Forward Movement is an official, non-profit agency of the Episcopal Church whose mission is to create compelling content for Christian living. Since 1935 we have published the quarterly devotional Forward Day by Day, as well as pamphlets, booklets, and books that encourage and nourish people in their lives of prayer and faith.
THURSDAY, May 5 National Day of Prayer
Luke 3:1-14. Teacher, what should we do?
It’s unsettling that people thought of John the Baptist as a teacher. “You brood of vipers!” he cries, “Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” This is not the sort of teacher you would want to approach for a letter of recommendation. “Even now,” he snarls, “the ax is lying at the roots of the trees; every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” And yet in spite of such crudity, the crowds gathered around him—the same mixed lot of souls who would soon gather around Jesus, including tax collectors and Roman soldiers.
What attracted them to John? We can never know, but we can guess that in their desperation they recognized a voice that spoke with fierce integrity. Did they somehow sense as well that Jesus was in their midst, at the back of the crowd, shouldering their fears, anticipating their losses, sharing their deepest desires for an encounter with the divine as he made his way with the rest of them to be washed in the waters of repentance?
“Teacher, what should we do?” It’s as if Jesus replied, “Do as I do.”
PRAY for the Diocese of New York (Province II, USA)
Ps 18:1-20 * 18:21-50; Daniel 2:31-49; 1 John 2:18-29
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A Meditation for Pentecost
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