AME Zion Universal Reading October 20th, 2024

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Isaiah 25:1–10 (NLT): Praise for Judgment and Salvation

1 O Lord, I will honor and praise your name,

for you are my God.

You do such wonderful things!

You planned them long ago,

and now you have accomplished them.

2 You turn mighty cities into heaps of ruins.

Cities with strong walls are turned to rubble.

Beautiful palaces in distant lands disappear

and will never be rebuilt.

3 Therefore, strong nations will declare your glory;

ruthless nations will fear you.

4 But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord,

a tower of refuge to the needy in distress.

You are a refuge from the storm

and a shelter from the heat.

For the oppressive acts of ruthless people

are like a storm beating against a wall,

5 or like the relentless heat of the desert.

But you silence the roar of foreign nations.

As the shade of a cloud cools relentless heat,

so the boastful songs of ruthless people are stilled.

6 In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies

will spread a wonderful feast

for all the people of the world.

It will be a delicious banquet

with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat.

7 There he will remove the cloud of gloom,

the shadow of death that hangs over the earth.

8 He will swallow up death forever!

The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears.

He will remove forever all insults and mockery

against his land and people.

The Lord has spoken!

9 In that day the people will proclaim,

“This is our God!

We trusted in him, and he saved us!

This is the Lord, in whom we trusted.

Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!”

10 For the Lord’s hand of blessing will rest on Jerusalem.

But Moab will be crushed.

It will be like straw trampled down and left to rot.

Monday

Ephesians 1:3–14 (NLT): Spiritual Blessings

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Tuesday

1 Peter 1:3–12 (NLT): The Hope of Eternal Life

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

10 This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. 11 They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward.

12 They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.

Wednesday

Daniel 6:10–17 (NLT):

10 But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. 11 Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help. 12 So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions?”

“Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”

13 Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.”

14 Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament.

15 In the evening the men went together to the king and said, “Your Majesty, you know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed.”

16 So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.”

17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel.

Thursday

Daniel 6:18–28 (NLT):

18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night.

19 Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den. 20 When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”

21 Daniel answered, “Long live the king! 22 My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”

23 The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.

24 Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den.

25 Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world:

“Peace and prosperity to you!

26 “I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel.

For he is the living God,

and he will endure forever.

His kingdom will never be destroyed,

and his rule will never end.

27 He rescues and saves his people;

he performs miraculous signs and wonders

in the heavens and on earth.

He has rescued Daniel

from the power of the lions.”

28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Friday

Judges 5:1–22 (NLT): The Song of Deborah

On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:

2 “Israel’s leaders took charge,

and the people gladly followed.

Praise the Lord!

3 “Listen, you kings!

Pay attention, you mighty rulers!

For I will sing to the Lord.

I will make music to the Lord, the God of Israel.

4 “Lord, when you set out from Seir

and marched across the fields of Edom,

the earth trembled,

and the cloudy skies poured down rain.

5 The mountains quaked in the presence of the Lord,

the God of Mount Sinai—

in the presence of the Lord,

the God of Israel.

6 “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,

and in the days of Jael,

people avoided the main roads,

and travelers stayed on winding pathways.

7 There were few people left in the villages of Israel—

until Deborah arose as a mother for Israel.

8 When Israel chose new gods,

war erupted at the city gates.

Yet not a shield or spear could be seen

among forty thousand warriors in Israel!

9 My heart is with the commanders of Israel,

with those who volunteered for war.

Praise the Lord!

10 “Consider this, you who ride on fine donkeys,

you who sit on fancy saddle blankets,

and you who walk along the road.

11 Listen to the village musicians

gathered at the watering holes.

They recount the righteous victories of the Lord

and the victories of his villagers in Israel.

Then the people of the Lord

marched down to the city gates.

12 “Wake up, Deborah, wake up!

Wake up, wake up, and sing a song!

Arise, Barak!

Lead your captives away, son of Abinoam!

13 “Down from Tabor marched the few against the nobles.

The people of the Lord marched down against mighty warriors.

14 They came down from Ephraim—

a land that once belonged to the Amalekites;

they followed you, Benjamin, with your troops.

From Makir the commanders marched down;

from Zebulun came those who carry a commander’s staff.

15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah and Barak.

They followed Barak, rushing into the valley.

But in the tribe of Reuben

there was great indecision.

16 Why did you sit at home among the sheepfolds—

to hear the shepherds whistle for their flocks?

Yes, in the tribe of Reuben

there was great indecision.

17 Gilead remained east of the Jordan.

And why did Dan stay home?

Asher sat unmoved at the seashore,

remaining in his harbors.

18 But Zebulun risked his life,

as did Naphtali, on the heights of the battlefield.

19 “The kings of Canaan came and fought,

at Taanach near Megiddo’s springs,

but they carried off no silver treasures.

20 The stars fought from heaven.

The stars in their orbits fought against Sisera.

21 The Kishon River swept them away—

that ancient torrent, the Kishon.

March on with courage, my soul!

22 Then the horses’ hooves hammered the ground,

the galloping, galloping of Sisera’s mighty steeds.

Saturday

Luke 17:11–19 (NLT): Ten Healed of Leprosy

11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”