Whom or what shall I serve?

Morning: Psalms 87, 90; Joel 3:9-17; James 2:1-13

Evening: Psalm 136; Luke 16:10-17

Jesus is clear: “You cannot serve God and wealth.” Our society chooses to serve wealth when it is obsessed with economic growth and prosperity. What’s wrong with prosperity? Nothing at all if it serves people. Yet, when you become enslaved to achieving wealth and your life’s priorities are focused on that, you may end up serving wealth instead of serving God. To serve God is to ‘do justice, love kindness and walk humbly’. Those priorities may not fit with what happens when you make wealth your principal goal ... Justice, kindness and humility can so easily go out the window.

 

Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger

Morning: Psalm 88; Joel 2:28 – 3:8; James 1:16-27

Evening: Psalms 91, 92; Luke 16:1-9

The Letter of James contains this compelling phrase: “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.” The letter also teaches about generosity, and about not only hearing the truth but acting on it. As they say, talk is cheap. Being slow to speak allows others’ words to sink in and produce action. Words alone do not care for orphans, widows and others in distress. I heard a wise physician say yesterday that we cannot afford to get into anger or arguments or blame about COVID-19. This present crisis calls for deep listening to one another and concerted action.

 

Offering our best to all, no questions asked

Morning: Psalms 23, 27; Joel 2:21-27; James 1:1-15

Evening: Psalms 85, 86; Luke 15:1-2, 11-32

When some person or community is generous or kind towards another less fortunate person, there is always one like the Prodigal Son’s older brother who says, “You shouldn’t do that; they brought it on themselves”. But the Love that moves the Cosmos extends welcome, kindness and generosity to all, no questions asked ... Only the very best for everyone - even ‘the fatted calf’. Treat them all as your long-lost son or brother now returned. Forget they wronged you. Love’s generosity is boundless. In joyful celebration of your own abundance, create spacious places of welcome for them all, without question.

 

Sin is a broken relationship not a broken rule

Morning: Psalms 119:97-120; Joel 2:12-19; Revelation 19:11-21

Evening: Psalms 81, 82; Luke 15:1-10

We trivialize sin if we think it is about “being naughty”, or if we believe God needs to be appeased because God is bothered by sin. Sin is a broken relationship not a broken rule. The impact that this broken relationship has on us is what matters. We suffer - though not at God’s hands - when our relationship with God is broken, by acting in ways that cause harm. God simply longs for relationship with us ... ‘Repentance’ is the deep sorrow that turns us around towards the other and opens up the possibility of healing and renewed relationship.

 

Disciples tackle the urgent matters of their times

Morning: Psalm 78:1-39; Joel 1:15-2:11; Revelation 19:1-10

Evening: Psalm 78:40-72; Luke 14:25-35 

“None of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions,” says Jesus. Is this not madness? But Jesus is confronting the great religious and political challenges of his times and these may cost his disciples everything, even their lives. On Remembrance Day, we accept that it is not madness to give up everything to break the power of evil and death. COVID-19 is a comparable challenge for some medical people. Sometimes to give up everything is simply the right thing to do. For the urgent matters of our own times, Jesus still needs disciples.

 

Banquet! Now! ... Will you come?

Morning: Psalm 80; Joel 1:1-13; Revelation 18:15-24

Evening: Psalms 77, 79; Luke 14:12-24

Jesus’s invitations are urgent. Today’s parable invites us to a ‘banquet’, which is a metaphor for the Kingdom of God ... or life lived to the fullest. We may miss fullness of life while following what seem like more attractive options. Why the urgent invitation? Well, life is short. So, live well now. Will the invitation expire? No, but life will. Why waste a moment living in anything less than the fullest possible way? What will that be like? The banquet’s ‘menu’ is not all published. To find out what is on it, you must first say, ‘Yes! I’ll come!’

 

Praying for the new American president

Morning: Psalms 93, 96; I Corinthians 14:1-12

Evening: Psalm 34; Ezra 10:1-17; Matthew 20:1-16

Today, the world feels different because of the American election result ... understandable, given the immense power that rests in the hands of the American president. Jesus’s parable - labourers in a vineyard - demonstrates how different is our sense of justice from God’s. When we decide on a just course of action, we humans do much better when we share our deliberations with others. Today, pray that a spirit of collaboration and partnership may mark the new American presidency. Praying this may help us, also, to listen to other people’s wisdom as we ourselves try to live justly.