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Calling all pilgrims!
Join us for the first-ever Emmaus Ministries Virtual Walk and Challenge , October 1–November 12. Together, Read More
The Upper Room is here for you in these anxious times. Click Here
Christine Joy Martinez | Read Hebrews 10:11-22
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Sign Up TodayIn Old Testament times, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year to offer atonement for Israel’s sins. The high priest readied himself for the extensive liturgy and performance of rituals. The ceremony involved multiple changes of clothes. The priestly garb included bells on its hem that...
Jesus, thank you for paying the price so I can enjoy God’s presence without fear. Forgive me for the times I have forgotten the value of your sacrifice. May I express my gratitude daily and treat your gift with utmost humility. Amen.
The inability to have a child brings pain to many today, and this was equally true in ancient times. In that context it was sometimes even worse, for Peninnah openly ridicules Hannah for being unable to conceive. But as a result of her desperate, heartfelt prayer, God blesses Hannah with a son, Samuel, who will become a powerful prophet. Hannah then rejoices in a God who exalts the poor and needy. Hannah provides an example of the boldness with which we also can approach God now because of Christ’s sacrifice. The destruction of Jerusalem is the focus of the passage in Mark. Jesus here predicts the demolition of the Temple and the city, which the Romans executed in 70 ce.
• Read 1 Samuel 1:4-20. When have you felt trapped by circumstances not of your own making? How did the situation resolve itself?
• Read 1 Samuel 2:1-10. When has a situation in your life changed because you persisted in prayer? What did that experience teach you?
• Read Hebrews 10:11-25. Do you perceive God’s remembering your sin no more as encouragement or license? Why?
• Read Mark 13:1-8. What signs make you anxious about the world’s future? What helps you rest easier?
Respond by posting a prayer.
I could not have found The Upper Room Moments of Prayer (on Facebook Live) sooner. For it is during these moments of centering spiritual practices, meditating on the words of scripture, praying with and for the world, that I find moments of transcendence, hear whispers of peace and hope, see glimpses of truth and justice, behold visions of love and beauty amid all the stark realities that are around me.”
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