The Daily: Wednesday December 6, 2023

Daily Lectionary Reading: Psalm 79 (NRSV, The Message); Micah 5:1-5a (NRSV, The Message); Luke 21:34-38 (NRSV, The Message)

Be on guard, wake up, the day is coming. Even though we might not fully understand or agree upon what that day is, we cannot ignore or deny the fact that we are called to be prepared for it.  The admonition of scripture echoes the call we sense in ourselves - we need to awaken, we need to be woke.

I love the vernacular Eugene Peterson uses for this verse to draw us in, "But be on your guard. Don’t let the sharp edge of your expectation get dulled by parties and drinking and shopping."

In practicality, what does that look like? Jesus lives the example in v. 37: work and pray. In the day he taught, at night he withdrew into solitude and prayer - a pattern that served him well, a pattern that served his community well, a pattern that changed the world.