The people of Israel were trying to rebuild their lives and their nation after many years of exile in Babylon. They had forgotten much of their laws and traditions. But Ezra and his colleagues gathered the people and read the laws of God to them from morning until night. He told them not to weep at the lost years or their failure to observe the law. They should rejoice; it was a new day. That should be our response to the failures in our own lives.

Picking ourselves up again, we reach out and take God's hand and get on with our lives. God is always faithful; God is always there for us.

Jesus shared his power with seventy of his followers. He told them to take nothing - they were to travel light. They were to accept whatever they were given - their total support would be from donations. The mission they were given was to heal the sick and announce God's approaching reign. We live 2,000 years after these events and do not have the same sense of urgency. But our mission is similar: prepare hearts and minds to receive God, give hope and encouragement, and seek nothing for ourselves. We can do this in many small ways each day with all whom we meet.