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WE PRAY

Almighty God, grant us grace so that we may cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, now during this mortal life, in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that on the last day, when he will come again in his glorious Majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to eternal life; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

WE READ

When we think of Advent readings, we often picture scenes of hope and joy—Mary ’s song, the journey to Bethlehem, or the angels ’proclamation to the shepherds. Zachariah and Mary’s songs ring with hope and light. Who doesn’t like the journey to Bethlehem with Jesus ’birth and the angelic proclamation to the shepherds? But those aren’t the passages we read today. Psalm 17 finds the psalmist begging God to turn God ’s attention his way. The tone is brash yet quietly confident of God ’s coming deliverance. Amos 5 is a somewhat bitter funeral dirge, yet not without hope for repentance. Jude warns his readers to watch out for false teachers but gives simple advice to stay faithful. The parable in Matthew’s reading warns us of what happens when we are not prepared for Christ’s coming.
In their own way, each passage is a cautionary tale about the consequences of not adequately preparing ourselves for Christ’s coming and his coming again. As you read, pay attention to the people to whom God will direct God ’s judgment. Spend some time reflecting on the call to repentance in each passage. These passages may be a bit dark, but don’t lose sight of the hope throughout the readings.

Psalm 17

A prayer of David.
1 Listen to what ’s right, LORD;
pay attention to my cry!
Listen closely to my prayer;
it’s spoken by lips that don’t lie!
2 My justice comes from you;
let your eyes see what is right!
3 You have examined my heart,
testing me at night.
You’ve looked me over closely,
but haven’t found anything wrong.
My mouth doesn’t sin.
4 But these other people’s deeds?
I have avoided such violent ways
by the command from your lips.
5 My steps are set firmly on your paths;
my feet haven’t slipped.
6 I cry out to you because you answer me.
So tilt your ears toward me now—
listen to what I’m saying!
7 Manifest your faithful love
in amazing ways
because you are the one
who saves those
who take refuge in you,
saving them from their attackers
by your strong hand.
8 Watch me with the very pupil of your eye!
Hide me in the protection
of your wings,
9 away from the wicked
who are out to get me,
away from my deadly enemies
who are all around me!
10 They have no pity;
their mouths speak arrogantly.
11 They track me down—
suddenly, they surround me!
They make their plans
to put me in the dirt.
12 They are like a lion eager to rip its prey;
they are like a strong young lion
lying in wait.
13 Get up, LORD!
Confront them!
Bring them down!
Rescue my life from the wicked—
use your sword!
14 Rescue me from these people—
use your own hands, LORD!
Rescue me from these people
whose only possession
is their fleeting life.
But fill the stomachs
of your cherished ones;
let their children be filled full
so that they have leftovers
enough for their babies.
15 But me? I will see your face
in righteousness;
when I awake, I will be filled full
by seeing your image.

Amos 5:1–17

5 Hear this word—a funeral song—that I am lifting up against you, house of Israel:
2 Fallen, no more to rise,
is virgin Israel,
deserted on her land,
with no one to raise her up.
3 The LORD God proclaims:
The city that marched out
one thousand people
will have one hundred left,
and the city that marched out
one hundred will have ten left
in the house of Israel.
4 The LORD proclaims
to the house of Israel:
Seek me and live.
5 But don’t seek Bethel,
don’t enter into Gilgal,
or cross over to Beer-sheba;
for Gilgal will go into exile,
and Bethel will come to nothing.
6 Seek the LORD and live,
or else God might rush like a fire
against the house of Joseph.
The fire will burn up Bethel,
with no one to put it out.
7 Doom to you who turn justice into poison,
and throw righteousness
to the ground!
8 The one who made
the Pleiades and Orion,
and turns deep darkness
into the morning,
and darkens the day into night;
who summons the waters of the sea,
and pours them out
on the surface of the earth—
this one ’s name is the LORD—
9 who causes destruction to flash out
against the strong,
so that destruction comes
upon the fortress.
10 They hate the one who judges
at the city gate,
and they reject the one
who speaks the truth.
11 Truly, because you crush the weak,
and because you tax their grain,
you have built houses of carved stone,
but you won’t live in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you won’t drink their wine.
12 I know how many are your crimes,
and how numerous are your sins—
afflicting the righteous,
taking money on the side,
turning away the poor
who seek help.
13 Therefore, the one who is wise
will keep silent in that time;
it is an evil time.
14 Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the LORD,
the God of heavenly forces,
will be with you just as you have said.
15 Hate evil, love good,
and establish justice at the city gate.
Perhaps the LORD God of heavenly forces
will be gracious
to what is left of Joseph.
16 Truly, the LORD proclaims,
the God of heavenly forces, the Lord:
Crying will be heard in all the squares.
In all the streets they will say,
“Oh no! Oh no!”
They will call upon the farmers to wail,
and those skilled in mourning
to lament.
17 In all the vineyards
there will be bitter crying because
I will pass through your midst,
says the LORD.

