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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

If I had known that day was going to be your last, I would have fought through the sobs to tell you one last time how much I loved being your wife and best friend in this earthly life. . . . I would have served coconut pie and played your favorite tunes from the 1950s while we danced barefoot in the kitchen one last time. As we felt those final moments slipping away, I would have tried my best to audibly voice a prayer of gratitude to God for helping us find each other those many years ago. Threading your fingers through mine, we would have just sat together, holding hands

—Missy Buchanan, Feeling Your Way Through Grief: A Companion for Life After Loss (Upper Room Books, 2024)

Today’s Question

How would you complete the sentence: If I had known, __________? [question from Feeling Your Way Through Grief by Missy Buchanan] Join the conversation.

Today’s Scripture

[God] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
—Revelations 21:4 (NIV)

Prayer for the Week

O God, let me feel your presence in the darkness of my grief. Be with me in the silence; be with me when I weep; be with me as I find a way forward. Amen.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.

Something More

“It was a blessing to personally witness the love between Missy and her beloved husband Barry,” reflects Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts. “The bond they experienced is apparent in Missy’s latest book and is a safe place for readers to explore their deepest emotions.” Receive 20% off and free shipping on this week’s featured book, Feeling Your Way Through Grief, when you order your copy today.

Lectionary Readings

  • 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a
  • Psalm 51:1-12
  • Ephesians 4:1-16
  • John 6:24-35

Read the lectionary texts courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library here.

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

1 Comment

  • robert moeller Posted August 2, 2024 6:12 am

    If we both had known, you wouldn’t have sent me off to bed and i wouldn’t have gone, but stayed with you. We had watched NATURE and MASTERPIECE THEATRE that Sunday evening, and you told ne to go to bed as I had work the next day. Those were the last words I heard from you. Yiur passing was a surprise to both of us. Watching those shows these days always reminds me of that day. It’s August now, the month you were born, the month Korea was liberated from Japanese occupation, the month I arrived in Korea to teach at Seoul Foreign School, and the month before we really met. Thank You, Lord for these memories from 27 and 54 years ago.

    In 17 days I’ll see Jenny, Chris, Willa, and Oona and we’ll go to the Dutchess County Fair.
    Prayers for a situation that could potentially be violent, praying that the proper action is taken to prevent it. Weapons of war do not belong in the hands of those not in the military.

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