The Worship of God

February

FEBRUARY 1

“Up the Mountain” Read Matthew 5:1-2

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them – Matthew 5:1-2

Surrounded by new disciples, Jesus begins the teaching that will train them in the new life, which is God’s kingdom. No words rival these in importance or power.

What do you know about the Sermon on the Mount?

Prayer: My hope, Lord, as I attend to your teaching, is that I will be formed into your likeness, not just informed about what you once spoke to your disciples. I want to be thoroughly taught by you so that I can thoroughly live for you. Amen.

FEBRUARY 2

“The Poor in Spirit” Read Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:3

Self-made and self-sufficient people live in a fantasy world, empty of the reality of God. In contrast, the poor in spirit are deeply aware of being God-made and God-sufficient: everything derives from the goodness of God and everything depends on the grace of God.

What does poor in spirit mean to you?

Prayer: I empty my life, God, of all god-substitutes and all idol-alternatives. I have nothing, so that I can receive everything. A life rich in wonder and blessing. Amen.

FEBRUARY 3

“Those Who Mourn” Read Matthew 5:4

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” – Matthew 5:4

The willingness to respond to pain, to misfortune, to suffering, enables us to participate in the divine compassion that changes damnation to redemption. Sorrow does not get stuck in despair, but discovers comfort. Whose sorrow do you share?

Prayer: “O come and mourn with me a while; O come ye to the Savior’s side; O come, together let us mourn: Jesus, our Lord, is crucified! A broken heart, a fount of tears, ask, and they will not be denied; a broken heart love’s cradle is: Jesus, our Lord, is crucified!” (F. W. Faber, “O Come and Mourn with Me a While,” The Hymnbook, 174). Amen.

FEBRUARY 4

“The Meek” Read Matthew 5:5

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit die earth.” – Matthew 5:5

In a day when assertiveness is in vogue, meekness is likely to be dismissed out of hand. A precise understanding helps: it is not slack laziness, but disciplined ambition; in place of riotous aggression, controlled obedience.

Who is the meekest person you know?

Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I will not deny my vitality or squelch my energy, but I will place them under your rule so that diey will serve your purposes. I will not harness you to my requirements, but offer myself to yours. Amen.

FEBRUARY 5

“Hunger and Thirst” Read Matthew 5:6

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” – Matthew 5:6

Righteousness is food and drink for the whole person. It is never listed among the basic dietary items in the nutrition textbooks, but it is more important than any of them.

How do you express your appetite for righteousness?

Prayer: I hunger and thirst after your righteousness, dear God: feed me on the bread of heaven, quench my thirst with the cup of blessing. Daily I will dine at your table, with Jesus as my host. Amen.

FEBRUARY 6

“The Merciful” Read Matthew 5:7

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” – Matthew 5:7

God responds to our misfortunes, our ignorances, our failures, and our disobediences in ways that draw us close to him and save us from our trouble. Mercy. It is the opposite of the harsh condemnation, which rejects. Because God does it, we can do it.

Who has treated you with unexpected mercy?

Prayer: God, even as I have been accepted by you in mercy, help me to accept others—not condemning, not rejecting, not scolding, but sharing the promises of salvation through the mercies of Jesus Christ. Amen.

FEBRUARY 7

“The Pure in Heart” Read Matthew 5:8

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” – Matthew 5:8

Dilettantes shop for God as they would for a new pair of shoes. Their purposes vacillate and they live distracted. But simple intention is the way to comprehension and fellowship. “Purity of heart is to will one thing” (Soren Kierkegaard, Purity of Heart [New York: Harper & Row, 1956], 53). ‘ What distracts you from God?

Prayer: I have a difficult time, God, silencing the competing voices, shutting out the seductive images. I want you, but I want a lot of other things, too. “Unite my heart to fear thy name.” (Psalm 86:11) Amen.

FEBRUARY 8

“The Peacemakers” Read Matthew 5:9

“Blessed axe the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” – Matthew 5:9

Life in God’s kingdom is not a competitive survival of the fittest. The prize does not go to the strongest and the swiftest. Jesus teaches us how to make peace with our neighbors, evoking the best in them, not destroy them as dangerous rivals. Are you better at competition or cooperation?

Prayer: Show me how to use my life, Jesus, in ways that will make others better, not get the better of them. I will no longer look at others as competitors for your favor, but as companions in your life of peacemaking. Amen.

FEBRUARY 9

“Persecuted” Read Matthew 5:10

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:10

Lest we think that the peacemakers of verse 9 are bland, gray-flannel conformists who are afraid to rock the boat, Jesus defines our righteousness as that which frequendy provokes opposition in a world whose values are called into question. Who doesn’t approve of your life in Christ?

Prayer: When the storms of opposition come, dear Christ, keep me “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” Root me in righteousness so that my growth is impervious to popular dissent, and always faithful to you. Amen.

