AME Zion Universal Reading October 22nd, 2023

Sunday School Zoom Link

First Portion

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 6

9These are the generations of Noah, Noah was a righteous man he was perfect in his generations; Noah walked with God.10And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.11Now the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth became full of robbery.12And God saw the earth, and behold it had become corrupted, for all flesh had corrupted its way on the earth.13And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth has become full of robbery because of them, and behold I am destroying them from the earth.14Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with compartments, and you shall caulk it both inside and outside with pitch.15And this [is the size] you shall make it: three hundred cubits the length of the ark, fifty cubits its breadth, and thirty cubits its height.16You shall make a skylight for the ark, and to a cubit you shall finish it to the top, and the entrance of the ark you shall place in its side; you shall make it with bottom [compartments], second story [compartments], and third story [compartments].17And I, behold I am bringing the flood, water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which there is the spirit of life, from beneath the heavens; all that is upon the earth will perish.18And I will set up My covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you and your sons, and your wife and your sons' wives with you.19And of all living things of all flesh, two of each you shall bring into the ark to preserve alive with you; they shall be male and female.20Of the fowl after its kind and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing upon the ground after its kind; two of each shall come to you to preserve alive.21And you, take for yourself of every food that is eaten and gather it in to you, and it shall be for you and for them to eat."22And Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.

Galatians 3:6–18 (NLT):

6 In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” 7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.

8 What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

10 But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” 11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” 12 This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”

13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” 14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.

The Law and God’s Promise

15 Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case. 16 God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ. 17 This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. 18 For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise.

Second Portion

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 7

1And the Lord said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, for it is you that I have seen as a righteous man before Me in this generation.2Of all the clean animals you shall take for yourself seven pairs, a male and its mate, and of the animals that are not clean, two, a male and its mate.3Also, of the fowl of the heavens, seven pairs, male and female, to keep seed alive on the face of the earth.4For in another seven days, I will make it rain upon the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will blot out all beings that I have made, off the face of the earth."5And Noah did, according to all that the Lord had commanded him.6And Noah was six hundred years old, and the flood came about, water upon the earth.7And Noah went in and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him into the ark because of the flood waters.8Of the clean beasts and of the beasts that are not clean, and of the fowl, and all that creeps upon the earth.9Two by two they came to Noah to the ark, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.10And it came to pass after the seven days, that the flood waters were upon the earth.11In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on this day, all the springs of the great deep were split, and the windows of the heavens opened up.12And the rain was upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.13On this very day, Noah came, and Shem and Ham and Japheth, Noah's sons, and Noah's wife and his sons' three wives with them, into the ark.14They, and every beast after its kind, and every domestic animal after its kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every fowl after its kind, every bird of every wing.15And they came to Noah to the ark, two by two of all flesh in which there is the spirit of life.16And those who came male and female of all flesh came, as God had commanded him, and the Lord shut him in.

Monday

Hebrews 2:1–9 (NLT): A Warning against Drifting Away

So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. 2 For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. 3 So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? 4 And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.

Jesus, the Man

5 And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. 6 For in one place the Scriptures say,

“What are mere mortals that you should think about them,

or a son of man that you should care for him?

7 Yet for a little while you made them a little lower than the angels

and crowned them with glory and honor.

8 You gave them authority over all things.”

Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority. 9 What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone.

Third Portion

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 7

17Now the Flood was forty days upon the earth, and the waters increased, and they lifted the ark, and it rose off the earth.18And the waters became powerful, and they increased very much upon the earth, and the ark moved upon the waters.19And the waters became exceedingly powerful upon the earth, and all the lofty mountains that were under the heavens were covered up.20Fifteen cubits above did the waters prevail, and the mountains were covered up.21And all flesh perished that moved upon the earth, among the fowl, and among the cattle, and among the beasts, and among all creeping creatures that creep upon the earth and all mankind.22Everything that had the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils, of all that were on the dry land, died.23And it [the Flood] blotted out all beings that were upon the face of the earth, from man to animal to creeping thing and to the fowl of the heavens, and they were blotted out from the earth, and only Noah and those with him in the ark survived.24And the water prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 8

1And God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark, and God caused a spirit to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.2And the springs of the deep were closed, and the windows of the heavens, and the rain from the heavens was withheld.3And the waters receded off the earth more and more, and the water diminished at the end of a hundred and fifty days.4And the ark came to rest in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.5And the waters constantly diminished until the tenth month; in the tenth [month], on the first of the month, the mountain peaks appeared.6And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made.7And he sent forth the raven, and it went out, back and forth until the waters dried up off the earth.8And he sent forth the dove from with him, to see whether the waters had abated from upon the surface of the earth.9But the dove found no resting place for the sole of its foot; so it returned to him to the ark because there was water upon the entire surface of the earth; so he stretched forth his hand and took it, and he brought it to him to the ark.10And he waited again another seven days, and he again sent forth the dove from the ark.11And the dove returned to him at eventide, and behold it had plucked an olive leaf in its mouth; so Noah knew that the water had abated from upon the earth.12And he again waited another seven days, and he sent forth the dove, and it no longer continued to return to him.13And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first [month], on the first of the month, that the waters dried up from upon the earth, and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and he saw, and behold, the surface of the ground had dried up.14And in the second month, on the twenty seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

Tuesday

Hebrews 2:9–18 (NLT):

10 God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.

11 So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12 For he said to God,

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.

