URC Daily Devotion Monday 9th March 2026
St Matthew 24: 36 – 44
‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left.
Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
Reflection
When I was younger, this reading troubled me in its seeming unfairness. In particular verses 40 and 41.
Two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left behind. Two women will be grinding at the hand-mill; one is taken and one is left behind.
How could two people be working so closely together yet one would be taken and the other saved? And why?
Over the years witnessing how floods, wild fires and earthquakes damage all in their wake indiscriminately, I have come to understand that such dramatic events are no selector of victims. Regardless of what is happening in the world at the time, natural disasters take away the best of people. We can be forgiven for thinking these natural disasters predict the end of times, a time when ‘the Son of Man will come again’. However, we live in a time of ‘not yet’ for no one knows except God himself when that time will be. In the meantime, we are called to live our lives in readiness.
Practicing the values Jesus taught us: loving and caring for our neighbours near and far; rising above the indifference and selfishness of the society we live in; working for peace and justice across the world, however remote a possibility that might seem. We try to live each day committing ourselves to working for a world of which we dream in the knowledge that we will be ready when the time comes. It would be a lot easier to prepare if we knew when and where that would happen…but we don’t. So we must live in hope that, on the day when the Son of Man arrives, we are ready and waiting to participate in whatever happens next.
Prayer
Lord, we see for ourselves
how natural disasters take away, indiscriminately,
people we consider to be working for your kingdom.
We know we cannot predict the time we will be taken,
but, we pray that you will help us prepare ourselves in the right way.
Teach us to be compassionate seekers of peace and justice;
ignoring the snares and temptations of our modern society.
May we be ready when you come again. Amen