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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

Today’s texts offer a stark yet clarifying perspective on one of Advent’s central themes: waiting. In Psalm 41, the psalmist is confident that God will care for him in his weakness because he knows that God blesses the poor and those who care for them. In his illness and betrayal, the psalmist waits, trusting in God ’s mercy.
While the psalmist prays in his distress, Zechariah offers a vision that reassures us: even when all seems still on the surface—“the whole earth is peaceful and quiet”—God is not absent. God’s messengers patrol the earth, and divine attentiveness persists, even in silence. This reminds us that what looks like inactivity may, in fact, be holy watchfulness.
By contrast, the passages from Revelation and Matthew pull back the veil on the suffering and deception that can dominate history and human experience. The church in Philadelphia is praised not for power or prestige but for remaining faithful amid difficulty. Jesus promises to protect and honor them because they have kept his word and endured.
Meanwhile, Matthew 24 presents a much darker image: cosmic upheaval, false messiahs, and profound suffering. Yet even here, Jesus calls his followers to remain grounded and alert—not chasing after false hopes, but watching with confidence for the true coming of the Son of Man. His return will not be hidden in confusion or shadows but revealed in unmistakable glory.
Together, these texts give us a picture of Advent waiting that is not passive or naïve—it is faithful, discerning, and rooted in hope.

Psalm 41

1 Those who pay close attention
to the poor are truly happy!
The Lord rescues them
during troubling times.
2 The Lord protects them
and keeps them alive;
they are widely regarded throughout
the land as happy people.
You won’t hand them over to the will
of their enemies.
3 The Lord will strengthen them when
they are lying in bed, sick.
You will completely transform the place
where they lie ill.
4 But me? I said,
“Lord, have mercy on me!
Heal me because I have sinned
against you.”
5 My enemies speak maliciously about me:
“When will he die
and his name disappear?”
6 Whenever they come to visit,
they say nothing of value.
Their hearts collect evil gossip;
once they leave,
they tell it to everybody.
7 All of those who hate me talk about me,
whispering to each other,
plotting evil against me:
8 “Some horrible thing
has been poured into him;
the next time he lies down, he won’t get up.”
9 Even my good friend,
the one I trusted,
who shared my food,
has kicked me with his heel—
a betrayer!
10 But you, Lord, please have mercy on me
and lift me up
so I can pay them back!
11 Then I’ll know you are pleased with me
because my enemy won’t be shouting
in triumph over me.
12 You support me in my integrity;
you put me in your presence forever.
13 Bless the Lord, the God of Israel,
from forever to forever!
Amen and Amen!

Zechariah 1:7–11

7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month (the month of Shebat) in the second year of Darius, the Lord ’s word came to Zechariah the prophet, Berechiah ’s son and Iddo ’s grandson:
8 Tonight I looked and saw a man
riding on a red horse,
which was standing
among the myrtle trees in the valley;
and behind him were red, sorrel,
and white horses.
9 I said, “What are these, sir?”
The messenger speaking with me said,
“I will show you what they are.”
10 The man standing
among the myrtles responded,
“These are the ones the Lord sent”
to patrol the earth.”
11 Then they responded
to the Lord ’s messenger,
who was standing among the myrtles,
“We have patrolled the earth.
The whole earth
is peaceful and quiet.”

Revelation 3:7–13

7 “Write this to the angel of the church in Philadelphia:
These are the words of the one who is holy and true, who has the key of David. Whatever he opens, no one will shut; and whatever he shuts, no one opens. 8 I know your works. Look! I have set in front of you an open door that no one can shut. You have so little power, and yet you have kept my word and haven’t denied my name. 9 Because of this I will make the people from Satan ’s synagogue (who say they are Jews and really aren’t, but are lying)—I will make them come and bow down at your feet and realize that I have loved you. 10 Because you kept my command to endure, I will keep you safe through the time of testing that is about to come over the whole world, to test those who live on earth. 11 I’m coming soon. Hold on to what you
have so that no one takes your crown. 12 As for those who emerge victorious, I will make them pillars in the temple of my God, and they will never leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from my God. I will also write on them my own new name. 13 If you can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

