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Take courage and work, for I am with you, says the Lord Almighty. Don’t be afraid. —Haggai 2:4, 5 (TLB)

After the Babylonian exile, God through the prophet Haggai says to the people, “Get busy rebuilding the temple!” The people needed some prodding, though. Haggai’s prophecy came at a time when the people of Judah were extremely vulnerable. They had been humbled by their exile to Babylon; then a drought occurred. There were many obstacles to them moving forward. Sometimes we find ourselves in that very same position— feeling immobilized and discouraged. The spread of COVID-19 and its effects touched all facets of our existence and has certainly made us feel like the people of Judah. There is much uncertainty and fear about moving forward with life. But God acknowledges our fear. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet says. The title of Susan Jeffers’ book Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway wonderfully encapsulates what courage can look like in the face of challenge. And life-long advocate for peace and justice Bishop Barbara Harris, in the title of her memoir, encourages us to “say Hallelujah, anyhow!” We can move forward during the dark days— during these days of social, political, economic, environmental and racial unrest—we must. For we do not move forward all alone. God is with us.

This is another day to remember that the power of God within you is greater than the challenge before you.

Lord, today let us respond to your rallying cry to “Take courage and work!” for you, Lord Almighty are with us, always.

And who would use old wineskins to store new wine? For the old skins would burst with the pressure, and the wine would be spilled and skins ruined. Only new wineskins are used to store new wine. That way both are preserved. —Matthew 9:17 (TLB)

This scripture has taken on new meaning for me during this time of COVID-19. Our previous way of life before the virus struck has been rocked and shaken and we’ve had to—and continue to—adjust to a new way of living life at what seems like supersonic speed. From this vantage point, “going back to normal” really is not an option. We have entered the age of “the new normal.” Nonetheless we understandably grieve for our “old wineskins,” our pre-COVID familiar patterns and accustomed lifestyle. But what if letting go of our old wineskins enables us to be filled with new wine? What if our former ways of navigating our lives are giving way to new ways which are more life-generative?

This is another day to remember that although change can be uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and uneasy as we head into the unknown, Christ’s eternal promise to usher us forward surrounded by God’s grace and mercy and love —which is sufficient for us no matter what— brings gladdening reassurance.

Lord, help us today not to fear the unknown but instead let your peace settle deeply into our hearts.

He has torn princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. —Luke 1:52 (TLB)

We often imagine Mary, the mother of Jesus, to be gentle and obedient; good and compliant. But there was a side of Mary that was just as revolutionary and trailblazing as the son she bore. Our scripture passage today is a portion of the Magnificat, (which is Latin for “magnify”), and also known as The Song of Mary. In this song that she sings, Mary comes across less like a fearful, unmarried and pregnant teenage girl on the lower rungs of society and more like a resistance fighter steadfastly focused on reorienting unjust social systems. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor and theologian who was executed by the Nazis, called the Magnificat “the most passionate, the wildest, one might even say the most revolutionary hymn ever sung.” A far cry from viewing Mary as a silent figure in a nativity creche scene. Mary affirms God’s beloved community in a way that should make us all—the “haves” and the “have nots”—pay attention. Theologian Warren Carter writes, “Mary articulates an end to economic structures that are exploitative and unjust. She speaks of a time when all will enjoy the good things given by God.”

This is another day to reaffirm Mary’s words that help us to trust that the eventual upending of the unjust systems of the world will become a reality, since nothing and no one can thwart the purposes of God (Job 42:2). And we can follow in Mary’s footsteps as God’s present-day revolutionaries entrusted with this work of justice and reconciliation.

Lord, help us today to do our part in building a more just community, one in which difference is respected and all people feel beloved. Give to us Mary’s sure hope.

You provide delicious food for me in the presence of my enemies. You have welcomed me as your guest; blessings overflow! —Psalm 23:5 (TLB)

In our country’s struggle against racial and socioeconomic injustice we know that many people in our society have never been welcomed as guests at the feast that is America, although it is a feast that they have sacrificed their lives to prepare. As we commemorate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday today, we celebrate his life and achievements as an influential and incomparable American civil rights activist and leader, who worked tirelessly to end racial segregation and who championed the fight for equality. As a Baptist pastor, Dr. King’s roots in advocacy were grounded in the transformative Gospel message. He simply wanted to be remembered as someone who lived his life as a disciple of Jesus. Just days before he was murdered on April 4, 1968, Dr. King talked about how he would like to be remembered. He said, “I’d like someone to mention that Martin Luther King, Jr. tried to give his life serving others. I’d like for somebody to say that Martin Luther King, Jr. tried to love somebody. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.” That was the legacy most important to him.

