Voice: Jennifer
Today is Friday, 22nd of August. Let us observe a moment of silence.
We read Psalm 51:10-17
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.
Mark 2:1-12
And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Rise, pick up your bed, and go home
In the previous chapter of Mark, we saw that Jesus taught with authority because He cast out unclean spirits. His words came with a tangible act.
On this occasion, a visible miracle became the occasion for Jesus to teach an even deeper truth: He has authority to forgive sins.
So, which is easier—to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Rise, take up your bed and walk”?
To the skeptical onlookers, the easier thing to say would be the first—because forgiveness cannot be immediately verified. Anyone could say it, and no one could prove it. But the scribes rightly took issue, because they knew only God can forgive sins.
So Jesus went on to do the “harder thing.” He told the paralytic to get up and walk—and he did. By healing in this way, Jesus intentionally showed that He had the authority to do the greater thing: to forgive sins.
The miracle of healing was temporary—for sooner or later, our bodies will weaken, age, and die. But forgiveness of sins is eternal. Jesus would eventually go to the Cross to make this possible for us all.
And truth be told, each of us knows what it feels like to be paralyzed—not just in body, but in spirit. We struggle to live out God’s will. Sometimes we drift into a spiritual “dead zone,” unable to connect to Him or sense His presence. At the root of it often lies sin, or a disordered life. What we need most is forgiveness.
That is why, as Anglicans, we confess our sins every Sunday. Let us not take this lightly. Each time we confess, take a fresh hold on His forgiveness, that we may once again “rise, pick up our beds and go home” to the Lord. Let us leave behind our sinful ways to live in the freedom Christ has given us and live out His image in us.
We end with the Collect for Ash Wednesday :
Almighty and everlasting God,
you hate nothing that you have made
and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent:
create and make in us new and contrite hearts
that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may receive from you, the God of all mercy,
perfect remission and forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Be blessed by this song which expresses our thanksgiving for what Christ has done for us, Gratitude
All my words fall short
I got nothing new
How could I express
All my gratitude?
I could sing these songs
As I often do
But every song must end
And You never do
So I throw up my hands
And praise You again and again
‘Cause all that I have is a
Hallelujah, hallelujah
And I know it’s not much
But I’ve nothing else fit for a king
Except for a heart singing
Hallelujah, hallelujah
I’ve got one response
I’ve got just one move
With my arms stretched wide
I will worship You
So I throw up my hands
And praise You again and again
‘Cause all that I have is a
Hallelujah, hallelujah
And I know it’s not much
But I’ve nothing else fit for a king
Except for a heart singing
Hallelujah, hallelujah
So come on my soul, oh, don’t you get shy on me
Lift up your song, ’cause you’ve got a lion
Inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord
Oh, come on my soul, oh, don’t you get shy on me
Lift up your song, ’cause you’ve got a lion
Inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord
Come on my soul, oh, don’t you get shy on me
Lift up your song, ’cause you’ve got a lion
Inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord, hey
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord
Praise the Lord
So I throw up my hands
Praise You again and again
‘Cause all that I have is a
Hallelujah, hallelujah
And I know it’s not much
But I’ve nothing else fit for a king
Except for a heart singing
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Link to today’s Morning Office
About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen.
Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.
For feedback, please write to us at info@mpcc.org.sg
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