Daily Reading
Reflection
A maturing king David at the height of his power doesn't think too long or hard when presented with temptation. He acts quickly upon his desires. He saw. He sent. He took. He lay. There is no long, tortured wrestling with conscience. King David is at the height of his autonomy and royal power. After only a single rendezvous, Bathsheba sends the characteristically devastating two-word message: "I'm pregnant."
Pregnancy is not what David intended. And so the cover-up begins and reveals more to us about David and ourselves than we, or King David, might have wished. In the act of trying to cover up his own sin, David tries to create a way to maintain himself as the hero. We are not any different. However, the story does not end here. As Nathan confronts David with a story and his sinfulness is exposed. What we find is that sin is most often revealed when our stories are exposed by more truthful stories. This Lenten season, how are you confronted by Jesus' story? What does it reveal about you? About Jesus?
April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire....
Winter kept us warm,
covering Earth in forgetful snow....
What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow
Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,
You cannot say, or guess, for you know only
A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter....
T. S. Eliot, The Waste Land, I, 1922
Daily Worship Resources
Daily Office Readings come from the Book of Common Prayer, a schedule of daily Bible reading that accords with the Church year. These readings are great worship resources for personal, family, or group use. Use it along with your City Church Worship Folder as a resource for readings, prayers, and hymns.
Printable Devotion