Doing The Right Thing

When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.” Matthew 21:23-32

Doing the Right Thing

Oh God of time and space
some days there are no words
prayers are silent some days
an internal groaning and sighing
aching to know what to do.

We know our faults and shame
we watch the world fall apart
our own lives will never return
to the normal we blithely enjoyed
we no longer know what to do.

You ache for us to know your love
you call us to follow and to listen
we thrash around like hungry birds
we tear in to each other in our pain
yet still you call us to a good road.

Help us to do the right thing today
help us to act for love alone
let our every act and breath be kind
let us be poured out for others
let love be every day in us the right thing.Amen