“On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines.” — Isaiah 25:6 Perhaps inspiration for year-end giving this Advent?

“Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them.” — Isaiah 11:6 Can I take a first step toward such peace in my life this Advent?

“I rejoiced because they said to me, ‘We will go up to the house of the LORD.’” — Psalm 122:1 Whatever this Monday holds for you, can you find a moment to rejoice? 💜

“Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” — Matthew 24:42 Advent is here. Am I preparing my heart? 🟣⚪️⚪️⚪️

“Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.” — Daniel 3:85 Here we are between Thanksgiving and the start of Advent. What a good time to give praise. 🙏

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” — Luke 21:33 Here’s to taking the long view!

“And now, bless the God of all, who has done wondrous things on earth; Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb, and fashions them according to his will! May he grant you joy of heart and may peace abide among you.” — Sirach 50:22-23 Happy Thanksgiving!

“Sun and moon, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. Stars of heaven, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. Every shower and dew, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.” —Daniel 3:62-64 Some divine poetry to start your day.

“All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.” — Daniel 3:61 Amen! 🙏

“For those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.” — Luke 21:4 Am I called to greater generosity?

“Then [the criminal on the cross] said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied to him, ‘Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’” — Luke 23:42-43 He remembers us. May we remember and honor him throughout the day this week.

“I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous deeds.” — Psalm 9:2 It’s a dreary day weather wise where I am but I’m reminded to give thanks for life. How about you?

“The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words.” — Luke 19:47-48 “Hanging on his words.” Which ones stay with me?

“As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If this day you only knew what makes for peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.’” — Luke 19:41-42 Peace. How might Jesus lament the lack of peace in my world, my life. As Advent nears, will I change?

“I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my word.” — Psalm 17:6 AMEN! 🙏

“When I lie down in sleep, I wake again, for the LORD sustains me. I fear not the myriads of people arrayed against me on every side.” — Psalm 3:6-7 Here’s to a restful night’s sleep 🙏

The blind man “shouted, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!’” — Luke 18:38 Perhaps this is your cry and prayer today?

“You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.” — Luke 21:17-18 But will I remain silent out of fear of loss of status?

“For from the greatness and the beauty of created things their original author, by analogy, is seen.” — Wisdom 13:5 May I take time to notice this weekend. TGIF

“The revelation of your words sheds light, giving understanding to the simple.” — Psalm 119:130 Perhaps even to you and me!

“Jesus said in reply, ‘Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?’” — Luke 17:17-18 Lord, soften my heart that I may not be such an ingrate.

“When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’” — Luke 17:10 A high bar, for sure. Maybe we should be inspired by Saint Martin of Tours on his feast day?

“O LORD, you have probed me and you know me; you know *when I sit and when I stand;* you understand my thoughts from afar.” — Psalm 139:12 My physical therapy today had sitting and standing. Perhaps I can make that a prayer. Maybe there’s a mundane life activity you can transform into prayer?

He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables…” — John 2:15 What deserves my righteous anger on the Feast of Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome?

“You cannot serve both God and mammon.” — Luke 6:13 Lord, help me recognize who I serve in the coming week.

“Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise.” — Psalm 98:4 TGIF! 🎶

“Why then do you judge your brother or sister? Or you, why do you look down on your brother or sister? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.” — Romans 14:10 Maybe I should be focused on my own opportunities to do better.

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” — Romans 13:9 It’s that simple. And that hard.

“Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them.” — Romans 12:6 What are my gifts? Lord, help me to recognize what I can offer and grant me the inspiration to share.

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!” — Romans 11:33 Faith can mean trusting the process.

“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.” — John 6:40 On All Souls Day, let us pray for our loved ones who have passed. 🙏

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” — Matthew 5:7-10 On this All Saints Day, may we ask the saints to pray for us.

“Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion. For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; he has blessed your children within you.” — Psalm 147:12-13 TGIF! 🙏

“What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?” — Romans 8:35 Or <fill in your own cross to bear>? NO! Jesus had conquered all of these out of love for you.

“The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.” — Romans 8:26 I call this approach the dump it all out and ask the Holy Spirit to help us sort it out.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.” — Psalm 19:2 Will I take notice today?

“The whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.” — Luke 13:17 How will I rejoice today?

“Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.” —Luke 18:9 Imagine today’s parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector instead about our own preferred group vs a loathed political/cultural type. Much harder to accept!

“If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you.” — Romans 8:11 As All Hallows Eve approaches, it’s a good time to ponder mortality.

“Let your kindness comfort me according to your promise to your servants.” — Psalm 119:76 To those of us who need comforting today, we pray to the Lord 🙏

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 6:23 Which payday am I focused on?

✨ FROM TODAY’S READINGS ✨ “…you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness.” — Romans 6:16 Come Holy Spirit, help me choose wisely. 🙏

“Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.” — Luke 12:37 Vigilance. Servant leadership. This passage packs it in.

“Then he said to the crowd, ‘Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions.’” — Luke 12:15 Performance reviews. End-of-year charitable appeals. Now might be a time to assess my relationship with possessions.

“While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.” — Luke 18:4-5 This parable leads me to ponder the persistent prayers of my mom, a widow. Many answered.

“Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is helpful to me in the ministry.” — 2 Timothy 4:11 One of my favorite passages. Hopefully I’m being helpful here.

“Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God… Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.” —Luke 12:6-7 As another week wraps up, what did it look like? Are you as aware of God moving through it as he is of you?

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; LORD, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to my voice in supplication.” — Psalm 130:2 If this is your anguished prayer today, those of us reading this join you in prayer. 🙏

“You, O man, are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment. For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the very same things.” — Romans 2:1 🚨 Hypocrisy alert! 🚨

“Brothers and sisters: I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” — Romans 1:16 Am I living these words?