Thursday of the Third Week of Advent

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

The bible often uses imagery that can be difficult for us to understand. Sometimes, the imagery is fantastical, full of glory and wonder. At other times, danger and destruction seem to lurk around every corner. Part of what makes these images difficult for us is our distance in time and place from the original contexts in which they were first used. This is particularly true of today ’s passages. In Psalm 50, the psalmist declares that “our God is coming; he won’t keep quiet. A devouring fire is before him; a storm rages all around him.” In the Zechariah passage, Zechariah is confused by what he sees. Revelation treats us to a glimpse of the heavenly throne room where unending worship pours forth from the twenty-four elders. By far, Matthew 25 is the easiest to understand, but still relates a world much different than our own.
As you read today ’s texts, try not to get bogged down trying to “decode” the images the biblical authors use. Instead, offer your life as a sacrifice of thanksgiving (Psalm 50), place yourself in the capable hand of God, trusting not in might, but in God’s Spirit (Zecheraiah 4), join with the elders unending worship of the Lamb of God (Revelation 4-5), all the while continuing to prepare for Christ’s coming (Matthew 25).

Psalm 50

1 From the rising of the sun to where it sets,
God, the LORD God, speaks,
calling out to the earth.
2 From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines brightly.
3 Our God is coming;
he won’t keep quiet.
A devouring fire is before him;
a storm rages all around him.
4 God calls out to the skies above
and to the earth
in order to judge his people:
5 “Bring my faithful to me,
those who made a covenant with me
by sacrifice.”
6 The skies proclaim his righteousness
because God himself is the judge.
7 “Listen, my people, I will now speak;
Israel, I will now testify against you.
I am God—your God!
8 I’m not punishing you for your sacrifices
or for your entirely burned offerings,
which are always before me.
9 I won’t accept bulls from your house
or goats from your corrals
10 because every forest animal
already belongs to me,
as do the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every mountain bird;
even the insects in the fields are mine.
12 Even if I were hungry, I wouldn’t tell you
because the whole world and
everything in it already belong to me.
13 Do I eat bulls ’meat?
Do I drink goats ’blood?
14 Offer God a sacrifice of thanksgiving!
Fulfill the promises
you made to the Most High!
15 Cry out to me
whenever you are in trouble;
I will deliver you, then you will honor me.”
16 But to the wicked God says,
“Why do you talk about my laws?
Why do you even mention my covenant?
17 You hate discipline, and
you toss my words behind your back.
18 You make friends with thieves whenever
you see one;
you spend your time with adulterers.
19 You set your mouth free to do evil,
then harness your tongue to tell lies.
20 You sit around,
talking about your own siblings;
you find fault with the children
of your very own mother.
21 You’ve done these things
and I’ve kept quiet.
You thought I was just like you!
But now I’m punishing you;
I’m laying it all out,
right in front of your face.
22 So consider this carefully,
all you who forget God,
or I’ll rip you to pieces
with no one to deliver you:
23 The one who offers
a sacrifice of thanksgiving
is the one who honors me.
And it is to the one who charts
the correct path that I will show
divine salvation.”

Zechariah 4:1–14

The messenger speaking with me returned and woke me like one who awakens someone who is asleep.
2 Then he said to me,
“What do you see?”
I said, “I see a lampstand
made entirely of gold.
It has a bowl on top.
The bowl has seven lamps on top
and seven metal pipes
for those lamps.
3 It has two olive trees
beside the lampstand,
one to the right of its bowl
and one to the left.”
4 I responded to the messenger speaking with me,
“What are these, sir?”
5 The messenger responded to me:
“Don’t you know what these are?”
I said, “No, sir. I don’t.”
6 He answered me:
“This is the LORD’s word to Zerubbabel:
Neither by power, nor by strength,
but by my spirit,
says the LORD of heavenly forces.”
7 Who are you, great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel
you will become a plain.
He will present the capstone
to shouts of great gratitude.
8 The LORD ’s word came to me:
9 The hands of Zerubbabel laid the
foundation of this house,
and his hands will finish it
so that you will know
that the LORD of heavenly forces
has sent me to you.
10 Those who despise a time
of little things will rejoice
when they see the plumb line
in Zerubbabel’s hand.
These are the seven eyes of the LORD,
surveying the entire earth.
11 I responded to him,
“What are these two olive trees
on the right and left sides
of the lampstand?”
12 Then I responded a second time,
“What are these two olive branches
that empty out golden oil
through the two gold pipes?”
13 He said to me,
“Don’t you know what these are?”
I said, “No, sir.”
14 He said,
“These are the two anointed ones
standing beside the LORD
of all the earth.”

