Slideshow image

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

Today's readings invite us to explore the powerful tension between God's justice and God’s boundless grace. It's a tension we often feel, and these scriptures can help guide us through understanding the difference.
In the Psalms, the psalmist reflects on God’s hatred for evil. At the same time, the psalmist pleads with God for mercy and grace in dangerous times, calling on God’s steadfast love to intervene.
The prophet Amos delivers a challenging message: the work of self-examination is never truly finished. Even as God's beloved people, we're reminded that we are held accountable when we participate in systems that perpetuate injustice. This isn't condemnation but a loving call to change.
Then we see Jesus' actions in the Temple, echoing themes of accountability. Jesus is deeply troubled because God's people have lost sight of the Temple's true purpose. However, He extends extraordinary grace to those often considered outcasts: the blind and the crippled. He shows us that God's compassion reaches even those who seem furthest from Him.
Finally, 2 Peter offers a message of hope and patient expectation. It reminds us that trusting in God's timing is essential and never in vain. We're encouraged to look forward to Jesus' promise of salvation with the same eager intensity as we long for the first light of dawn after a long night. God's light is surely coming.

Psalm 5

1 Hear my words, Lord!
Consider my groans!
2 Pay attention to the sound of my cries,
my king and my God,
because I am praying to you!
3 Lord, in the morning you hear my voice.
In the morning I lay it all out before you.
Then I wait expectantly.
4 Because you aren’t a God
who enjoys wickedness;
evil doesn’t live with you.
5 Arrogant people won’t last long in your sight;
you hate all evildoers;
6 you destroy liars.
The Lord despises people
who are violent and dishonest.
7 But me? I will enter your house
because of your abundant, faithful love;
I will bow down at your holy temple,
honoring you.
8 Lord, because of many enemies,
please lead me in your righteousness.
Make your way clear,
right in front of me.
9 Because there’s no truth
in my enemies ’mouths,
all they have inside them is destruction.
Their throats are open graves;
their tongues slick with talk.
10 Condemn them, God!
Let them fail by their own plans.
Throw them out for their many sins
because they’ve rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you celebrate.
Let them sing out loud forever!
Protect them
so that all who love your name
can rejoice in you.
12 Because you, Lord, bless the righteous.
You cover them with favor like a shield.
Psalm 6
1 Please, Lord,
don’t punish me when you are angry;
don’t discipline me when you are furious.
2 Have mercy on me, Lord,
because I’m frail.
Heal me, Lord,
because my bones
are shaking in terror!
3 My whole body is completely terrified!
But you, Lord! How long will this last?
4 Come back to me, Lord! Deliver me!
Save me for the sake of your faithful love!
5 No one is going to praise you
when they are dead.
Who gives you thanks
from the grave?
6 I ’m worn out from groaning.
Every night, I drench my bed
with tears;
I soak my couch all the way through.
7 My vision fails because of my grief;
it ’s weak because of all my distress.
8 Get away from me, all you evildoers,
because the Lord has heard me crying!
9 The Lord has listened to my request.
The Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be ashamed
and completely terrified;
they will be defeated
and ashamed instantly.

Amos 3:1–11

3 Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought out of the land of Egypt:
2 You only have I loved so deeply
of all the families of the earth.
Therefore, I will punish you
for all your wrongdoing.
3 Will two people walk together
unless they have agreed to do so?
4 Does a lion roar in the forest
when it has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from its den
if it has caught nothing?
5 Will a bird fall into a trap
on the ground
when there is no bait for it?
Will a trap spring up from the ground
when it has taken nothing?
6 If a ram ’s horn is blown in a city,
won’t people tremble?
If disaster falls on a city,
is it the Lord who has done it?
7 Surely the Lord God does nothing
without revealing his secret
to his servants the prophets.
8 A lion has roared;
who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken;
who can but prophesy?
9 Proclaim it to the palaces of Ashdod
and to the palaces
in the land of Egypt.
Say, “Gather yourselves
on Mount Samaria,
and see the great turmoil in the city,
and what violent deeds are inside it.”
10 They don’t know how to do right,
says the Lord—
those who store up violence and
robbery in their palaces.
11 Therefore, the Lord my God proclaims:
An enemy will surround the land;
he will bring you down
from your protected places,
and your palaces will be robbed.

2 Peter 1:12–21

12 So I’ll keep reminding you about these things, although you already know them and stand secure in the truth you have. 13 I think it ’s right that I keep stirring up your memory, as long as I ’m alive. 14 After all, our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I am about to depart from this life. 15 I ’m eager for you always to remember these things after my death.
16 We didn’t repeat crafty myths when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Quite the contrary, we witnessed his majesty with our own eyes. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice came to him from the magnificent glory, saying, “This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 In addition, we have a most reliable prophetic word, and you would do well to pay attention to it, just as you would to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Most important, you must know that no prophecy of scripture represents the prophet ’s own understanding of things, 21 because no prophecy ever came by human will. Instead, men and women led by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Matthew 21:12–22

Then Jesus went into the temple and threw out all those who were selling and buying there. He pushed over the tables used for currency exchange and the chairs of those who sold doves. He said to them, “It’s written, My house will be called a house of prayer. But you’ve made it a hideout for crooks.”
People who were blind and lame came to Jesus in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and legal experts saw the amazing things he was doing and the children shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were angry. They said to Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”
“Yes,” he answered. “Haven’t you ever read, From the mouths of babies and infants, you’ve arranged praise for yourself?” Then he left them and went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there.
Early in the morning, as Jesus was returning to the city, he was hungry. He saw a fig tree along the road, but when he came to it, he found nothing except leaves. Then he said to it, “You’ll never again bear fruit!” The fig tree dried up at once.
When the disciples saw it, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree dry up so fast?” they asked.
Jesus responded, “I assure you that if you have faith and don’t doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree. You will even say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the lake. ’And it will happen. If you have faith, you will receive whatever you pray for.”

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?
  • When Jesus says, “If you have faith... you will receive whatever you pray for”, what do you think he means? How do you hold that promise alongside your own experiences of prayer?
  • How do these readings help you see both God’s justice and grace at work?

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?
  • How do you feel when you think about God ’s justice and mercy side by side?
  • Have you ever felt the kind of desperation or longing that the psalmist expresses? What was that like?
  • When you’re waiting for something to change, what emotions rise up most strongly in you?

WE BELIEVE

In life, we’ll often find ourselves in rough situations. We’ll be inclined to vocalize our thoughts to God just like the psalmist did in Psalms 5-6. One of the things the Psalms teach us is that we can be incredibly raw in our conversations with God. Nothing you can say to God will put you beyond the bounds of God ’s grace and mercy. Because of this, the psalmist could project confidence in God’s ability to bring about salvation and restoration. I believe this is what Jesus is trying to get at with his comment about faith-filled prayer resulting in dramatic results. Regardless of who we are or where we’ve been, our faith in God ’s redemptive activity won’t be in vain.

WE PRACTICE

Choose one of the following practices to do today.

Meditate

Select a verse or passage to meditate on throughout the day.

Sacred Space

Create or renew a sacred space in your home for prayer, Scripture reading, and reflection. Declutter both the physical and spiritual “temples” in your life to make space for God’s presence and purpose.

Prayer Walk

As you walk or move through your day, pray for your neighbors and trust that even small prayers can move mountains.

PRAYER

Oh God, we know you have heard our spoken and unspoken prayers and have accepted them in the spirit they were given. Help us to be real in our communication with you, yet not lose our confidence that youre still working in this world. Amen.