Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were judged according to what they had done.”
NL Daily Devotion for Friday, September 5, 2025
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
No one is left behind. When judgment comes, everyone lines up. I personally don’t believe in a single Revelation-style day of judgment at the end of time. In studies of people who have had near death experiences, many have reported a kind of “life review” that happens to them. In these periods people get a full view of their lives and how their actions have affected other people. They see things from the other person’s perspective and experience first-hand the pain they have caused.
What if this is the nature of our individual judgements by God? What if at the moment of our death or shortly thereafter, we re-live our wrongdoings from the perspective of the person we’ve wronged? What if we experience how our complicity in unjust systems victimized marginalized communities by feeling the pain of each individual harmed? Surely this would be a harsh and cleansing judgment experience. And, once through it, and repentant about it (how could we not be?) we are free to move forward in love, acceptance, and beauty—to enter into the joy of our master?
Frankly, I love this idea. We are judged, as it says, “according to what [we have] done.” Not according to any concept of being “saved” because we said the right prayer at the right altar call and accepted Jesus as our personal lord and savior. Not according to whether we worshipped in the right church or believed the right things. It’s a little scary to think about—how many ways have I caused harm unknowingly? How many ways have I convinced myself my choices weren’t “that bad” without consideration for their ripple effects? I just have to trust that God’s got all of it, and when my own judgment comes, I will willingly take responsibility for all the harms I have caused, and then be bathed in the healing balm of God’s love, mercy, and grace.
What do I believe about God’s judgment? Where do those beliefs come from?
