Voice: Kae Chee
Today is Thursday, 25th of September. Whether you are in your room, driving or taking public transport, take a moment to be aware of His presence wherever you are.
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
We praise and pray in the words of Psalm 16
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”
3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.
5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
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.
Matthew 9:9-13
9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Amazing Grace
The Feast of St Matthew falls on 21st September. Today, we remember him and reflect on the Scripture assigned for this feast.
St Matthew was at his tax booth when Jesus called him to follow and become His disciple. But why were tax collectors so despised that the gospels often place them in the same category as “sinners” (v.10)?
In Jesus’ time, Israel was under Roman occupation. Conquered peoples were a source of revenue for the Empire, funding its war machine and enriching its elite. Local tax collectors were appointed to gather these revenues, often exploiting their own countrymen.
The system itself bred corruption. Tax collectors were not salaried; they made their living by taking a cut from the people’s payments, often charging more than required. Because they dealt with Gentiles and Roman coinage, they were also considered ritually unclean. Thus, rabbis often lumped them together with “sinners”—prostitutes, criminals, and social outcasts (cf. Matthew 21:31–32).
Naturally, such a system attracted those on the margins: crooks, opportunists, and misfits. Yet, out of this despised group, Jesus called Matthew. He looked past society’s labels and saw a disciple, an evangelist, and eventually the author of the first Gospel.
No one is beyond the call of God. Those despised and rejected can, by His grace, be raised to positions of great influence. St Matthew stands as a testimony to this transforming grace.
The same story is seen in others:
- St Paul, once a persecutor of the Church.
- St Augustine of Hippo, a lover of pleasure before becoming a great theologian.
- St Mary of Egypt, who turned from a life of sin to holiness.
- John Newton, a former slave trader who became a pastor and hymn writer of Amazing Grace.
Church history is full of “rascals” turned saints. Perhaps you even know pastors or leaders today who once came from very rough beginnings.
The Feast of St Matthew reminds us that no one is beyond His grace. Grace is not only what saves us at conversion—it is what sustains and shapes us every day.
Will you allow His grace, and not your merit, to shape your life today and your future?
We end with the Collect for the Feast of St Matthew:
O Almighty God,
whose blessed Son called Matthew the tax collector
to be an apostle and evangelist:
give us grace to forsake the selfish pursuit of gain
and the possessive love of riches
that we may follow in the way of your Son Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
In closing, be blessed by this contemporary version of Amazing Grace, composed by John Newton.
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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