I will praise you among your assembled people.”

13 He also said,

“I will put my trust in him,”

that is, “I and the children God has given me.”

14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

16 We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. 17 Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.

Fourth Portion

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 8

15And God spoke to Noah saying:16"Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons, and your sons' wives with you.17Every living thing that is with you of all flesh, of fowl, and of animals and of all the creeping things that creep on the earth, bring out with you, and they shall swarm upon the earth, and they shall be fruitful and multiply upon the earth."18So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him.19Every beast, every creeping thing, and all fowl, everything that moves upon the earth, according to their families they went forth from the ark.20And Noah built an altar to the Lord, and he took of all the clean animals and of all the clean fowl and brought up burnt offerings on the altar.21And the Lord smelled the pleasant aroma, and the Lord said to Himself, "I will no longer curse the earth because of man, for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth, and I will no longer smite all living things as I have done.22So long as the earth exists, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 9

1And God blessed Noah and his sons, and He said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.2And your fear and your dread shall be upon all the beasts of the earth and upon all the fowl of the heaven; upon everything that creeps upon the ground and upon all the fish of the sea, [for] they have been given into your hand[s].3Every moving thing that lives shall be yours to eat; like the green vegetation, I have given you everything.4But, flesh with its soul, its blood, you shall not eat.5But your blood, of your souls, I will demand [an account]; from the hand of every beast I will demand it, and from the hand of man, from the hand of each man, his brother, I will demand the soul of man.6Whoever sheds the blood of man through man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God He made man.7And you, be fruitful and multiply; swarm upon the earth and multiply thereon."

Wednesday

Psalm 1:1–6 (NLT):

1 Oh, the joys of those who do not

follow the advice of the wicked,

or stand around with sinners,

or join in with mockers.

2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,

meditating on it day and night.

3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season.

Their leaves never wither,

and they prosper in all they do.

4 But not the wicked!

They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.

5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment.

Sinners will have no place among the godly.

6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,

but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Fifth Portion

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 9

8And God said to Noah and to his sons with him, saying:9"And I, behold I am setting up My covenant with you and with your seed after you.10And with every living creature that is with you, among the fowl, among the cattle, and among all the beasts of the earth with you, of all those who came out of the ark, of all the living creatures of the earth.11And I will establish My covenant with you, and never again will all flesh be cut off by the flood waters, and there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth."12And God said: "This is the sign of the covenant, which I am placing between Me and between you, and between every living soul that is with you, for everlasting generations.13My rainbow I have placed in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Myself and the earth.14And it shall come to pass, when I cause clouds to come upon the earth, that the rainbow will appear in the cloud.15And I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and between you and between every living creature among all flesh, and the water will no longer become a flood to destroy all flesh.16And the rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will see it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and between every living creature among all flesh, which is on the earth."17And God said to Noah: "This is the sign of the covenant that I have set up, between Myself and between all flesh that is on the earth."

Thursday

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.

Sixth Portion

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 9

18And the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and Ham he was the father of Canaan.19These three were the sons of Noah, and from these, the entire earth spread out.20And Noah began to be a master of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.21And he drank of the wine and became drunk, and he uncovered himself within his tent.22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness, and he told his two brothers outside.23And Shem and Japheth took the garment, and they placed [it] on both of their shoulders, and they walked backwards, and they covered their father's nakedness, and their faces were turned backwards, so that they did not see their father's nakedness.24And Noah awoke from his wine, and he knew what his small son had done to him.25And he said, "Cursed be Canaan; he shall be a slave among slaves to his brethren."26And he said, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be a slave to them.27May God expand Japheth, and may He dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be a slave to them."28And Noah lived after the Flood, three hundred and fifty years.29And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 10

