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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

Note: This week’s New Every Morning reflections are structured differently to follow the format of our featured title Holy Listening, which offers 40 daily meditations with scripture verses for lectio divina, a yoga pose, a breath prayer, and reflection questions.

What makes you weep? Over what parts of your life are you mourning or grieving? How can you invite your entire self into that process? How does God protect you as you mourn?

—Whitney R. Simpson, Holy Listening with Breath, Body, and the Spirit (Upper Room Books, 2016)

Today’s Breath Prayer

Inhale: O Holy One,
Exhale: comfort my heart.
Join the conversation.

Today’s Scripture

Jesus began to weep.
—John 11:35 (NRSV)

Prayer for the Week

Our Father who is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread.
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Something More

Celebrate Dad!
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Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

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

3 Comments

  • Jill Posted June 20, 2020 5:29 am

    His protection, through seasons of mourning, loss, grief and lamenting has been as a warm heated blanket, welcoming me to be enveloped in His sure arms. He replenishes, He affirms, He assures, He steadies. Thank You, Father God.
    I was reading earlier this morning from a blog post and the writer defined lament as “the Biblical response to suffering and pain, expressing helplessness without succumbing to feelings of hopelessness.” Yes – our inability, our helplessness – to alter the situation, and our absolute ability to cling to the HOPE of our Saviour.
    Yesterday was pleasant, getting back to activities and normalcy. A little bit longer run, followed by 9 holes of golf with my friend. A walk with another friend/colleague who is receiving chemo treatments – we took it nice and slow, the day after her chemo. We then sat under her gazebo and talked for a while, trying to guess what school will look like in two months. Then time with a friend, talking through a chapter in the book we are going through, and pizza outside on her patio with her dogs. We are trying to decide if it would be safe to rent a house in the Outer Banks.
    Grateful for a return to good health and strength. Have tennis this morning, anxious to see how my body responds. Celebrating Father’s Day later this afternoon – my sister and her husband are coming over to dad’s – where I will be grilling up supper.
    Happy Birthday, Marcy. It is good to have you back in the fold, encouraging us.

  • Julie Posted June 20, 2020 8:11 am

    I need God to protect me as I mourn the life I gave up for the h— I am currently living. I need God’s solace and wisdom.
    Prayers for Jill and her improving health. The UR Devotional today dovetailed nicely with today’s reflction abave and included the verse above. The author described standing beside his mom as they said goodbye to his father at his deathbed. He noted that he could not remove her pain but he could provide his presence. I thought of you and you dad. He spoke much as you do about allowing them to grieve as and for as long as they need.
    Prayers for Marcy and Lucy Lou, may both be doing well and getting stronger and having pain relief. Chai continues to eat so we are cherishing each day. I cherish each of your words and hope they continue for a long time.
    Prayers for Robert and his continued painstaking work on his model trains and his continued Zoom church activities.
    Prayers for Ally and David, may Ally be given a window of opportunity and strength to climb through. May both continue to recover from the ravages of COVID 19 and have no lasting effects.
    Prayers for April and her many nicknames resulting from her act of kindness, may she blessed for her kindness.
    Prayers for Andrea, BJ, Lou and Rick, may they and their families flourish and remain healthy.
    Megan will be spending Sunday through Wednesday with her father visiting his mother. Just typing this has my heart racing. I am terrified of what h will do with me all alone. I have pepper spray downstairs and upstairs and will carry one with me. But what to do when the attacks are verbal only as these are the worse.
    Prayers, thank you and stay healthy dear UR one and all

  • robert moeller Posted June 21, 2020 5:20 am

    Prayers for you Julie, use God’s wisdom, your God given reason, and take actions that keep you safe.

    My message is a day after this reflection was presented. Had to think about these questions. I think I have been, in one way or another, mourning the passing of Soo Ok for quite some time. This November it will be 23 years. Every person has faults, commits sins, husbands and wives are no different, yet we pick, ask, and accept partners with whom we expect to live the rest of our lives despite that fact. Soo Ok’s passing could not have been medically treated and was a big surprise. When you love someone you wish, want, work for the betterment of their life. No one has been able to take her place I am thankful that she is safe in God’s hands. Love resolves everything.

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