Faith Daily | 15 November 2022

PRAYER of the DAY - APBA p603

Almighty God,

whose sovereign purpose none can make void:

give us faith to be steadfast amid the tumults of this world,

knowing that your kingdom shall come

and your will be done,

to your eternal glory;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

GOSPEL for the Day: Luke 19: 1-10

He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Angela Back

I’ve been thinking a lot about justice lately. There has been such awareness of injustice, talk of it being withheld, of how difficult it is to achieve. Perhaps it’s easier to think of the brokenness of this world and to hold it up to God, especially when we know Jesus came to heal the brokenness.

That’s why I’m struck with how deftly Jesus achieved justice in Jericho that day he called Zacchaeus down from the tree. What had he read in the faces of the people who came out to meet him, what had he noticed about their living conditions? Could they feed their children? No doubt he would have been aware of injustice in towns and villages for years.

So Jesus always mindful of the needs, and the hearts of the people he met, brought together an oppressor and some oppressed. In Zacchaeus he saw a man who could do some good. His invitation was life-changing for the tax collector and brought much joy to those defrauded. We saw this in the graphic depiction on Lumo in church a few weeks ago. Exuberance and relief for them, and a readiness for change and healing from isolation for the tax collector.

Wholeness and a way forward! This is what Jesus’ healing touch achieved that day. Let us continue to call out for his healing touch in our world, our lives and our community.

FINAL PRAYER

In this spiritual wilderness and wasteland

I cry to you,

O God of hope and restoration.

May justice be done,

may peace flourish,

may people be reconciled,

may the earth flourish,

may your kingdom come.

Amen.