Author: churchgoodshepherd823

Where Are You? 

Today, we have heard many stories—from different times and places. Yet they are held together by one question. A question first heard long ago, in a garden. “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9) The man and the woman hid themselves. They were afraid—afraid of being seen as they were. But God did not begin with anger. God began by looking for them. Before people went looking for God, God came looking for them. This is where the story of Christmas begins. 

As time passed, the story continued. Abraham was not someone who obeyed because he understood everything clearly. There was fear and uncertainty, yet he did not leave his place before God. Christmas is not only the story of great and heroic faith. It is the story of those who stayed. The prophets spoke of hope in the same way—not sudden brightness, but new life rising from what seemed finished, like a shoot from a cut-down stump. The hope of Christmas begins quietly where there is already weariness. 

The story of Mary is the same. She was confused. She asked questions. But she did not run away. She opened this moment of her life to God. Christmas is not proof of perfect faith. It is the courage to receive God’s word here and now. 

And then we come to the scene we know well. No room at the inn. A manger. Shepherds keeping watch at night. God’s story did not begin in places of importance or comfort. It began in places people overlooked. Where people hesitated to stay, God chose to stay. 

All the readings we have heard today tell us this: God is not distant or far above us. God enters human life. Christmas is our confession that God did not turn away from human time and human space. And so the question remains: “Where are you?” This question is not a rebuke. It is an invitation. Wherever we are—joyful or tired, settled or unsettled—God meets us there. Christmas is not the day our lives suddenly change. It is the day God begins to dwell at the center of our lives. May these ancient stories continue quietly in us after this Eucharist has ended. And may the truth that God is already among us shed light on our lives, slowly and clearly, in the days after Christmas. Amen.

Life That Begins with Mercy 

In today’s Gospel, Matthew tells the story not from Mary’s point of view, but from Joseph’s. Luke stays close to Mary. Matthew invites us to stay with Joseph, to watch him, to listen to what is happening in his heart. Mary was engaged to Joseph. They were not yet living together. Then her pregnancy became known. The Gospel tells us that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. But Joseph did not know that. And in that society, this was not a small misunderstanding. Pregnancy during engagement was a valid reason to end the engagement. And under the Law, an engaged woman judged to have been unfaithful could face public shame and severe punishment (Deuteronomy 22:23–24). Joseph could have accused Mary publicly. He could have protected himself by exposing her. Mary’s life could have collapsed in an instant. 

But Scripture describes Joseph in this way: “Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly” (Matthew 1:19). This phrase—“a righteous man”—matters. It does not mean that Joseph simply followed the letter of the Law. Rather, it points to his understanding of the spirit of the Law: mercy and compassion. 

Joseph could have insisted on his rights. According to the Law, he could have accused Mary publicly. Yet he chose not to do so. As far as the situation allowed, he tried not to push her into greater danger or deeper shame. For that reason, he decided to end the engagement quietly. 

This was not a heroic decision. It was a pause, a refusal to allow the situation to turn violent. Joseph did not understand everything, nor had he let go of everything. Still, he chose not to create a deeper wound. 

It is precisely here that God’s work begins. God does not act only through perfect people, but through small pauses, through narrow spaces where harm is restrained and mercy is allowed to breathe. 

While Joseph was turning these things over in his mind, God spoke to him through a dream. “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:20) Notice where God speaks. God does not break into Joseph’s life with violence or pressure. God speaks right in the center of Joseph’s struggle—in the place where mercy has already made room. God does not force the heart open. God enters a heart that is already opening through compassion. And the angel continues: “She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) 

The name Jesus means, “God saves.” And Matthew is clear: this saving work does not begin with power. It does not begin with control. It does not begin with force. It begins with mercy. Joseph’s merciful decision did not only protect one woman or one household. It became part of the beginning of salvation for the world. Mercy made space for life. 

Today we also heard Isaiah’s words: “Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) Immanuel means: “God is with us.” Matthew tells us that this promise is fulfilled in 1

the birth of Jesus. God is not distant. God does not remain safely above human weakness and confusion. God comes near—into fear, into hesitation, into the complicated places where people do not know what to do. Joseph’s heart was exactly such a place. 

And Jesus is truly Emmanuel, God with us. Not only “with us” when we are strong and faithful, but “with us” in the very places where life feels fragile and choices feel heavy. Matthew also makes a quiet point: when Joseph takes Mary as his wife, Jesus becomes, within the story’s legal and social world—a son of David. Joseph’s obedience, and Joseph’s protection, become part of how the promise is carried forward. 

The early Church did not see this as only one family’s unusual story. They confessed it as the fulfillment of a promise God had spoken long ago. Paul writes in Romans: “the gospel concerning his Son, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures.” (Romans 1:2–3a) The birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of a long promise. And in today’s Gospel, that promise becomes real through the merciful decision of one person. 

Paul also speaks of Jesus as one “descended from David according to the flesh.” (Romans 1:3) Behind that short phrase stands Joseph, the one who welcomed Mary, the one who gave Jesus a place, the one who chose mercy when he could have chosen accusation. 

