AME Zion Universal Reading April 2nd, 2023

Sunday School Zoom Link

First Portion

Vayikra (Leviticus) Chapter 6

1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,2Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering: That is the burnt offering which burns on the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall burn with it.3And the kohen shall don his linen tunic, and he shall don his linen trousers on his flesh. And he shall lift out the ashes into which the fire has consumed the burnt offering upon the altar, and put them down next to the altar.4He shall then take off his garments and put on other garments, and he shall take out the ashes to a clean place outside the camp.5And the fire on the altar shall burn on it; it shall not go out. The kohen shall kindle wood upon it every morning, and upon it, he shall arrange the burnt offering and cause the fats of the peace offerings to [go up in] smoke upon it.6A continuous fire shall burn upon the altar; it shall not go out.7And this is the law of the meal offering: that Aaron's sons shall bring it before the Lord, to the front of the altar.8And he shall lift out of it in his fist, from the fine flour of the meal offering and from its oil and all the frankincense that is on the meal offering, and he shall cause its reminder to [go up in] smoke on the altar as a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.9And Aaron and his sons shall eat whatever is left over from it. It shall be eaten as unleavened bread in a holy place; they shall eat it in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting.10It shall not be baked leavened. [As] their portion, I have given it to them from My fire offerings. It is a holy of holies, like the sin offering and like the guilt offering.11Any male among Aaron's sons may eat it. [This is] an eternal statute for your generations from the fire offerings of the Lord. Anything that touches them shall become holy.

Luke 24:1–12 (NLT): The Resurrection

But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3 So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.

5 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

8 Then they remembered that he had said this. 9 So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. 11 But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. 12 However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.

Second Portion

Vayikra (Leviticus) Chapter 6

12And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,13This is the offering of Aaron and his sons, which they shall offer to the Lord, on the day when [one of them] is anointed: One tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a perpetual meal offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening.14It shall be made with oil on a shallow pan, after bringing it scalded and repeatedly baked; you shall offer a meal offering of broken pieces, [with] a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.15And the kohen who is anointed instead of him from among his sons, shall prepare it; [this is] an eternal statute; it shall be completely burnt to the Lord.16Every meal offering of a kohen shall be completely burnt; it shall not be eaten.17And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,18Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering: The sin offering shall be slaughtered before the Lord in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. It is a holy of holies.19The kohen who offers it up as a sin offering shall eat it; it shall be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting.20Anything that touches its flesh shall become holy, and if any of its blood is sprinkled on a garment, [the area of the garment] upon which it has been sprinkled, you shall wash in a holy place.21An earthenware vessel in which it is cooked shall be broken, but if it is cooked in a copper vessel, it shall be purged and rinsed with water.22Every male among the kohanim may eat it. It is a holy of holies.23But any sin offering some of whose blood was brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the Holy, shall not be eaten; it shall be burned in fire.

Vayikra (Leviticus) Chapter 7

1And this is the law of the guilt offering. It is a holy of holies.2They shall slaughter the guilt offering in the place where they slaughter the burnt offering; and its blood shall be dashed upon the altar, around.3And all of its fat he shall offer from it: the tail and the fat covering the innards,4and the two kidneys [along] with the fat that is upon them, which is on the flanks, and the diaphragm with the liver; along with the kidneys he shall remove it.5And the kohen shall cause them to [go up in] smoke on the altar as a fire offering to the Lord. It is a guilt offering.6Any male among the kohanim may eat it; it shall be eaten in a holy place. It is a holy of holies.7Like the sin offering, so is the guilt offering, they have one law; the kohen who effects atonement through it to him it shall belong.8And the kohen who offers up a person's burnt offering, the skin of the burnt offering which he has offered up, belongs to the kohen; it shall be his.9And any meal offering baked in an oven, and any one made in a deep pan or in a shallow pan, belongs to the kohen who offers it up; it shall be his.10And any meal offering mixed with oil or dry, shall belong to all the sons of Aaron, one like the other.

Monday

Luke 19:28–40 (NLT): Jesus’ Triumphant Entry

28 After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. 29 As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30 “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”

32 So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33 And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?”

34 And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.

36 As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37 When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.

38 “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord!

Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!”

39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”

40 He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”

Third Portion

Vayikra (Leviticus) Chapter 7

11And this is the law of the peace offering, which he shall bring to the Lord.12If he is bringing it as a thanksgiving offering, he shall offer, along with the thanksgiving offering unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and scalded flour mixed with oil.13Along with loaves of leavened bread, he shall bring his offering along with his thanksgiving peace offering.14And he shall bring from it one out of each offering, as a separation for the Lord; the kohen who dashes the blood of the peace offering it shall be his.15And the flesh of his thanksgiving peace offering shall be eaten on the day it is offered up; he shall not leave any of it over until morning.16But if his sacrifice is a vow or a voluntary donation, on the day he offers up his sacrifice it may be eaten, and on the next day, whatever is left over from it, may be eaten.17However, whatever is left over from the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day, shall be burnt in fire.18And if any of the flesh of his peace offering is to be eaten on the third day, it shall not be accepted; it shall not count for the one who offers it; [rather,] it shall be rejected, and the person who eats of it shall bear his sin.19And the flesh that touches anything unclean shall not be eaten. It shall be burned in fire. But regarding the flesh, anyone who is clean may eat [the] flesh.20A person who eats the flesh of a peace-offering of the Lord, while his uncleanness is upon him, that soul shall be cut off from its people.21And a person who touches anything unclean, whether uncleanness from a human or an unclean animal [carcass] or any unclean [carcass of an] abominable creature, and then eats of the flesh of a peace offering to the Lord, that soul shall be cut off from its people.22And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:23Speak to the Children of Israel, saying: You shall not eat any fat of an ox, sheep, or goat.24The fat of carrion and the fat of an animal with a fatal disease or injury, may be used for any work, but you shall not eat it.25For anyone who eats fat of animals from which sacrifices are brought as fire offerings to the Lord, the soul who eats [it] shall be cut off from its people.26And you shall not eat any blood in any of your dwelling places, whether from birds or from animals.27Any person who eats any blood, that soul shall be cut off from its people.28And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:29Speak to the Children of Israel, saying: Anyone who brings his peace offering to the Lord, shall bring his sacrifice to the Lord from his peace offering.30His own hands shall bring the fire offerings of the Lord. The fat, on the breast, he shall bring it, the breast, to wave it as a waving before the Lord.31And the kohen shall cause the fat to [go up in] smoke on the altar, and the breast shall belong to Aaron and his sons.32And you shall give the right thigh as an elevation offering to the kohen, from your peace offering.33[Anyone] of the sons of Aaron who offers up the blood of the peace offering and the fat he shall have the right thigh as a portion.34For I have taken the breast of the waving and the thigh of the elevation from the children of Israel, from their peace offerings, and I have given them to Aaron the kohen and to his sons as an eternal statute, from the children of Israel.35This is [the grant for] Aaron's anointment and his sons' anointment, from the fire offerings of the Lord, on the day that He brought them near, to be kohanim for the Lord.36Which the Lord commanded to give them on the day that He anointed them, from the children of Israel. [This is] an eternal statute for their generations.37This is the law for the burnt offering, for the meal offering, and for the sin offering, and for the guilt offering, and for the investitures, and for the peace offering,38which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day He commanded the children of Israel to offer up their sacrifices to the Lord in the Sinai Desert.

Tuesday

Luke 19:41–48 (NLT): Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

41 But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. 42 “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. 43 Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. 44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.”

Jesus Clears the Temple

45 Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. 46 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”

47 After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. 48 But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said.

Fourth Portion

Vayikra (Leviticus) Chapter 8

1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,2Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the sin offering bull, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread,3And assemble the entire community at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.4And Moses did as the Lord had commanded him, and the community assembled at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.5And Moses said to the community: This is the thing the Lord has commanded to do.6And Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and bathed them in water.7And he placed the tunic upon him [Aaron], girded him with the sash, clothed him with the robe, placed the ephod upon him, girded him with the band of the ephod, and adorned him with it.8And he placed the choshen upon him, and he inserted into the choshen the Urim and the Tummim.9And he placed the cap on his [Aaron's] head, and he placed on the cap, towards his face, the golden showplate, the holy crown, as the Lord had commanded Moses.10And Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the Sanctuary and everything in it and sanctified them.11And he sprinkled from it upon the altar seven times, and he anointed the altar and all its vessels and the washstand and its base, to sanctify them.12And he poured some of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and he anointed him to sanctify him.13And Moses brought Aaron's sons forward and clothed them with tunics, girded them with sashes, and bound them up with high hats, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Wednesday

Job 14:1–15 (NLT):

1 “How frail is humanity!

