Voice: Kae Chee
Today is Wednesday, 7th of January. As we continue to welcome the gift of another year, we pray:
“Eternal Lord God, we give thanks for bringing us through the changes of time to the beginning of another year.
Forgive us the wrong we have done in the year that is past,
and help us to spend the rest of our days to your honour and glory;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Psalm 99
The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The Lord is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!
Holy is he!
4 The King in his might loves justice.
You have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the Lord our God;
worship at his footstool!
Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.
They called to the Lord, and he answered them.
7 In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
they kept his testimonies
and the statute that he gave them.
8 O Lord our God, you answered them;
you were a forgiving God to them,
but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Exalt the Lord our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for the Lord our God is holy!
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.
Jeremiah 23:1-8
1“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. 2Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord.
3Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply.
4I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord.
5“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
7“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 8but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.”
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
The Longing for Peace and Place
Deep in the heart of every citizen lies a longing for peace and place.
We desire peace so that we may live to our fullest potential—so that we can marry, raise children, and nurture future generations in an environment where their gifts can flourish. Such peace is often bound up with the security of land and home, safeguarded by a legal system that is just, stable, and trustworthy.
Like all citizens, we are also vulnerable. We fall ill, we break down, we enter into disputes. For this reason, we need rulers who are just—leaders who truly care for the people and are not corrupted by power or self-interest.
If you live in a peaceful and well-governed nation like Singapore, you know how profoundly blessed you are.
Jeremiah 23 gives voice to this deep human yearning for a righteous king—one who “will deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.” Under such a ruler, people will dwell securely, not merely as tenants with temporary claims, but as those who truly belong—where future generations may live in safety and peace.
This longing for shalom is etched into the human heart. In Scripture, “shepherds” refer not only to caretakers of sheep, but to all who hold authority and responsibility over others. Today, we might think of presidents and ministers, bishops and pastors, MPs and mayors.
The question remains: Will these shepherds gather the flock—or scatter it?
Do they truly care for the people, or are they more concerned with preserving their own power and privilege?
We see the tragic consequences of poor shepherding when citizens are forced to flee their homelands in search of safety and dignity. Are not all nations rich with land and resources? And yet, people scatter when care is absent.
Scripture does not mince words for such leaders:
“You have scattered my flock and driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds,” declares the Lord.
From the beginning, God entrusted humanity with a sacred task: to tend the garden—to care for creation and for one another. Jesus echoes this concern as He prepares to depart: “Feed my sheep, Peter.”
Looking at the world today, we witness the devastation caused by poor shepherding. Millions suffer under unjust rule. All we can do is pray—and sometimes, when hope feels thin, our prayer becomes the ancient cry of the Church:
“Maranatha—Come, Lord Jesus.”
Yet until He comes, we must ask ourselves: What is our part?
Most of us are shepherds in some way—over our families, those we care for, those who work under us.
So in 2026, let us pray for the grace to be good shepherds, shaped after the likeness of Christ—the Great Shepherd—who gathers, protects, and lays down His life for the sheep.
Join in this Collect for Epiphany:
O God,
who by the leading of a star
manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:
mercifully grant that we, who know you now by faith,
may at last behold your glory face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
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 hymn, Gentle Shepherd.
Gentle Shepherd come and lead us
For we need you to help us find our way
Gentle Shepherd come and feed us
For we need your strength from day to day
There’s no other we can turn to
Who can help us face another day
Gentle Shepherd come and lead us
For we need to you to help us find our way
There’s no other we can turn to
Who can help us face another day
Gentle Shepherd come and lead us
For we need to you to help us find our way
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 
Leave a comment