AME Zion Universal Reading October 17th 2021

Sunday School Zoom Link

Psalm 84:1–12 (NLT):

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

2 I long, yes, I faint with longing

to enter the courts of the Lord.

With my whole being, body and soul,

I will shout joyfully to the living God.

3 Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young

at a place near your altar,

O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God!

4 What joy for those who can live in your house,

always singing your praises.

Interlude

5 What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord,

who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

6 When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,

it will become a place of refreshing springs.

The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.

7 They will continue to grow stronger,

and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.

8 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer.

Listen, O God of Jacob.

Interlude

9 O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield!

Show favor to the one you have anointed.

10 A single day in your courts

is better than a thousand anywhere else!

I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God

than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.

11 For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.

He gives us grace and glory.

The Lord will withhold no good thing

from those who do what is right.

12 O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,

what joy for those who trust in you.

First Portion

Genesis Chapter 12

1And the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you.2And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will aggrandize your name, and [you shall] be a blessing.3And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you."4And Abram went, as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him, and Abram was seventy five years old when he left Haran.5And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had acquired, and the souls they had acquired in Haran, and they went to go to the land of Canaan, and they came to the land of Canaan.6And Abram passed through the land, until the place of Shechem, until the plain of Moreh, and the Canaanites were then in the land.7And the Lord appeared to Abram, and He said, "To your seed I will give this land," and there he built an altar to the Lord, Who had appeared to him.8And he moved from there to the mountain, east of Beth el, and he pitched his tent; Beth el was to the west and Ai was to the east, and there he built an altar to the Lord, and he called in the name of the Lord.9And Abram traveled, continually traveling southward.10And there was a famine in the land, and Abram descended to Egypt to sojourn there because the famine was severe in the land.11Now it came to pass when he drew near to come to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Behold now I know that you are a woman of fair appearance.12And it will come to pass when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife,' and they will slay me and let you live.13Please say [that] you are my sister, in order that it go well with me because of you, and that my soul may live because of you."

Sunday

Psalm 150:1–6 (NLT):

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heaven!

2 Praise him for his mighty works;

praise his unequaled greatness!

3 Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;

praise him with the lyre and harp!

4 Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;

praise him with strings and flutes!

5 Praise him with a clash of cymbals;

praise him with loud clanging cymbals.

6 Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

Second Portion

Genesis Chapter 12

14And it came to pass when Abram came to Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very pretty.15And Pharaoh's princes saw her, and they praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken to the house of Pharaoh.16And he benefited Abram for her sake, and he had flocks and cattle and he donkeys and men servants and maid servants, and she donkeys and camels.17And the Lord plagued Pharaoh [with] great plagues as well as his household, on account of Sarai, Abram's wife.18And Pharaoh summoned Abram, and he said, "What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?19Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to myself for a wife? And now, here is your wife; take [her] and go."20And Pharaoh commanded men on his behalf, and they escorted him and his wife and all that was his.

Genesis Chapter 13

1And Abram came up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that was his, and Lot with him, to the south.2And Abram was very heavy with cattle, with silver, and with gold.3And he went on his journeys, from the south and until Beth el, until the place where his tent had been previously, between Beth el and between Ai.4To the place of the altar that he had made at first, and Abram called there in the name of the Lord.

Monday

Psalm 147:1–7 (NLT):

1 Praise the Lord!

How good to sing praises to our God!

How delightful and how fitting!

2 The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem

and bringing the exiles back to Israel.

3 He heals the brokenhearted

and bandages their wounds.

4 He counts the stars

and calls them all by name.

5 How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!

His understanding is beyond comprehension!

6 The Lord supports the humble,

but he brings the wicked down into the dust.

7 Sing out your thanks to the Lord;

sing praises to our God with a harp.

Third Portion

Genesis Chapter 13

A5And also Lot, who went with Abram, had flocks and cattle and tents.6And the land did not bear them to dwell together, for their possessions were many, and they could not dwell together.7And there was a quarrel between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and between the herdsmen of Lot's cattle, and the Canaanites and the Perizzites were then dwelling in the land.8And Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no quarrel between me and between you and between my herdsmen and between your herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.9Is not all the land before you? Please part from me; if [you go] left, I will go right, and if [you go] right, I will go left."10And Lot raised his eyes, and he saw the entire plain of the Jordan, that it was entirely watered; before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as you come to Zoar.11And Lot chose for himself the entire plain of the Jordan, and Lot traveled from the east, and they parted from one another.12Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and he pitched his tents until Sodom.13And the people of Sodom were very evil and sinful against the Lord.14And the Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Please raise your eyes and see, from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward.15For all the land that you see I will give to you and to your seed to eternity.16And I will make your seed like the dust of the earth, so that if a man will be able to count the dust of the earth, so will your seed be counted.17Rise, walk in the land, to its length and to its breadth, for I will give it to you."18And Abram pitched his tents, and he came, and he dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

Tuesday

1 Samuel 16:14–23 (NLT): David Serves in Saul’s Court

14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.

