First Thursday of Advent – 4 December 2025
– You can ponder on the picture. For a method of praying with pictures click button below.
– You can pray on the words of Scripture. For methods of praying with scripture click button below.
– You can follow the suggestions in the daily ‘Reflection’.
– You can listen to the music
Today’s Scripture
Matthew 7: 21, 24-27 ESV
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.’
Reflection
The corollary to yesterday’s reminder – that the Lord works with us – is that we work with, cooperate with God, doing what God invites and desires us to do. In Jesus’ words in today’s passage, ‘doing the will of my Father in heaven’. We may sometimes find the term ‘God’s will’ difficult, daunting. One writer suggests phrasing it as ‘God’s desire’. What does God desire? What is God’s desire for the world, the church, for my community, for me? What is God’s dream and longing? These are questions worth taking prayerful time pondering.
For Jesus the vital thing is cooperating with God’s desire and dream. How is that going for you?
What do you sense God’s desire is for you and your community this Advent season?
How are you being invited to cooperate with it?
Today’s Music
Show Me Your Ways, Darlene Zschech