Daily Office Readings for Monday of the 1st Week of Epiphany: Year 1
AM Psalms 1, 2 and 3; PM Psalms 4 and 7;
Isaiah 40:12 to 23; Ephesians 1:1 to 14; Mark 1:1 to 13
“All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.” (Isaiah 40:17)
Nations themselves, are a human construct built upon an earth given to creation to support life. That we have carved it up into sections of ownership for the purposes of caring for some at the expense of others is something we are going to have to deal with when we stand before the Great Throne,
Before the nations, God created the heavens and the stars and the planets. God called all life into being which means God called into being the heavens, the stars and the planets in their courses, and this fragile earth our island home. And God called it into being from nothing. God reached into nothingness and brought about our existence. Our putting up governments and regulating resources means nothing to God until we reject others in the process of our self-serving and greedy aspirations. Such actions tend to get God’s negative attention – and believe me, we don’t want that.
However, when we, as nations or as individuals, come together to care for creatures, human and animals and the planet, we receive God’s favor. While nations, “are as nothing before him,” loving works are everlasting before God. Let us take care of one another, even those we don’t always agree with. Emptiness and nothingness are trying to reclaim us. Let us use love and caring in order to continue into eternity with our loving Creator.
Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John
onewhoponders 