine linen, the work of a master weaver.7It shall have two connected shoulder straps at both its ends, and it shall be entirely connected.8And its decorative band, which is above it, shall be of the same work, [emanating] from it: gold, blue, purple, and crimson wool, and twisted fine linen.9And you shall take two shoham stones and engrave upon them the names of the sons of Israel.10Six of their names on one stone and the names of the remaining six on the second stone, according to their births.11[Similar to] the work of an engraver of gems, [similar to] the engravings of a seal, you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel; you shall make them enclosed in gold settings.12And you shall put the two stones upon the shoulder straps of the ephod as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall carry their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders as a remembrance.

Acts 16:11–15 (NLT): Lydia of Philippi Believes in Jesus

11 We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis. 12 From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days.

13 On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there. 14 One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. 15 She and her household were baptized, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed.

Acts 16:40 (NLT):

40 When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.

1 Corinthians 1:26–30 (NLT):

26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.

Second Portion

Exodus Chapter 28

13You shall make settings of gold,14and two chains of pure gold you will make them attached to the edges, after the manner of cables, and you will place the cable chains upon the settings.15You shall make a choshen of judgment, the work of a master weaver. You shall make it like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, purple, and crimson wool, and twisted fine linen shall you make it.16It shall be square [and] doubled; its length one span and its width one span.17And you shall fill into it stone fillings, four rows of stones. One row: odem, pitdah, and bareketh; thus shall the one row be.18The second row: nofech, sappir, and yahalom.19The third row: leshem, shevo, and achlamah.20And the fourth row: tarshish, shoham, and yashpheh; they shall be set in gold in their fillings.21And the stones shall be for the names of the sons of Israel twelve, corresponding to their names; [similar to] the engravings of a seal, every one according to his name shall they be, for the twelve tribes.22You shall make for the choshen chains at the edges, of cable work, of pure gold.23You shall make for the choshen two golden rings, and you shall place the two rings on the two ends of the choshen,24and you shall place the two golden cables on the two rings, at the ends of the choshen.25And the two ends of the two cables you shall place upon the two settings, and [these] you shall place upon the shoulder straps of the ephod, on its front part.26You shall make two golden rings, and you shall place them on the two ends of the choshen, on its edge that is toward the inner side of the ephod.27And you shall make two golden rings and place them on the two shoulder straps of the ephod, from below, toward its front, adjacent to its seam, above the band of the ephod.28And they shall fasten the choshen by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it may be upon the band of the ephod, and the choshen will not move off the ephod.29Thus shall Aaron carry the names of the sons of Israel in the choshen of judgment over his heart when he enters the Holy, as a remembrance before the Lord at all times.30You shall place the Urim and the Tummim into the choshen of judgment so that they will be over Aaron's heart when he comes before the Lord, and Aaron will carry the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the Lord at all times.

Monday

1 Peter 4:7–11 (NLT):

7 The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. 8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.

10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

Third Portion

Exodus Chapter 28

31And you shall make the robe of the ephod completely of blue wool.32Its opening at the top shall be turned inward; its opening shall have a border around it, the work of a weaver. It shall have [an opening] like the opening of a coat of armor; it shall not be torn.33And on its bottom hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson wool, on its bottom hem all around, and golden bells in their midst all around.34A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, on the bottom hem of the robe, all around.35It shall be on Aaron when he performs the service, and its sound shall be heard when he enters the Holy before the Lord and when he leaves, so that he will not die.36And you shall make a showplate of pure gold, and you shall engrave upon it like the engraving of a seal: Holy to the Lord."37And you shall place it upon a cord of blue wool and it shall go over the cap, and it shall be opposite the front side of the cap.38It shall be upon Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity of the holy things that the children of Israel sanctify, for all their holy gifts. It shall be upon his forehead constantly to make them favorable before the Lord.39You shall make the linen tunic of checker work, and you shall make a linen cap; and you shall make a sash of embroidery work.40For Aaron's sons you shall make tunics and make them sashes, and you shall make them high hats for honor and glory.41With these you shall clothe Aaron, your brother, and his sons along with him, and you shall anoint them and invest them with full authority and sanctify them so that they may serve Me [as kohanim].42And make for them linen pants to cover the flesh of [their] nakedness; they shall reach from the waist down to the thighs.43They shall be worn by Aaron and by his sons when they enter the Tent of Meeting or when they approach the altar to serve in the Holy, so they will not bear iniquity and die. It shall be a perpetual statute for him and for his descendants after him.

Tuesday

Romans 12:9–19 (NLT):

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;

I will pay them back,”

says the Lord.

