Read Mark 10:2-16.

This is one of those passages we would rather avoid than think about. It is one that we must read with an eye to the context in which it was written. We must consider what marriage meant in that time and place – of what marriage meant to a man in terms of his standing in the community and of what marriage meant to a woman in terms of acceptance and having basic needs provided for. There was less thought then about issues of personal agency or about nurturing and mutually satisfactory relationships.

Rather than read this passage as a rule book, it is helpful to remember that relationships can be complicated and complex. Each comes with a unique set of strengths and struggles. Some are lifegiving and others are unsafe for a person’s physical or emotional wellbeing. No matter how these words land with you, the key takeaway is that Jesus understands that relationship is important. People are not meant to be treated as disposable, nor are they meant to be treated as a doormat. Every person should know the gift of belonging and connection. Jesus’ blessing of the child proves this point. Passages like these have been used to harm, judge, or keep someone captive in an unsafe situation.

Can you think of others that have been used that way? Has there been a time when someone used scripture as a weapon against you or another person? Have you done it yourself? How might using scripture that way go against God’s intended purpose?

Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of healthy relationships and for passages that challenge us to think and reflect more deeply than what we read at the surface.

Read Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12.

According to this reading, Jesus, who is the reflection of God and the exact imprint of the image of God, sustains all things, is mindful and full of care for humankind, sacrifices for and sanctifies those he calls brother and sister, and worships God in the midst of the congregation.

Imagine Jesus joining our congregation for worship. What would he see? What would he hear? How might his presence change the way you experience worship?

This Sunday, leave a little room for Jesus beside you. Worship as if he was sitting right beside you and reflect on how that affected your participation, your energy, and your level of engagement with the service.

Read Psalm 26.

Verse 2 reads, “Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and mind.”

This reminds me of the Wesley Covenant Prayer:

I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,

exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things

to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

As you pray this prayer, which lines stand out for you? Commit one or two lines to memory and recite them throughout the day.

Read Job 1:1-2:10.

The story of Job challenges the idea that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. It also challenges the understanding of a transactional relationship with God where we believe blessings and happiness are given as payment for good behavior. Instead, Job’s story gets to the heart of how we respond when we face difficulties in life.

It is a story in which God trusts Job to remain faithful no matter how tough things get, no matter how angry he gets, and no matter how alone he feels in his suffering. For Job, persisting in his integrity involves taking the good along with the bad, but that is not to say that he doesn’t speak out against the injustice of his plight. It seems a mistake we sometimes make is thinking that we must meekly accept everything that comes our way. That is not the example of Job. He pushes back against the blame his friends try to place upon him. He refuses to curse God, but he isn’t afraid to call God out.

Think of a situation in which there was no explanation – when there seemed to be no answer to the question, “Why?” How did you make sense of it for yourself? Who were the people who helped bring healing and who were the people who made it more difficult? Was your relationship with God threatened in this situation or was it strengthened?

Today, offer this simple prayer: “God of Creation, sometimes there are no answers. Help me to trust you anyway.”

Read Mark 9:38-50.

Like the disciples, I am guilty of becoming competitive with other people or organizations or churches. Sometimes I look at the good that they are doing, at the lives impacted, or at the success they may be having and for whatever reason, feel threatened by it. I view them with suspicion. Rather than reflect on what that says about me, my tendency is to complain about their method or to call their motives into question.

Am I alone in this or can you identify? What does Jesus’ response to his disciples teach us about competitiveness and God’s kingdom? In what ways does questioning the good that someone else is doing place a stumbling block before their work? In what ways does it place a stumbling block before your own growth as a follower of Jesus? How does ego, pride, and insecurity figure into the kingdom of God?

Today, look for a person/group/church of which you are not a part. In prayer, celebrate the positive impact they are having on the community and world, and pray God’s continued blessing over their work.

Read James 5:13-20.

