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WE PRAY

O Lord Jesus Christ, who at your first coming sent your messenger to prepare your way before you: Grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready your way by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at your second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in your sight; for you are alive and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

WE READ

As you read Psalm 49, pay close attention to the psalmist ’s attitude toward wealth. We are reminded that while there is nothing inherently wrong with wealth, it can never provide us with what God, through Jesus Christ, has freely given. Focusing too much on wealth and human power is an old temptation. Although we might fall prey to wealth and human power, Zechariah reminds us that God has always sought to cleanse and transform us. Dirty clothes are exchanged for clean ones, and guilt will be removed from the land so that God ’s people might invite their neighbors to share in the abundance God provides. When you read the passage from Revelation, don’t get too caught up in the fantastical imagery. Instead, rest in the confession of the four living creatures that the Lord God Almighty is coming and will come again. Finally, Matthew’s gospel reminds us that waiting is not passive. There is much work to do before the master returns. Even if the master is delayed, we should learn to wait well by loving and caring for our neighbors.

Psalm 49

1 Listen to this, all you people!
Listen closely,
all you citizens of the world—
2 people of every kind,
rich and poor alike!
3 My mouth speaks wisdom;
my heart’s meditation is full of insight.
4 I will pay close attention to a proverb;
I will explain my riddle on the lyre.
5 Why should I be afraid in times of trouble,
when the wrongdoing of my bullies engulfs me—
6 those people who trust
in their fortunes
and boast of their fantastic wealth?
7 Wealth? It can’t save a single person!
It can’t pay a life’s ransom-price to God.
8 The price to save someone’s life
is too high—
wealth will never be enough—
9 no one can live forever
without experiencing the pit.
10 Everyone knows that the wise die too,
just like foolish and stupid people do,
all of them leaving their fortunes
to others.
11 Their graves are their eternal homes,
the place they live for all generations,
even if they had counties
named after them!
12 People won’t live any longer
because of wealth;
they’re just like the animals
that pass away.
13 That ’s how it goes
for those who are foolish,
as well as for those who follow their
lead, pleased with their talk.
14 Like sheep, they’re headed
straight for the grave.
Death will be their shepherd—
but those who do right in their hearts
will rule over them come morning!—
their forms wasting away in the grave
rather than having
some dignified residence.
15 But God will save my life
from the power of the grave,
because he will take me.
16 Don’t be overly impressed
when someone becomes rich,
their house swelling
to fantastic proportions,
17 because when they die,
they won’t take any of it with them.
Their fantastic things
won’t accompany them down under.
18 Though they consider themselves
blessed during their lives,
and even thank you
when you deal well with them,
19 they too will join the ancestors
who’ve gone ahead;
they too will never see the light again.
20 Wealthy people?
They just don’t understand;
they’re just like the animals that pass away.

Zechariah 3:1–10

Then the Lord showed me the high priest Joshua, standing before the messenger from the Lord,
and the Adversary was standing by
his right side to accuse him.
2 And the Lord said to the Adversary:
“The Lord rebukes you, Adversary.
The Lord, the one choosing Jerusalem, rebukes you.
Is this one not a log
snatched from the fire?”
3 Joshua was wearing filthy clothes
and standing before the messenger.
4 He responded,
to those standing before him,
“Take off his filthy clothes.”
And he said to Joshua,
“Look, I have removed your guilt from you.
Put on priestly robes.”
5 He said, “Put a clean turban upon his head.”
So they put the clean turban
upon his head,
and they dressed him in garments
while the Lord’s messenger stood by.
6 Then the Lord ’s messenger admonished Joshua:
7 “The Lord “What do you see?”
If you will walk in my paths,
if you will keep my charge,
then you will lead my house
and guard my courts,
and I will allow you to walk
among those standing here.
8 Now listen, High Priest Joshua,
you and your companions
sitting before you—
for these men are a sign—
look, I am about to bring
my servant, Branch.
9 See this stone
that I have put before Joshua.
Upon one stone,
there are seven facets.
I am about to engrave
an inscription on it,
says the Lord of heavenly forces.
I will remove the guilt of that land
in one day.
10 On that day,
says the Lord of heavenly forces,
everyone will invite their neighbors
to sit beneath their vines
and the fig trees.”