15 Some of Saul’s servants said to him, “A tormenting spirit from God is troubling you. 16 Let us find a good musician to play the harp whenever the tormenting spirit troubles you. He will play soothing music, and you will soon be well again.”

17 “All right,” Saul said. “Find me someone who plays well, and bring him here.”

18 One of the servants said to Saul, “One of Jesse’s sons from Bethlehem is a talented harp player. Not only that—he is a brave warrior, a man of war, and has good judgment. He is also a fine-looking young man, and the Lord is with him.”

19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse to say, “Send me your son David, the shepherd.” 20 Jesse responded by sending David to Saul, along with a young goat, a donkey loaded with bread, and a wineskin full of wine.

21 So David went to Saul and began serving him. Saul loved David very much, and David became his armor bearer.

22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse asking, “Please let David remain in my service, for I am very pleased with him.”

23 And whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp. Then Saul would feel better, and the tormenting spirit would go away.

Fourth Portion

Genesis Chapter 14

1Now it came to pass in the days of Amraphel the king of Shinar, Arioch the king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and Tidal the king of Goyim.2That they waged war with Bera the king of Sodom and with Birsha the king of Gomorrah, Shineab the king of Admah, and Shemeber the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.3All these joined in the valley of Siddim, which is the Dead Sea.4For twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and for thirteen years they rebelled.5And in the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer came, and the kings who were with him, and they smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim.6And the Horites in their mountain Seir, until the plain of Paran, which is alongside the desert.7And they returned and came to Ein Mishpat, which is Kadesh, and they smote the entire field of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.8And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah and the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar, came forth, and they engaged them in battle in the valley of Siddim.9With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam and Tidal the king of Goyim and Amraphel the king of Shinar and Arioch the king of Ellasar, four kings against the five.10Now the valley of Siddim was [composed of] many clay pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and they fell there, and the survivors fled to a mountain.11And they took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food, and they departed.12And they took Lot and his possessions, the son of Abram's brother, and they departed, and he was living in Sodom.13And the fugitive came and he told Abram the Hebrew, and he was living in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshkol and the brother of Aner, who were Abram's confederates.14And Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, and he armed his trained men, those born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and he pursued [them] until Dan.15And he divided himself against them at night, he and his servants, and smote them, and pursued them until Hobah, which is to the left of Damascus.16And he restored all the possessions, and also Lot his brother and his possessions he restored, and also the women and the people.17And the king of Sodom came out toward him, after his return from smiting Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, to the valley of Shaveh, which is the valley of the king.18And Malchizedek the king of Salem brought out bread and wine, and he was a priest to the Most High God.19And he blessed him, and he said, "Blessed be Abram to the Most High God, Who possesses heaven and earth.20And blessed be the Most High God, Who has delivered your adversaries into your hand," and he gave him a tithe from all.

Wednesday

Acts 16:23–26 (NLT):

23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.

25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!

Fifth Portion

Genesis Chapter 14

21And the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the souls, and the possessions take for yourself."22And Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I raise my hand to the Lord, the Most High God, Who possesses heaven and earth.23Neither from a thread to a shoe strap, nor will I take from whatever is yours, that you should not say, 'I have made Abram wealthy.'24Exclusive of what the lads ate, and the share of the men who went with me; Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre they shall take their share."

Genesis Chapter 15

1After these incidents, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Fear not, Abram; I am your Shield; your reward is exceedingly great."2And Abram said, "O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am going childless, and the steward of my household is Eliezer of Damascus?"3And Abram said, "Behold, You have given me no seed, and behold, one of my household will inherit me."4And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "This one will not inherit you, but the one who will spring from your innards-he will inherit you."5And He took him outside, and He said, "Please look heavenward and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So will be your seed."6And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him as righteousness.

Thursday

Psalm 148:1–14 (NLT):

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens!

Praise him from the skies!

2 Praise him, all his angels!

Praise him, all the armies of heaven!

3 Praise him, sun and moon!

Praise him, all you twinkling stars!

4 Praise him, skies above!

Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!