When Joseph wakes from his dream, he accepts what has been entrusted to him as God’s will. He takes Mary as his wife. This was not an easy choice. It meant letting go of his honor. It meant carrying misunderstanding. It meant trusting God more than his own plan. And this is an important Advent truth: Christmas does not come only through the courage of great heroes. God brings life through quiet mercy—through hearts that choose to protect rather than expose. Mercy gives birth to life. Mercy becomes the path through which God’s work is done. When mercy lives in us, God’s life can be revealed through us. 

On this final Sunday of Advent, we ask ourselves: What does it mean to wait for the Lord? We often speak of Mary’s faith, and we should. But Matthew asks us to see Joseph as well. Mary’s obedience and Joseph’s mercy belong together. A heart that listens to God’s word, and a heart that protects and embraces others—both are part of the way God comes near. 

And on this last Sunday of Advent, this season does not ask us to make a show of our faith. We are invited to prepare our hearts. A heart where the Lord may enter. A heart where life may rest. A heart where compassion moves first. Our faith, like Joseph’s righteousness, should not stop at rules and forms. We are called to live with mercy and grace. And when we choose to protect rather than judge, to embrace rather than condemn, we become instruments of God’s work. 

As Christmas draws near, we make room for Emmanuel, Jesus, God with us. Like Joseph, we let go of fear and trust God’s will. This is how Emmanuel comes to us: through mercy, through obedience, through hearts that remain open. And when we welcome him in this way, new life will begin, within us, and through us. Amen.

A Question from One Who Stands in the Wilderness

The time when Jesus and John the Baptist lived was not simply a time of confusion. It was a time when fear and
pressure had slowly built up over many years. People carried a deep hunger in their hearts, a longing that was
hard to put into words. Roman soldiers were stationed throughout the land, and heavy taxes burdened the people.
Those with little fell more quickly, and the distance between the rich and the poor grew wider. The Herodian rulers
kept their power only with Rome’s permission, and that power was fragile and often cruel. Even among religious
leaders, tension was high. Words of faith were spoken, but real life did not seem to change.
Yet it was in such a time that a quiet hope began to awaken. People asked, “When will the kingdom of God
come?” “Who will lift us up again?” These questions slowly grew in the hearts of the people. Waiting was not
impatience. It was a dream of a different kind of life. It was hope rising from the very bottom.
Then a voice was heard in the wilderness. It did not come from the center of the city. It did not come from the
beauty of the temple. It was the voice of John the Baptist.

The wilderness looks empty at first glance. In Scripture the wilderness is often the place where God’s way begins
again. Israel learned how to walk with God in the wilderness. When the things they relied on were taken away,
when they could do very little on their own, God formed a new relationship with them. The wilderness is the place
where human effort stops, and God’s work begins.
That John stood in the wilderness already speaks for itself. His place became his sermon. Even his silence
pointed the way, like a signpost. His very presence was a proclamation: “A new way begins here.” So people left
the comfort of the city and went out to the wilderness. Their steps carried a deep desire to change their lives. They
wanted to hear again a truth they had almost forgotten.

Jesus later asked the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by
the wind? Someone dressed in soft robes?” (Matthew 11:7–8) In these questions, Jesus offers two images.
He begins with the image of a reed shaken by the wind. A reed bends easily. Its roots are shallow, and it has no
firm center. Jesus was not saying that John was weak or unstable. Rather, he was pointing to the attitude of many
leaders of that time—people who changed their words depending on power or public opinion. Some adjusted their
message to please those in authority. Others spoke differently depending on the crowds. Those who went out to
see John may have wondered if he was the same.
But John did not waver. He did not depend on power. He did not fear the uncertainty of his place. Even in prison,
his eyes were still turned toward the Messiah. When John sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is
to come, or are we to wait for another?” (Matthew 11:3), this was not a question of doubt. It was a prayer, a desire
to remain faithful to the very end. John was not a reed shaken by the wind. He was a steady voice standing
upright in the wilderness.
Then Jesus offers another image: “Did you go out to see someone dressed in soft robes?” In that time, fine
clothing was not just fashion. It was a sign of privilege and security. Those who wore such clothes lived in safe
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places. They did not need to take risks. Outwardly, they might appear religious, but often they were far from the
heart of faith.
When religion becomes too comfortable, its words lose their power. They no longer awaken the soul. Jesus does
not say this to condemn. He says it to show why John was different. John did not choose comfort. He did not
speak in ways that benefited himself. His path was rough and lonely, but his direction was clear. That is why Jesus
speaks so highly of John.

We are not asked to imitate John’s life. Advent does not call us to live exactly as he did. Rather, through John’s
life, we are invited to look quietly at our own direction. Faith does not begin with dramatic decisions. It begins with
small, daily turning of the heart. Advent is not a season that tells us to do more. It is a season that asks us where
we are standing and what we are facing.
John’s life asks us gentle questions: What winds cause me to waver? Have comfort and familiarity slowly shifted
my direction? What path am I truly seeking? These are not questions meant to accuse us. They are guides that
help us begin walking toward the light again.

The Third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday. “Gaudete” means “Rejoice.” It invites us to pause
and breathe in the midst of waiting. But this joy is not loud or dramatic. It is the quiet joy that rises when we
glimpse a light still far away.
In our own lives, there are times when change does not come, and hope feels hard to hold. Yet sometimes, in that
very place, we suddenly realize that God has been quietly at work all along. That realization becomes the
beginning of joy. Isaiah spoke of a new road opening in the wilderness. Jesus showed that small signs of healing
can carry great hope. John waited for the Messiah even from prison. Though his movement was confined, his
heart remained open to God. Even in darkness, he did not lose his longing for the light.

