christmas day Reading

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Psalm 2 (ESV)

The Reign of the Lord's Anointed

1 Why do the nations rage

    and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves,

    and the rulers take counsel together,

    against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,

3 “Let us burst their bonds apart

    and cast away their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;

    the Lord holds them in derision.

5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

    and terrify them in his fury, saying,

6 “As for me, I have set my King

    on Zion, my holy hill.”

7 I will tell of the decree:

    The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;

    today I have begotten you.

8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

    and the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You shall break them with a rod of iron

    and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”

10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

      be warned, O rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear,

      and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son,

      lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

      for his wrath is quickly kindled.

      Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 85 (ESV)

Revive Us Again

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

1 Lord, you were favorable to your land;

    you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

2 You forgave the iniquity of your people;

    you covered all their sin. Selah

3 You withdrew all your wrath;

    you turned from your hot anger.

4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation,

    and put away your indignation toward us!

5 Will you be angry with us forever?

    Will you prolong your anger to all generations?

6 Will you not revive us again,

    that your people may rejoice in you?

7 Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,

    and grant us your salvation.

8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,

    for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints;

    but let them not turn back to folly.

9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,

    that glory may dwell in our land.

10 Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;

      righteousness and peace kiss each other.

11 Faithfulness springs up from the ground,

      and righteousness looks down from the sky.

12 Yes, the Lord will give what is good,

      and our land will yield its increase.

13 Righteousness will go before him

      and make his footsteps a way.

Psalm 110 (ESV)

Sit at My Right Hand

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord says to my Lord:

    “Sit at my right hand,

   until I make your enemies your footstool.”

2 The Lord sends forth from Zion

    your mighty scepter.

    Rule in the midst of your enemies!

3 Your people will offer themselves freely

    on the day of your power,

    in holy garments;

    from the womb of the morning,

    the dew of your youth will be yours.

4 The Lord has sworn

    and will not change his mind,

    “You are a priest forever

     after the order of Melchizedek.”

5 The Lord is at your right hand;

    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.

6 He will execute judgment among the nations,

    filling them with corpses;

    he will shatter chiefs

    over the wide earth.

7 He will drink from the brook by the way;

    therefore he will lift up his head.

Psalm 132 (ESV)

The Lord Has Chosen Zion

A Song of Ascents.

1 Remember, O Lord, in David's favor,

    all the hardships he endured,

2 how he swore to the Lord

    and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,

3 “I will not enter my house

    or get into my bed,

4 I will not give sleep to my eyes

    or slumber to my eyelids,

5 until I find a place for the Lord,

    a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;

    we found it in the fields of Jaar.

7 “Let us go to his dwelling place;

    let us worship at his footstool!”

8 Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place,

    you and the ark of your might.

9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,

    and let your saints shout for joy.

10 For the sake of your servant David,

      do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

11 The Lord swore to David a sure oath

      from which he will not turn back:

      “One of the sons of your body

      I will set on your throne.

12 If your sons keep my covenant

      and my testimonies that I shall teach them,

      their sons also forever

      shall sit on your throne.”

13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;

      he has desired it for his dwelling place:

14 “This is my resting place forever;

      here I will dwell, for I have desired it.

15 I will abundantly bless her provisions;

      I will satisfy her poor with bread.

16 Her priests I will clothe with salvation,

      and her saints will shout for joy.

17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David;

      I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.

18 His enemies I will clothe with shame,

      but on him his crown will shine.”

1 John 4:7-16 (ESV)

God Is Love

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

John 3:31-36 (ESV)

31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.