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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

A bird feeder hangs on our front porch outside the living room window. It is a large and quite popular bird feeder. I often notice ten black-capped chickadees and sparrows perched on it at a time, with thirty or forty more waiting in the tree branches.

I love glancing up from playing with the kids to see the riot of feathers through the window. They connect me with nature and God’s creation, if only for a moment. I enjoy the ritual of filling the feeder: lifting it carefully from its perch, opening the stainless-steel bin of bird feed, filling the scoop, feeling the silky dust of corn and seed on my fingers, and listening to the gentle whir of the seed as it fills the container. My heart rate slows, my breathing deepens, and I feel connected to the Creator as I care for a little bit of creation.

—Lauren Burdette, This Life That Is Ours: Motherhood as Spiritual Practice (Upper Room Books, 2019)

Today’s Question

What signs of God’s creativity do you see around you? Join the conversation.

Today’s Scripture

Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
—Psalm 84:3 (NRSV)

Prayer for the Week

May I be a river, free of attachments, flowing lavishly and abundantly through the day, moving with your currents, and bringing life and refreshment to my children. Amen.
Lauren Burdette, This Life That Is Ours
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.

Something More

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Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

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3 Comments

  • robert moeller Posted May 4, 2022 5:47 am

    Buds on trees, grass greening, flowers blooming. trees leafing, no chunks of ice on riverbanks, streams flowing, warmer temperatures.
    Still looking for a Poconos home, Trying to help CCUMC as it faces the future. A church without a pastor is not appealing. Trying to find ways to keep CCUMC going. Bible study went well yesterday. My hip is improving. Very thankful for many blessings. Thank You, Lord.

  • Julie Posted May 4, 2022 9:00 am

    I see grass growing and leaves finally appearing on trees. This morning I saw a bluejay on our front stoop.
    H’s cognitive abilities continue to decline. He has a doctor’s appointment today but I am unable to attend. I am writing a short note to the doctor introducing myself and explaining his condition changes. I will include my phone number and ask for a phone call. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow.
    Prayers for Ally and her job search and disability application. Prayers for her and David’s health issues. Prayers for Jill’s students as they undergo testing. Prayers for her and her relatives as she has to mediate their differences. Prayers for Robert’s hip to heal well and for his search for a home in the Poconos. Prayers for his current church as they seek a pastor.

  • Jill Posted May 4, 2022 4:11 pm

    An enjoyable sign of spring which I have detected recently on my morning runs are wonderful scents from blooming spring bushes. I am not sure what the aroma is. I know it is not a lilac – as that is one of my favorites. It’s quite sweet. I am also enjoying the tulips on my morning running route. It is now approaching daylight when I begin my run, so I can see the handiwork of many people in their yards. The tulips seem much more robust this year.
    I had planned on attending my god son’s baseball game today, but it got cancelled. Not a bad thing to be home this evening, relaxing, though.
    Will keep an eye on Saturday’s weather – hope to catch a game of his then. I tried calling his mom, but they were out driving – as he just recently got his temps.

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