Advent continues to ask us: “What first drew you to faith?” “Whom are you waiting for?” “How are you standing
before the path God is opening?” The light has not yet fully arrived. But the fact that we have begun to walk
toward it is already hope.
Faith does not need to be perfect. What John shows us is not perfect certainty, but a steady heart that keeps
facing one direction. That steady heart helps us recognize the Messiah and remain grounded even when life
shakes us.
What matters most in faith is not a grand decision, but the small direction we choose today. When the light seems
far away, taking one step toward it, that is where faith takes root. May we come to see that, in this season of
Advent, God is already quietly at work among us. And may that awareness grow into a gentle joy deep within our
hearts.
Amen.

The King Who Remembers Us to the Very End

Today is Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday of the Church year. When this day passes, we enter
Advent and begin a new year in the life of the Church. Even in the calendar of the world, we stand near
the end of another year.
At this time of year, we naturally look back. We remember moments of joy, but we also carry memories
that still cause pain. Some things went well, just as we had hoped. But other concerns remained
unresolved, and some burdens stayed with us until the very end.
On this Sunday we are invited to remember what it means to confess Jesus Christ as our King, and to
ask ourselves: Whom did we follow throughout this past year? And whom will we follow as a new year
unfolds before us?
When we hear the word king, we usually think of power, dignity, and authority. But the Gospels show us
a very different kind of king. On the cross Jesus appears weak and powerless, surrounded by mockery
and insult.
Yet when we read today’s Scriptures carefully, we see that the kingship of Jesus is not simply a symbol
or a paradox. It is the fulfillment of the true king whom the Scriptures have long awaited. The problem is
not Jesus’ appearance on the cross, but the old images of kingship that we have carried in our minds.
In the time of Jeremiah, the leaders of the people failed to care for those who were weak. They were
shepherds who scattered the flock rather than protecting it. But God promised a new king—one who
would gather the lost, restore life, and lead the people with justice and compassion.
In Scripture, a king is indeed one who reigns, yet the heart of that reign is gathering the scattered and
restoring the wounded.
When we look at the crucifixion through this lens, we see more clearly who the promised king truly is.
On the cross Jesus suffers the most unjust violence and humiliation, yet he prays,
“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
This prayer is not simply an expression of kindness. It is an action that reveals the justice of God. We
often think of justice as punishment, repayment, or getting what one deserves. But in the Bible, justice is
connected to restoring broken relationships, leaving open a path for someone to return, and making
room for a new beginning.
On the cross Jesus breaks the cycle of violence. He refuses to answer hatred with hatred. He opens a
way of forgiveness and begins a new order grounded in peace.
There is another scene. One of the criminals crucified beside Jesus turns to him in his final moment and
says,

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“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
(Luke 23:42)
Scripture does not tell us what his life had been like. But it is clear that people no longer saw any hope in
him, and he himself had very little reason left to hope.
Yet Jesus answers him,
“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
This is more than a comforting promise to one dying man. It is the moment when the true king foretold
by Jeremiah is revealed on the cross. A man whom everyone had given up on—someone judged as
useless and beyond recovery—is held in the memory and mercy of Jesus until the very end.
The name that Jeremiah proclaimed,
“The Lord is our righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:6),
becomes a living reality in the words that come from the lips of Jesus as he hangs upon the cross.
The Letter to the Colossians describes Christ as “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). It
is in the place that looks weakest—the cross—that the peace of forgiveness and reconciliation begins to
shine.
Now we turn the question toward ourselves:
What does it mean for us to confess Jesus as our King?
It means learning to loosen our hold on the measures of strength that the world teaches us, and slowly
learning the measures of Jesus instead.
Throughout the year, many different “kings” may have taken root in our hearts: the desire to be
recognized, anxiety, and stubborn pride. There were moments when we neglected relationships, and
even the quiet voice of resignation that says, “It is too late now.” These, too, can become kings we follow
without realizing it.
The story of the criminal in Luke’s Gospel speaks directly to these places.
Even when there is nothing to boast about, even when nothing seems to have changed, Jesus still
says,
“You will be with me.”
Even if the past year holds more regret than accomplishment, God’s gaze upon us is different from the
gaze of the world.
The kingship of Jesus is not a rule that welcomes only the successful.
It is the reign of love that refuses to let go, even until the very end.
Standing before this King at the close of the Church year does not mean writing a list of failures or
offering a report of our shortcomings. It means laying down the burdens we have carried—our feelings of
inadequacy, our self-blame, the anger or hurt still in our hearts—and entrusting ourselves once again to
the One who restores our lives.