5 Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,

for he issued his command, and they came into being.

6 He set them in place forever and ever.

His decree will never be revoked.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,

you creatures of the ocean depths,

8 fire and hail, snow and clouds,

wind and weather that obey him,

9 mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars,

10 wild animals and all livestock,

small scurrying animals and birds,

11 kings of the earth and all people,

rulers and judges of the earth,

12 young men and young women,

old men and children.

13 Let them all praise the name of the Lord.

For his name is very great;

his glory towers over the earth and heaven!

14 He has made his people strong,

honoring his faithful ones—

the people of Israel who are close to him.

Praise the Lord!

Sixth Portion

Genesis Chapter 15

7And He said to him, "I am the Lord, Who brought you forth from Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it."8And he said, "O Lord God, how will I know that I will inherit it?"9And He said to him, "Take for Me three heifers and three goats and three rams, and a turtle dove and a young bird."10And he took for Him all these, and he divided them in the middle, and he placed each part opposite its mate, but he did not divide the birds.11And the birds of prey descended upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.12Now the sun was ready to set, and a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and behold, a fright, a great darkness was falling upon him.13And He said to Abram, "You shall surely know that your seed will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they will enslave them and oppress them, for four hundred years.14And also the nation that they will serve will I judge, and afterwards they will go forth with great possessions.15But you will come to your forefathers in peace; you will be buried in a good old age.16And the fourth generation will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites will not be complete until then."17Now it came to pass that the sun had set, and it was dark, and behold, a smoking furnace and a fire brand, which passed between these parts.18On that day, the Lord formed a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt until the great river, the Euphrates river.19The Kenites, the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,20And the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim,21And the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebusites."

Genesis Chapter 16

1Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not borne to him, and she had an Egyptian handmaid named Hagar.2And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing; please come to my handmaid; perhaps I will be built up from her." And Abram hearkened to Sarai's voice.3So Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, at the end of ten years of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan, and she gave her to Abram her husband for a wife.4And he came to Hagar, and she conceived, and she saw that she was pregnant, and her mistress became unimportant in her eyes.5And Sarai said to Abram, "May my injustice be upon you! I gave my handmaid into your bosom, and she saw that she had become pregnant, and I became unimportant in her eyes. May the Lord judge between me and you!"6And Abram said to Sarai, "Here is your handmaid in your hand; do to her that which is proper in your eyes." And Sarai afflicted her, and she fled from before her.7And an angel of the Lord found her by a water fountain in the desert, by the fountain on the road to Shur.8And he said, "Hagar, Sarai's servant, where are you coming from, and where are you going to?" And she said, "From before Sarai my mistress, I am fleeing."9And the angel of the Lord said to her, "Return to your mistress, and allow yourself to be afflicted under her hands."10And the angel of the Lord said to her, "I will greatly multiply your seed, and it will not be counted for abundance."11And the angel of the Lord said to her, "Behold, you will conceive and bear a son, and you shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard your affliction.12And he will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be upon all, and everyone's hand upon him, and before all his brothers he will dwell."13And she called the name of the Lord, Who had spoken to her, "You are the God of seeing," because she said, "Have I seen[him]here also after I have seen?"14Therefore the well was called Be'er Lachai Ro'i; behold it is between Kadesh and between Bered.15And Hagar bore a son to Abram, and Abram named his son, whom Hagar had borne, Ishmael.16And Abram was eighty-six years old, when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Genesis Chapter 17

1And Abram was ninety-nine years old, and God appeared to Abram, and He said to him, "I am the Almighty God; walk before Me and be perfect.2And I will place My covenant between Me and between you, and I will multiply you very greatly."3And Abram fell upon his face, and God spoke with him, saying,4"As for Me, behold My covenant is with you, and you shall become the father of a multitude of nations.5And your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.6And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings will emerge from you.

Friday

Colossians 3:12–17 (NLT):