Fourth Portion

Exodus Chapter 29

1And this is the thing that you shall do for them to sanctify them to serve Me [as kohanim]: take one young bull and two rams, perfect ones.2And unleavened bread and unleavened loaves mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil; you shall make them out of fine wheat flour.3And you shall place them upon a basket, and you shall bring them in the basket, and the bull and the two rams.4And you shall bring Aaron and his sons near the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and you shall bathe them in water.5And you shall take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, with the robe of the ephod, with the ephod, and with the choshen, and you shall adorn him with the band of the ephod.6You shall place the cap upon his head and place the holy crown upon the cap.7You shall take the anointing oil and pour [it] on his head and anoint him.8And you shall bring his sons near, and you shall clothe them with tunics.9And you shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and you shall dress them with high hats, and the kehunah will be a perpetual statute for them, and you shall invest Aaron and his sons with full authority.10You shall bring the bull to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lean their hands upon the head of the bull.11You shall [then] slaughter the bull before the Lord, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.12And you shall take [some] of the blood of the bull and apply it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and you shall pour out all the blood upon the base of the altar.13You shall then take all the fat that covers the innards, and the diaphragm with the liver, also the two kidneys and the fat that is upon them, and make them go up in smoke upon the altar.14But the flesh of the bull, its hide and its dung you shall burn in fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.15And you shall take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lean their hands upon the ram's head.16You shall slaughter the ram, and you shall take its blood and sprinkle [it] on the altar all around.17And you shall dissect the ram into its parts, and you shall wash its innards and its legs and put them with its parts and with its head,18and you shall make the entire ram go up in smoke upon the altar; it is a burnt offering made to the Lord; it is a spirit of satisfaction, a fire offering for the Lord.

Wednesday

Acts 16:35–40 (NLT):

35 The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!” 36 So the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.”

37 But Paul replied, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!”

38 When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. 40 When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.

Fifth Portion

Exodus Chapter 29

19And you shall take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lean their hands upon the ram's head.20You shall slaughter the ram, take [some] of its blood and put it upon the cartilage of Aaron's right ear and upon the cartilage of Aaron's sons' right ears, upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the big toes of their right feet, and you shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar all around.21You shall [then] take [some] of the blood that is upon the altar and [some] of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron and upon his garments, upon his sons and upon the garments of his sons with him; thus he will become holy along with his garments, and his sons and their garments with him.22And you shall take out of the ram the fat and the fat tail and the fat that covers the innards, the diaphragm of the liver, the two kidneys along with the fat that is upon them, and the right thigh, for it is a ram of perfection.23And one loaf of bread, one loaf of oil bread, and one wafer from the basket of matzoth that stands before the Lord,24and you shall place it all upon Aaron's palms and upon his sons' palms, and you shall wave them as a waving before the Lord.25You shall then take them from their hand[s] and make them go up in smoke upon the altar with the burnt offering as a spirit of satisfaction before the Lord; it is a fire offering for the Lord.26And you shall take the breast of the ram of perfection which is Aaron's, and wave it as a waving before the Lord, and it will become your portion.27And you shall sanctify the breast of the waving and the thigh of the uplifting, which was waved and which was lifted up, of the ram of perfection, of that which is Aaron's and of that which is his sons'.28And so it shall remain for Aaron and his sons as a perpetual allotment from the children of Israel; for it is an offering, and it shall remain an offering from the children of Israel of their peace offerings; it is their offering to the Lord.29The holy garments that are Aaron's shall be for his sons after him, to be exalted through them and invested with full authority through them.30Seven days shall the one of his sons [who will be] the kohen in his place wear them, the one who is to enter the Tent of Meeting to serve in the Holy.31You shall take the ram of perfection and cook its flesh in a holy place.32Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.33They shall eat those things with which atonement has been effected, in order to invest them with full authority, to sanctify them, but a stranger shall not eat [of them], because they are a sacred thing.34If any of the flesh of the perfection [offering] or of the bread is left over until the next morning, what is left over you shall burn in fire; it shall not be eaten because it is a sacred thing.35So shall you do to Aaron and his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; for seven days you shall perform their investiture.36And a bull as a sin offering you shall offer up every day for the atonements, and you shall purify the altar by performing atonement upon it, and you shall anoint it, in order to sanctify it.37For seven days you shall perform atonement upon the altar and sanctify it. Henceforth, the altar shall be a holy of holies. Whatever touches the altar will be holy.

Thursday

1 Timothy 5:9–10 (NLT):

9 A widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least sixty years old and was faithful to her husband. 10 She must be well respected by everyone because of the good she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers and served other believers humbly? Has she helped those who are in trouble? Has she always been ready to do good?