FEBRUARY 10

“Rejoice and Be Glad” Read Matthew 5:11-12

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” – Matthew 5:12

If we take the offensive against our opposition, we are liable to harshness and bluster; if we get on the defensive, we lose initiative and appear timid and unsure: When we dance our faith, the enemy is disarmed and drawn into the celebration. Leaping joy is the sanity of blessing in a lunatic society. What do you have cause to rejoice in?

Prayer: Lord God, I will not use the world’s weapons to fight your battles; and I will not be backed into a corner by those who scorn your love. Be with me as I celebrate my witness in joy, and announce my confidence with gladness, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

FEBRUARY 11

“Salt” Read Matthew 5:13

“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?” – Matthew 5:13

Minuscule and insignificant as each individual Christian is, yet we are God’s way of preserving society, of sharpening the taste buds of civilization. Our usefulness is not in what we do, but in what we are by God’s grace.

What are the main uses of salt in your life?

Prayer: Father, I keep thinking I have to rush out and do something; you keep calling me back to be someone. Use this life that you have created and redeemed to preserve and enhance those among whom I live today. Amen.

FEBRUARY 12

“Light” Read Matthew 5:14-15

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.” – Matthew 5:14

Salt is a powerful, hidden influence; light is a blazing public illumination. Christian disciples are not only a behind-the-scenes influence, but also an out-in-the-open enlightenment.

What are the main uses of light in your life?

Prayer: You, Lord, the light of the world, be light in me so that my life shows the clarity and warmth of your salvation. I would not darken anyone’s path by the shadows of my doubts or the gloom of my unbelief. Amen.

FEBRUARY 13

“Good Works” Read Matthew 5:16

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16

Good works are an important means of witness; but they are also extremely susceptible to pride. Jesus can teach us how to use good works as glorifications of God, and not simply as advertisements of ourselves.

What are some of your good works?

Prayer: “So let our lips and lives express the holy gospel we profess; so let our works and virtues shine, to prove the doctrine all divine. Thus shall we best proclaim abroad the honors of our Savior God, when His salvation reigns within, and grace subdues the power of sin” (Isaac Watts, “So Let Our Lips and Lives Express,” The Hymnbook, 250). Amen.

FEBRUARY 14

“Fulfill” Read Matthew 5:17-20

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” – Matthew 5:17

No detail in the law and the prophets was corrupt or obsolete. But much of it was empty. Sin cracks had appeared and the vitality had leaked out. But Jesus does not therefore discard them—fulfill is the gospel program.

How does Jesus fulfill the law and the prophets?

Prayer: I see, Father, that there is nothing that you once used that cannot be used again. Lead me into the eternal meanings of your ancient words so that I may live in a present obedience, Christ living in me. Amen.

FEBRUARY 15

“Exceeds” Read Matthew 5:20

“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:20

Religion that is a matter of careful, moral calculation is all wrong. The gospel requires a leap of faith. Christ does not counsel a safe, manageable morality that anyone can learn in ten easy lessons, but a reckless adventurous life commitment. What was the righteousness of the scribes?

Prayer: I do not want to be a religious bookkeeper, Lord, but a faith explorer, ready to take risks without counting the cost, ready to love without taking out insurance against suffering, ready to plunge into obedience without calculating my rewards. Amen.

FEBRUARY 16

“IfYouArei4ngry” Read Matthew 5:21-26

“But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment” – Matthew 5:22

The old commandment was intended to protect relationships, not just prevent murders. Anger that treats another contemptuously is murderous. Feelings that divide persons are destructive. Obedience reduced to only not doing something is half-obedience.

Why is anger dangerous?

Prayer: Do I diminish others, reduce them, despise them, God? With your help and direction I will augment them, respect them, and exalt them. Amen.

FEBRUARY 17

“Tear It Out” Read Matthew 5:27-30

“But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” – Matthew 5:28

No spirit surgery is too cosdy and no self-discipline too exacting in our development as Christ’s servants. Our sin-split personalities think one thing and do another, or do one thing and think another. Jesus trains us in a mastery over self that brings us into single-minded devotion. Compare this with 2 Corinthians 10:3-6.

Prayer: Help me, O Christ, to maintain a ruthless mastery over my pride and self-centeredness so that every part of my life may be coordinated in acts of love. Amen.

FEBRUARY 18

“Divorce” Read Matthew 5:31-32

“But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchas-tity, causes her to commit adultery….” – Matthew 5:32

The guardian commandment on love, designed to protect intimate personal relationships, in practice had become the occasion for casuistic legalism. Jesus returns our attention to people and what happens to them.

What is wrong with divorce?

Prayer: God, I know that you give commandments as tools that will express your love, share your grace, and communicate your will, not as formulas for making me righteous. Help me to use them your way. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

FEBRUARY 19

“Do Not Swear at AR” Read Matthew 5:33-37

“But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.” – Matthew 5:34-35

Elaborate incantations or vehement curses are alike futile. God cannot be manipulated by our use of language. Prayer, the opposite of swearing, is language put to the service of God. It is the simplest, and purest speech there is. What scriptures does Jesus quote?

Prayer: God, purge all pretense and affectation from my speech. I want all my words to be an offering in love, all my speech a servant of truth, in the ways that Jesus taught. Amen.

