Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness,
and his upper rooms by injustice;
who makes his neighbors work for nothing,
and does not give them their wages;
who says, ‘I will build myself a spacious house
with large upper rooms’,
and who cuts out windows for it,
paneling it with cedar,
and painting it with vermilion.”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, June 25, 2025
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Josiah’s sons failed to live up to their father’s example as a good king. They assumed by their royal heritage that they had a right to wealth, opulence, and self-absorption. They exploited workers and built palaces. This message is not just for Josiah’s sons. It’s for us today. We, too, fail to live up to those whose lives of sacrifice and hard work made it possible for us to live lives of relative ease and comfort. We take for granted those who came before and gave their lives for the principles of equity and justice our current administration is trampling all over. We operate out of a sense of entitlement and get bent out of shape if we are called out on the ways our actions contribute to the exploitation of so much of the world’s population.
Woe to us. Woe to us who give no thought to the impact of our lives of luxury on those who live in destitution in the wealthiest nations of the world as well as in less wealthy countries. We have work to do. Let’s not assume someone else will do it for us. God’s prophet is calling us out. How will we respond?
What sacrifices have others made so that I can enjoy the life I have? How can I demonstrate my gratitude and pay it forward?
