Rise Take the Child and His Mother

Using the lectionary with lectio divina practice is a real good way to work with the liturgical practices already in place in your public place of worship.  You may need to do a little research to find out which lectionary format your parish is using and what yearly cycle they are on.

Even though I have gone back into the United Methodist Church Community, I still use the Orthodox Lectionary Cycle.  Partially, because I get the Gospel reading for Matins, the Epistle and Gospel reading for the Liturgy, and the Vesperal verses, as well as the daily collect prayers and hymns emailed to me at midnight - for the ensuing day.  There is also the life of a saint highlighted each day - which I find edifying.  This list serve is at:  http://goarch.org/chapel/ 

There may be other list-serves that you can sign up for that have bundled readings from the lectionary of your choices.  It would be worth doing a little research.  The Book of Common Prayer is also an invaluable tool with a 3 year lectionary if your local parish does not have a current commitment to a lectionary cycle.  The Book of Common Prayer is nice cause it has daily collects for morning prayer, noon prayer, vespers and compline as well as the whole Pslater all in one book.  Nice resource.

Here is today's scriptural reading from the Orthodox Lectionary.  Remember to read it slowly, and repeatedly, and listen for the Spirit's call in the words planted in your heart.


The reading is from Matthew ii, 13-23

When the wise men departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to
Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and
flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to
search for the child, to destroy him." And he rose and took the child
and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there
until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken
by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called my son."

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was
in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in
Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according
to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was
fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: "A voice was heard in
Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they were no more." But when
Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph
in Egypt, saying, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to
the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead."
And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land
of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaos reigned over Judea in
place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned
in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and
dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets
might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."