The Worship of God

May

MAY 1

“Worse than the First”

Read Matthew 12:43-45

“… and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.”

Matthew 12:45

The goal of the Christian way is not human purity, but divine fellowship. Our task is not to sweep and beautify the house so that there is not a speck of evil dust to be found, but to invite our Lord to dwell with us and fill the house with die laughter of forgiveness and the conversation of grace. How do you apply this scripture to your life?

Prayer: Lord, you know how I am always coming up with a new scheme for self-improvement, and reducing my role in die spiritual life to that of charwoman, scrubbing and dusting and polishing my moral image. What I need is you, your presence. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus! Amen.

MAY 2

“My Mother and My Brothers”

Read Matthew 12:46-50

And pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Matthew 12:49-50

No one is bom into an intimate relationship with Christ. We cannot presume on him. But everyone has access to an intimate life with him—a life of mother or brother or sister. No one is left out by accident of birth; everyone is included by an act of faith.

What is your relationship with Christ?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the new-found intimacies of faith—that there is a family in which all are accepted equally, all loved uniquely, and that I am included in the “all.” Amen.

MAY 3

“Listen!”

Read Matthew 13:1-9

And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow.”

Matthew 13:3

Matthew, Mark, and Luke agree in making this the first of the parables. Every word God speaks to us is seed. We must not treat it casually, waste any of it in uncommitted enthusiasm, or permit it to be crowded into oblivion by the words of others. What kind of soil are you?

Prayer: Keep speaking, dear Christ, and keep me listening. Let your word take deep root in the soil of my life and bring forth a crop of faith and love and hope, a life lived to the praise of your glory. Amen.

MAY 4

“Why… in Parables?”

Read Matthew 13:10-17

“But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

Matthew 13:16-17

The parable is a tool for deciding, not discussing. For those who want to have conversations about God, the parable is opaque. For those who will look and listen and pray, the parable becomes a means for participation in the life of faith. Why do you like parables?

Prayer: Thank you, Lord God, for sharing your secrets with me, for speaking in love and listening in kindness. My life is filled with the sights and sounds of the gospel. How privileged I am! How blessed! Amen.

MAY 5

“He Indeed Bears Fruit”

Read Matthew 13:18-23

“But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears die word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Matthew 13:23

Every aspect of life is given significance by the word that Christ addresses to us. We understand our empty, barren hours as a failure to respond to Christ, and we understand our full, fertile days as a result of Christ’s triumphant word working in us.

What part of the parable are you living today?

Prayhr: Father, interpret my life for me by means of these words so that I may understand every-diing that takes place today in relation to what you have done and are doing and will do. I don’t want to evaluate anything in terms of my effort, but only in die light of your intention and love in Jesus Clirist. Amen.

MAY 6

“Weeds”

Read Matthew 13:24-30

” ‘Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Matthew 13:30

Jesus shows no panic in the presence of evil. He does not give his seed-word greenhouse protection. He is confident that good seed has vasdy better survival strength than weeds. What weeds are there in your life?

Prayer: Dear Christ, train me in such trust that I am able to share your poise. No more doomsday gloom when I find a weed in the garden! I want your confident, relaxed case in the face of the opposition. Amen.

MAY 7

“Like a Mustard Seed”

Read Matthew 13:31-33

“… It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

Matthew 13:32

Very frequently, our excuse for being irresponsible is the claim that we are insignificant. Jesus’ parables of mustard seed and leaven put a stop to that. It is the unnoticed, invisible movements of Christ in us that become the forests and banquets of his kingdom.

What insignificant, invisible obedience can you engage in today?

Prayer: I keep looking, God, for the dramatic moment when I can engage in a glorious sacrifice for the faith; you keep presenting me with daily opportunities for belief and obedience and hope. Help me to forget my dreams of melodrama, and accept the reality of your kingdom. Amen.

MAY 8

“The End of the Age”

Read Matthew 13:34-43

“Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire—-”

Matthew 13:40-42

We live in an antihistorical age. Everyone, it seems, has amnesia. We are immersed in “pres-entness.” Both past and future are drained of content. Taught by Jesus, we comprehend the past as our own story and anticipate the future as his promise, and live with sharp-edged gratitude and vivid hope. What do you hope for?