In this reading, we find the hallmarks of a grace-filled community of faith: prayer, confession, healing, and restoration. We often speak of and celebrate the power of prayer. We are willing to share when our prayers have been answered and we offer to pray for others in their times of need. It seems we are more hesitant to ask for prayers from others for ourselves. Why do you think this is? In the same way, we may make it a practice to confess our sin to God, but find it much more difficult to admit our failures to the people around us. Why do you think this is the case?

In what ways do you think praying for one another and confessing to one another leads to healing and restoration? How could you contribute to making our own community of faith one that is even more grace-filled than it already is?

Today, consider two things: what is a situation in which you would appreciate someone else’s prayers? And is there some sort of failure for which you should confess or apologize? Pray for the courage to ask for prayers and to make any confessions you may need to make. Reflect on the healing and restorative powers of these actions.

Read Psalm 125.

This is one of the psalms of ascent. It is one that the people of God would have sung as they made their pilgrimage leading up to the temple. We can imagine them climbing the temple steps, their eyes rising to the mountains that surround Jerusalem. How stable and protective those mountains must have seemed. They are a perfect metaphor for the faithfulness of God that surrounds us when times seem chaotic, uncertain, or even dangerous. When it seems there is little we can count on in this world, the scriptures promise we can depend on the faithfulness of God to accompany us through every valley and mountaintop moment of life.

When has God’s faithfulness brought you comfort, peace, or stability in uncertain times? What are the symbols of that faithfulness? What signs help you to trust God’s promise of presence?

In prayer, offer up a situation that makes you feel worried, uncertain, or afraid. Ask for a heart that trusts God’s promise of unshakable love and faithfulness, even when we feel powerless over the outcome.

Read Esther 7:1-10; 9:20-22.

In chapter 7, we read of Esther’s plot to save the Jewish people from being wiped out at the command of Haman. In chapter 9, we read of the establishment of Purim, a festival celebrating God’s saving work in this story. Having been chosen by the king, Queen Esther had it made. Only those closest to her knew that she, herself, was a Jew. She could have refused to risk her own safety and well-being. Instead, her compassion compelled her to trust God to use her position and her gifts of wit and ingenuity to enact salvation for hers and God’s own people.

Few of us are called into situations like Esther’s, where we participate in a great act of heroism, but all of us are called to make small sacrifices throughout our days for the well-being of the people around us. Who, in your life, has made sacrifices for your safety and well-being? What was the price of their sacrifice? In what ways do you celebrate or commemorate what this person has done for you?

Today, if possible, write a note or make a phone call to say thank you. In prayer, thank God for those who have been a blessing in your life. Ask for the compassion, the courage, and the willingness to be that person for someone else.

Read Mark 9:30-37.

In the Gospel of Mark, the disciples’ inability to grasp Jesus’ teaching is almost comical. In v. 32, we read that they don’t understand, but are afraid to ask questions. Maybe they don’t want to understand the message about a messiah who suffers and dies, or maybe they don’t want to seem ignorant.

Can you think of a time when you didn’t understand something from the scriptures or within the church, but were afraid to ask someone about it? What kept you from asking? Did you find answers elsewhere or did you just let it go? Have you ever found, upon learning more, that you had completely missed the point or been way off the mark? If so, how did you respond?

Today, think of a question you have been wondering about – it might be about scripture, about something in the church, or about something completely unrelated to your spiritual life. In prayer, commit yourself to asking someone for clarity and ask the Spirit for an openness to learning.

Read James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a.

In this passage, we are asked to consider the motivations behind decisions we make or actions we take. Are our ambitions driven by envy of others? Are our words boastful and careless about truth? Are our decisions concerned only with what is good for ourselves? If the answer to these is yes, then, according to James, they are not of God. Alternately, are our ambitions, words, or decisions pure, peaceable, gentle, flexible, merciful, fruitful, and without partiality or hypocrisy? If so, then we are much closer to the mark of righteousness.

We live in a world of instant- and self-gratification. It takes work and commitment to slow down long enough to consider the source and the motivation of what we say and do. It takes humility to admit when our words or actions are coming from a place that is contrary to God’s nature, character, or will.

In prayer, ask the Spirit to shed light on the source and the motivation of your words and actions today.