Daily Readings - Sun Oct 29 2023

Exodus

21"Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.22"Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan.23If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry.24My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.25"If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest.26If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset,27because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

1 Thessalonians

5because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.6You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.7And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.8The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia--your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it,9for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

Matthew

34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"37Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'38This is the first and greatest commandment.39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Sermon

The readings today remind us of the heart of God’s law and the transformative power of living according to His will. In the first reading from Exodus, we hear God’s clear command to care for the vulnerable—newcomers, widows, orphans, and the poor. This is not merely a suggestion but a divine mandate rooted in Israel’s own experience of oppression in Egypt. God, who is compassionate and hears the cries of the afflicted, demands that His people reflect His mercy in their treatment of others. The second reading from 1 Thessalonians shows us what this looks like in practice. The early Christians in Thessalonica, though persecuted, embraced the Gospel with joy and became a model of faith for others. Their conversion from idolatry to the living God was not just a change in belief but a radical transformation in how they lived, inspiring others to follow their example. In the Gospel, Jesus distills the entire law into two commandments: love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. These are not separate commands but intertwined expressions of the same love. To love God is to love those He loves, and to love our neighbors is to reflect God’s love in the world. The Pharisees, trying to test Jesus, instead receive a profound truth that cuts through legalism and gets to the heart of what it means to follow God. Today’s readings, therefore, call us to examine how we are living out these two great commandments in our daily lives. As we reflect on these readings, let us ask ourselves: Are we treating others with the same compassion God has shown us? Are we living in a way that inspires others to know and love God? The Good News is that God’s love is not just a command but a gift that transforms us. When we love as God loves, we become instruments of His mercy and grace in a world that desperately needs it. Let us strive to be like the Thessalonians, whose faith and joy in the midst of trials became a light to others. By living out the two great commandments, we not only fulfill the law but also become the face of God’s love to a world in need.