1 Timothy 3:2 (NLT):

2 So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach.

Sixth Portion

Exodus Chapter 29

38And this is what you shall offer upon the altar: lambs in their first year, two a day, continually.39The one lamb you shall offer up in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer up in the afternoon.40And one tenth of fine flour, thoroughly mixed with a quarter of a hin of crushed [olive] oil, and a libation of one quarter of a hin of wine, for the one lamb.41And the other lamb you shall offer up in the afternoon; you shall offer [it] up like the meal offering of the morning and its libation, as a spirit of satisfaction, a fire offering to the Lord.42It shall be a continual burnt offering for your generations, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting before the Lord, where I will arrange meetings with you, to speak to you there.43There I will arrange meetings with the children of Israel, and it will be sanctified by My glory.44I will sanctify the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and I will sanctify Aaron and his sons to serve Me [as kohanim].45I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel and I will be their God.46They will know that I, the Lord, am their God, Who brought them out of the land of Egypt in order that I may dwell in their midst; I am the Lord, their God.

Friday

1 Corinthians 1:18–25 (NLT): The Wisdom of God

18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise

and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”

20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

Seventh Portion

Exodus Chapter 30

1You shall make an altar for bringing incense up in smoke; you shall make it out of acacia wood.2It shall be one cubit long and one cubit wide, a square, and two cubits high; its horns shall be [one piece] with it.3You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top, its walls all around, and its horns; and you shall make for it a golden crown all around.4You shall make two golden rings for it underneath its crown on its two corners, you shall make [them] on its two sides, so that it should serve as holders for poles with which to carry it.5You shall make the poles out of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.6And you shall place it in front of the dividing curtain, which is upon the Ark of Testimony, in front of the ark cover, which is upon the testimony, where I will arrange to meet with you.7Aaron shall make incense of spices go up in smoke upon it; every morning when he sets the lamps in order, he shall make it go up in smoke.8And when Aaron kindles the lights in the afternoon, he shall make it go up in smoke, continual incense before the Lord for your generations.9You shall offer up on it no alien incense, burnt offering, or meal offering, and you shall pour no libation upon it.10But Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year; with the blood of the sin offering of the atonements, once a year he shall effect atonement upon it for your generations; it is a holy of holies to the Lord.

Saturday

1 Corinthians 2:1–5 (NLT): Paul’s Message of Wisdom

When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. 2 For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.

Maftir Portion

Exodus Chapter 30

8And when Aaron kindles the lights in the afternoon, he shall make it go up in smoke, continual incense before the Lord for your generations.9You shall offer up on it no alien incense, burnt offering, or meal offering, and you shall pour no libation upon it.10But Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year; with the blood of the sin offering of the atonements, once a year he shall effect atonement upon it for your generations; it is a holy of holies to the Lord.

Haftarah

Ezekiel Chapter 43

10You, Son of man, describe the House to the House of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; let them measure its plan.11And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, let them know the form of the House and its scheme, its exits and its entrances, and all its forms, and all its laws and all its teachings, and write it down in their sight so that they keep the whole form thereof and the laws thereof, and do them.12This is the teaching of the House; Upon the top of the mountain, all its boundary round about shall be most holy; behold, this is the teaching of the House.13And these are the measurements of the altar in cubits; the cubit, one cubit and one handbreadth, but the base one [ordinary] cubit, and such a cubit also for the breadth; and [likewise on] its border, [going] one span to its edge all around, and equally so the very top of the altar.14And from the base on the ground to the lower ledge shall be two cubits; and the breadth, one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the greater ledge, four cubits; and the breadth, one cubit.15And the altar hearth shall be four cubits, and from the altar hearth and above, the horns shall be four.16And the altar hearth shall be twelve [cubits in] length by twelve [cubits in] breadth, square to its four sides.17And the ledge, fourteen [cubits in] length by fourteen [cubits in] breadth, to its four sides, and the boundary around it half a cubit, and its base a cubit all around, and its ascent will look towards the east.18And He said to me; Son of man, thus says the Lord God: These are the ordinances of the altar on the day when it will be made, to offer burnt offerings thereon and to sprinkle blood thereon.19And you shall give it to the priests, the Levites, who are of the seed of Zadok, who are near to Me, says the Lord God, to serve Me, a young bull for a sin-offering.20And you shall take of its blood and place it on its four horns and on the four corners of the upper edge and to the border around, and you shall purify it and make it fit for atonement.21And you shall take the bull of the sin-offering, and he shall burn it at the end of the House, outside the Sanctuary.22And on the second day you shall offer a he-goat without blemish for a sin offering, and they shall purify the altar as they purified it with the bull.23When you have completed the purification, you shall bring near a young bull without a blemish and a ram without blemish from the flock.24And you shall offer them before the Lord, and the priests shall cast salt upon them, and offer them up to God as a burnt offering.25For seven days shall you make a he-goat for a sin-offering every day, and a young bull and a ram from the flock without blemish shall they make.26For seven days shall they effect atonement for the altar, and purify it and dedicate it.27And when they have completed the days, then it shall be that on the eighth day and thenceforth, the priests shall make your burnt offerings and your peace-offerings on the altar, and I will accept you with satisfaction, says the Lord God.