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WE PRAY

Father in heaven, who sent your Son to redeem the world and will send him again to be our judge:
Give us grace so to imitate him in the humility and purity of his first coming that when he comes again, we may be ready to greet him with joyful love and firm faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

WE READ

One Advent theme that often goes missing in our preparations for Christ ’s birth is divine reckoning. We don’t much like contemplating the accountability that Jesus brings in his coming and his coming again. Why? Because we’ve made Christmas all about expecting the birth of a cute baby who will one day redeem sinners and bring everlasting joy to the world. We’re right to focus on the hope and joy-filled reality of Advent and Christmas, but today’s readings won’t allow us to ignore the warnings that come along with Advent.
In Psalm 25, we are reminded of our ever-present need for divine guidance, forgiveness, and restoration because we are sinful people. The psalmist calls for God to have mercy because he knows that God will hold the wicked accountable. The psalmist longs to learn God’s ways so that he might live in righteousness. In the Amos passage, we’re reminded that God gives myriads of chances to live faithful lives to God and neighbor. God relents from punishing Israel through locust or fire, but reminds Israel that there are still standards of behavior that must remain. The plumb line vision reminds us that even though God is a God of grace and mercy, if we continue to live by our own standards, we will not escape accountability on the Day of the Lord. The passage from the beginning of Revelation expresses similar warnings regarding the coming of God among mortals. The wicked and the faithful will witness Christ ’s return in glory. Finally, Matthew ’s text reminds us that Christ’s coming and coming again bring about resurrection, and that ultimately, resurrection will expose the truth of who God is and of who we have been.

As you read today ’s texts, don’t neglect reflecting on the accountability and judgment in these readings. At the same time, don’t linger too long there, either. Try to hold God’s grace and forgiveness, God’s longing to restore us to right relationships with the reality that no matter how pious or holy we might think we are, all will be held accountable when Christ comes.

Psalm 25

א 1 I offer my life to you, Lord.
ב 2 My God, I trust you.
Please don’t let me be put to shame!
Don’t let my enemies rejoice
over me!
ג 3 For that matter,
don’t let anyone who hopes in you
be put to shame;
instead, let those who are treacherous
without excuse be put to shame.
ד 4 Make your ways known to me,
Lord;
teach me your paths.
ה 5 Lead me in your truth—
teach it to me—
because you are the God
who saves me.
ו I put my hope in you all day long.
ז 6 Lord, remember your compassion
and faithful love—
they are forever!
ח 7 But don’t remember the sins
of my youth or my wrongdoing.
Remember me only
according to your faithful love
for the sake of your goodness, Lord.
ט 8 The Lord is good and does the right thing;
he teaches sinners which way
they should go.
י 9 God guides the weak to justice,
teaching them his way.
כ 10 All the Lord’s paths
are loving and faithful
for those who keep his covenant
and laws.
ל 11 Please, for the sake of your good name,
Lord, forgive my sins,
which are many!
מ 12 Where are the ones who honor the Lord?
God will teach them which path to take.
נ 13 They will live a good life,
and their descendants
will possess the land.
ס 14 The Lord counsels those who honor him;
he makes his covenant known to them.
ע 15 My eyes are always looking to the Lord
because he will free my feet from the net.
פ 16 Turn to me, God, and have mercy on me
because I’m alone and suffering.
צ 17 My heart ’s troubles
keep getting bigger—
set me free from my distress!
18 Look at my suffering and trouble—
forgive all my sins!
ד 19 Look at how many enemies I have
and how violently they hate me!
ש 20 Please protect my life! Deliver me!
Don’t let me be put to shame
because I take refuge in you.
ת 21 Let integrity and virtue guard me
because I hope in you.
22 Please, God, save Israel
from all its troubles!

