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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

As you read today ’s texts, keep an eye out for the tension that ’s present between each of the passages. Each passage has a different concentration, which might seem hard to reconcile. In Psalm 13, the psalmist ends with confidence that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will not abandon God ’s people. In Amos, we’re treated to some harsh words from God concerning what will happen to Israel because of their persistent behavior. The New Testament texts for today from 2 Peter and Matthew’s gospel are both concerning and reassuring. Try reading Psalm 13 and 2 Peter 3:1-10 together, comparing the themes evoked there. Do the same with the Amos and Matthew passages. As you read, remember that Advent is preparing us for both God’s coming in Jesus and God’s coming again to make all things new.

Psalm 13

1 How long will you forget me, LORD?
Forever?
How long will you hide your face
from me?
2 How long will I be left to my own wits,
agony filling my heart? Daily?
How long will my enemy keep
defeating me?
3 Look at me!
Answer me, LORD my God!
Restore sight to my eyes!
Otherwise, I’ll sleep the sleep of death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I won!”
My foes will rejoice over my downfall.
5 But I have trusted in your faithful love.
My heart will rejoice in your salvation.
6 Yes, I will sing to the LORD
because he has been good to me.

Amos 3:12–4:5

The LORD proclaims:
Just as the shepherd rescues two legs or the piece of an ear from the mouth of the lion, so will the people of Israel be rescued. Those who live in Samaria will escape with the corner of a bed, and those in Damascus with a piece of a couch.
13 Hear this and speak
against the house of Jacob,
says the LORD God,
the God of heavenly forces:
14 On the day I punish the crimes of Israel,
I will also visit the altars of Bethel;
the horns of the altar will be cut off
and will fall to the ground.
15 I will tear down the winter house
as well as the summer house;
the houses of ivory will perish;
the great houses will be swept away,
says the LORD.
1 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan,
who are on Mount Samaria,
who cheat the weak,
who crush the needy,
who say to their husbands,
“Bring drinks, so we can get drunk!”
2 The LORD God has solemnly promised
by his holiness:
The days are surely coming upon you,
when they will take you away
with hooks,
even the last one of you
with fishhooks.
3 You will go out through the broken wall,
each one after another;
and you will be flung out into Harmon,
says the LORD.
4 Come to Bethel—and commit a crime;
multiply crimes at Gilgal.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,
your tenth-part gifts every three days.
5 Offer a thanksgiving sacrifice
of leavened bread,
and publicize your gifts to the LORD;
for so you love to do, people of Israel!
says the LORD God.

2 Peter 3:1–10

3 My dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both letters to stir up your sincere understanding with a reminder. 2 I want you to recall what the holy prophets foretold as well as what the Lord and savior commanded through your apostles. 3 Most important, know this: in the last days scoffers will come, jeering, living by their own cravings, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? After all, nothing has changed—not since the beginning of creation, nor even since the ancestors died.”
5 But they fail to notice that, by God’s word, heaven and earth were formed long ago out of water and by means of water. 6 And it was through these that the world of that time was flooded and destroyed. 7 But by the same word, heaven and earth are now held in reserve for fire, kept for the Judgment Day and destruction of ungodly people.
8 Don’t let it escape your notice, dear friends, that with the Lord a single day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a single day. 9 The Lord isn’t slow to keep his promise, as some think of slowness, but he is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to change their hearts and lives. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will pass away with a dreadful noise, the elements will be consumed by fire, and the earth and all the works done on it will be exposed.

Matthew 21:23–32

23 When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and elders of the people came to him as he was teaching. They asked, “What kind of authority do you have for doing these things? Who gave you this authority?”
24 Jesus replied, “I have a question for you. If you tell me the answer, I’ll tell you what kind of authority I have to do these things. 25 Where did John get his authority to baptize? Did he get it from heaven or from humans?”
They argued among themselves, “If we say ‘from heaven, ’he’ll say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him? ’26 But we can’t say ‘from humans ’
because we’re afraid of the crowd, since everyone thinks John was a prophet.” 27 Then they replied, “We don’t know.”
Jesus also said to them, “Neither will I tell you what kind of authority I have to do these things.
28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. Now he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today. ’
29 “ ‘No, I don’t want to, ’he replied. But later he changed his mind and went.
30 “The father said the same thing to the other son, who replied, ‘Yes, sir. ’
But he didn’t go.
31 “Which one of these two did his father’s will?”
They said, “The first one.”
Jesus said to them, “I assure you that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering God ’s kingdom ahead of you. 32 For John came to you on the righteous road, and you didn’t believe him. But tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. Yet even after you saw this, you didn ’t change your hearts and lives and you didn’t believe him.

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 images or phrases were difficult to hear? Which brought comfort?
  • What does it mean for you to hold together the ideas of God ’s justice and God ’s grace?
  • Which character or group in today ’s gospel do you identify with—the religious leaders, the father, the son who said “no,” or the one who said “yes” and didn’t go?

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?
  • Reflect on a time when you had to wait for God ’s intervention in your life. What did you feel while waiting?
  • How do you feel when someone undeserving receives a benefit of some kind that they did not earn?
  • Reflect on a time when you felt left out or overlooked. How did that shape your understanding of God’s grace?
  • How does Psalm 13 resonate with your own moments of crying out to God?

WE BELIEVE

One of the ongoing struggles for Christians is the grace God extends to those we believe aren’t deserving. Oh, we’d never say someone isn’t worthy of God ’s grace, but it ’s easy enough to think. The problem is that we’ve come to believe only those who end up seeming exactly like us in their behavior and beliefs have truly received God’s grace.
There are an awful lot of folks out there who profess Christ as Lord and Savior but wouldn’t necessarily be welcome in our churches. To a certain extent, that ’s what we see happening in Jesus ’conversation with the religious leaders. The religious leaders refuse to believe that tax collectors and prostitutes could ever enter the Kingdom of God. We say all are welcome. But do we live like that ’s true?
We believe grace is not ours to control or define. It flows from the heart of a God who longs for all to come home, but do we always act like that’s the case? Who are today ’s “tax collectors and prostitutes?”

WE PRACTICE

Choose one or more of the following practices:

Reflect and Confess

Reflect at the end of each day on moments when you’ve judged someone as undeserving of God’s grace. Confess those thoughts and ask God to open your heart to see others as God does—worthy of God’s love and redemption.

Intentional Welcome

Identify someone in your life or community who might represent the “tax collectors and prostitutes” of today—those often excluded or judged harshly. Commit to a tangible act of welcome, such as a kind conversation, an invitation, or a gesture of inclusion.

Reimagine Psalm 13

Practice the ancient art of Lectio Divina (sacred reading) by slowly and prayerfully reading these two texts. Focus on the themes of trusting in God ’s timing and the tension between despair and hope, allowing God to speak through the passages. Rewrite Psalm 13 to make it more specific to your life. What changes would you make to do so?

PRAYER

Oh God, today, let us prepare our hearts by extending the same grace to others we have received, welcoming all to share in the promise of Christ's coming. Amen.