Voice: Kae Chee
Today is Monday, 22nd of June. Be still in the Lord’s presence.
We start by praying the Collect for Purity:
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Psalm 71:1-8
1 In you, O Lord , do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame!
2In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me, and save me!
3Be to me a rock of refuge,
to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
5For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O Lord , from my youth.
6Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.
7I have been as a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
8My mouth is filled with your praise,
and with your glory all the day.
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.
Luke 15:1-10
1Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
3So he told them this parable: 4“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
8“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Just “One”
Jesus, as always, attracted many “tax collectors and sinners.” They were simply drawn to Him. This prompted the religious leaders to grumble, “Why does He welcome such people and even eat with them?”
It was in response to this criticism that Jesus told three parables, culminating in the famous story of the Prodigal Son. But before that, He told two shorter parables: the lost sheep and the lost coin.
In both stories, the owner goes to great lengths to search for what is missing. And in both, when it is found, the owner calls others together and says, “Rejoice with me.” Jesus then explains, “There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Notice that it was not many sheep that wandered away, nor a handful of coins that disappeared. It was just one.
Yet that one mattered enough for the shepherd to leave the ninety-nine and search until he found it. That one mattered enough for the woman to light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until it was recovered.
Imagine a mother with six children who loses one to illness. Would she comfort herself by saying, “It is alright, I still have five”? Of course not. Her heart would ache for the one she has lost. Or imagine a pastor who shrugs when a member drifts away from the faith and says, “It does not matter—I still have a few thousand others.” Such a response would betray a heart that has forgotten the heart of Christ.
People can easily become statistics to us. We speak of crowds, numbers, and percentages. But God does not deal in statistics. Every person bears His image and possesses infinite worth in His sight. No individual is anonymous, and no one is expendable.
So consider the heart of our heavenly Father. His love is intensely personal. He knows each of His children by name, and He will go to extraordinary lengths to seek and save even just one.
Will you be like your Heavenly Father and care for each person who is lost in your orbit of influence? May we learn to see people not as numbers to be counted, but as souls to be loved. For if even one sinner is precious enough to bring joy before the angels of God, then that one should matter deeply to us as well.
Spend some time in silence and prayer. Pray for one person you know who needs to be reach out to. Ask God for the love and compassion to do so.
Be blessed by this popular song, Rescued by Lauren Daigle.
You are not hidden
There’s never been a moment
You were forgotten
You are not hopeless
Though you have been broken
Your innocence stolen
I hear you whisper underneath your breath
I hear your SOS, your SOS
I will send out an army
To find you in the middle of darkest night
It’s true
I will rescue you
There is no distance
That cannot be covered
Over and over
You’re not defenseless
I’ll be your shelter
I’ll be your armor
I hear you whisper underneath your breath
I hear your SOS, your SOS
I will send out an army
To find you in the middle of darkest night
It’s true
I will rescue you
I will never stop marching
To reach you in the middle of the hardest fight
It’s true
I will rescue you
I hear the whisper underneath your breath
I hear you whisper you have nothing left
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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