Daily Office Readings for Thursday of the First Week of Advent: Year 2
Morning, Psalm 18:1 to 20; Evening, Psalm 18:21 to 50:
Amos 4:6 to 13; 2nd Peter 3:11 to 18; Matthew 21:33 to 46:
“I called upon the Lord in my distress and cried out to my God for help.
He heard my voice from his heavenly dwelling; my cry of anguish came to his ears.” (Psalm 18: 6 and 7)
These words from Psalm 18 are just another affirmation of my long-standing belief that God’s ears hears tears.
God, our loving Creator, has hardwired humans to resort to crying when sorrowful or distressed. When it happens, a signal is sent straight to God where God decides what, and when, divine action will occur. Crying is universal prayer. It matters not what the crier thinks he or she believes, or does not believe. We, all of us, are God’s own. God fashions us as God wants. And so it is, when we cry, God is brought near.
We should not want to be sorrowful or in distress, but sometimes it happens. It happens through natural disaster, disease, and human evil and sin. It happens and it causes hurt in our lives. These are times we must hold fast to our faith in God, no matter what.
Our crying, makes where we are standing, holy ground. I have come to believe that while God may not always “fix” my woes in this life, the way I want them to be fixed, there is another life that I hope to reach wherein the same God reigns and all is well. Yes, as the hymn goes, “Our God Reigns.”
Today our Church remembers John of Damascus, Hymn-writer, Defender of Icons (December 4, 750) and his information May be found at: John of Damascus
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and to serve, and to teach others to love and to serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
Let us pray: (BCP p. 826)
Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
onewhoponders 