Collect
Holy One,
we lift our eyes to you in hope and awe.
Grant that we may reject all apathy of spirit,
all impatience and anxiety,
so that, with persistence,
we may lift our voice again and again to seek your justice. Amen.
Readings
Isaiah 43:16-21 (The Message)
This is what God says,
the God who builds a road right through the ocean,
who carves a path through pounding waves,
The God who summons horses and chariots and armies—
they lie down and then can’t get up;
they’re snuffed out like so many candles:
“Forget about what’s happened;
don’t keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.
It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?
There it is! I’m making a road through the desert,
rivers in the badlands.
Wild animals will say ‘Thank you!’
—the coyotes and the buzzards—
Because I provided water in the desert,
rivers through the sunbaked earth,
Drinking water for the people I chose,
the people I made especially for myself,
a people custom-made to praise me.
Psalm 40
Matthew 9:35-38