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Seventh Portion

Genesis Chapter 17

7And I will establish My covenant between Me and between you and between your seed after you throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant, to be to you for a God and to your seed after you.8And I will give you and your seed after you the land of your sojournings, the entire land of Canaan for an everlasting possession, and I will be to them for a God."9And God said to Abraham, "And you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations.10This is My covenant, which you shall observe between Me and between you and between your seed after you, that every male among you be circumcised.11And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be as the sign of a covenant between Me and between you.12And at the age of eight days, every male shall be circumcised to you throughout your generations, one that is born in the house, or one that is purchased with money, from any foreigner, who is not of your seed.13Those born in the house and those purchased for money shall be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant.14And an uncircumcised male, who will not circumcise the flesh of his foreskin-that soul will be cut off from its people; he has broken My covenant."15And God said to Abraham, "Your wife Sarai-you shall not call her name Sarai, for Sarah is her name.16And I will bless her, and I will give you a son from her, and I will bless her, and she will become [a mother of] nations; kings of nations will be from her. "17And Abraham fell on his face and rejoiced, and he said to himself, "Will [a child] be born to one who is a hundred years old, and will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?"18And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael will live before You!"19And God said, "Indeed, your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac, and I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.20And regarding Ishmael, I have heard you; behold I have blessed him, and I will make him fruitful, and I will multiply him exceedingly; he will beget twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.21But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year."22And He finished speaking with him, and God went up from above Abraham.23And Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house and all those purchased with his money, every male of the people of Abraham's household, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day, as God had spoken with him.24And Abraham was ninety-nine years old, when he was circumcised of the flesh of his foreskin.25And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised of the flesh of his foreskin.26On that very day, Abraham was circumcised, and [so was] Ishmael his son.27And all the people of his household, those born in his house and those bought with money from foreigners, were circumcised with him.

Saturday

Psalm 149:1–9 (NLT):

1 Praise the Lord!

Sing to the Lord a new song.

Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.

2 O Israel, rejoice in your Maker.

O people of Jerusalem, exult in your King.

3 Praise his name with dancing,

accompanied by tambourine and harp.

4 For the Lord delights in his people;

he crowns the humble with victory.

5 Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them.

Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds.

6 Let the praises of God be in their mouths,

and a sharp sword in their hands—

7 to execute vengeance on the nations

and punishment on the peoples,

8 to bind their kings with shackles

and their leaders with iron chains,

9 to execute the judgment written against them.

This is the glorious privilege of his faithful ones.

Praise the Lord!

Maftir Portion

Genesis Chapter 17

24And Abraham was ninety-nine years old, when he was circumcised of the flesh of his foreskin.25And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised of the flesh of his foreskin.26On that very day, Abraham was circumcised, and [so was] Ishmael his son.27And all the people of his household, those born in his house and those bought with money from foreigners, were circumcised with him.

Haftarah

Isaiah Chapter 40

27Why should you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way has been hidden from the Lord, and from my God, my judgment passes"?28Do you not know-if you have not heard-an everlasting God is the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth; He neither tires nor wearies; there is no fathoming His understanding.29Who gives the tired strength, and to him who has no strength, He increases strength.30Now youths shall become tired and weary, and young men shall stumble.31But those who put their hope in the Lord shall renew [their] vigor, they shall raise wings as eagles; they shall run and not weary, they shall walk and not tire.

Isaiah Chapter 41

1Be silent to Me, you islands, and kingdoms shall renew [their] strength; they shall approach, then they shall speak, together to judgment let us draw near.2Who aroused from the East, [the one] whom righteousness accompanied? He placed nations before him and over kings He gave him dominion; He made his sword like dust, his bow like wind-blown stubble.3He pursued them and passed on safely, on a path upon which he had not come with his feet.4Who worked and did, Who calls the generations from the beginning; I, the Lord, am first, and with the last ones I am He.5The islands shall see and fear; the ends of the earth shall quake; they have approached and come.6Each one shall aid his fellow, and to his brother he shall say, "Strengthen yourself."7And the craftsman strengthened the smith, the one who smooths with the hammer [strengthened] the one who wields the sledge hammer; he says of the cement, "It is good," and he strengthened it with nails that it should not move.8But you, Israel My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, who loved Me,9Whom I grasped from the ends of the earth, and from its nobles I called you, and I said to you, "You are My servant"; I chose you and I did not despise you.10Do not fear for I am with you; be not discouraged for I am your God: I encouraged you, I also helped you, I also supported you with My righteous hand.11Behold all those incensed against you shall be ashamed and confounded; those who quarreled with you shall be as nought and be lost.12You may seek them but not find them, those who quarrel with you; those who war with you shall be as nought and as nothing.13For I, the Lord your God, grasp your right hand; Who says to you, "Fear not, I help you."14Fear not, O worm of Jacob, the number of Israel; "I have helped you," says the Lord, and your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.15Behold I have made you a new grooved threshing-sledge, with sharp points; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them fine, and you shall make hills like chaff.16You shall winnow them, and a wind shall carry them off, and a tempest shall scatter them, and you shall rejoice with the Lord, with the Holy One of Israel shall you praise yourself.