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And this does not require heroic decisions.
Often it begins with something very small—remembering someone in prayer, choosing tenderness over
irritation, allowing one moment to be more generous than expected.
Through such small graces, the life shaped by the King of the cross begins to grow.
As Advent begins, we enter again the season of waiting for the One who comes. A new year will open
before us, and none of us knows what it will bring. But one thing is certain: we already know who the
King of that year will be.
The One who gave himself for us on the cross.
The One who remembers the forgotten and the rejected.
The One who opens peace not through violence, but through forgiveness and reconciliation.
He is the King who walks with us into the year ahead.
Standing at the threshold of a new Church year, we may take up the simple prayer that rose from the
cross:
“Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Within this prayer is both the weight of the year that has passed and the hope of the year to come.
May the true King revealed on the cross hold our past with mercy, walk with us through the days ahead,
and help us welcome the new year with a quiet and steadfast heart under his gentle reign.
Amen.

Hope of New Creation Rising in the Midst of Collapse

Last week, we heard about the Sadducees. They enjoyed honor and power because they stayed close
to the authority of the Jerusalem temple. For them, faith lived inside a visible system. God, in their
minds, was the One who kept that system safe. Faith became the same as stability, and God became
the guardian of the world they had built.
But history shows us a painful truth. The temple that seemed so strong was destroyed. Not one stone
was left on another. The people who thought they trusted God were actually trusting stones and
institutions. Their faith was turned toward what they had made, not toward God.
When Jesus says, “Not one stone will be left upon another” (Luke 21:6), he is not only speaking of a
future disaster. He is breaking open the way people build their lives on things that cannot last.

We are not so different. We also lean on many things—our health, our reputation, our money, our
families, our social position. These feel like the foundation of our lives. But when these things shake or
fall apart, we feel as if our whole being is collapsing. It feels like the ground is opening under our feet.
Fear rises, and it seems that nothing is safe.
And yet, this moment can become the time when we meet God again. When we finally see that nothing
in this world is eternal or absolute, we stand at the true beginning of faith: humility. Collapse is not the
end; it is, in fact, the threshold of God’s new beginning.

One day, we will leave behind everything we trust and everything we hold. This is a truth we cannot
escape. But this does not mean we turn away from the world. We must work faithfully, build
relationships, and carry our responsibilities. We live in the world, but we do not give our whole hearts to
it. This is our Christian vocation.
When this balance is lost and we treat things of the world as ultimate, our lives soon feel empty and
unstable—like a house built on sand. Everything we have and everything we rely on is a gift from God.
So our true foundation is not the world itself, but the God who made the world and still holds it.
This God is not far away or abstract. God is present in the people we meet, in the breath of nature, and
in our daily work and relationships. All that God gives—people, life, time, work, creation—are holy gifts.
If we cling to them too tightly, or if we ignore them carelessly, the harmony God entrusted to us begins to
break. Faith means caring for all these relationships with integrity and balance. This is how we shape
God’s order in a broken world. This is the life of the kingdom of God already among us.

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Today’s Gospel also speaks of trials of faith. Jesus warns, “Many will come in my name… Do not go
after them” (Luke 21:8). This is not an order to calculate the end of the world. It is an invitation to stay
steady even in fear.
When the world seems to fall apart, true faith holds on to trust in God. Christians look at chaos and
quietly say, “This is not the end; this is the beginning of God’s new work.” Wars, disasters, injustice, and
confusion are not only destruction; they are also the labor pains moving us toward God’s new world.
As the prophet Isaiah says, “I am about to create new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17). Even on
top of ruins, God begins new creation. Collapse is never the final word. It is God’s preparation for what is
new and holy.

Jesus also says, “This will give you an opportunity to testify” (Luke 21:13). Faith becomes clearer in
crisis than in peace. Faith is not a way to avoid suffering, but a way to witness to God inside suffering.
Even if people close to us fail us, Jesus gives this promise: “Not a hair of your head will perish” (Luke
21:18). God remembers us and holds us—even the smallest part of who we are.
“By your endurance you will gain your souls” (Luke 21:19). This does not mean we must force ourselves
to endure pain. It means placing deep trust in the new life that God gives. This life goes beyond simple
survival. It points toward the vision Isaiah saw—a world where tears are gone, where the wolf and lamb
eat together, and where all creation lives in peace.

As we approach the end of the year, our days may feel repetitive or empty. Work repeats, relationships
feel familiar, and it becomes easy to miss the holiness inside them. But a person of faith finds meaning
even in repetition.
A believer gives thanks for small things, holds life gently, neither grasping too tightly nor letting things
slip away, and sees God’s breath in every relationship. When we live each day with such awareness,
ordinary time becomes holy time. Daily life becomes prayer; our relationships become a form of worship;
even small responsibilities become places of witness.

Collapse is not something to fear. It can be the beginning of God’s new creation. Even if the temple falls,
God is still alive. Even if everything we lean on shakes, God’s love does not shake.
Even now, God is quietly creating a new heaven and a new earth within our lives.
May our faith join this new creation with humility and patient trust.
And may God’s peace and the joy of new life gently rise again in our everyday lives. Amen.

The God of the Living

In the time of Jesus, Judaism was not a single uniform group but had several sects.
Among them, the Sadducees were the most powerful. They came from priestly families and controlled
the temple in Jerusalem — its sacrifices, offerings, taxes, and all economic activity connected with it.
For them, faith meant maintaining the existing order. Stability itself was holiness.
They did not believe in life after death, resurrection, final judgment, or angels.
Such ideas, they thought, could disturb the peace and threaten their power.
For the Sadducees, religion justified authority, and God was the guarantor of their system.
So they came to Jesus with a question meant not to learn but to mock:
“Teacher, if there is a resurrection, when seven brothers each married the same woman in
turn, whose wife will she be in the resurrection?” (Luke 20 : 33)
This was not a sincere question of faith but a way to ridicule the belief in resurrection.

