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New every morning is your love, great God of light, and all day long you are working for good in the world. Stir up in us desire to serve you, to live peacefully with our neighbors and all your creation, and to devote each day to your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

"A Liturgy for Morning Prayer," Upper Room Worshipbook

Used by permission from the Book of Common Worship, © 2018 Westminster John Knox Press. All rights reserved. This prayer appears in “A Liturgy for Morning Prayer” in Upper Room Worshipbook.

 

Today’s Reflection

Churches should engage in food ministry, providing food in ways that acknowledge the systemic nature of poverty; treating food-insecure individuals as people who have gifts, strengths, and dreams; and recognizing food-secure and food-insecure people as equally loved and in possession of God-given gifts. The primary strength churches bring to food ministry is not their excess of food resources but the excess of Jesus’s love, care, and grace and our ability as church members to recognize that all of us need that love, care, and grace regardless of how much food we have.

—Elizabeth Mae Magill, Five Loaves, Two Fish, Twelve Volunteers: Growing a Relational Food Ministry (Upper Room Books, 2020)

Today’s Question

How can you share the love, care, and grace of Jesus? Join the conversation.

Today’s Scripture

Be the best in this work of grace in the same way that you are the best in everything, such as faith, speech, knowledge, total commitment, and the love we inspired in you.
—2 Corinthians 8:7 (CEB)

Prayer for the Week

God is great!
God is good!
Let us thank God for our food.
Amen.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.

Something More

Find a food ministry in your area. Visit www.foodpantries.org.

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.

5 Comments

  • Jill Posted March 7, 2020 5:26 am

    I can share the love, care and grace of Jesus by being available. Availing my time, gifts, talents to those who can benefit from them. And – I can be more intentional about seeking out opportunities to offer these things.
    The beautifully sunny day Thursday was followed by a blustery cold and monster snowflake day yesterday. Such massive snowflakes fell throughout the school day – I was so often looking out the window of my classroom. I met dad for dinner and we braced ourselves against the wind as we walked into the restaurant – saying wasn’t it just 24 hours ago we were walking in the warm sunshine with a light jacket?
    He received a simple blessing this week. He had some damage to his car from the minor accident. He took it to his brother’s son-in-laws dent repair shop. When he picked it up the next day – the owner of the shop refused any payment. It brought my dad to tears. Dad had decided to not submit it to insurance so his insurance wouldn’t go up. Grateful for Matt’s generosity. I told dad he just needs to pay it forward in the future.

  • robert moeller Posted March 7, 2020 7:26 am

    I am moved to help any way I can. Have been doing that for some time and as long as the Spirit guides and makes it possible I will continue to so. What a blessing to have the car repaired without a bill. Blessings to Matt!

    Saw The Call of the Wild with a new friend. It is a good movie. Trains still running, reading my way through Max Lucado’s book, JESUS. Suggestions for treatment of my lower front teeth coming up.
    Hope to find and visit a sugarhouse, have found some candidates.

    Wish we had more posters. Thankful for the blessings of the day and my prayers for all the UR family, coronavirus sufferers, their friends and family. Thank You, Lord.

  • Julie Posted March 7, 2020 8:02 am

    I can keep my eyes and heart open to those who are suffering in some manner. Often I find if I truly look at a person, not just with my eyes but with an open heart, I see signs of pain.
    Prayers for Jill, Larry and Matt. May Matt be blessed and may Larry and Jill pay the good deed forward.
    Prayers for Robert, may the treatment for his front teeth not include a lot of discomfort. The county I live in has a group that conducts maple sugaring. They have a huge festival the first weekend of April. They have a pancake feast both days all day long. They have demonstrations of the entire process as well as war reenactments and crafters and bands. They sell the maple syrup and maple sugar and candy. They also mill and sell the flour used for the pancakes, wheat, buckwheat and corn meal.
    Prayers for Rick who continues to find time to share his comments with us despite his busy schedule.
    I also miss the people who once posted.
    H continues to suffer from cognitive issues but refuses to believe this. So actually I am the one who is suffering as he continues to insist that I am keeping papers from him that never existed. He is quite nasty.
    Prayers and thank you UR

  • April Posted March 7, 2020 10:48 am

    I share the love, care and grace with others by texting and sending letters/seasonal cards to widows and young mothers. I have a few that I do on a weekly basis but others are more random. We also share meals with our neighbors. Salads and soups and desserts are great to exchange and often we are the recipients of their foods too. Sadly, one of our neighbors will be moving this summer, but not far and we hope to stay connected. .. and then there will be others that will move in…
    I transplanted pansies the other day. What a wonderful sight to see their smiling faces when I peer out the windows. Our daffodils are in full bloom and the tulips are pushing up as fast as they can. I have a new pot of each on my counter so when they finish blooming and the bulbs are ready, I will get them outside and wait for them to bloom again next year.
    The prayer is one that my cousins always said before mealtime. Our family’s was similar. These simple verses bring back memories of others and carry on the message that everything is a gift from God.
    I am amazed at the consequences that lack of nutrition brings to the body and the world….weakness, loss of balance, decreased ability to concentrate and learn, decision-making, etc and all the down-hill effects. the effects have a rapid onset and many cannot be reversed. We give to local food banks and our church’s outreach projects. I also support a former church’s preschool as I am a firm believer in education.
    I hold our UR Family close in prayer, for safety, love, healing, and only those things that God knows we each need. As we recognize our needs, may we lean into Jesus more and more, knowing that He is holding our right hand and guiding us. Blessings and love.

  • Rick Posted March 7, 2020 5:10 pm

    This week’s reflections have been warming and while I’m limited with my time God shows me ways to be of service. I do my best to be alert to the needs of other students. I’m grateful our college has assistance for students needing food and other personal items.
    Great news from your dad Jill, what a blessing. I’m so grateful for the time you get to spend with your Dad. Robert I hope you are not in pain, praying you are well. A sugar house sounds like fun! I miss fresh maple syrup! I do hope to get back to New England and see my family soon. Julie, praying for your safety and guidance through this difficult time. April good to see your post, Thank you for the beautiful picture of the daffodils and tulips as well as the pansies. Spring comes early in San Diego. We have been blessed with a spectacular array fo colors due to the rain we have received this winter. I was hoping to make it to the desert to see it in bloom. Blessings to all that come to visit here may you find hope and peace.

    Rick

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