1And these are the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and sons were born to them after the Flood.2The sons of Japheth were Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan and Tubal, and Meshech and Tiras.3And the sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah.4And the sons of Javan were Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.5From these, the islands of the nations separated in their lands, each one to his language, according to their families, in their nations.6And the sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan.7And the sons of Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabta and Raamah and Sabtecha, and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.8And Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty man in the land.9He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord."10And the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.11From that land emerged Asshur, and he built Nineveh and Rehoboth ir and Calah.12And Resen, between Nineveh and between Calah; that is the great city.13And Mizraim begot the Ludim and the Anamim and the Lehabim and the Naphtuhim,14And the Pathrusim and the Casluhim, from whom the Philistines emerged, and the Caphtorim.15And Canaan begot Zidon his firstborn and Heth.16And the Jebusites and the Amorites and the Girgashites.17And the Hivvites and the Arkites and the Sinites.18And the Arvadites and the Zemarites and the Hamathites, and afterwards the families of the Canaanites were scattered.19And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you come to Gerar, until Gaza, as you come to Sodom and Gomorrah, and Admah and Zeboiim, until Lesha.20These are the sons of Ham according to their families, and their tongues, in their lands, in their nations.21And to Shem were also born [children; he was] the father of all the people of the other side [of the river], the brother of Japheth the elder.22The sons of Shem were Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram.23And the sons of Aram were Uz and Hul and Gether and Mash.24And Arpachshad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber.25And to Eber were born two sons: one was named Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided, and the name of his brother was Joktan.26And Joktan begot Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah.27And Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah.28And Obal and Abimael and Sheba.29And Ophir and Havilah and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan.30And their settlement was from Mesha, as you come to Sephar, the mountain of the east.31These are the sons of Shem according to their families, according to their tongues, in their lands, according to their nations.32These are the families of the sons of Noah according to their generations, in their nations, and from these, the nations were separated on the earth after the Flood.

Friday

Ephesians 1:15–23 (NLT): Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

Seventh Portion

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 11

1Now the entire earth was of one language and uniform words.2And it came to pass when they traveled from the east, that they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.3And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and fire them thoroughly"; so the bricks were to them for stones, and the clay was to them for mortar.4And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered upon the face of the entire earth."5And the Lord descended to see the city and the tower that the sons of man had built.6And the Lord said, "Lo! [they are] one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they have commenced to do. Now, will it not be withheld from them, all that they have planned to do?7Come, let us descend and confuse their language, so that one will not understand the language of his companion."8And the Lord scattered them from there upon the face of the entire earth, and they ceased building the city.9Therefore, He named it Babel, for there the Lord confused the language of the entire earth, and from there the Lord scattered them upon the face of the entire earth.10These are the generations of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and he begot Arpachshad, two years after the Flood.11And Shem lived after he had begotten Arpachshad five hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters.12And Arpachshad lived thirty five years, and he begot Shelah.13And Arpachshad lived after he had begotten Shelah four hundred and three years, and he begot sons and daughters.14And Shelah lived thirty years, and he begot Eber.15And Shelah lived after he had begotten Eber, four hundred and three years, and he begot sons and daughters.16And Eber lived thirty four years, and he begot Peleg.17And Eber lived after he had begotten Peleg, four hundred and thirty years, and he begot sons and daughters.18And Peleg lived thirty years, and he begot Reu.19And Peleg lived after he had begotten Reu, two hundred and nine years, and he begot sons and daughters.20And Reu lived thirty two years, and he begot Serug.21And Reu lived after he had begotten Serug two hundred and seven years, and he begot sons and daughters.22And Serug lived thirty years, and he begot Nahor.23And Serug lived after he had begotten Nahor, two hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters.24And Nahor lived twenty nine years, and he begot Terah.25And Nahor lived after he had begotten Terah one hundred and nineteen years, and he begot sons and daughters.26And Terah lived seventy years, and he begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.27And these are the generations of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran begot Lot.28And Haran died during the lifetime of Terah his father in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees.29And Abram and Nahor took themselves wives; the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah.30And Sarai was barren; she had no child.31And Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter in law, the wife of Abram his son, and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees to go to the land of Canaan, and they came as far as Haran and settled there.32And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.

Saturday

Galatians 3:1–5 (NLT): The Law and Faith in Christ

Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?

5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.

Maftir Portion

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 11

29And Abram and Nahor took themselves wives; the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah.30And Sarai was barren; she had no child.31And Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter in law, the wife of Abram his son, and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees to go to the land of Canaan, and they came as far as Haran and settled there.32And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.

Haftarah

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) Chapter 54

1"Sing you barren woman who has not borne; burst out into song and jubilate, you who have not experienced birth pangs, for the children of the desolate one are more than the children of the married woman," says the Lord.2Widen the place of your tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations, do not spare; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.3For right and left shall you prevail, and your seed shall inherit nations and repeople desolate cities.4Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed, and be not embarrassed for you shall not be put to shame, for the shame of your youth you shall forget, and the disgrace of your widowhood you shall no longer remember.5For your Master is your Maker, the Lord of Hosts is His name, and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, shall be called the God of all the earth.6For, like a wife who is deserted and distressed in spirit has the Lord called you, and a wife of one's youth who was rejected, said your God.7"For a small moment have I forsaken you, and with great mercy will I gather you.8With a little wrath did I hide My countenance for a moment from you, and with everlasting kindness will I have compassion on you," said your Redeemer, the Lord.9"For this is to Me [as] the waters of Noah, as I swore that the waters of Noah shall never again pass over the earth, so have I sworn neither to be wroth with you nor to rebuke you.10For the mountains shall depart and the hills totter, but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of My peace totter," says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.