Their question came from the law in Deuteronomy 25, known as the Levirate marriage.
It says, “When brothers reside together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased
shall not be married outside the family to a stranger; her husband’s brother shall go in to her.”
In ancient society, this law protected life.
When a man died without children, his name and property could disappear, and his widow could lose all
means of living.
The brother’s duty to marry the widow ensured that the family line continued, the property stayed within
the clan, and the woman’s life was protected.
Such customs were found not only in Israel but across many regions of the ancient Near East.
Yet the Sadducees ignored the life-giving purpose of that law.
They used the law not to preserve life but as a weapon for argument.

In Luke 20, resurrection means both the new order of life after death and the transforming power of God
that renews this world even now.

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Jesus showed that resurrection is not only a future promise but also a present transformation.
He said that those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage,
but those who are considered worthy of the resurrection “neither marry nor are given in marriage.
Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children
of the resurrection.”
The resurrection Jesus spoke of is not an abstract hope far away.
It is the power of God’s love that conquers death, despair, and separation in our daily lives.
Resurrection is not only something that “will happen someday.”
It is already active among us — in healing, in reconciliation, in every act of love that overcomes fear.
Those who live in the life of resurrection live differently from the world.
They choose sharing over possession, mercy over competition, peace over anxiety.
From this very moment, we begin to live as the people of resurrection.
This divine life that Jesus revealed stands in contrast to every system built on fear and control.
And history itself would soon prove that truth.

Earthly power and systems never last forever.
The Sadducees clung to the temple, to wealth, and to social privilege, but it did not endure.
About forty years after Jesus’ death, a Jewish revolt broke out against the Roman Empire.
In the year 70 CE, Rome destroyed the temple completely.
At that moment, the temple-based power of the Sadducees vanished from history.
The structure they tried so hard to preserve collapsed in an instant.
Wealth, fame, and authority that once seemed eternal all disappeared.
But the life of God continued beyond all that.
Everything living will one day fade, but the life that is in God never dies.
That is why we must live with humility before the fleeting things of this world
and hold on to the life that never changes — the life of God.

There will be a baptism during today’s 10 o’clock service.
This is not only a symbol but a visible sign of God’s living presence among us.

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Baptism is performed as water is poured three times on the head,
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
This water represents the touch of God who gives life.
Baptism proclaims the end of the old life and the beginning of the new.
It is more than the washing away of sin — it is a turning of one’s life toward God.

The baptism to be celebrated later today invites each of us to reflect:
“What kind of life am I living now?”
“Am I living the life of resurrection in my everyday world?”
We have already been baptized, yet we often forget what that means.
Baptism is not a single event in the past; it is a calling renewed each day.
Whenever we live in ways worthy of the new life God has given, we live our baptism again.
Faith in the resurrection is not only a promise for the future; it is the power that transforms our reality
now.
For our God “is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all of them are alive.” (Luke 20:38)
May we remember again the meaning of the life God has given us,
and, in the quiet moments of our daily journey, live out that divine life with gratitude, hope, and gentle
joy.
Amen.

A Prayer for Mercy, the Grace of Restoration
Joel 2:23–32; Psalm 65; 2 Timothy 4:6–8, 16–18; Luke 18:9–14

Today’s message asks two questions: What is true prayer, and what kind of heart does God receive?
And further, how does God’s restoring grace come into our lives when we pray?

In today’s Gospel, two men went up to the temple to pray, a Pharisee and a tax collector. They stood
in the same place, yet their hearts were completely different.
The Pharisee was a respected religious man. He kept the law strictly, fasted twice a week, and gave a
tenth of all his income. His discipline was sincere. But when he prayed, he said:
“God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax
collector.”
The problem was not his actions themselves but his heart behind them. He spoke words of gratitude,
yet deep down he was boasting about himself. His thanksgiving did not recognize grace—it was a
declaration of self-righteousness.
The tax collector, on the other hand, worked for the Roman Empire collecting taxes. Because he
served a foreign power and often dealt with Gentiles, people saw him as unclean. Tax collectors were
also known for corruption, since they could take more than required and keep the extra. For this
reason, he was despised as a betrayer of his people.
Standing far off in the temple, he could not even lift his eyes to heaven. He beat his chest and prayed:
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
Beating one’s breast was a sign of deep sorrow and repentance. He did not hide his sin but stood
before God just as he was.
Jesus said, “I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt
themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Righteousness is not achieved by our merit. It is God’s gift to those who ask for mercy with a humble
heart. Humility is not simply lowering oneself, it is making room for God to enter.

Why was the tax collector declared righteous? Because God first shows grace to those who cannot
stand by their own strength, to those who seek Him even amid sin and brokenness. The tax collector
knew his place within that grace.
God always takes the first step. Through His mercy, He opens our closed hearts and leads us toward
restoration.

