Faith Daily | 11 November 2022

PRAYER of the DAY - APBA p

Blessed God,

you have caused all holy Scriptures to be written

for our learning:

grant that we may so hear them,

read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them,

that, by patience and the comfort of your holy word,

we may embrace and ever hold fast

the blessed hope of everlasting life,

which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen.

GOSPEL for the Day: Luke 17: 26-37

26Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. 27They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. 28Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulphur from heaven and destroyed all of them 30—it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. 31On that day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not come down to take them away; and likewise anyone in the field must not turn back. 32Remember Lot’s wife. 33Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it. 34I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35There will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken and the other left.’ 37Then they asked him, ‘Where, Lord?’ He said to them, ‘Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.’

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Maggie Woolley

I know only too well how overwhelming events can catch me by surprise, just when I think that life is going along smoothly. The Gospel insists, with a real sense of urgency, on the need to be prepared and on the lookout for what will undoubtedly be an overwhelming event - the coming of Jesus. In verse 35 it says 'there will be two women grinding grain together, one will be taken and the other left'. Jesus makes it clear that no matter how close two people are in life, there are no guarantees of the same eternal destiny: one may go to judgement and condemnation and the other to salvation, reward and blessings. Jesus always gives us a choice.

Jesus' final words of warning are indeed sobering, alluding to the fact that His coming will be as obvious as the gathering of vultures around a carcass. We must be prepared and ready for the unexpected. For me this is a challenge to focus attention on my relationship with God rather than on the things of the earth. Jesus says “those who lose their life will keep it” and emphasises that everything in this life is passing. Ultimately, we are on a pilgrimage back to our heavenly home, and we are not to be tied to anything or anyone to the detriment of forgetting who we are and where we are bound. Jesus makes it clear that this earthly life will pass away, and so we are not to build our house on the shifting sands of earthly possessions, but on the rock of God's plan for us. These are the choices Jesus gives us.

FINAL PRAYER

Jesus, give us strength to remain focussed on You and the promise of eternal love and peace. Help us to remind ourselves daily of where we are bound so that we may always be ready and waiting for Your Coming.

Amen.