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WE PRAY

O Lord Jesus Christ, who at your first coming sent your messenger to prepare your way before you: Grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready your way by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at your second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in your sight; for you are alive and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

WE READ

Psalm 40 begins and ends with the psalmist ’s declaration of hope in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Particularly relevant for today ’s readings is the confession that the psalmist makes at the end of Psalm 40; he ’s weak and needy! Throughout the Old Testament, Israel is reminded of how they are to treat the weak and needy, as they were once in the same position themselves. How God cared for Israel over the years is how Israel is to care for the weak and needy in their midst. Also, throughout the Old Testament, Israel is chastised for ordering life and society in a way that cares nothing for the weak and needy. That ’s the subtext of today ’s passage from Zechariah. Exile is a direct consequence of failing to care for the “widow, the orphan, the stranger, and the poor” (Zech. 7:9).

Yet, that ’s not the end of the story. Both Revelation 5 and, in its way, Matthew 25 celebrate the coming of God to redeem and restore. The coming of God always entails justice, but God’s justice is never truly punitive; it is ultimately restorative. God’s justice rehabilitates and restores those who, in their own weakness and needy state, oppress the least of these. At the same time, God ’s justice lifts the weak and needy out of their disadvantaged state so that “They will be my people, and I will be their God - in truth and in righteousness” (Zech. 8:8). God ’s justice is always tied to compassion, compassion for the sinner and the saint alike. And to that we can join our voices with the angels and with every creature in heaven and earth, saying,
“Worthy is the slaughtered Lamb
to receive power, wealth, wisdom, and might,
and honor, glory, and blessing.”

And

“Blessing, honor, glory, and power
belong to the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
forever and always.”

Psalm 40

1 I put all my hope in the Lord.
He leaned down to me;
he listened to my cry for help.
2 He lifted me out of the pit of death,
out of the mud and filth,
and set my feet on solid rock.
He steadied my legs.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise for our God.
Many people will learn of this
and be amazed;
they will trust the Lord.
4 Those who put their trust in the Lord,
who pay no attention to the proud
or to those who follow lies,
are truly happy!
5 You, Lord my God!
You’ve done so many things—
your wonderful deeds
and your plans for us—
no one can compare with you!
If I were to proclaim
and talk about all of them,
they would be too numerous
to count!
6 You don’t relish sacrifices
or offerings;
you don’t require
entirely burned offerings
or compensation offerings—
but you have given me ears!
7 So I said, “Here I come!
I’m inscribed in the written scroll.
8 I want to do your will, my God.
Your Instruction is deep within me.”
9 I’ve told the good news
of your righteousness
in the great assembly.
I didn’t hold anything back—
as you well know, Lord!
10 I didn’t keep your righteousness
only to myself.
I declared your faithfulness
and your salvation.
I didn’t hide your loyal love
and trustworthiness
from the great assembly.
11 So now you, Lord—
don’t hold back
any of your compassion from me.
Let your loyal love and faithfulness
always protect me
12 because countless evils surround me.
My wrongdoings
have caught up with me—
I can’t see a thing!
There ’s more of them
than hairs on my head—
my courage leaves me.
13 Favor me, Lord, and deliver me!
Lord, come quickly and help me!
14 Let those who seek my life,
who want me dead,
be disgraced and put to shame.
Let those who want to do me harm
be thoroughly frustrated
and humiliated.
15 Let those who say to me,
“Yes! Oh, yes!”
be destroyed by their shame.
16 But let all who seek you
celebrate and rejoice in you.
Let those who love your salvation
always say,
“The Lord is great!”
17 But me? I ’m weak and needy.
Let my Lord think of me.
You are my help and my rescuer.
My God, don’t wait any longer!

Zechariah 7:8–8:8

8 The Lord ’s word came to Zechariah:
9 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
10 Don’t oppress the widow, the orphan, the stranger, and the poor; don’t plan evil against each other! 11 But they refused to pay attention. They turned a cold shoulder and stopped listening.
12 They steeled their hearts against hearing the Instruction and the words that the Lord of heavenly forces sent by his spirit through the earlier prophets. As a result, the Lord of heavenly forces became enraged.
13 So just as he called and they didn’t listen, when they called, I didn’t listen, says the Lord of heavenly forces. 14 I scattered them throughout the nations whom they didn’t know. The land was devastated behind them, with no one leaving or returning. They turned a delightful land into a wasteland.
8 The word from the Lord of heavenly forces came to me:
2 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
I care passionately about Zion; I burn with passion for her. 3 The Lord proclaims: I have returned to Zion; I will settle in Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be called the city of truth; the mountain of the Lord of heavenly forces will be the holy mountain.
4 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
Old men and old women will again dwell in the plazas of Jerusalem. Each of them will have a staff in their hand because of their great age. 5 The city will be full of boys and girls playing in its plazas.
6 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
Even though it may seem to be a miracle for the few remaining among this people in these days, should it seem to be a miracle for me? says the Lord of heavenly forces.
7 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
I’m about to deliver my people from the land of the east and the land of the west. 8 I’ll bring them back so they will dwell in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their God—in truth and in righteousness.