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The book of Joel reveals this divine promise. It was written in a time of longing for renewal after a
devastating locust plague. People faced famine and fear. Their grain and wine were gone, and even
worship had been interrupted.
But God says:“O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he has given the early
rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as
before.”
In Palestine’s farming life, the early and later rains meant survival. The early rain made seeds sprout,
and the later rain brought the crops to fullness. Rain returning again meant that God’s covenant
faithfulness remained.
And God continues:“I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the
destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you.”
It is a promise to restore even lost time. Then God speaks an even greater word of grace:
“Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your
old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female
slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit.”
God’s Spirit will fall upon everyone—beyond gender, class, and age. In a society divided by hierarchy,
this was revolutionary. The Holy Spirit is no longer for a few chosen people but a gift of life for all.
“Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
To call upon God’s name is to turn one’s heart toward Him. Like the tax collector, acknowledging our
need and opening our hearts is the beginning of restoration. Salvation is not a reward for the perfect
but a grace experienced in the process of living, learning, and changing with God.

Psalm 65 praises this grace of restoration. It begins with forgiveness and ends with the renewal of
creation.
“To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come… Our sins are stronger than we are, but you will blot
them out.”
God hears our prayers and covers our sins. He is not far away but near—renewing our hearts.
Then the psalmist lifts his eyes from worship to the wider world of creation:
“You visit the earth and water it abundantly; you make it very plenteous; you drench the furrows and
smooth out the ridges; with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.”
God cares for the earth like a farmer tending his field. He softens the soil and blesses each sprout.
With that same tenderness, He tends our lives. As that rain softens the earth, our parched hearts are
renewed; and even within dried-up relationships, new shoots of life begin to appear.
If Joel speaks of the promise of restoration, Psalm 65 sings of its fruit—grain, wine, and oil. Both
declare that God renews the whole of life. Worship and creation are not separate: when God renews
our souls, His grace also renews nature and daily life. For God does not divide the spiritual from the
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ordinary.

In 2 Timothy, Paul looks back on his life as it nears its end. He has suffered much, yet he testifies to
God’s presence through it all. His letter does not explain why suffering happens; it declares that even
in suffering, God remains with us.
For Paul, faith was not about success or failure but about trusting God to the end. He offered his life
like a sacrifice, knowing all belonged to God. Suffering, for him, became a time when grace was
revealed.
He writes:“But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be
fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.”
Paul’s confession meets the tax collector’s prayer: like him, Paul did not trust in his own righteousness
but entrusted himself wholly to God’s mercy.
This witness assures us that God never leaves us alone. True faith, like the prayer of the tax collector,
begins not with claiming our righteousness but by entrusting ourselves to God’s mercy. In that trust,
we find restoration even amid hardship.
God’s grace always comes first. His love crosses every boundary—restoring what was lost and
bringing new life to all creation. That grace renews not only the human heart but also the world around
us. Faith begins when we humbly respond to that grace.

Today we have seen how God’s mercy and restoring grace continue in our lives. God gives grace first;
we respond with humility; the Holy Spirit renews the community.
We have heard God’s promise to restore even lost years, felt His gentle hand that waters the furrows,
and learned of His presence that never leaves us even in suffering. We also saw why the tax collector
was made righteous—not by perfection, but by his humble heart before God.
Faith, in the end, is about how we stand before God. What matters is not what we have achieved, but
that we come before Him as we are, seeking mercy. And when we do, He restores us.
So this week, let us pray the tax collector’s prayer:
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
When we wake in the morning, when we go to work, when conflict or pride rises within us, let us return
to this prayer. Upon it, God will soften our hearts again, send the rain of the Spirit, and bring forth new
life. May our lives and this whole community be renewed in that grace.
Amen.

The Covenant Written on Our Hearts
(Jeremiah 31:27–34 / Psalm 119:97–104 / 2 Timothy 3:14–4:5 / Luke 18:1–8)

