Amos 9: 1-10
Psalm 37: 1-18
Revelations 2: 8-17
Matthew 23:13-26
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matter of the law: justice and mercy and faith.” Matt. Ch.23, v. 23.
With all the decoration, music, and excitement of the commercial holiday observance surrounding us, it’s easy to imagine that Advent is a time of celebration. But of course we know that it is not. Advent is a time of prayer and fasting, a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord. And so the readings for today, and especially the gospel reading, strike a note of warning. Warning against straying from the path, and particularly against the exercise of superficial religious customs and practices that are not connected to more meaningful values.
In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us that what really matters is justice; that what really matters is mercy; that what really matters is faith. Lights and candles and music and gifts are fine. But they miss the point if they are not motivated by and accompanied by justice and mercy and faith.
Bob Lowe