Jude 1–16

1 Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and brother of James. To those who are called, loved by God the Father and kept safe by Jesus Christ. 2 May you have more and more mercy, peace, and love.
3 Dear friends, I wanted very much to write to you concerning the salvation we share. Instead, I must write to urge you to fight for the faith delivered once and for all to God’s holy people. 4 Godless people have slipped in among you. They turn the grace of our God into unrestrained immorality and deny our only master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Judgment was passed against them a long time ago.
5 I want to remind you of something you already know very well. The Lord, who once saved a people out of Egypt, later destroyed those who didn’t maintain their faith. 6 I remind you too of the angels who didn’t keep their position of authority but deserted their own home. The Lord has kept them in eternal chains in the underworld until the judgment of the great day. 7 In the same way, Sodom and Gomorrah and neighboring towns practiced immoral sexual relations and pursued other sexual urges. By undergoing the punishment of eternal fire, they serve as a warning.
8 Yet, even knowing this, these dreamers in the same way pollute themselves, reject authority, and slander the angels. 9 The archangel Michael, when he argued with the devil about Moses ’body, did not dare charge him with slander. Instead, he said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these people slander whatever they don’t understand. They are destroyed by what they know instinctively, as though they were irrational animals.
11 They are damned, for they follow in the footsteps of Cain. For profit they give themselves over to Balaam ’s error. They are destroyed in the uprising of Korah. 12 These people are like jagged rocks just below the surface of the
water waiting to snag you when they join your love feasts. They feast with you without reverence. They care only for themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by the winds; fruitless autumn trees, twice dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom the darkness of the underworld is reserved forever.
14 Enoch, who lived seven generations after Adam, prophesied about these people when he said, “See, the Lord comes with his countless holy ones, 15 to execute judgment on everyone and to convict everyone about every ungodly deed they have committed in their ungodliness as well as all the harsh things that sinful ungodly people have said against him.” 16 These are faultfinding grumblers, living according to their own desires. They speak arrogant words and they show partiality to people when they want a favor in return.

Matthew 22:1–14

22 Jesus responded by speaking again in parables: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding party for his son. 3 He sent his servants to call those invited to the wedding party. But they didn’t want to come. 4 Again he sent other servants and said to them, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Look, the meal is all prepared. I’ve butchered the oxen and the fattened cattle. Now everything’s ready. Come to the wedding party! ’ ”5 But they paid no attention and went away—some to their fields, others to their businesses. 6 The rest of them grabbed his servants, abused them, and killed them.
7 “The king was angry. He sent his soldiers to destroy those murderers and set their city on fire. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding party is prepared, but those who were invited weren’t worthy. 9 Therefore, go to the roads on the edge of town and invite everyone you find to the wedding party. ’
10 “Then those servants went to the roads and gathered everyone they found, both evil and good. The wedding party was full of guests. 11 Now when the king came in and saw the guests, he spotted a man who wasn’t wearing wedding clothes. 12 He said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes? ’But he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to his servants, ‘Tie his hands and feet and throw him out into the farthest darkness. People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth. ’
14 “Many people are invited, but few people are chosen.”

WE THINK

  • What stands out to you from today’s reading?

  • Are you confused or stumped by what you’ve read?

  • Is there anything you encountered that makes you think, “I don’t know about that…”?

  • What resonated with you as particularly meaningful?

  • What group of people is on the receiving end of God’s judgment in each passage? What do these groups have in common?

  • How do these passages challenge or affirm your sense of what it means to prepare for Christ ’s coming?

  • Where do you see yourself in today ’s parable? Are you ready for the feast?

WE FEEL

  • In general, what emotions seem to be dominant at this moment?
  • How have those emotions affected the relationships you have with those around you?
  • What are you doing or have you done to submit those emotions to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?
  • Where have you seen God at work this week?
  • When you hear Jesus ’parable about the wedding banquet, how do you feel? Do you see yourself as one invited? How ready do you feel to accept that invitation?
  • Reflect on a time you feared you might be beyond God ’s reach. How did God meet you in that place?

WE BELIEVE

We strongly believe that no one, regardless of their crime or how they’ve treated others, is beyond God ’s ability to forgive and redeem. That’s why the season of Advent is so important; it helps to prepare us for God ’s coming in Jesus Christ, as well as Jesus ’second coming. In the same way that John the Baptist was to prepare the way for Jesus Christ, these scripture passages are meant to prepare the way for Christ’s return, ensuring that we’re living in faithful response to the grace God has already given. They do this by helping us understand the behavior that is unsuitable for life in God ’s kingdom.

WE PRACTICE

Reread Psalm 17, this time using the Lectio Divina (sacred reading) as a framework for doing so. Here ’s how:

Spend about 5-7 minutes with each step.

  • Silencio (Silence) Set aside prime time and find a quiet, restful place. Quiet yourself, and try to clear your mind of all distractions. Your inner posture should be one of receptivity to God.

  • Lectio (Reading): Read the passage slowly and attentively, perhaps multiple times. Use your imagination to engage any and all of the 5 senses that may be reflected in the story or passage.

  • Meditatio (Meditation): Reflect on a word or phrase that stands out to you. What is God saying to you through this passage? Consider how David's trust in Psalm 17 might inspire your faithfulness.

  • Oratio (Prayer): Respond to God in prayer, expressing your thoughts, feelings, and desires.

  • Contemplatio (Contemplation): Rest in God's presence, allowing the Word to dwell within you. How might the hope expressed in the final verse of Psalm 17 shape your Advent waiting?

  • Actio (Compassionate Action): Share the grace you have received with someone.

PRAYER

Oh God, thank you for never giving up on us. As we go about our day, help us to stay focused as we wait for your coming and your coming again. Amen.