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.
TUESDAY, May 26 (Augustine of Canterbury)
Ezekiel 7:10-15, 23b-27. Your doom has gone out. The rod has blossomed, pride has budded. Violence has grown into a rod of wickedness. None of them shall remain, not their abundance, not their wealth; no pre-eminence among them.
Oh, please! We don't need all that gloom and doom. Ezekiel prophesied divine judgment upon Jerusalem in the form of the conquering Babylonian army. He said the city would fall to the invader. Ezekiel was right back then--but what about today?
As I write these words, one U.S. government is about to end and another is about to begin. Some think that what the outgoing government has done will bring the judgment of God on the country. Perhaps, but by the time these words are read, I predict the mood will have changed. New governments always spark talk of hope and renewal. That's because the sins of old government are history, laid out for all to see, while those of new government remain veiled.
In a democracy, the government expresses the people's will. If something is amiss, it's with the people, not the government. Are we as a people generous or selfish, peaceful or belligerent? Do we care for the lonely, the sick, and the destitute, or don't we? Are we on God's side or not? What would Ezekiel say today?
PRAY for the Diocese of Grafton (New South Wales, Australia)
Ps 97, 99, [100] * 94, [95]; Hebrews 6:13-20; Luke 10:1-17
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