Prayer: Too many people around me, Lord, think of the future, when they think of it at all, with dread. Taught by you, I will anticipate it with joy, knowing that your will is done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

MAY 9

“AIT

Read Matthew 13:44-46

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Matthew 13:44-46

The two parables have one word in common: “all.” There must be no equivocation, no hesitation, no calculation before God’s offer of new life. Everything we have is traded in for everything that God has for us.

What, for you, is included in the “all”?

Prayer: O God, I don’t want to bring a bookkeeper’s mind to the life of faith, anxiously adding up columns of what I must give, columns of what I might get. I give all, and accept all. Amen.

MAY 10

“Separate the Evil”

Read Matthew 13:47-50

“So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous….”

Matthew 13:49

Grading, judging, deciding on relative merits—all that is very much a part of the world’s life. But we are not good at it—nobody is good at it. Leave it to the angels. The parable emphasizes the reality of judgment, at the same time that it says we have no part in doing it.

Whom are you tempted to judge?

Prayer: I know, Father, that you are the judge of all the earth, and that you will execute your judgment both firmly and mercifully. I leave all that to you as I throw myself into the work of believing you and loving my neighbors. Amen.

MAY 11

“Trained for the Kingdom”

Read Matthew 13:51-53

“Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Matthew 13:52

The mixture of old and new is what Jesus does so well, and teaches us to do. The gospel does not specialize in either ancient history or modern problems, but rather develops the skills to appropriate diverse treasures of the kingdom for redemption goals.

How does God train you?

Prayer: What a rich heritage of truth and experience you have given me, God. And what fresh and creative materials you hand me day by day in situations and people. Daily train me in the skills that will make me a good disciple. Amen.

MAY 12

“Except in Their Own Country”

Read Matthew 13:54-58

But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house.” And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.

Matthew 13:57-58

We do it too. We domesticate Jesus. We think we know all about him, and precisely what he can do and cannot do. We label him and define him. Our sophomoric knowledge becomes a substitute for a faith in him.

Does familiarity with Jesus breed contempt?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, don’t let my minuscule knowledge of your humanity detract from the enormous mystery of your divinity. Keep me open in faith to the majesty and glory of your being, and responsive to your power to change and save. Amen.

MAY 13

“The Five Loaves and the Two Fish”

Read Matthew 14:1-21

Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled….

Matthew 14:19-20

A hillside of hungry families is changed into a well-fed congregation by Jesus’ fourfold action: he took, he blessed, he broke, he gave. Those four acts continue to be reenacted, and our poverty transformed into affluence wherever people gather in Christ’s name.

How is this miracle continued into your life?

Prayer: When I examine my own resources,

0 Christ, I never seem to have enough. When

1 worship you, I never seem to run out of blessing. Thank you for your abundance, for your never-diminishing power to meet my needs and complete my joy. Amen.

MAY 14

“Take Heart”

Read Matthew 14:22-27

But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Matthew 14:26-27

While the disciples had been struggling in the boat, Jesus had been praying on the mountain. Their work was getting them nowhere; Jesus, strong from his hours of prayer, gives them what they need.

What is one of the most frightening times of your life?

Prayer: Thank you for your prayers, Lord Jesus: for bringing God to me, for bringing love to me, for invading my terror with your courage, for saving me. Amen.

MAY 15

“Lord, Save Me”

Read Matthew 14:28-33

He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Matthew 14:29-30

Peter moves from brash, untutored enthusiasm, to disabling doubt, to reverent worship. We, like Peter, have to be rescued from the excesses of presumption and saved from the disabling doubt. Worship, not walking on water, is what we are created for.

In what ways are you like Peter?

Prayer: So many times, God, I venture into things that are over my head, and instead of looking to you to command and direct I look at the impossible odds and the overwhelming difficulties and sink dangerously. “Lord, save me!” Amen.

MAY 16

“Only Touch the Fringe”

Read Matthew 14:34-36

After the people of that place recognized him, they sent word throughout the region and brought all who were sick to him, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

Matthew 14:35-36

The terrible loneliness of the ill is shown in their desire to touch Jesus. His willingness to be touched, to be intimate with people in need, shows that he shares his complete person, his body as his spirit, with those who crave contact with wholeness.

What do you need from God?

Prayer: I reach out to you, Savior Christ, hardly knowing what I need much of the time, but knowing that I need you. And you are there, ready to change my emptiness into wholeness. Thank you for your love and compassion. Amen.