Matthew 24:15–31

15 “When you see the disgusting and destructive thing that Daniel talked about standing in the holy place (the reader should understand this), 16 then those in Judea must escape to the mountains. 17 Those on the roof shouldn’t come down to grab things from their houses. 18 Those in the field shouldn’t come back to grab their clothes. 19 How terrible it will be at that time for women who are pregnant and for women who are nursing their children. 20 Pray that it doesn’t happen in winter or on the Sabbath day. 21 There will be great suffering such as the world has never before seen and will never again see. 22 If that time weren’t shortened, nobody would be rescued. But for the sake of the ones whom God chose, that time will be cut short.
23 “Then if somebody says to you, ‘Look, here’s the Christ, ’or ‘He ’s over here, ’don’t believe it. 24 False christs and false prophets will appear, and they will offer great signs and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, even those whom God has chosen. 25 Look, I’ve told you ahead of time. 26 So if they say to you, ‘Look, he ’s in the desert, ’don’t go out. And if they say, ‘Look, he ’s in the rooms deep inside the house, ’don’t believe it. 27 Just as the lightning flashes from the east to the west, so it will be with the coming of the Human One. 28 The vultures gather wherever there ’s a dead body.
29 “Now immediately after the suffering of that time the sun will become dark, and the moon won’t give its light. The stars will fall from the sky and the planets and other heavenly bodies will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Human One will appear in the sky. At that time all the tribes of the earth will be full of sadness, and they will see the Human One coming in the heavenly clouds with power and great splendor. 31 He will send his angels with the sound of a great trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from the four corners of the earth, from one end of the sky to the other.

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 look like to remain faithful in weakness, as the psalmist and the church in Philadelphia did?
  • How can we practice patient endurance in a world where betrayal, suffering, and confusion often dominate the headlines?
  • How do we discern truth amid competing voices, and hold fast to the promise that Christ will come again, not hidden in chaos, but in glory and with redemption?

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?
  • What makes patient endurance so hard to accomplish? What feelings keep you from patiently waiting?
  • In what ways does the world around us manipulate our feelings so that we are less inclined to wait patiently for God to work in our world?

WE BELIEVE

We get the impression from these passages that we ’re called to rest in God’s care and protection for us, all the while knowing that God ’s protection doesn’t always come in the shape or form we might expect. We’re called to patiently endure, allowing God to fight our battles for us. When we feel weak and overwhelmed, our response should be the same as the psalmist’s: “Have mercy on me and lift me up!” In our patient endurance, we are warned not to chase after false messiahs. In our weakness, it will be an almost constant temptation to say, “Look, here’s the Christ,” expecting salvation to come from someone who claims the ability to save but looks nothing like the crucified yet resurrected Christ. Our belief in Jesus requires that we prayerfully discern the best ways to patiently endure until Christ returns to make all things new.

WE PRACTICE

Choose one of the following to do today:

Care for the Weak (Inspired by Psalm 41 and Revelation 3)

  • Practice: Write a note, make a call, or deliver a small gift to someone who is sick, isolated, or overwhelmed. Let them know they are not forgotten.
  • Why: Psalm 41 says that those who attend to the weak and vulnerable are truly happy—blessed by God. In Revelation, the church in Philadelphia is praised not for might but for quietly holding fast in difficulty. Advent reminds us that God often draws near in places of suffering. Practicing compassion opens our eyes to that nearness.

Watchful Silence (Inspired by Matthew 24 and Zechariah 1)

  • Practice: Take ten minutes today to sit in silence, free of media, distractions, or tasks. Simply listen. Ask God to help you discern what is true, and to anchor your heart in Christ.
  • Why: In Matthew 24, Jesus warns of false signs and urges his followers to stay awake and alert. Zechariah ’s vision reveals that even when the world looks quiet, God is actively watching. Advent is a season of quiet attention—prayerful watching for the coming of the Lord. Silence trains our hearts to wait with discernment.

PRAYER

Oh God, help us to keep our focus on you in our times of weakness, so that we might faithfully rest in your care and protection. Amen.