Today's Reflection

WHEN WE FOLLOW Jesus, we’re with the one who offers hope, touches wounds, comforts grief, speaks compassion, uses courage, and bestows mercy. We may find ourselves in places of great affliction, but we won’t find ourselves without hope. When we follow Jesus, we’ll get a glimpse of the kingdom to come, a complex and colorful kingdom where all God’s people are welcomed and loved.

—Rebecca Dwight Bruff, Loving the World with God: Fourth Day Living, (Upper Room Books, 2014)

Today's Question

How does following Jesus reveal glimpses of God’s complex and colorful kingdom?  

Today's Scripture

After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.
—Revelation 7:9 (NRSV)

Prayer for the Week

Grant us, Lord God, a vision of your world as your love would have it:
a world where the weak are protected, and none go hungry or poor;
a world where the riches of creation are shared, and everyone can enjoy them;
a world where different races and cultures live in harmony and mutual respect;
a world where peace is built with justice, and justice is guided by love.
Give us the inspiration and courage to build it, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room .

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

• • Isaiah 2:1-5
  • Psalm 122
  • Romans 13:11-14
  • Matthew 24:36-44

Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.

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