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You heard the sound of my entreaty…

December 26, 2025

Jeremiah 26:1-9, 12-15 | Psalm 31 | Acts 6:8, 7:2a, 5c-60 | Matthew 23:34-39

A call to action—or the failure to act in the face of urgent pleas—threads through today’s readings. In the Old Testament, the Prophet Jeremiah warns the priests and leaders of Judah that their refusal to abide by the word of the Lord will bring ruin: “I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.” In Acts, we hear Stephen’s rebuke of the council: “You received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it.” In each case, the refusal to heed a word that challenged comfort, privilege, and self-interest led to devastating consequences.

These lessons resonate personally. They prompt me to consider how I respond to questions of social justice and civic duty—a kind of ongoing moral summons. I find my own reactions falling along a wide spectrum: anger and despair, commiseration with friends and family about instances of injustice, and at times the resolve to take public action.

In these challenging times we have neither prophets nor martyrs standing before us to declare when it is time to act. Instead, we rely on prayer and discernment to understand when God is calling us to respond. Some of us see neighbors swept up in immigration raids; others witness government actions that harm our LGBTQ+ family members.

Just this week, a church in nearby Dedham expressed its opposition to what the community sees as indiscriminate immigration enforcement through a public creche display. Reasonable people can debate the efficacy of such acts while respecting that parish’s desire to live out the gospel. As one parishioner put it, “We feel compelled to make this statement. How can you sit back?”

Advent is a season of preparation and anticipation—a fitting time to reflect on our own willingness to act. At St. Luke’s, we are blessed with ministries that help us confront injustice through concrete service. We can donate clothing or money to the Dorcas Institute, or volunteer to help recent immigrants become full participants in their new communities. Our feeding ministries allow us to ease the hunger of our most vulnerable neighbors. St. Luke’s newly launched Love + Action Ministry “envisions a world where systems, institutions, and policies meet the needs of the most vulnerable among us.”

This morning’s psalm proclaims: “You heard the sound of my entreaty when I cried out to you.” Are we listening?

Mike Grady