How short is life, how full of trouble!

2 We blossom like a flower and then wither.

Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear.

3 Must you keep an eye on such a frail creature

and demand an accounting from me?

4 Who can bring purity out of an impure person?

No one!

5 You have decided the length of our lives.

You know how many months we will live,

and we are not given a minute longer.

6 So leave us alone and let us rest!

We are like hired hands, so let us finish our work in peace.

7 “Even a tree has more hope!

If it is cut down, it will sprout again

and grow new branches.

8 Though its roots have grown old in the earth

and its stump decays,

9 at the scent of water it will bud

and sprout again like a new seedling.

10 “But when people die, their strength is gone.

They breathe their last, and then where are they?

11 As water evaporates from a lake

and a river disappears in drought,

12 people are laid to rest and do not rise again.

Until the heavens are no more, they will not wake up

nor be roused from their sleep.

13 “I wish you would hide me in the grave

and forget me there until your anger has passed.

But mark your calendar to think of me again!

14 Can the dead live again?

If so, this would give me hope through all my years of struggle,

and I would eagerly await the release of death.

15 You would call and I would answer,

and you would yearn for me, your handiwork.

Fifth Portion

Vayikra (Leviticus) Chapter 8

14And he brought the sin offering bull close, and Aaron and his sons leaned their hands [forcefully] upon the head of the sin offering bull.15And he slaughtered [it], and Moses took the blood, and placed it on the horns of the altar, around, with his finger, and he purified the altar. And he poured the blood at the base of the altar, and sanctified it [the altar], to effect atonement upon it.16And he took all the fat which was on the innards, and the diaphragm with the liver, and the two kidneys together with their fat. And Moses caused [them] to [go up in] smoke on the altar.17And the bull, its hide, its flesh, and its waste, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the Lord had commanded Moses.18And he brought near the burnt offering ram, and Aaron and his sons leaned their hands [forcefully] upon the head of the ram.19And he slaughtered [it], and Moses dashed the blood on the altar, around.20And he cut up the ram into its pieces, and Moses made the head, the pieces and the fat [go up in] smoke.21But the innards and the legs, he washed in water, and Moses made the entire ram [go up in] smoke on the altar. It was a burnt offering [with] a pleasing fragrance, a fire offering to the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Thursday

1 Corinthians 11:23–34 (NLT):

23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.

27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.

31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

33 So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. 34 If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I’ll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.

Sixth Portion

Vayikra (Leviticus) Chapter 8

22And he brought near the second ram, the ram of the investitures, and Aaron and his sons leaned their hands [forcefully] upon the ram's head.23And he slaughtered [it], and Moses took some of its blood, and placed it on the cartilage of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.24And he brought Aaron's sons forward, and Moses placed some of the blood on the cartilage of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet, and Moses dashed the blood on the altar, around.25And he took the fat, the tail, all the fat which was on the innards, the diaphragm of the liver, the two kidneys together with their fat and the right thigh.26And out of the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord, he took one loaf of unleavened bread, and one loaf of oily bread, and one wafer, and he placed them on top of the fats and the right thigh.27And then he placed it all on Aaron's palms and on his sons' palms, and he waved them as a waving before the Lord.28And Moses took them from their hands and made them [go up in] smoke on the altar along with the burnt offering. They were investiture offerings, as a pleasing fragrance, a fire offering to the Lord.29And Moses took the breast and waved it as a waving before the Lord. It belonged to Moses as a portion from the ram of the investitures, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Friday

Psalm 22:1–19 (NLT):

1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Why are you so far away when I groan for help?

2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.

Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.

3 Yet you are holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel.

4 Our ancestors trusted in you,

and you rescued them.

