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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

In Christ we become an entirely new creation! All that is old in us—the useless ideas, the faithless attitudes, the tightly held fears and destructive behaviors—will pass away as we give ourselves more fully to God. In their place will come gifts of the Spirit—new ways of understanding, believing, and acting that belong to the mind and heart of Jesus. All the Creator asks is that we be utterly honest before God, to open ourselves to grace, to abide in Christ our Redeemer, and to give ourselves in love as much as we can each day.

—Marjorie J. Thompson, Companions in Christ: The Way of Forgiveness (Upper Room Books, 2002)

Today’s Question

How can honesty and openness with God help shape you into a new creation?
Join the conversation.

Today’s Scripture

If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
—2 Corinthians 5:17 (NRSV)

Prayer for the Week

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,” The Upper Room Worshipbook
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Something More

Join us in October for a four-part webinar series introducing Safer Sanctuaries, an upcoming resource for nurturing healthier faith communities. Learn more here.

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

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

3 Comments

  • robert moeller Posted August 16, 2022 5:58 am

    Being open acknowledges ourselves freely to God, being honest means we tell the truth, in doing so our reality matches God’s and we are in
    union. God’s wish for us to be in a relationship is fulfilled. What a blessing that is.
    Church council tonight with the DS the nomination of a certified lay pastor candidate gets a vote . Hopefully it moves forward.
    Wonderful weather here in the Mount Washington Valley. The steam locomotive continues operating three times a day on the weekends, much to my delight.
    Need my computer to learn how you are doing.
    Prayers and blessings.

  • Julie Posted August 16, 2022 8:54 am

    When we are honest regarding our transgressions, only then can God truly forgive and wipe away our sins.
    Things with h continue to spiral down. He has become argumentative and verbally abusive.
    Prayers for Ally, David, and their kitties’ health. May Ally’s financial future improve. Prayers for Robert’s church to approve the motion to support the certification of a lay leader.

  • Ally Posted August 16, 2022 4:33 pm

    Laying everything out before God can help us better accept the grace and forgiveness God offers. God can then transform us into something new. Today’s UR scripture from Acts about Barnabas accepting the grace offered by the people of Antioch illustrates how God’s grace can help us help and encourage others.
    David has been working hard on his therapy exercises and is getting more independent. I must say he is more positive as well and that helps a lot. Me, I’m still in depressed mode, but get trip and doing some chores helps a little. I need to be more positive too.
    Robert, prayers for church council and vote to certify your lay leader. Julie, prayers for strength for you as you deal with H. Praying also for resolution of this difficult situation. Prayers for Jill as she prepares for another school year. Prayers for our nation and our world. Love to all.

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