Ordinary Time

January 25, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 15
O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
   Who may dwell on your holy hill?

Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,
   and speak the truth from their heart;
who do not slander with their tongue,
   and do no evil to their friends,
   nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;
in whose eyes the wicked are despised,
   but who honor those who fear the Lord;
who stand by their oath even to their hurt;
who do not lend money at interest,
   and do not take a bribe against the innocent.

Those who do these things shall never be moved.

Create in me a clean heart and a right spirit, (Psalm 51:10) and Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord. (Psalms 141:3) are two prays that are important to pray daily. I identify with Jacob who wrestles with an angel in preparation for his reconciliation with his brother Esau. We cannot walk blamelessly, speech the truth, or any of the other thing listed in the above scripture until we deal with our own demons.

We also can not follow the above guidance unless we take the time and energy to understand the people with whom we are interacting. None of us can ever know all the things that impact the lives of those we encounter daily.  We do not know if they left a sick child at home or have an ingrown toenail dueling with too-tight shoes nor if we are white do we know what it is like to be black if we are female, what it is like to be male or vice versa.  We must always look for the good triggers and the bad triggers in our interactions, guiding our next steps in communicating God’s love while dealing with sometimes tough issues.

Prayer: Hear our prayers, O Lord, and guide us in our love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.