FEBRUARY 20

“Love Your Enemies” Read Matthew 5:38-47

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good” – Matthew 5:44-45

Jesus commands a daring and courageous initiative that closes the gap between offender and offended. Love is not a reward to be parceled out as a favor to friends; it is a tactic by which we share the best in us so that others have an opportunity to live at their best.

Name an enemy you will love.

Prayer: Christ of compassion, for too long I have let my emotions and my prejudices tell me who and how to love. No longer. I will go to school in your salvation and learn your way of love. Amen.

FEBRUARY 21

“Perfect” Read Matthew 5:48

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” – Matthew 5:48

When we abandon the way of knee-jerk ethics— mindlessly reacting to the words and actions of others—we are free to become what love and grace stimulate in us: a wholeness that will finally be perfect.

Compare this with Ephesians 4:15-16.

Prayer: Fashion in me what is obedient, eternal God, what is trusting and loving. Deal with what is rebellious, wayward, and misguided. I submit myself to your potter’s hand. Amen.

FEBRUARY 22

“Practicing Your Piety” Read Matthew 6:1

“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them….” – Matthew 6:1

The Christian who cares only for God’s approval lives free of the tyranny of conformist pressures, relaxed under the steady direction of the God who loves us and gives himself for us. Those who try to please the world by their good behavior very quickly find themselves under the unkind surveillance of a thousand critics.

What behavior of yours is determined by what people think?

Prayer: Make me indifferent, God, to the world’s approval, but sensitive to yours. How easy it is to get enlisted in the piety parade! Keep me from pretense, from poses, from posturings. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

FEBRUARY 23

“In Secret” Read Matthew 6:2-4

“But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:3-4

When what is supposed to give aid to poor bodies becomes a means of aggrandizing proud spirits, piety is turned on its head. Nothing spoils acts of mercy and gifts of charity more quickly than publicity.

How do you guard the secrecy of your giving?

Prayer: Father in heaven, lead me to speak in kindness and act in mercy unobtrusively and faithfully, just as you worked quiedy and persis-tendy behind the scenes in Jesus. Amen.

FEBRUARY 24

“Like the Hypocrites” Read Matthew 6:5

“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners….” – Matthew 6:5

Prayer that is used for any other purpose, no matter how lofty, than to personally converse with a personal God is a sham. It must never be used as a part of public relations. It must never be put to the services of creating a good image. What is a hypocrite?

Prayer: Free my spirit, God, from self-consciousness and self-righteousness. Forgive me for confusing the outward and the inward. Let my prayers be spontaneously honest and personally passionate. Amen.

FEBRUARY 25

“When You Pray” Read Matthew 6:6

“But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut die door and pray to your Father who is in secret” – Matthew 6:6

The private room and the locked door diminish our tendencies to pose and strut; they also shut out distractions. Prayer is a conversation with God in which authenticity of spirit and attentiveness of mind are essential.

How do you get privacy in prayer?

Prayer: “Father, in Thy mysterious presence kneeling, fain would our souls feel all Thy kindling love; for we are weak, and need some deep revealing of trust and strength and calmness from above” (Samuel Johnson, “Father, in Thy Mysterious Presence Kneeling,” The Hymnbook, 326). Amen.

FEBRUARY 26

“Empty Phrases” Read Matthew 6:7

“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases” – Matthew 6:7

“Knowledge of speech, but not of silence; Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word” (T. S. Eliot, “Choruses from ‘The Rock,’” The Waste Land and Other Poems [London: Faber & Faber, 1972]). We live in an age of mass communication and minimal communion. When we have a good listener, we do not have to talk either a lot or loudly. God is a good listener. Do you ever pray in empty phrases?

Prayer: Holy Spirit, make the connection between the words of my mouth and the meanings in my heart so that my words may never be without personal meaning and my spirit never be without a means of expression. Amen.

FEBRUARY 27

“Knows What You Need” Read Matthew 6:8

“… your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” – Matthew 6:8

Prayer is not a job list assigned by us to God. Nor is it a transfer of information between earth and heaven. God knows our condition and our needs. Prayer, like the best conversations on earth, cultivates intimacy, nurtures obedience, and becomes a way of working with God.

If God knows what you need, why pray?

Prayer: In my prayers, O God, I will not make speeches to you, but learn a relationship with you. I want to express myself completely and listen to you devoudy, in Jesus’ name and for his sake. Amen.

FEBRUARY 28

Pray Then in This Way” Read Matthew 6:9-13

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.” – Matthew 6:9-13

The act of praying is no uncharted wilderness where we hack and forge our way. It is well traveled, with rich traditions and deep culture. Jesus’ words are compass and map for finding our way to the deep interiors. Why is this prayer important to you?

Prayer: “O Thou, by whom we come to God, the Life, the Truth, the Way; the path of Prayer Thyself hath trod; Lord, teach us how to pray!” (James Montgomery, “Prayer Is the Soul’s Sincere Desire,” The Hymnbook, 331). Amen.