Daily Readings - Mon Jun 26 2023
Genesis
1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.4So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.5And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.6And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.7And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.8And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.9And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.
Matthew
1Judge not, that ye be not judged.2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?4Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?5Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two profound moments of faith and reflection. The first reading from Genesis tells the story of Abram, who, at the age of seventy-five, is called by God to leave his home, family, and everything familiar. This call is a testament to Abram's trust in God's promise to make him the father of a great nation. The passage highlights Abram's obedience and faith as he journeys to an unknown land, building altars along the way to honor God. This act of faith sets the stage for the covenant between God and His people, showcasing trust and obedience as foundational virtues.
The Gospel reading from Matthew shifts our focus to Jesus' teachings on judgment and self-reflection. Jesus warns against judging others, emphasizing that we will be judged by the same standards we use on others. He humorously illustrates this with the image of trying to remove a splinter from someone else's eye while having a plank in one's own. This teaching underscores the importance of humility and self-awareness, urging us to examine our own lives before criticizing others.
These readings, though separated by time, are connected by themes of faith and self-awareness. Abram's journey exemplifies trusting in God's plan, while Jesus' teaching calls us to introspection and humility. Together, they remind us to embrace faith with obedience and to approach others with compassion rather than judgment. In our daily lives, this means trusting God's plan and humbly examining our own actions before evaluating others. The moral lesson here is clear: true faith is accompanied by humility and self-reflection, leading us to live with integrity and grace.