Daily Bible Readings for November, 2020

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During these unsettling times, let’s continue to share in these Daily Bible Readings from Sacred Space in order to stay rooted and grounded in God’s love.

Nov. 1:  Matthew 5: 1-12a

The Beatitudes turn all worldly values upside down.  We are to be concerned for justice, be merciful, be peacemakers, be pure in heart.  This is a lifelong agenda, but the Lord will work together with us on it.

Nov. 2:  John 11: 17-27

Jesus stands with Martha in the space of grief and sorrow, and points to the greater reality:  resurrection.  We can entrust our departed loved ones to the power of God’s love and victory over death.

Nov. 3:  Luke 14: 15-24

Like the people invited to the feast, I often resist God’s invitation.  I take time now just to be present with God, who loves my company.

Nov. 4:  Luke 14: 25-33

Discipleship is personal.  Jesus wants to speak to me in particular.  What do I hear him saying?  Lord, prepare our way and help us put our feet on the path that leads to freedom.  Help us to follow you faithfully.

Nov. 5:  Luke 15: 1-10

The parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin illustrate the constant, faithful, unrelenting love of God for each of us.  God never gives up on anyone.

Nov. 6:  Luke 16: 1-8

Jesus calls us to take care of the resources available to us.  How might we use them for God’s glory, for the service of others, and for our own growth?

Nov. 7:  Luke 16: 9-15

Jesus is concerned with what is in the heart in the present; he is not preoccupied with the past.  I ask for the forgiveness I need so that I may embrace the freedom to which Jesus invites me.

Nov. 8:  Matthew 25: 1-13

This is a story about being prepared.  It is also a story about each person being responsible for herself.  In what area of my life does Jesus want me to take responsibility for my own lamp?

Nov. 9: John 2: 13-22

The times, places, and people of our lives deserve to be honored and recognized for the part they play in helping us understand how God relates to us.  How can I honor what is really important?

Nov. 10:  Luke 27: 7-10

May we be obedient to God in a spirit of humility and self-forgetfulness, without boasting or seeking a reward.

Nov. 11:  Luke 17: 11-19

Help me not to take kindness for granted and forget to say thank you.

Nov. 12:  Luke 12: 20-25

Jesus encourages us not to get worked up about the end times, but to concentrate on the here and now.  The kingdom of God means the presence, love, and goodness of God.  How have I experiences God in my life today?

Nov. 13:  Luke 17: 26-37

I pray to be mindful and aware of how God is with me today.

Nov. 14:  Luke 18: 1-8

Jesus is confident in God’s vindication of those in need;  I join him in praying for the resolution of unjust situations and consider how my efforts might be of help.

Nov. 15:  Matthew 25: 14-30

This is a parable of wasted opportunities!  We are each gifted uniquely by God, and we must use our giftedness as God wishes.  What matters is what we do with our gift.  Share what you have received.  Remember:  “Christ has no body now but yours.  No hands, no feet on earth but yours.  Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassionately on this world.  Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,” ( St. Teresa of Avila)

Nov. 16:  Luke 18:  35-43

I take some time to allow Jesus to ask me,” What do you want me to do for you?”  I hear the patience and love with which I am addressed and take time in answering what is in my heart.

Nov. 17:  Luke 19: 1-10

Jesus chooses Zacchaeus to be his host in Jericho.  What does this say about Jesus and his ministry and his priorities?  Do I share these?

Nov. 18:  Matthew 14: 22-33

Peter’s trust slips when he turns his focus from Jesus to himself.  How does this story speak to me?

Nov. 19:  Luke 19: 41-44

We often see Jesus filled with longing for the people he meets; as the sick and sinners come before him, he invites them to see their wholeness before God.  Here, he looks at Jerusalem and prays for its people, wishing that it might receive what God is offering.  If I consider how Jesus looks at me, I realize that he longs for my growth, for me to embrace all the possibilities God offers to me each day.

Nov. 20:  Luke 19: 45-48

My poor heart is a house of prayer.  God is active there, transforming me, even though I notice the changes only later.  In praying with Scripture, am I eve spellbound by what I read?

Nov. 21:  Luke 20: 27-40

We are part of that cosmos that transcends space and time and embraces not merely Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob but our parents and all our ancestors.  In the resurrection, we will share the eternal Now of God.

Nov. 22:  Matthew 25: 31-46

This parable has a simple message:  “Minister to the needy around you, or else you are missing the whole point of living!”  Everyone is to be treated with limitless respect.  This is the way to get ready for God’s final community of love.  Jesus is already present but in disguise in every person.  Only at the end will he and they be revealed “in glory.”

Do I focus on the hidden glory of others?

Nov. 23:  Luke 21: 1-4

I ask God to help me observe what is going on around me and to appreciate even small actions of love and care.

Nov. 24:  Luke 21: 5-11

I reflect on how God was with me during painful endings in the past.  Did any of these endings bring me freedom or open up new opportunities?

Nov. 25:  Luke 21: 12-19

Living by kingdom values will require endurance and faith.  Let us pray for all who are suffering persecution today.

Nov. 26:  Luke 21: 20-28

I pray for all who are living right now through war, disease, and famine.

Nov. 27:  Luke 21: 29-33

What signs of God working do I see today?  In my own life?  In the world around me?  I say a prayer of thanks that in this vast universe I am important to God, and loved.

Nov. 28:  Luke 21: 34-36

Prayer can be difficult, but remember that the strength we need to pray, as for every aspect of our lives, comes from God.