The Daily Practice

2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,     and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

46 And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord 47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful     of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—     holy is his name. 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,     from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;     he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones     but has lifted up the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things     but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel,     remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,     just as he promised our ancestors.”

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c] because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[d] (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Luke 23:1-12

23 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king.”

3 So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

4 Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”

5 But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.”

6 On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. 7 When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. 9 He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. 12 That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.

11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here,[a] he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining[b] eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,[c] so that we may serve the living God!

15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

37 Who can speak and have it happen     if the Lord has not decreed it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High     that both calamities and good things come? 39 Why should the living complain     when punished for their sins?

40 Let us examine our ways and test them,     and let us return to the Lord. 41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands     to God in heaven, and say: 42 “We have sinned and rebelled     and you have not forgiven.

43 “You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us;     you have slain without pity. 44 You have covered yourself with a cloud     so that no prayer can get through. 45 You have made us scum and refuse     among the nations.

46 “All our enemies have opened their mouths     wide against us. 47 We have suffered terror and pitfalls,     ruin and destruction.” 48 Streams of tears flow from my eyes     because my people are destroyed.

49 My eyes will flow unceasingly,     without relief, 50 until the Lord looks down     from heaven and sees. 51 What I see brings grief to my soul     because of all the women of my city.

52 Those who were my enemies without cause     hunted me like a bird. 53 They tried to end my life in a pit     and threw stones at me; 54 the waters closed over my head,     and I thought I was about to perish.

55 I called on your name, Lord,     from the depths of the pit. 56 You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears     to my cry for relief.” 57 You came near when I called you,     and you said, “Do not fear.”

58 You, Lord, took up my case;     you redeemed my life.

5 The Lord is like an enemy;     he has swallowed up Israel. He has swallowed up all her palaces     and destroyed her strongholds. He has multiplied mourning and lamentation     for Daughter Judah.

6 He has laid waste his dwelling like a garden;     he has destroyed his place of meeting. The Lord has made Zion forget     her appointed festivals and her Sabbaths; in his fierce anger he has spurned     both king and priest.

7 The Lord has rejected his altar     and abandoned his sanctuary. He has given the walls of her palaces     into the hands of the enemy; they have raised a shout in the house of the Lord     as on the day of an appointed festival.

8 The Lord determined to tear down     the wall around Daughter Zion. He stretched out a measuring line     and did not withhold his hand from destroying. He made ramparts and walls lament;     together they wasted away.

9 Her gates have sunk into the ground;     their bars he has broken and destroyed. Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations,     the law is no more, and her prophets no longer find     visions from the Lord.

42 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,     my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him,     and he will bring justice to the nations. 2 He will not shout or cry out,     or raise his voice in the streets. 3 A bruised reed he will not break,     and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; 4     he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth.     In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

5 This is what God the Lord says— the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,     who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,     who gives breath to its people,     and life to those who walk on it: 6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;     I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you     to be a covenant for the people     and a light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes that are blind,     to free captives from prison     and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

8 “I am the Lord; that is my name!     I will not yield my glory to another     or my praise to idols. 9 See, the former things have taken place,     and new things I declare; before they spring into being     I announce them to you.”