Reading 96 | The Bible in 100 Passages

Friday, December 19, 2025  

Today's Scripture
Zechariah 10:6–12

I will strengthen the house of Judah,
and I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back because I have compassion on them,
and they shall be as though I had not rejected them;
for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.
Then the people of Ephraim shall become like warriors,
and their hearts shall be glad as with wine.
Their children shall see it and rejoice,
their hearts shall exult in the Lord.

I will signal for them and gather them in,
for I have redeemed them,
and they shall be as numerous as they were before.
Though I scattered them among the nations,
yet in far countries they shall remember me,
and they shall rear their children and return.
I will bring them home from the land of Egypt,
and gather them from Assyria;
I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon,
until there is no room for them.
They shall pass through the sea of distress,
and the waves of the sea shall be struck down,
and all the depths of the Nile dried up.
The pride of Assyria shall be laid low,
and the scepter of Egypt shall depart.
I will make them strong in the Lord,
and they shall walk in his name, says the Lord. (NRSV)

Reflection

As I discussed Communion with colleagues recently, I recalled that growing up I was a part of a Lutheran congregation that served Communion every Sunday. By the time I was in high school, I had learned the Words of Institution by rote, and I could recite them under my breath as my pastor said them aloud. 

“On the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.’ 

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.’” 

As I read the passage for today, I hear echoes of wine and remembrance from it in the Words of Institution, and I find myself contemplating Matt Helms’ “Rhythm and Word” reflection this week, in which he lifted up the throughline of the covenant in this series. And while we await the coming of Christ in this Advent season, I am reminded that the promise that God made to Abraham has evolved and expanded and has been made new in Christ — not just for me, but for all people.

In this, I find that those words that I had learned by rote so many years ago have been refreshed and renewed in my mind with even greater gravitas. May God gather us all in, and may we remember who and whose we are — and may we remember that God loves us, just the way we are.

Prayer

Compassionate God, you gather us in and welcome us at your table. We lift up our hearts to you and give you thanks. As often as we eat and drink, may we remember you. Send us forth, nourished by your Spirit, to be a light to all. Amen.  

Written by Katrina Buchanan, Editorial Associate

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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