MAY 17

“Tradition of the Elders”

Read Matthew 15:1-14

“You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said:

‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me;

in vain do they worship me,

teaching human precepts as doctrines.’”

Matthew 15:7-9

Traditions are useful. They are useful the way bark on a tree is useful, to protect the life within. They preserve truth, but they are not truth: all truth must be lived firsthand, from the inner life. Why are traditions dangerous?

Prayer: O God, let me never suppose that because I have inherited a few traditions, I therefore have the living truth. Keep me in touch with the immediate acts of faith that respond to your living word in Christ, so that I am resilient and growing in grace, not stiff and fixed in old ways. Amen.

MAY 18

“Explain the Parable”

Read Matthew 15:15-20

“Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles.”

Matthew 15:16-18

We are always turning religion into something that we can control and use to demonstrate that we are all right: a system of rules, an arrangement of traditions. Jesus is always probing to the heart, showing us that our disposition, our faith, and our thoughts are at the center of our relationship with God.

What traditions do you have that are worthless?

Prayer: Forgive me, merciful Christ, for trying to hide behind conventional morality when I should be opening up myself to you for deep and eternal healing. Examine my inner thoughts and create the kind of life in me that will live to the praise of your glory. Amen.

MAY 19

“Have Mercy on Me!”

Read Matthew 15:21-31

But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

Matthew 15:25-27

The marvelous Canaanite woman with her bold simplicity, absolute lack of guile, and persistent directness teaches us how to ask Christ for what we need. Too often we elaborately and piously negotiate, rather than simply throwing ourselves on the mercy of our Lord.

How do you feel about the disciples in this story?

Prayer: “Almighty God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves; keep us botfi outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord (Book of Common Prayer). Amen.

MAY 20

“Bread Enough in the Desert”

Read Matthew 15:32-39

… He took the seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all

of them ate and were filled—-

Matthew 15:36-37

The meal is one of Jesus’ favorite places for ministry. Here a quite ordinary picnic becomes, under Jesus’ words and acts, a messianic banquet. The needs that food meets in our bodies, Christ meets in our lives.

Compare this with the earlier meal in Matthew 14:13-21.

Prayer: Never permit me, Lord, to sit down to a meal without being at least dimly aware of your great precedent-setting actions, whereby inadequately provided food becomes, because you are present, abundantly experienced fullness. Amen.

MAY 21

“The Yeast of the Pharisees”

Read Matthew 16:1-12

“How could you fail to perceive that I was not speaking about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of die yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Matthew 16:11-12

The Pharisees want a Jesus who will dazzle and delight them with signs and miracles; Jesus is only interested in sharing the life of God that will change them into being people of faith who praise.

What are you interested in?

Prayer: Will I ever, dear Jesus, get over the immature fantasies that dream of great signs and wonders? As if there were not enough of them provided already in both creation and salvation! Purge me from the leaven of sign-seeking so that I may live by faith and in adoration. Amen.

MAY 22

“You Are the Messiah”

Read Matthew 16:13-20

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church….”

Matthew 16:15-18

At the same time that Peter realizes and confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the one who reveals God to us, Jesus names Peter as the rock on which the church will be built. The moment that we make Christ our Lord, Christ makes us his foundation stones for the building of his living temple in the world.

Have you confessed that Jesus is the Christ and your Lord and Savior?

Prayer: Be Lord and Savior to me, dear Jesus. I receive your presence as God’s presence; I believe your words as God’s words to me; Make me what you will, use me how you will. No longer my will but yours be done. Amen.

MAY 23

“If Any Man Would Come…”

Read Matthew 16:21-28

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”

Matthew 16:24-25

We want to follow Jesus, but like Peter we also want to tell Jesus where to go. Jesus doesn’t need our advice; he needs our faithful obedience. Dis-cipleship means learning how to listen to Christ, not getting him to listen to us.

What are the supreme conditions for disci-pleship?

Prayer: “Jesus calls us: by Thy mercies, Saviour, may we hear Thy call, give our hearts to Thine obedience, serve and love Thee best of all” (Cecil Frances Alexander, “Jesus Calls Us,” The Hymnbook, 234). Amen.

MAY 24

“Transfigured Before Them”

Read Matthew 17:1-8

And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.

