Pentecost • 16

reading for: Tuesday Night, 3 September

Mark 7:24-37

  • ReAD

    Scripture Reference: Mark 7:24:37

    27 And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” – Mark 7:27-29

  • Commentary

    Today’s passage contains some harsh words. We read how Jesus says this: "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” Jesus called a Gentile, a Syrophoenician woman, and her daughter dogs. Was Jesus racist?

    Let us dig deeper into the passage to see Jesus's point. Jesus was certainly not racist. The Syrophoenician woman approached Jesus as He entered a house in the region of Tyre and Sidon and begged Jesus to heal her daughter, who had an unclean spirit. Jesus knew the scope of his mission then was restricted to the house of Israel. They were the ones that He called children, for they were God’s children and could receive the bread. The woman was a Gentile and hence was not part of God’s children then, that is why Jesus called her a dog, for she wasn’t a child yet. She understood what Jesus said and wanted to eat the children's crumbs. Jesus granted that to her and healed her daughter for her faith. She went home and found the child lying in bed, and the demon was gone.

    Yet, the scope of the mission of Christ is no longer restricted to Israel but to all Gentiles. There is no longer any geographical restriction in place. For the disciples of Christ would take the gospel message after the death and resurrection of Christ to all the world. Gentiles are no longer dogs; we can now receive the children’s bread. As Paul puts it in Romans 11:24,” For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.” Paul speaks of the Gentiles as being grafted into the olive tree. Gentiles are no longer dogs but children of God who are made children by being grafted in by God. We receive the right to be a child of God by faith.

  • Reflect

    Do we have faith like the Syrophoenican woman to respond to the work of God in our lives?

  • Prayer

    Our Father in Heaven, we thank you for your work in our lives, for grafting us into your kingdom and making us your children. We respond in faith to your work of adoption in our lives. Help us as your children to dwell in your presence and to be made more like you. Amen.

reading for: Wednesday Night, 28 aug

proverbs 22:1-23

  • ReAD

    Scripture Reference: Proverbs 22:1-23

    A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
    and favor is better than silver or gold. – Proverbs 22:1

  • Commentary

    The book of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings that offer practical guidance for living a life that honors God. Proverbs 22:1-23 emphasizes the importance of integrity, justice, and compassion, urging us to live in a way that reflects our faith in God. A good name, we are told, is more valuable than great riches, and living a life of righteousness is far more rewarding than worldly wealth.

    For children and teens, this passage encourages kindness and honesty, even when it's difficult. Perhaps it’s standing up for a classmate who’s being bullied or choosing not to cheat on an exam. For single adults, it’s about treating colleagues and friends with fairness and compassion, showing God's love in your interactions. Married couples can reflect on how they communicate and serve one another, ensuring that their home is a place of love and justice. The elderly, who carry the wisdom of years, can lead by example, demonstrating that a life lived with integrity is truly rich in God’s eyes.

    In every season of life, our faith is meant to be lived out through actions that uplift others. Whether at home or in the workplace, we are called to be agents of God’s justice and compassion, making His love tangible to those around us.

  • Reflect

    In what ways can you embody God’s justice and compassion today, in both small and significant ways?

  • Prayer

    O Lord our God, teach us to ask for the right blessings. Steer the vessel of our life toward Yourself, the tranquil haven of all storm-tossed souls. Show us the course in which we should go. Renew a willing spirit within us. Let Your Spirit curb our wayward senses and guide and enable us to do what is right. To You be glory and praise forever and ever. — St. Basil the Great, Prayers of the Early Church.

reading for: THURSDAY Night, 5 September

James 2:1-17

  • ReAD

    Scripture Reading: James 2:1-17

    “8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”[a] you are doing right.” - Ephesians 6:12

  • commentary

    How do we know if we our life of faith in Jesus Christ is flourishing or withering/dead? James counsels that genuine faith ought to be seen not just in our profession but by our fruits and actions in keeping with Jesus’ ways, truths, and life. He spends the bulk of today’s scripture reading drawing examples by which true faith can be discerned and for waywardness to be lovingly confronted leading to Godly repentance.  

  • Reflect

    Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us take time to examine the fruits of your life whether in actions, choices, priorities, and investments. Pay attention especially to the private spheres of your life like your marriage, family, body of Christ, community, private worship, devotional study, physical health, and financial health. Does your desire for His Kingdom and His righteousness outweigh your desire for other kingdoms and forms of righteousness including your own? Does your world views look like that of Christ’s or the world’s?

     

    Do not take lightly our battle against the devil and his evil forces. Do not take lightly the sinfulness of this side of eternity. If you acknowledge these truths then take time seek out God-fearing persons and communities to journey closely with you in your walk with Christ, genuinely giving space to them to speak into your life out of love for Christ. Grow in our daily disciplines and private devotional life. Commit and grow in a grounded manner in the life of a spiritual community. Be connected to the joys and also the pains and realities of the community you live in and are called to reach out to.     

  • Prayer

    Dear Heavenly Father, have mercy on us and save us from our wretchedness and propensity to wander and sin. We come to you asking for your deliverance, grace and strength afresh to follow you and become more and more like you. We pray that we will be strengthened in our inner parts so that Christ may dwell richly in us so that we can grasp together with all the saints just how high, how wide, how deep, and how long the love of God is! We ask this that we would continue to know you all the more and be known by you; that we may also live lives that glorify and please you. In Jesus name and unfailing love I pray. Amen.

reading for: FRIDAY Night, 6 September

Psalm 125

  • ReAD

    Scripture reference: Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9

    Psalms 125:1

    Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

  • COMMENTARY

    What does trusting in the Lord mean to you?

    The promise we see in Psalm 125:1 is quite immense - anyone who trusts in the LORD, will be like the great Mount Zion. The place where God dwells and the place where His King resides in (Isaiah 8:18 and 24:23).

    It's like the Istana of Singapore. Top security and nearly impenetrable as the head of the country sits there.

    Not only is the promise of immense security and stability, its also a promise of lasting forever. There will not be a day when Mount Zion will not exist.

    This same security and lasting presence is also seen in the house that Jesus describes in Matthew 7:24-27. The winds fell, floods came and winds blew, but this house stood steady and lasted.

    What was its secret? To put it simply, it trusted in the words and ways of Jesus. This person was able to be like Mount Zion, unshakable and everlasting at all times and in all trying situations because it trusted in the Lord.

    How? By hearing and following the words and ways of Jesus. This brought about the promise in Psalm 125.

    It's no coincidence that Psalm 125 is a Psalm of Ascent, a Psalm that pilgrims would recite and sing as they journeyed up to the temple.

  • Reflect

    Which of Jesus’ teaching do you find the hard to hear and follow?

  • Prayer

    Father in Heaven, You desire and long for me to live steadfast and secure. Reveal to me the deeper parts of my heart that struggle to trust in You and by the power of Your Holy Spirit enable me to surrender. To surrender to Your love that it might reach the deepest part of my heart.

    In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Season of LentCNL