The prophet Jeremiah’s voice rises from the dust of a fallen city. He lived through the last
days of the kingdom of Judah and saw Jerusalem destroyed before his eyes. The temple was
burned, the people were taken into exile, and the center of faith, Jerusalem, was reduced to
ashes. The people felt abandoned by God.
Their despair was not only political defeat but also a collapse of faith. The God who had once
protected them now seemed silent. Their prayers no longer reached heaven, and the
promises of God felt powerless before the ruins of reality. Yet in the middle of that despair,
Jeremiah delivers a surprising word of hope: “The days are surely coming, says the Lord,
when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the
seed of animals.” (Jeremiah 31:27) Judgment, then, was not the end. God would plant new
life where destruction had been. God’s judgment was not a final rejection, but a path toward
restoration—a way to begin again in relationship with God. Jeremiah saw beyond the broken
walls. He saw that God was still at work, turning despair into the ground of new life and
shaping a future filled with hope.
“Just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and
bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 31:28)
Even in the midst of destruction, God rebuilds what is broken and renews what seems lost.
God’s “watching” is not surveillance or control but a caring, life-giving attention. It is not
judgmental but nurturing. Sometimes what we call “God’s silence” feels like absence or loss,
but even then, God is planting unseen seeds. God’s work is often slow and delicate, and faith
is the courage to trust in that slowness. Each of us experiences our own kind of ruin—family
conflict, weariness of faith, social injustice, illness, or loss. Yet in all these, God comes as the
One who still builds and plants.
“In those days they shall no longer say: ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the
children’s teeth are set on edge.’” (Jeremiah 31:29) This saying had expressed the belief that
children suffered for their parents’ sins. People excused their failures by blaming the past. But
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God calls them to a new understanding of responsibility: “But all shall die for their own sins;
the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.” (Jeremiah 31:30) Each
person now stands in direct relationship with God—not through ancestors, tradition, or
inheritance. Salvation and judgment are no longer collective but personal. Every person is
invited to respond to God with their own heart. This is where the new covenant begins. God
moves us from collective fate to personal faith, from outward religion to inward relationship.
We, too, lose strength when we live inside the habit of blaming—“It’s someone’s fault.” But
God asks us a personal question: “What will you choose now?” When we answer that
question, the covenant within us awakens.
“The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house
of Israel and the house of Judah. … I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their
hearts.” (Jeremiah 31:31, 33) The old covenant was written on stone and received with fear.
But the new covenant is written on the heart. The Hebrew word for “law” is Torah, which
means not just rules but divine teaching and direction—a way of life given by God. The Torah
is God’s guidance for human flourishing. When God’s teaching is written on our hearts, our
very thoughts and conscience become the dwelling place of God. The law is no longer an
external demand but an inner light that leads us toward goodness. As the psalmist says: “Oh,
how I love your law! all the day long it is in my mind.” (Psalm 119:97) “Your word is a lamp to
my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105) God’s word becomes the light that guides
our daily lives. Faith then is not blind obedience but joyful trust—finding joy in discipline, love
in obedience, and freedom in devotion.
Luke 18 opens with a parable about “the need to pray always and not to lose heart.” In a
certain city, there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected people. And in that
same city, there was a widow—a woman without power, wealth, or protection. Her only
strength was her faith in God’s justice. She came to the judge day after day, saying, “Grant
me justice against my opponent.” Though he ignored her, she did not give up. Finally, the
judge said, “Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow
keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually
coming.” (Luke 18:4–5) Through this story, Jesus reveals who God truly is. God is nothing like
the unjust judge. God is righteous and merciful. God never ignores the cries of those who call
day and night, and God will bring justice swiftly and rightly. (Luke 18:7–8)

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This parable is not only about praying hard; it is about holding on to faith with endurance. The
widow’s persistence was not stubbornness but trust in God’s justice. Her repeated plea was
an act of faith in the promise of God—a faith that refuses to forget or let go of hope. Her
perseverance did not come from her own strength. It came from the living presence of God
working in her heart. At the end, Jesus asks, “And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he
find faith on earth?” This is not despair but invitation—a question for the disciples and for us:
Can you keep faith even when God’s justice seems delayed?
The “law written on the heart” that Jeremiah spoke of is fulfilled in the persistence of prayer.
Prayer is not only asking for what we want; it is awakening the divine law already written
within us. Through prayer, that law breathes again and becomes life. That inner law is
steadfast love, trust in justice, and patience rooted in mercy. Prayer keeps that law alive in us
like the breath of life itself. This is why Jesus said, “Pray always and do not lose heart.”
Paul says to Timothy, “Proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or
unfavorable.” (2 Timothy 4:2) The Word and prayer belong together. Prayer writes the Word
on our hearts; the Word turns prayer into action. God’s Word builds and restores us. When it
takes root in our hearts, we become not only listeners but witnesses.
The church today faces struggles much like those in Jeremiah’s time. The words of faith
remain, but their meaning can fade. God’s justice often feels delayed, and our prayers seem
unanswered. Yet the Church exists because there are still people who trust the slow work of
God—who pray, who endure, and who believe that divine justice will prevail. A praying church
is a living church. Prayer is its heartbeat—the quiet strength that sustains faith and keeps
justice alive in the world. What we need now is persistent prayer and a faith that lifts one
another up. So today we pray: “O God, may the law you have written on our hearts become a
flame that never goes out, even in the coldness of the world. Give us faith that does not give
up, even when the answer seems slow, and make our prayers seeds of your kingdom.” Amen.

Remembering and Giving Thanks

Today’s readings teach us to live faithfully even in unfamiliar and difficult places.
The prophet Jeremiah does not tell the exiles in Babylon to simply wait until they can return home.
Instead, God calls them to settle down—to build, plant, raise families, and pray for the city’s peace.
As the Lord says, “In its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:7)
This passage shows us the true direction of faith. Faith is not about longing for a glorious past or
sighing over what has been lost. God tells us to live here and now, to build, to plant, to nurture, and to
continue life even in exile. We often treat the present as temporary, thinking, “When things get better,
I’ll start living.” But that wastes the life God already gives us.
To live faithfully does not simply mean to work hard. It means to accept the present moment as the
place where God is with us and to seek God’s will within it. God calls us to focus on today. Holiness
does not happen only in temples. It grows even in strange, uncomfortable places—where our hearts
feel weak and uncertain. There, God is still with us, nurturing our faith.
So we do not avoid reality. We look at our neighbors and pray for the peace of the place where we
live. “For in its welfare you will find your welfare.” Faith is not private peace alone, it is seeking the
good of the whole community. God sends us into the world to pray and work for the well-being of all.

