Sunday, December 7, 2025
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Matthew 18-20
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 141
Key Verse
Matthew 19:15 — “And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.”
Devotional Thought
The disciples came to Jesus with a question that has never quite left the human heart: Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? In reply, Jesus called a little child and set him in the midst of them. This was no sentimental gesture but a quiet revolution. Greatness in His kingdom is not measured by prominence but by humility, by the trust and lowliness of a child. From there He pressed further, warning against causing one of these little ones to stumble, and telling of a shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep to seek the one gone astray. The Father’s will is that not one should perish.
Then Peter asked how often he must forgive a brother—seven times? Jesus answered, “Until seventy times seven,” and told of a servant forgiven ten thousand talents who seized a fellow servant by the throat over a hundred pence. The contrast is staggering, and it lands at the foot of the cross, where we who have been forgiven so much are called to forgive. When the rich young man went away sorrowful, unwilling to part with his great possessions, Jesus observed how hard it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom—then added, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” And when James and John sought the seats of honor, He told them plainly that the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
In this Advent season, as we prepare to welcome the Christ child, these chapters gather into one portrait. The King who came is a servant. He welcomes children, seeks the lost, forgives the debtor, and opens the eyes of two blind men beside the road at Jericho who would not be silenced. The psalmist’s cry in Psalm 141 fits our own: “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” Like the blind men, we can only cry, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.” And He stands still, and calls, and has compassion.
Reflection
- Is there someone you have withheld forgiveness from, even as you have been forgiven a debt you could never repay?
- Where are you still asking to be served rather than to serve, and what would it cost you to take the lowest place?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us. We come in this Advent season as those who have been forgiven ten thousand talents, yet we so easily seize our brother by the throat over a hundred pence. Forgive our unforgiving hearts. Set a watch before our mouths and keep the door of our lips, that we might speak grace and not judgment. Teach us to become as little children, humble and trusting, and to seek the lost as You sought us. Make us servants of one another, for You came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give Your life a ransom for many. Amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 141:1 — “Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.”