A householder would stay awake if he knew when the thief was coming. Jesus says the same of us: no one knows the hour of the Son of Man. Meanwhile we are given a house, time and gifts to look after. Everything received is a task of love. Lord, I do not know the hour,but…
Stay dressed for action, Jesus says, and keep your lamps lit. Then comes the surprise: the master, home from the wedding, ties on an apron and waits on his servants. Watching is not anxiety. It is love waiting for the One who loves us first. Lord of the late hour,the road is dark and my…
A man in the crowd wants Jesus to settle an inheritance quarrel. Jesus answers with a story about a bumper harvest and a night nobody planned for. Real wealth is not what we keep but what we give away. Lord, you see my storehouses and my savings.You also see the hunger no harvest can feed.Free…
A trick question, a coin, an image. Jesus cuts to the heart: Caesar may have the coin, but God holds the person who bears his likeness. We are citizens of earth and children of heaven. Today we ask not to mix up the two loyalties. Sharp questions come at you, Lord,and the trap closes on…
To own Jesus before others can be costly, yet he promises to own us before the angels. When we must answer for our faith, we are never alone: the Spirit supplies the words. Let us ask for a courage that speaks simply and gladly. Lord, there are rooms where I lower my voicethe moment your…
Thousands press around Jesus, so close they trample one another, yet he speaks to his friends about hypocrisy and fear. Nothing stays hidden, and nothing is forgotten by God. A Father who numbers our hairs frees us from dread. Let us learn the sparrow’s calm. No mask survives your gaze, Lord.What we whisper in the…
Memorials to the prophets are easy to build; listening to them is harder. Jesus names those who hold the key of knowledge yet neither enter nor let others in. Truth is not owned, it is served. We pray for hearts that open doors instead of closing them. We polish the tombs of your prophetsand tune…
Jesus does not dismiss small duties, but he restores their order: justice and the love of God come first. Front seats, public greetings and loads laid on others turn faith into a showcase. We ask for a heart that serves rather than performs. Lord, we measure the mint in our gardensand forget the neighbor at…
Jesus is a dinner guest, and a Pharisee is shocked by an unwashed hand. The Lord looks past the rim of the cup to the heart that holds it. The one who made the outside also made the inside. Let us invite him into both. Jesus, you take a seat at our table and look…
A crowd demands proof, and Jesus answers with his own life. Nineveh heard one reluctant prophet and changed; a foreign queen crossed the desert for a king’s wisdom. Someone greater than both is here. What would it take for us to truly listen? Lord, we keep asking for a signwhen you have already given us…