5 They cried out to you and were saved.

They trusted in you and were never disgraced.

6 But I am a worm and not a man.

I am scorned and despised by all!

7 Everyone who sees me mocks me.

They sneer and shake their heads, saying,

8 “Is this the one who relies on the Lord?

Then let the Lord save him!

If the Lord loves him so much,

let the Lord rescue him!”

9 Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb

and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.

10 I was thrust into your arms at my birth.

You have been my God from the moment I was born.

11 Do not stay so far from me,

for trouble is near,

and no one else can help me.

12 My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls;

fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!

13 Like lions they open their jaws against me,

roaring and tearing into their prey.

14 My life is poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint.

My heart is like wax,

melting within me.

15 My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.

My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.

16 My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;

an evil gang closes in on me.

They have pierced my hands and feet.

17 I can count all my bones.

My enemies stare at me and gloat.

18 They divide my garments among themselves

and throw dice for my clothing.

19 O Lord, do not stay far away!

You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!

Seventh Portion

Vayikra (Leviticus) Chapter 8

30And Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar, and he sprinkled it on Aaron and on his garments, and on his sons, and on his sons' garments, and he sanctified Aaron, his garments, his sons and his sons' garments with him.31And Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, "Cook the flesh at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and eat it there, and the bread that is in the basket of the investiture offerings, as I have commanded, saying, 'Aaron and his sons shall eat it.'32And whatever is left over from the flesh and the bread, you shall burn in fire.33And you shall not leave the entrance of the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the day of the completion of your investiture days, he will inaugurate you for seven days.34As he did on this day, so the Lord has commanded to do, to effect atonement for you.35And you shall stay day and night for seven days at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. You shall observe the Lord's command, so that you will not die, for thus I was commanded.36And Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord commanded through Moses.

Saturday

Psalm 22:20–31 (NLT):

20 Save me from the sword;

spare my precious life from these dogs.

21 Snatch me from the lion’s jaws

and from the horns of these wild oxen.

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

I will praise you among your assembled people.

23 Praise the Lord, all you who fear him!

Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!

Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!

24 For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.

He has not turned his back on them,

but has listened to their cries for help.

25 I will praise you in the great assembly.

I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.

26 The poor will eat and be satisfied.

All who seek the Lord will praise him.

Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.

27 The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him.

All the families of the nations will bow down before him.

28 For royal power belongs to the Lord.

He rules all the nations.

29 Let the rich of the earth feast and worship.

Bow before him, all who are mortal,

all whose lives will end as dust.

30 Our children will also serve him.

Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.

31 His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.

They will hear about everything he has done.

Maftir Portion

Vayikra (Leviticus) Chapter 8

33And you shall not leave the entrance of the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the day of the completion of your investiture days, he will inaugurate you for seven days.34As he did on this day, so the Lord has commanded to do, to effect atonement for you.35And you shall stay day and night for seven days at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. You shall observe the Lord's command, so that you will not die, for thus I was commanded.36And Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord commanded through Moses.

Haftarah

Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) Chapter 7

21So says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel; Add your burnt offerings upon your sacrifices and eat flesh.22For neither did I speak with your forefathers nor did I command them on the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning a burnt offering or a sacrifice.23But this thing did I command them, saying: Obey Me so that I am your God and you are My people, and you walk in all the ways that I command you, so that it may be well with you.24But they did not obey nor did they incline their ear, but walked according to [their] own counsels and in the view of their evil heart, and they went backwards and not forwards.25Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt until this day, I sent you all My servants the prophets, sending them day [after day] with every fresh morn.26Yet they hearkened not to Me nor did they incline their ear, but stiffened their necks; they did worse than their fathers.27And when you will speak all of these words to them and they will not hearken to you, and you call to them and they will not answer you,28Then say to them: This is the nation that did not hear the voice of the Lord their God and has not received correction; out of their mouth faithfulness has disappeared, yea rooted out!

Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) Chapter 9

22Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, nor the strong man boast of his strength, nor the rich man boast of his riches.23But let him that boasts exult in this, that he understands and knows me, for I am the Lord Who practices kindness, justice and righteousness on the earth; for in these things I delight, says the Lord.