Revelation 4:1–8

After this I looked and there was a door that had been opened in heaven. The first voice that I had heard, which sounded like a trumpet, said to me, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in a Spirit-inspired trance and I saw a throne in heaven, and someone was seated on the throne. 3 The one seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and surrounding the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald. 4 Twenty-four thrones, with twenty-four elders seated upon them, surrounded the throne. The elders were dressed in white clothing and had gold crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came lightning, voices, and thunder. In front of the throne were seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God. 6 Something like a glass sea, like crystal, was in front of the throne.
In the center, by the throne, were four living creatures encircling the throne. These creatures were covered with eyes on the front and on the back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion. The second living creature was like an ox. The third living creature had a face like a human being. And the fourth living creature was like an eagle in flight. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings, and each was covered all around and on the inside with eyes. They never rest day or night, but keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is coming.”

Matthew 24:45-51

45 “Who then are the faithful and wise servants whom their master puts in charge of giving food at the right time to those who live in his house? 46 Happy are those servants whom the master finds fulfilling their responsibilities when he comes. 47 I assure you that he will put them in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose those bad servants should say to themselves, My master won’t come until later. 49 And suppose they began to beat their fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunks? 50 The master of those servants will come on a day when they are not expecting him, at a time they couldn’t predict. 51 He will cut them in pieces and put them in a place with the hypocrites. People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.

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?
  • In what ways might you be tempted to trust in wealth or human power?
  • What “filthy clothes” (Zechariah 3:3-4) do you need to take off?
  • What can you and your community of faith do to ensure you are waiting well for the coming of Christ?

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 does relying too much on wealth, gaining it or keeping it, make you feel?
  • What does it feel like to remove dirty or soiled clothes? How do you feel when you’re clean and dressed again? How is that related to what the prophet Zechariah is talking about?
  • Have you ever been caught unprepared for something? If so, what did that feel like? What could you have done differently?

WE BELIEVE

You’re probably familiar with the song, I Wish We ’d All Been Ready, by Larry Norman. Christian rock band D.C. Talk revived the song in the early 90s, implanting its warning about Christ ’s second coming on the minds of impressionable youth. The sentiment the song expresses about being ready is laudable and connected with today’s readings. In the cultural context in which the song was written and popularized, being ready meant giving your life to Jesus so you wouldn’t be left behind to experience terrors on earth and a fiery resting place. While the threat of God ’s judgment is clearly present in today ’s reading from Matthew, the song misses the fullness of what Jesus is saying. In the Kingdom of God, being ready means patiently waiting while fully engaging in the work we’ve been given. In the context of this week ’s readings, the work we are to be doing until Jesus comes back is caring for the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the oppressed. Caring for the least of these has two components: verbal proclamation about God ’s good news as well as proclaiming God ’s good news through embodied witness. In other words, to wait well for Christ ’s return means spreading the good news in word and in deed.

WE PRACTICE

Choose one of the following practices to engage in today.

Practice of Detachment and Generosity (Psalm 49)

  • Response to the futility of wealth and security in material things
  • Reflect: Take a personal inventory of what you're clinging to for security—wealth, reputation, control.
  • Practice: Give something away this week—money, time, or possessions—to someone in need, as a practice of trusting God more than riches.
  • Pray: A prayer of release: “Lord, free me from trusting in what cannot save.”

Practice of Watchfulness and Faithful Stewardship (Matthew 24)

  • Response to the call to be faithful while waiting
  • Reflect: Where are you tempted to spiritual laziness or self-centeredness because “the Master delays”?
  • Practice: Choose one daily task (work, caregiving, ministry) and offer it intentionally to God as an act of faithful service. And/or set a daily or weekly reminder (alarm or sticky note) that reads: “Live ready.”
  • Serve: Do an unannounced act of kindness this week, especially for someone who won’t return the favor.

PRAYER

Oh God, we confess that we do not always wait well. Help us learn how to live ready for your coming and your coming again. Amen.