Daily Readings - 28/08/2026

^1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the Good News, and not to preach that in the terms of philosophy[*b] in which the crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed.

^1:18 The language of the cross may be illogical to those who are not on the way to salvation, but those of us who are on the way see it as God’s power to save.

^1:19 As scripture says: I shall destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing all the learning of the learned.

^1:20 Where are the philosophers now? Where are the scribes?[*c] Where are any of our thinkers today? Do you see now how God has shown up the foolishness of human wisdom?

^1:21 If it was God’s wisdom that human wisdom should not know God, it was because God wanted to save those who have faith through the foolishness of the message that we preach.

^1:22 And so, while the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom,

^1:23 here are we preaching a crucified Christ; to the Jews an obstacle that they cannot get over, to the pagans madness,

^1:24 but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God.

^1:25 For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

^32:1 Happy the man whose fault is forgiven, whose sin is blotted out;

^32:2 happy the man whom Yahweh accuses of no guilt, whose spirit is incapable of deceit!

^32:3 All the time I kept silent, my bones were wasting away with groans, day in, day out;

^32:4 day and night your hand lay heavy on me; my heart grew parched as stubble in summer drought (Pause)

^32:5 At last I admitted to you I had sinned; no longer concealing my guilt, I said, ‘I will go to Yahweh and confess my fault’. And you, you have forgiven the wrong I did, have pardoned my sin. (Pause)

^32:6 That is why each of your servants prays to you in time of trouble; even if floods come rushing down, they will never reach him.

^32:7 You are a hiding place for me, you guard me when in trouble, you surround me with songs of deliverance. (Pause)

^32:8 I will instruct you, and teach you the way to go; I will watch over you and be your adviser.

^32:9 Do not be like senseless horse or mule that need bit and bridle to curb their spirit (to let you get near them).

^32:10 Many torments await the wicked, but grace enfolds the man who trusts in Yahweh.

^32:11 Rejoice in Yahweh, exult, you virtuous, shout for joy, all upright hearts.

^25:1 ‘Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.

^25:2 Five of them were foolish and five were sensible:

^25:3 the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil,

^25:4 whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps.

^25:5 The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep.

^25:6 But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.”

^25:7 At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps,

^25:8 and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out”.

^25:9 But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves”.

^25:10 They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed.

^25:11 The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.”

^25:12 But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you”.

^25:13 So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.