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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

Who has been perfectly loved by those who raised us? Our disappointments in how we were loved, and the wounds we bear as a result, invite our trust in the deeper love of God in whom we have our being. We respond to God’s gift of love by learning to better love ourselves and one another. We also respond by recognizing how love is being extended to us and by letting that incoming love nourish us.

—Susan Carol Scott, Still Praying After All These Years: Meditations for Later Life (Upper Room Books, 2019)

Today’s Question

Whose love helped you go from being nothing to becoming cherished by someone? How have you played a similar role for others? Join the conversation.

Today’s Scripture

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
—1 Corinthians 13:1-2, NRSV

Prayer for the Week

Sustainer of all that is, give me faith that hopes in what I cannot see. Thank you for the small miracles that find me each day.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.

Something More

Breathe. Join The Upper Room’s newest online retreat, Finding Your Breath: An Introduction to Centering Prayer with Kara Lassen Oliver. Register today.

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

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

3 Comments

  • Julie Posted April 21, 2021 8:43 am

    Robert got his wish in that I am the first to post. My maternal grandparents loved me unconditionally and without this love my childhood would have been bereft indeed. I still have to explore counseling to heal my childhood wounds as well as many other inflicted during adulthood.
    Prayers for Ally’s thumb and job search and David’s healing through therapy. Prayers for April and Lou and their families.
    Prayers for Jill ad her students, may all of them be refreshed by the time apart and be eager to teach and learn.
    Prayers for Robert and his church as they transition to a new pastor. May God be with the new pastor guiding him or her.
    Prayers for the UR one and all

  • robert moeller Posted April 21, 2021 9:10 am

    What a lovely surprise to read Julie’s post before I write! Thank you, Julie! While love was not expressed in an abundance of hugs and kisses, it was very certain that my parents loved me. I could and did depend on them. Of course human love has its ups and downs, but I have to say my parents were very steady. Without a doubt there is no one who knows me better than the Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That became more evident in recent years. Yes, I too pray Julie’s prayers. Our new pastor, Carol Ames, will pastor two churches about 40 minutes apart. In many ways she is very similar to our current pastor, Sue Davidson. We are very fortunate to have a new pastor since we are a very small congregation. On the positive side we are well funded and the church building is in very good shape. Marcy is also in my prayers, glad to hear of progress with health concerns., and pray they continue. Prayers for Julie and Megan’s safety a a good resolution to the ordeal they are enduring. Can’t report much progress in the CV Brill car as the tool I need isn’t available from the supplier. I will say that the underbody, with the exception of small detail parts that will be added to the car ends once the car body and underbody are reunited, is pretty complete. Have homework to do for my counseling session next month,. Had a nice note from my daughter yesterday responding to my anniversary message.Hope this summer to organize the family photos so my grandchildren get to know their Korean grandmother. Thank You, Lord, for the blessings of the day.

  • Jill Posted April 21, 2021 5:37 pm

    Unconditional, forgiving love has been extended to me by my closest friends. My dad did his best to demonstrate parental love, trying to make up for mom’s inability to offer consistent, unconditional love. I am grateful that I had such a close relationship with her, despite her emotional and mental issues.
    Getting back into a routine. Have small group this evening and I believe next week is our last week. I have not looked over the material, but will still benefit from just being in the middle of the discussion, listening well and sharing if possible.
    Busy, long day at school. The coordinator of my program is retiring, next year will be her last year. Today we interviewed two candidates to fill her position, so she can train them next year. The interviews were after school, so I just got home a bit ago. Tomorrow should be a much easier day.
    Heavy, wet snow this morning. Trees bending low under the weight. Hopefully this will be the last of the white stuff until November.

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