"The heavens are the Lord's heavens, but the earth he has given to human beings." * Thank you, God, for the earth. Give us the desire to take good care of it and share what it produces so all people in all lands may be fed. Amen.
* Psalm 115:16, NRSV
30 July, 2012
28 July, 2012
Spiritual & Physical food
God of hope,
The Bible nourishes our minds and helps us grow spiritually. Your gifts of food nourish our bodies and help us grow physically. Thank you for both, and for all your blessings.
Amen.
The Bible nourishes our minds and helps us grow spiritually. Your gifts of food nourish our bodies and help us grow physically. Thank you for both, and for all your blessings.
Amen.
26 July, 2012
Loving grace
Loving Father,
Be with us as we share this meal
for which we give you praise.
Your loving presence may we feel
throughout all our days.
Amen.
Be with us as we share this meal
for which we give you praise.
Your loving presence may we feel
throughout all our days.
Amen.
24 July, 2012
Salt and Light
God, who calls us to be salt for the world, may our words be seasoned with grace.
Lord, who calls us to be light to the world, may this food nourish us so we may shine your love to everyone we meet.
Amen.
See Matthew 5:13-16
Lord, who calls us to be light to the world, may this food nourish us so we may shine your love to everyone we meet.
Amen.
See Matthew 5:13-16
22 July, 2012
Unfailing Grace
God,
Every day, without fail, you love us and bless us and feed us. Thank you.
Amen.
Every day, without fail, you love us and bless us and feed us. Thank you.
Amen.
21 July, 2012
Thoughts on grace
Families grieve in Aurora, CO in the aftermath of a shooting. A gunman dressed in full body armor and wearing a gas mask stormed into a packed movie theater at a midnight showing of the latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. He set off smoke bombs and then fired at the frightened patrons, killing 12 and wounding at least 50.
Who knows what snapped the man's mind and caused him to commit such horror. And I am sure people will wish the worst on him. I've already heard one person say, "I wouldn't care if a cop took him out and saved us the time and expense of a trial and imprisonment." Others have said, "At least in other shootings like this most of the killers had the decency yo shoot themselves."
Don't thoughts like that reduce us to the same low level of inhumanity? Is that justice or vengeance?
My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims as much as anybody else. My thoughts and prayers are also with the family of the shooter, for what guilt and shame must they feel about this member of their family that caused so much pain and tragedy.
And my thoughts and prayers are with the gunman himself, that God will show him as much mercy and grace as He does to me, for I am just as much a sinner as he is. Sure, my sins are not as heinous and horrible as his, but they are sins all the same. In God's eyes a sinner is a sinner, no matter the sin.
As Paul writes in Romans 3:23, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." All of us are sinners. All of us, whether our sins are "little" or "big" are in need of God's grace. None of us deserves our next breath but God, out of his amazing and unending grace, gives it to us.
So I pray for God's comforting presence to be with the families of the victims, that through the loving presence of God and others, and through counseling, they may find, over time, healing and peace. May they find it in their hearts, eventually, to respond as the Amish did after the Nickel Mines shooting, and forgive the man who shattered their lives.
I pray for the family of the shooter, that they may find the comfort and counsel they need to deal with this, and that they may realize that the blame others may ascribe to them is misplaced.
I pray for the gunman, that God will look on him with the same mercy and grace God gives me. Yes, he deserves punishment from us, but not vengeance. I pray some godly person will reach out to him to show him that God does not reject him but God still loves him and offers him grace through Jesus Christ.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. " (Romans 6:23)
Who knows what snapped the man's mind and caused him to commit such horror. And I am sure people will wish the worst on him. I've already heard one person say, "I wouldn't care if a cop took him out and saved us the time and expense of a trial and imprisonment." Others have said, "At least in other shootings like this most of the killers had the decency yo shoot themselves."
Don't thoughts like that reduce us to the same low level of inhumanity? Is that justice or vengeance?
My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims as much as anybody else. My thoughts and prayers are also with the family of the shooter, for what guilt and shame must they feel about this member of their family that caused so much pain and tragedy.
And my thoughts and prayers are with the gunman himself, that God will show him as much mercy and grace as He does to me, for I am just as much a sinner as he is. Sure, my sins are not as heinous and horrible as his, but they are sins all the same. In God's eyes a sinner is a sinner, no matter the sin.
As Paul writes in Romans 3:23, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." All of us are sinners. All of us, whether our sins are "little" or "big" are in need of God's grace. None of us deserves our next breath but God, out of his amazing and unending grace, gives it to us.
So I pray for God's comforting presence to be with the families of the victims, that through the loving presence of God and others, and through counseling, they may find, over time, healing and peace. May they find it in their hearts, eventually, to respond as the Amish did after the Nickel Mines shooting, and forgive the man who shattered their lives.
I pray for the family of the shooter, that they may find the comfort and counsel they need to deal with this, and that they may realize that the blame others may ascribe to them is misplaced.
I pray for the gunman, that God will look on him with the same mercy and grace God gives me. Yes, he deserves punishment from us, but not vengeance. I pray some godly person will reach out to him to show him that God does not reject him but God still loves him and offers him grace through Jesus Christ.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. " (Romans 6:23)
Abundant Grace
God of life, Thank you for all we have, including the abundance on this table. May we always remember that true life does not come from the abundance of our possessions* but from following you and showing compassion to the needy as Jesus did. Amen.
* See Luke 12:15
* See Luke 12:15
19 July, 2012
Lavish Grace
God,
If we listed everything for which we are thankful we might be here for days, so we'll just say, "thank you for everything." Bless this food. May it strengthen us to serve you. Amen.
If we listed everything for which we are thankful we might be here for days, so we'll just say, "thank you for everything." Bless this food. May it strengthen us to serve you. Amen.
17 July, 2012
July 17
We thank God for the sun and rain
that feeds the orchard fruit and grain.
Thank God for trees and tiny seeds
from which comes food to fill our needs.
Thank God for joys that fill our days.
To God we'll always give our praise.
Amen.
that feeds the orchard fruit and grain.
Thank God for trees and tiny seeds
from which comes food to fill our needs.
Thank God for joys that fill our days.
To God we'll always give our praise.
Amen.
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