Revelation 4:9–5:5

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one seated on the throne, who lives forever and always, 10 the twenty-four elders fall before the one seated on the throne. They worship the one who lives forever and always. They throw down their crowns before the throne and say,
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
because you created all things.
It is by your will that they
existed and were created.”
5 Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one seated on the throne. It had writing on the front and the back, and it was sealed with seven seals. 2 I saw a powerful angel, who proclaimed in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or look inside it. 4 So I began to weep and weep, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look inside it. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Don’t weep. Look! The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has emerged victorious so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Matthew 25:1–13

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten young bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and the other five were foolish. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but didn’t bring oil for them. 4 But the wise ones took their lamps and also brought containers of oil.
5 “When the groom was late in coming, they all became drowsy and went to sleep. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Look, the groom! Come out to meet him. ’
7 “Then all those bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. 8 But the foolish bridesmaids said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps have gone out. ’
9 “But the wise bridesmaids replied, ‘No, because if we share with you, there won’t be enough for our lamps and yours. We have a better idea. You go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves. ’10 But while they were gone to buy oil, the groom came. Those who were ready went with him into the wedding. Then the door was shut.
11 “Later the other bridesmaids came and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us. ’
12 “But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you. ’
13 “Therefore, keep alert, because you don’t know the day or the hour.

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?
• Why do you think the bible uses such vivid imagery?
• What does it mean to be worthy in the eyes of God?
• What makes “The Lion of the tribe of Judah” worthy to open the seven seals in Revelation?

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?
• Choose one of today ’s passages and place yourself in it as an active participant. What would you be feeling if you were Zechariah or the author of Revelation?

WE BELIEVE

We believe in God, the Lord of all the earth,
who speaks from the rising of the sun to its setting,
whose justice is righteous and whose judgment is true.
God does not desire empty offerings,
but a sacrifice of thanksgiving and a life of faithful covenant.
We believe in the Spirit of the Lord,
not in human power or might,
but in the Spirit who awakens us from slumber,
who anoints and sustains the light of God ’s presence,
and who fills us with holy oil for the journey ahead.
We believe in Jesus Christ,
the Lion of Judah, the Root of David,
the only one worthy to open the scroll,
whose victory is not in domination but in self-giving love.
We believe the day is coming
when the bridegroom will appear,
and those who are ready—those whose hearts are awake—
will enter the joy of his presence.
Therefore, we keep watch.
We offer praise.
We trust the Spirit.
We wait with hope.
For the Lord is coming, and in him is our salvation.
Amen.

WE PRACTICE

Practice of Grateful Offering (Inspired by Psalm 50 & Revelation 4–5)

Focus: Cultivating true worship through thanksgiving and acknowledgment of God's worth.

How to Practice:

• Set aside 10–15 minutes today for a gratitude reflection.
• Write a list of at least five specific things for which you are thankful—things that reflect God's goodness, provision, or presence in your life.
• Turn each item into a spoken prayer of thanks, ending with the words from Psalm 50:23 —
  "The one who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving is the one who honors me.”
• Conclude by reading Revelation 4:11 aloud as an act of praise:  "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power...”

Practice of Watchful Readiness (Inspired by Matthew 25 & Zechariah 4)

Focus: Living with spiritual attentiveness and trust in God ’s Spirit rather than one ’s own strength.

How to Practice:

• Identify one area in your life where you’re waiting for clarity, resolution, or fulfillment.
• Spend 5–10 minutes in silent prayer or journaling, asking:  “What does it mean to stay ready and trust God’s Spirit in this waiting?”
• Consider lighting a candle as a visual symbol of your watchfulness and prayerful waiting, echoing the oil lamps in the parable.
• As a physical reminder, write the words from Zechariah 4:6 on a card and carry it with you today:
  “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD.”

PRAYER

Oh God, help our waiting to be full of gratitude and praise while actively preparing for your coming and coming again.