Voice: Kae Chee
Today is Monday, 13th of July. 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 126
1When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
2Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3The Lord has done great things for us;
we are glad.
4Restore our fortunes, O Lord ,
like streams in the Negeb!
5 Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
6He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
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.
Mark 12:41-44
41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums.
42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.
43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.
44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.
A Penny’s Worth
On this occasion, Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, watching people putting their offerings into the collection boxes in the Court of Women. He wasn’t just observing the amount given, but also who was giving, something he could tell from their clothing and demeanor.
It was a good day for collections. Many wealthy individuals turned up and dropped in large sums of money.
Then came a woman. Slowly, she approached the box and dropped in two small copper coins. They cascaded down and disappeared into the pile of notes and coins. This penny’s worth didn’t seem to add much to what was already in the treasury. Its monetary value was negligible.
Jesus did not criticize the rich givers. If anything, their generosity was commendable. But what caught his attention was the poor widow. It became a powerful discipleship moment—an object lesson for his followers.
Pointing her out, Jesus said, “She has put in more than all the others.”
The disciples were puzzled as they looked at the plainly dressed woman.
Jesus explained, “They all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything she had—all she had to live on.”
In today’s terms, we might say that the rich were high-net-worth individuals or people with disposable income—those who had more than enough for their daily needs and could give from their surplus. But this widow had no such surplus. Her two coins were not “disposable income”; they were what she had to live on. And yet, on that day, she disposed of it all into the offering box.
In that sense, she gave “more.”
Can you think of other examples in Scripture of extravagant giving? Recall the story of the Alabaster Jar, when Mary “wasted” her precious ointment to anoint Jesus. Her act, like the widow’s, was costly and wholehearted.
The lesson for us in Singapore is clear. Have we been giving sacrificially? There are many generous givers in our midst, and if you are one of them, thank you—please continue to do so. But there will be moments when God calls us to give or serve sacrificially, not just from our surplus. This could involve our finances, time, energy, or other resources.
Jesus paid special attention to the widow. Are there such “widows” among us today? Think of the full-time pastors, missionaries, or workers who have chosen to forgo higher incomes to serve Christ and His Church.
Take a moment to give thanks for their example.
And if you are one of them, remember Jesus’ promise:
“No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age…and in the age to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:29–30)
We end with the Collect for today:
Merciful God,
you have prepared for those who love you such good things as pass our understanding;
pour into our hearts such love toward you
that we, loving you in all things and above all things,
may obtain your promises,
which exceed all that we can desire; 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.
We leave you with this beautiful song written by Earnest and Ming Li, Life Ordinary
In the ordinary
Love your God and fellow Man
Love your God and fellow Man
In every neighbor see a brother, and enemy a friend
Know the Church is meant to serve
Know the Church is meant to serve
And in our serving we are sowing,
living seeds on earth
The kind that brings new birth
In the ordinary
In the daily ordinary
For there our testimony
Will be a liturgy
Sacred liturgy
In life ordinary
To be like Jesus where we are
Be like Jesus where we are
In the nature of a servant and not a superstar
Yet we say but cannot do
Lord we say but cannot do
How we need the Holy Spirit
To help us carry through
Our plans to follow You
In the plain and simple
Live as sacramental
With the least of those He loves
In the ordinary
Let daily testimony
Be a sacred liturgy
Let daily testimony
Be a sacred liturgy
In life ordinary
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. Unless otherwise stated, the reflections are written by Revd Wong.
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. We also welcome donations to MPCC. Information on how you may give can be found in this link.
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