Voice: Noppadon
Today is Thursday, 18th of September.
As we start another day, let us observe a moment of silence.
We pray:
Blessed are you, creator of all,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As your dawn renews the face of the earth
bringing light and life to all creation,
may we rejoice in this day you have made;
as we wake refreshed from the depths of sleep,
open our eyes to behold your presence
and strengthen our hands to do your will,
that the world may rejoice and give you praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen
Psalm 146
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
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.
John 12:20-26
20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Reflection
Up till now, in many of Jesus’ teachings and parables, seeds have been used to illustrate growth. Here, He used it to refer to death.
He spoke of it in an unusual way. Death must precede life.
Death before life? This is contrarian to human experience. Death ends life, not the other way round.
Yet, this was the heart of His response when his disciples told Him that some Greeks wanted to meet Him. Yes, they will see Me: on the cross!
Just as a seed needs to “die” to allow a new fruitful plant to emerge, his death was essential. It was necessary for the salvation of the world.
As always, this was also an “intentional discipleship” moment for his disciples. He said that likewise, we must serve and follow Him. In so doing, we will be with Christ in eternity and His Father will honor us. The hyperbolic terms of “love-hate” were used to describe the right attitude we need to have for this life. The statement is not to be taken literally. Jesus is not teaching self-hatred. He is emphatically saying that a life lived for God’s glory—not ours—will lead to fruitfulness.
Like a seed that dies, if we learn to die to ourselves and follow Christ, we will bear much fruit.
Are there areas in your life which is keeping you from following Christ?
Do you wish to live a fruitful and God-glorifying life?
Pray for God’s grace to help you to do so.
We pray the Collect for the day:
Almighty God,
who called your Church to bear witness
that you were in Christ reconciling the world to yourself:
help us to proclaim the good news of your love,
that all who hear it may be drawn to you;
through him who was lifted up on the cross,
and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen
We end with song written and sung by Earnest and Ming Li. You can visit this link for the background of this beautiful song.
Every song I can sing
Every gift I can bring
They count for nothing if I don’t lay me down.
LAY DOWN
Every song I can sing
Every gift I can bring
They count for nothing if I don’t lay me down
Lay down, lay down
My life I lay down
Lay down, my life I lay down
Every charity known
Every piety shown
I offer nothing if I don’t lay me down
Lay down, lay down
My life I lay down
Lay down, my life I lay down
Let the beauty of worship
And resonant praise
Be unto Jesus for whom I lay down
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
Daily Devotion 
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