Serve, Work and Transform: Daily Lectionary Readings for April 28, 2025

Daily Lectionary Readings
(Two-Year Cycle)

Daily Lectionary Readings for April 28, 2025

By Daily Lectionary Readings, Monday, April 28, 2025 12:00 AM

Morning Psalm 97

¹   The LORD is king! Let the earth rejoice;
          let the many coastlands be glad!
²   Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
          righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
³   Fire goes before him,
          and consumes his adversaries on every side.
⁴   His lightnings light up the world;
          the earth sees and trembles.
⁵   The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
          before the Lord of all the earth.

⁶   The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
          and all the peoples behold his glory.
⁷   All worshipers of images are put to shame,
          those who make their boast in worthless idols;
          all gods bow down before him.
⁸   Zion hears and is glad,
          and the towns of Judah rejoice,
          because of your judgments, O God.
⁹   For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth;
          you are exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰  The LORD loves those who hate evil;
          he guards the lives of his faithful;
          he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹  Light dawns for the righteous,
          and joy for the upright in heart.
¹²  Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
          and give thanks to his holy name!

Morning Psalm 145

¹   I will extol you, my God and King,
          and bless your name forever and ever.
²   Every day I will bless you,
          and praise your name forever and ever.
³   Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
          his greatness is unsearchable.

⁴   One generation shall laud your works to another,
          and shall declare your mighty acts.
⁵   On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
          and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
⁶   The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
          and I will declare your greatness.
⁷   They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
          and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

⁸   The Lord is gracious and merciful,
          slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹   The Lord is good to all,
          and his compassion is over all that he has made.

¹⁰  All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
          and all your faithful shall bless you.
¹¹  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
          and tell of your power,
¹²  to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
          and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
¹³  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
          and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

     The Lord is faithful in all his words,
          and gracious in all his deeds.
¹⁴  The Lord upholds all who are falling,
          and raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵  The eyes of all look to you,
          and you give them their food in due season.
¹⁶  You open your hand,
          satisfying the desire of every living thing.
¹⁷  The Lord is just in all his ways,
          and kind in all his doings.
¹⁸  The Lord is near to all who call on him,
          to all who call on him in truth.
¹⁹  He fulfills the desire of all who fear him;
          he also hears their cry, and saves them.
²⁰  The Lord watches over all who love him,
          but all the wicked he will destroy.

²¹ My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.

First Reading Daniel 1:1-21

¹In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. ²The Lord let King Jehoiakim of Judah fall into his power, as well as some of the vessels of the house of God. These he brought to the land of Shinar, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his gods.

³Then the king commanded his palace master Ashpenaz to bring some of the Israelites of the royal family and of the nobility, ⁴young men without physical defect and handsome, versed in every branch of wisdom, endowed with knowledge and insight, and competent to serve in the king’s palace; they were to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans. ⁵The king assigned them a daily portion of the royal rations of food and wine. They were to be educated for three years, so that at the end of that time they could be stationed in the king’s court. ⁶Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, from the tribe of Judah. ⁷The palace master gave them other names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

⁸But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the royal rations of food and wine; so he asked the palace master to allow him not to defile himself. ⁹Now God allowed Daniel to receive favor and compassion from the palace master. ¹⁰The palace master said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king; he has appointed your food and your drink. If he should see you in poorer condition than the other young men of your own age, you would endanger my head with the king.” ¹¹Then Daniel asked the guard whom the palace master had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: ¹²“Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³You can then compare our appearance with the appearance of the young men who eat the royal rations, and deal with your servants according to what you observe.” ¹⁴So he agreed to this proposal and tested them for ten days. ¹⁵At the end of ten days it was observed that they appeared better and fatter than all the young men who had been eating the royal rations. ¹⁶So the guard continued to withdraw their royal rations and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. ¹⁷To these four young men God gave knowledge and skill in every aspect of literature and wisdom; Daniel also had insight into all visions and dreams.

¹⁸At the end of the time that the king had set for them to be brought in, the palace master brought them into the presence of Nebuchadnezzar, ¹⁹and the king spoke with them. And among them all, no one was found to compare with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they were stationed in the king’s court. ²⁰In every matter of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. ²¹And Daniel continued there until the first year of King Cyrus.

Second Reading 1 John 1:1-10

¹We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life — ²this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us — ³we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

⁵This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; ⁷but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Gospel Reading John 17:1-11

¹After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, ²since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. ³And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. ⁴I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. ⁵So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.

⁶“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; ⁸for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. ⁹I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. ¹⁰All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. ¹¹And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

Evening Psalm 124

¹   If it had not been the LORD who was on our side
          — let Israel now say —
²   if it had not been the LORD who was on our side,
          when our enemies attacked us,
³   then they would have swallowed us up alive,
          when their anger was kindled against us;
⁴   then the flood would have swept us away,
          the torrent would have gone over us;
⁵   then over us would have gone
          the raging waters.

⁶   Blessed be the LORD,
          who has not given us
          as prey to their teeth.
⁷   We have escaped like a bird
          from the snare of the fowlers;
     the snare is broken,
          and we have escaped.

⁸ Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

Evening Psalm 115

¹   Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,
          for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.
²   Why should the nations say,
          “Where is their God?”

³   Our God is in the heavens;
          he does whatever he pleases.
⁴   Their idols are silver and gold,
          the work of human hands.
⁵   They have mouths, but do not speak;
          eyes, but do not see.
⁶   They have ears, but do not hear;
          noses, but do not smell.
⁷   They have hands, but do not feel;
          feet, but do not walk;
          they make no sound in their throats.
⁸   Those who make them are like them;
          so are all who trust in them.

⁹   O Israel, trust in the LORD!
          He is their help and their shield.
¹⁰  O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD!
          He is their help and their shield.
¹¹  You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!
          He is their help and their shield.

¹²  The LORD has been mindful of us; he will bless us;
          he will bless the house of Israel;
          he will bless the house of Aaron;
¹³  he will bless those who fear the LORD,
          both small and great.

¹⁴  May the LORD give you increase,
          both you and your children.
¹⁵  May you be blessed by the LORD,
          who made heaven and earth.

¹⁶  The heavens are the Lord’s heavens,
          but the earth he has given to human beings.
¹⁷  The dead do not praise the LORD,
          nor do any that go down into silence.
¹⁸  But we will bless the LORD
          from this time on and forevermore.
     Praise the LORD!