Psalm 66 gives us a song for those who walk through hardship: “Be joyful in God, all you lands; sing
the glory of his Name; sing the glory of his praise” (Psalm 66:1). The psalm invites us: “Come now and
see the works of God, how wonderful he is in his doing toward all people” (v.4). What are we to see?
“He turned the sea into dry land, so that they went through the water on foot; and there we rejoiced in
him” (v.5). They remember how God led them through the Red Sea, and that memory helps them face
today’s suffering.
The psalm does not hide pain: “You brought us into the snare; you laid heavy burdens upon our
backs. You let enemies ride over our heads; we went through fire and water; but you brought us out
into a place of refreshment” (vv.10–11). They confess their trials honestly, yet also God’s deliverance.
“You brought us out into a place of refreshment.”
This becomes our own confession too. We too have walked through fear and loss, yet God has
brought us to a place where we can breathe again. The Holy Eucharist is the place where we
remember that saving grace. At this table, we recall God’s mercy and turn our sighs into thanksgiving.

In the Second Letter to Timothy, Paul reminds us to hold on to the heart of our faith: “Remember
Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David, that is my gospel” (2 Timothy 2:8). Here
lies the core of the gospel, the incarnate and risen Lord. This memory grounds our identity and our
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calling.
This call to remember Christ is also at the heart of baptism, which reminds us what it means to live as
those reborn in him. Baptism means dying to the old self and rising to new life in Christ. Yet we often
forget this new identity. Each baptized person is called to remember this grace every day and to live
again as a child of God. That is what Paul means when he says, “Remember Jesus Christ.”
Paul writes from prison: “I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the
word of God is not chained” (v.9). We may be bound by circumstances, but God’s word is never
chained. Social barriers, emotional walls, and the limits of our reality cannot confine the gospel. The
word of God finds a way through every wall.
Paul continues: “I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the
salvation that is in Christ Jesus” (v.10). Then he quotes an early Christian hymn, a confession of faith
that was already known in the church: “If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we
endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; if we are faithless, he remains
faithful, for he cannot deny himself” (vv.11–13).
Here we find comfort. Even when our faith is weak, Christ remains faithful. So we return to what truly
matters, not arguments or prideful words, but the living word that brings life. The Anglican tradition
values balance and discernment, seeking to understand Scripture rightly and to live in ways that build
others up.

The Gospel of Luke teaches us the meaning of thanksgiving. “On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was
going through the region between Samaria and Galilee” (Luke 17:11). This region was a
borderland—both geographical and social. Samaritans and Jews were enemies. The border between
them represented division and exclusion.
Ten lepers stood there, keeping their distance. In that time, lepers were considered unclean and were
driven out of their communities. Yet they cried out: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (v.13). Their cry
was more than a plea for help; it was a cry of faith that crossed the boundaries between people.
Jesus said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests” (v.14). And as they went, they were made clean.
Healing happened. But the story’s heart lies beyond healing. “Then one of them, when he saw that he
was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and
thanked him. And he was a Samaritan” (vv.15–16).
Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them
found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” (vv.17–18). Then he said, “Get up and
go on your way; your faith has made you well” (v.19).
The Greek word translated here as “made you well” means both “to heal” and “to save.” All ten were
healed, but only one was saved. Jesus sent them to the priests so they could receive the confirmation
required by the Law and begin the journey back to their communities. The nine were healed on their
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way, but only one turned back—to find not just healing, but salvation.
The nine received what they asked for: their bodies were healed and the way was opened for them to
rejoin society. But the Samaritan received something far greater. By turning back to Jesus in
thanksgiving, he discovered not only physical healing but a living relationship with God.
The nine went back to their old lives; the one entered new life. Healing restored their bodies; salvation
restored their souls and opened them to God’s kingdom. Thanksgiving is not mere politeness; it is a
way of recognizing grace and returning to its source. Gratitude leads us back to Jesus’ feet, where
healing becomes salvation.
The nine received permission to return to society, but the Samaritan discovered a new home at Jesus’
feet. The nine had their problem solved; the one had his life transformed. They were healed of leprosy,
but he was saved from a life that saw God only as a solution provider.
Thanksgiving was the turning point, the moment when cure became calling, when relief became
relationship, when healing became salvation. Today we too must ask: Where are we walking? Are we
only running toward our busy routines, or are we turning back to give thanks to the One who gives us
life? When we pause and return to Jesus, even for a moment, our hearts are renewed.

All today’s readings remind us of one truth — to remember God’s grace, to live faithfully where we are,
and to give thanks in all things.
Just as he once walked through the region between Samaria and Galilee, he now enters the
borderlands of our own lives—our strange and uncertain places—and says, “Get up and go on your
way; your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:19).
Holding on to that voice, we return to our daily lives. Even in our own Babylon, we build, care, and
pray for peace. Even when we pass through fire and water, God will bring us “into a place of
refreshment” (Psalm 66:11). Even when our faith wavers, “he remains faithful, for he cannot deny
himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).
So, open your eyes in remembrance. Build your house in faithfulness. Return to the Lord in
thanksgiving. And like the Samaritan who fell at Jesus’ feet, may we move from healing to salvation,
from suffering to praise, from strangeness to peace. Amen.