Voice: Terry
Today is Friday, 12th of December. The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever.
Amen.
Psalm 85:1-13
Lord, you were favorable to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people;
you covered all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath;
you turned from your hot anger.
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
and put away your indignation toward us!
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints;
but let them not turn back to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs up from the ground,
and righteousness looks down from the sky.
12 Yes, the Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him
and make his footsteps a way.
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 15:32-39
32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” 33 And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” 34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 38 Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
God cares for us. Period.
He often shows His care without attaching conditions, hidden motives, or an agenda to achieve something else. Scripture reveals this repeatedly. In this instance, Jesus showed His concern for the physical needs of thousands who had followed Him into the countryside. Yes, it was a wonderful miracle, and we may be inclined to assume that there must have been a higher purpose behind His provision. This is certainly true and you will have heard many reflections or sermons on this fascinating miracle of an endless meal supply.
However, do not overlook the simple and astounding reality that Jesus — fully God and fully human — genuinely felt compassion for people’s needs, whether spiritual or physical. As Hebrews 4:15 says“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses…”
Think about the people around us — friends, family, and brothers and sisters in the church. For many reasons, some will offer only the familiar gestures when we are struggling. They may text a praying-hands emoji or send a quick “take care.” But there are others who are naturally empathetic, whose care connects with us at a deeper level. We can sense it. We often find ourselves drawn to these people, because their concern reaches beyond our circumstances and touches our hearts.
In fact, many are drawn to the Gospel not first by theological arguments or persuasive explanations, but because someone showed them the love of Christ in a way that felt real.
Genuine care is not necessarily emotional or dramatic. It is simply love expressed. It flows from a heart that has learned to think less about self and more about others. It is a heart that is able to understand what another person is going through, to put oneself in the shoes of another.
Will you allow God’s love and care to envelope you? And having accepted His love, will you ask God to “shed abroad his love into our hearts” that we may offer the same care and love to others?
Perhaps you have slipped from time to time. We all have. Will you ask for His forgiveness and help that we may grow our capacity to care and love?
In the course of today, will you pray and ask God for opportunity to show care to someone else? May He continue to shape us in His image.
We pray the Collect for the second Sunday of Advent. There is this old English word “succour” which is sometimes used. It means to help us in distress.
O Lord, raise up, we pray, your power and come among us,
and with great might succour us;
that whereas, through our sins and wickedness
we are grievously hindered in running the race that is set before us,
your bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
to whom with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
(Ask for feedback to terrywg@gmail.com)
Be blessed by this song, O How He loves me
Oh, how He loves you and me, Oh how He loves you and me.
He gave his life, what more could he give?
Oh, how He loves you; Oh, how he loves me; Oh, how he loves you and me.
Jesus to Calvary did go, His love for sinners to show.
What He did there brought hope from despair.
Oh, how He loves you; Oh, how he loves me; Oh, how he loves you and me.
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 terrywong@anglican.org.sg
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