Matthew 17:2-3

Because he makes himself so accessible to us, we are in constant danger of reducing Jesus to a hail-fellow-well-met. But there is a terrifying majesty in him that occasionally becomes apparent to us. When it does it is unthinkable that we should treat him as a cosmic buddy—we can only fall down in awe and worship.

What do you think of Peter’s proposal?

Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, open my eyes to the reality of your glory, to the splendor of your loveliness. I worship you. I praise you. I center my life in you, and only you. Amen.

MAY 25

“Tell No One About tie Vision”

Read Matthew 17:9-13

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

Matthew 17:9

Visions are not for telling. They are too easily turned into gossip—sensational stuff for entertaining dull lives. And they are not to be used for advertising in a world greedy for the latest novelty. Visions are for faith—to put a cosmic scaffolding around the passion.

How was John the Baptist like Elijah?

Prayer: Thank you, O God, for showing me the essential identity of the Transfigured Christ and the Crucified Christ, the Christ who is one with me in suffering. Amen.

MAY 26

“Faith as a Grain”

Read Matthew 17:14-23

“For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to diere,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 17:20-21

The world’s program is self-improvement: resolutions and calisthenics. Jesus’ program is faith and prayers: believing and praising. We fail in the work of grace and love when there is too much of us and not enough of God.

What do you find yourself unable to do?

Prayer: What I usually do, God, when I find that I am inadequate for a task, is to find some way to become more adequate; and you seem to be telling me that what I need to do is to deepen my dependence on you. Amen.

MAY 27

“Then the Children Are Free”

Read Matthew 17:24-27

Jesus spoke of it first, asking, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their children or from others?” When Peter said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the children are free.”

Matthew 17:25-26

The freedom of the Christian is not tied to economics or politics or a judicial system. It comes from a relationship between Father and son (and daughter). It is not achieved by human violence, but is the quiet result of divine grace. Compare this with Galatians 5:1.

Prayer: Instead of demanding the freedom that I don’t have, show me how to discover and enjoy the freedom that I do have—the freedom that flows from being in relationship with you, Father, and which releases me to a life of service and praise. Amen.

MAY 28

“Become Like Children”

Read Matthew 18:1-6

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like tins child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”

Matthew ]8:3-5

Jesus is not asking us to do anydiing that he did not do himself: he entered our humanity in the form of infancy. All his commands and counsel were first lived out in his own life. As children before the Fadier, we live in expectant awe and joyous trust.

What is characteristic of children?

Prayer: Return me, gracious Christ, to the basic realities of life that are conspicuous in children, but obscure and unattended in adulthood: an eagerness to believe, a readiness to receive, a willingness to love and be loved. Amen.

MAY 29

“Cut It Off”

Read Matthew 18:7-9

“Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!”

Matthew 18:7

Jesus is ruthlessly intolerant of any word or act that delays or diverts us from entering into life. These are fierce words: only understandable when we realize that nothing less than everydnng— eternal life—is at stake.

What interferes with your life of faith?

Prayer: Save me, Lord, from the world’s lazy tolerance, which masks uncertain commitments and failed visions. Sharpen my instincts for survival so that I am alert to repudiate anything that would interfere with my relationship with you. Amen.

MAY 30

“One of These Little Ones”

Read Matthew 18:10-14

“If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?”

Matthew 18:12

God is not interested in percentages—even an overwhelming 99 percent is unsatisfactory to him. He wants everyone. He doesn’t write off anybody. And that should keep us from ignoring or despising or forgetting anyone, even the least. Especially the least!

Who are the “little ones” in your life?

Prayer: Forgive me, O God, for slighting people who are on the fringes of society and seeking out the people who are important and influential. Give me the shepherd’s heart, always on the lookout for the lost and the hurt, after the manner of Jesus. Amen.

MAY 31

“Two or Three”

Read Matthew 18:15-20

“Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

Matthew 18:19-20

We would get on better if we could ignore or dismiss offending people. A private religion would be much more to our taste. But God will not permit it: we must learn God’s forgiveness and love among people whom we forgive and love. Who has sinned against you?

Prayer: Give me the courage, Lord Jesus, to face the people today who have displeased or hurt or troubled me. Help me to forgive them, not condemn them. By your grace draw me into a community with them where together we experience your presence. Amen.