Amos 7:1–9

7 This is what the Lord God showed me: The Lord God was forming locusts at the time the late grass began to sprout. (It was the late grass after the king ’s harvest.) 2 When they had finished eating the green plants of the land, I said,
“Lord God, please forgive!
How can Jacob survive?
He is so small!”
3 The Lord relented concerning this:
“It won’t take place,” says the Lord.
4 This is what the Lord God showed me: The Lord God was calling for judgment with fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up part of the land. 5 Then I said,
“Lord God, I beg you, stop!
How can Jacob survive?
He is so small!”
6 The Lord relented concerning this:
“This also won’t take place,” says the Lord God.
7 This is what the Lord showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 The Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?”
“A plumb line,” I said.
Then the Lord said,
“See, I am setting a plumb line
in the middle of my people Israel.
I will never again forgive them.
9 The shrines of Isaac
will be made desolate,
and the holy places of Israel
will be laid waste,
and I will rise against the house of
Jeroboam with the sword.”

Revelation 1:1–8

1 A revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. Christ made it known by sending it through his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the witness of Jesus Christ, including all that John saw. 3 Favored is the one who reads the words of this prophecy out loud, and favored are those who listen to it being read, and keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
4 John, to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace and peace to you from the one who is and was and is coming, and from the seven spirits that are before God’s throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ—the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.  To the one who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 who made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever and always. Amen.
7 Look, he is coming with the clouds! Every eye will see him, including those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him. This is so. Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is and was and is coming, the Almighty.”

Matthew 22:23–33

23 That same day Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Jesus. 24 They asked, “Teacher, Moses said, If a man who doesn’t have children dies, his brother must marry his wife and produce children for his brother. 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married, then died. Because he had no children he left his widow to his brother.
26 The same thing happened with the second brother and the third, and in fact with all seven brothers. 27 Finally, the woman died. 28 At the resurrection, which of the seven brothers will be her husband? They were all married to her.”
29 Jesus responded, “You are wrong because you don’t know either the scriptures or God ’s power. 30 At the resurrection people won’t marry nor will they be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like angels from God. 31 As for the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what God told you, 32 I ’m the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He isn’t the God of the dead but of the living.” 33 Now when the crowd heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

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?
  • Should we emphasize God’s judgment over God’s grace or focus on God ’s grace at the expense of acknowledging God’s justice?
  • How do you deal with the tension between God ’s mercy and forgiveness and the reality that we also will be held accountable for our unconfessed and unrepentant sinfulness?

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?
  • Meditate on the feelings the psalmist expresses in Psalm 25. Do you identify with those emotions? If so, which ones and why?

WE BELIEVE

One of the things Christians haven’t always done well throughout history is to balance God ’s grace and judgment. Some argue that we should focus on judgment, warning people about the consequences awaiting those who remain unrepentant. While it ’s true that warning someone about future danger can be an act of love, should we lead with judgment? It ’s also important to remember that Israel’s constant message in the Old Testament is that God is “merciful and compassionate, very patient, full of faithful love, and ready to forgive” (Joel 2:13). Some claim that proclaiming God ’s mercy and faithful love outweighs emphasizing God ’s judgment, and therefore, we should only focus on the coming of God ’s love.

WE PRACTICE

Choose one of the following practices to engage in today:

A Posture of Humility

Make space today to kneel in confession, physically if possible, as a posture of humility before God's coming judgment. If time or mobility is limited today, pause for two minutes of silence. In your heart, invite Christ the Judge and King to reveal where you need to change and to help you walk in righteousness.

Psalm 25 as a guide, especially verses 6–11. Confess personal and communal sins—not only moral failures but also complicity in injustice.

Light a Candle

Light a candle to represent the presence of Christ. As you light the candle:

Reflect on what it would mean for Christ to come as Judge and King, not just as a gentle child. Pray: “Jesus, judge of all, expose what is false in me and in the world—and heal us by your mercy.” Then, reflect on the candle as a symbol of both light that comforts and light that reveals.

PRAYER

Oh God, forgive us for times when we focus too much on your justice and judgment at the expense of your mercy and grace. Forgive us for times when we concentrate too heavily on your grace and mercy instead of repentance and accountability. Give us the wisdom to know when to highlight each aspect of your nature. Help us to walk in your ways as we await your coming. Amen. Amen.