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Hope Springs Forth
Throughout the year, we have continued to celebrate the 90th anniversary of The Upper Room daily Read More
Frederick W. Schmidt | Read Mark 13:1-2
Some years ago, I served as Canon Educator at Washington National Cathedral, and I frequently met guest speakers at the airport. On one occasion our guest was a New Testament scholar whose original discipline was archaeology. Driving to the Cathedral, we threaded our way up along the tidal basin, passing...
Gracious God, grant me the wisdom to receive the good gifts of life without depending upon them, knowing that you and you alone are never-changing and worthy of devotion. Amen.
The inability to have a child brings pain to many today, and this was equally true in ancient times. In that context it was sometimes even worse, for Peninnah openly ridicules Hannah for being unable to conceive. But as a result of Hannah’s desperate, heartfelt prayer, God blesses her with a son, Samuel, who will become a powerful prophet. Hannah then rejoices in a God who exalts the poor and needy. Hannah provides an example of the boldness with which we also can approach God now because of Christ’s sacrifice. The destruction of Jerusalem is the focus of the passage in Mark. Jesus here predicts the demolition of the Temple and the city, which the Romans executed in 70 c.e.
Read 1 Samuel 1:4-20. How do you persist in prayer when your prayer seems unanswered for a long time?
Read 1 Samuel 2:1-10. How do you express your joy and thanks when God answers your prayer?
Read Hebrews 10:11-25. What helps you to persevere in the practice of your faith?
Read Mark 13:1-8. What signs make you anxious about the future? What helps you to hold on to hope?
Respond by posting a prayer.