Revelation 5:6–14

6 Then, in between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb, standing as if it had been slain. It had seven horns and seven eyes, which are God’s seven spirits, sent out into the whole earth. 7 He came forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one seated on the throne. 8 When he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each held a harp and gold bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 They took up a new song, saying,
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and open its seals,
because you were slain,
and by your blood
you purchased for God
persons from every tribe, language,
people, and nation.
10 You made them a kingdom and priests
to our God,
and they will rule on earth.”
11 Then I looked, and I heard the sound of many angels surrounding the throne, the living creatures, and the elders. They numbered in the millions—thousands upon thousands. 12 They said in a loud voice,
“Worthy is the slaughtered Lamb
to receive power, wealth, wisdom, and might,
and honor, glory, and blessing.”
13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea—I heard everything everywhere say,
“Blessing, honor, glory, and power
belong to the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
forever and always.”
14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshipped.

Matthew 25:14–30

14 “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who was leaving on a trip. He called his servants and handed his possessions over to them. 15 To one he gave five valuable coins, and to another he gave two, and to another he gave one. He gave to each servant according to that servant ’s ability. Then he left on his journey.
16 “After the man left, the servant who had five valuable coins took them and went to work doing business with them. He gained five more. 17 In the same way, the one who had two valuable coins gained two more. 18 But the servant who had received the one valuable coin dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.
19 “Now after a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received five valuable coins came forward with five additional coins. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five valuable coins. Look, I’ve gained five more. ’
21 “His master replied, ‘Excellent! You are a good and faithful servant! You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me. ’
22 “The second servant also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two valuable coins. Look, I’ve gained two more. ’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done! You are a good and faithful servant. You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me. ’
24 “Now the one who had received one valuable coin came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man. You harvest grain where you haven’t sown. You gather crops where you haven’t spread seed. 25 So I was afraid. And I hid my valuable coin in the ground. Here, you have what ’s yours. ’
26 “His master replied, ‘You evil and lazy servant! You knew that I harvest grain where I haven’t sown and that I gather crops where I haven’t spread seed? 27 In that case, you should have turned my money over to the bankers so that when I returned, you could give me what belonged to me with interest. 28 Therefore, take from him the valuable coin and give it to the one who has ten coins. 29 Those who have much will receive more, and they will have more than they need. But as for those who don’t have much, even the little bit they have will be taken away from them. 30 Now take the worthless servant and throw him out into the farthest darkness. ’
“People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.

WE THINK

  • What stands out to you from today’s reading?
  • Are you confused or stumped by what you’ve read?
  • Is there anything you encountered that makes you think, “I don’t know about that…”?
  • What resonated with you as particularly meaningful?
  • What does it mean to say that God ’s justice is restorative rather than punitive?
  • How might that challenge or change the way we think about sin, exile, and the return of Christ?
  • In what ways do we, individually or as a community, order our lives in ways that ignore the weak and needy?
  • What would it look like to reorder our lives around God's justice and compassion?

WE FEEL

  • In general, what emotions seem to be dominant at this moment?
  • How have those emotions affected the relationships you have with those around you?
  • What are you doing, or have you done, to submit those emotions to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?
  • Where have you seen God at work this week?
  • Think of a time when you felt weak and needy like the psalmist. How did God—or someone sent by God—meet you there?
  • How does it feel to imagine God's justice as something that both holds us accountable and lifts us up? Is that comforting, unsettling, hopeful, or all three?

WE BELIEVE

Justice is one of those words that gets thrown around a whole lot. In many conversations, justice is understood to mean receiving what you deserve based on your actions. This is the justice that most criminal justice systems are built around. Punitive justice has its place, to be sure, and there ’s a fair amount of it in scripture. Sometimes in Scripture, God enacts punitive justice, but more often it ’s human leaders—sometimes faithfully, sometimes not—who impose it. Yet throughout, God's aim remains healing and restoration. At the same time, God ’s justice seeks to restore. The life and ministry of Jesus focus squarely on justice that restores and redeems. With the justice that Jesus brings, we don’t get what we deserve. Instead, we receive love, grace, and forgiveness. The justice that Jesus brings restores us so that we might live, here and now, and in the life to come, in faithful relationship with the God who created us. We believe that as recipients of God ’s justice through Jesus, we’re called to hand out the same kind of justice Jesus brings.

WE PRACTICE

Choose one of the following to do today:

Care for Someone in Need

Choose one concrete way to extend compassion to someone who might be considered “weak and needy” this week. This could mean bringing a meal to someone who is grieving, donating to a local organization that serves the unhoused or vulnerable children, or simply listening deeply to someone who is often overlooked. Do it not out of obligation, but as an act of worship—joining God in lifting up the lowly.

Confess and Recommit

Spend time in honest prayer, naming the ways you may have ignored the needs of others or failed to steward well what God has entrusted to you (like the servant with the buried coin). Then, ask God to help you live with open hands and courageous faith. Consider journaling or lighting a candle as a way to mark your recommitment to seek God's justice and compassion.

PRAYER

Oh God, in our weak and needy state, help us to live lives full of the justice we have received from Jesus Christ. Amen.