A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Thirty-Four

Scripture Reading: Matthew 24:29-51 (NRSVUE) 

As we see things change all around us, we may long for a time of stability.  When we see injustice happen, but especially if we feel it happening to us, we may pray for God to set things right again.

The looking toward the end of time is something all religions express.  It is a movement of hope to say that in the end, God will set all things right.  We like to imagine a world where sighing and sorrowing will be no more.

This may have especially been needed for Matthew's community in the 1st century after being rocked by the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.  

As Jesus calls us to watchfulness, this can be used as a fear tactic to keep us on the right path.  Or it may be used as a tool for mindfulness.  How many times have we missed what is right in front of us because we were looking at something captivating on our little gods screens?  It may be difficult to live in the moment and think deeply of who we are called to be when the notification chime keeps demanding our attention.

Once again, Jesus calls us to lives of integrity.  We are to do the right thing even when no one is looking.

In fact, we are to be caught doing the right thing!

For some, this may sound like a tedious existence - always watching out for slipping up.  But I would rather us think about it as resting in the love of God.  This is an accepting love that forgives faults and seeks to point out what is positive and encouraging.  So rather than berating ourselves when we don't pass this demeanor on to how we treat others, we simply nudge ourselves back to true.

Be as good to yourself as you are called to be to your neighbor.

Prayer for the day:

O God, make us more thankful for what we have received, more content with what we have, and more mindful of other people in need: we ask it for his sake who lived for us in poverty, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Prayer by Simon H. Baynes, Church of England, 20th Century

Photo by Ed Yourdon via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.