In Joel 2:23–end, 2 Timothy 4:6–8, 16–18, and Luke 18:9–14, we see that true strength lies not in pride or performance, but in humble dependence on God’s mercy. From the prophet’s call to return to the Lord, to Paul’s final reflections, to Jesus’ parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee—each passage points us to a grace that meets us in our weakness and lifts us up when we choose mercy.

Rev'd Charlotte Sullivan