This is another day to take up the mantle of Dr. King’s legacy. Shirley Chisolm, the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, first African-American candidate for a major party’s nomination for President, and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” Amen, Shirley. And for those who have a seat, we can make ample room on either side of us for others to join in, for there is no scarcity in Christ.

Lord, thank you for preparing a table at which we are all welcome. We pray today that those in leadership would follow in your ways, ensuring that all people are given a seat.

Love does no wrong to anyone. That’s why it fully satisfies all of God’s requirements. It is the only law you need. —Romans 13:10 (TLB)

Throughout the years, the apostle Paul’s “love” passage in 1 Corinthians 13—you know the one, “Love is patient, love is kind….” and so on— has been used as a favorite go-to verse in wedding ceremonies, although it wasn’t originally intended for such an occasion. Yet, despite its wide use in weddings, its message often does not pervade the wider context of the world. Love is more than sentimentality or emotion. African American author and social activist Bell Hooks writes, “Love is an action, never simply a feeling.” Love is a decision, one not made only between two people in a wedding ceremony, but a decision that needs to be considered every moment of every day by each one of us on our journey. Love, for all its romantic, dreamy and ivory-towered associations is also relentless and indefatigable. It takes guts and mettle to love. Love does not only abide in the realm of fairytales, happy endings and glass slippers. It is a powerful and unshakeable force, mighty and consuming, for God is love (1 John 4:8), and it is why the apostle Paul tells us that love is the only law we need.

This is another day to remember that, “no matter the question, love is the answer.” Now, it is not always easy to answer with love, but we do not do this in our own strength; the Holy Spirit is our partner in this mission to choose love in each moment. Let us call on the Spirit to enable us to walk the way of justice each day in love.

Lord, may we extend love to one another today beyond the divisions set in place by this world. Enable us to choose love for the glory of your name.

The one who loves money shall never have enough. The foolishness of thinking that wealth brings happiness! —Ecclesiastes 5:10 (TLB)

A comedian once quipped, “Money is not the most important thing in the world. Love is. Fortunately, I love money.” In our day and age, money certainly remains a salient yardstick in measuring one’s well-being. Jesus spoke about money quite a bit in the Gospels, and there are several sayings from the book of Proverbs which reference money’s power, potential, and precarious nature. But we tend to overlook a couple of verses in Isaiah that put a different spin on how we think about money and which challenge the economic systems which run on material wealth. In verses 1 and 2 of chapter 55 God through the prophet Isaiah offers an invitation: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare”(NIV). The concept of “buying without money” is a paradox, but it is exactly what Christ enabled us to do when we received him by grace. The cross of Christ paid the way for us to buy without cost— to welcome the free offer of mercy and the invitation to the abundant life.

This is another day to reassess what yardstick we use as we measure our well-being and happiness; our security and success. Money is an important, beneficial and purposeful tool, but a limited one. Professor JoAnn Flett who teaches about the intersection of faith and business writes, “Perhaps the gospel to a world spinning on a wheel of greed and scarcity is to say we have a gospel of enough. It is a narrative that speaks to God’s work in the world.”

Lord, instill in us the clarity today to question the economic systems that prioritize acquisition of wealth over tending to the needs of our human family. Help us to dismantle inequities as we seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Hear my prayer, O Lord! Listen to my cries for help! Don’t ignore my tears. For I am your guest—a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me. —Psalm 39:12 (NLT)

Have you ever considered yourself to be God’s guest? When we welcome guests into our home—and hopefully we will be able to do that more as people become vaccinated against COVID-19— we engage in acts of hospitality. Perhaps we give them a tour of our home and arrange the room where they will stay with special care. We stock up on good food that we believe they will enjoy and we give them space to unpack their belongings. Well, God does the same for us! God welcomes us as God’s own beloved and we get to know the love and character of God through Christ. It is the nourishing food and drink of scripture offered to us freely that comforts and strengthens us. God gives us space to voice our questions, doubts, hurts, joys and fears so that we can be vulnerable, sincere and authentic in our friendship with God. The difference between our hospitality and God’s is that eventually we want our guests to leave! But God never wants us to leave. Jesus is referring to us when he says: “What my Father has given me is greater than everything, and no one can snatch them away from the Father’s care” (John 10:29). We are forever held in God’s infinite grace and love.

This is another day to be God’s guest. Poet Mary Oliver wrote, “Yes, it could be that I am a tiny piece of God, and each of you too, or at least of [God’s] intention and [God’s] hope.”

Lord, you are a place of hope and hospitality for all and we are loved by you. Mend our eyes today to see our neighbors in this way, too, so that we may more fully live out your commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves, and welcome them as our guests in your name.