God Who Knocks
Today's Reflection
Note: This week’s New Every Morning reflections are structured differently to follow the format of our featured title, Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice, which addresses issues of social justice through reflection and over 50 call-and-response prayers known as litanies.
Jesus is the God who knocks because he came into the world as a stranger, inviting us into a relationship so that we would be strangers no more. He knocks on the doors, walls, and structures that we have erected to keep others out. Jesus knocks as one who stands in solidarity with those we have rejected. Jesus knocks as every visitor bearing the image of God who approaches our front doors and southern borders.
—Tony Huynh, "God Who Knocks," in Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice, edited and compiled by Britney Winn Lee (Fresh Air Books, 2020)
Today's Question
How is Jesus inviting you to respond to “strangers” this week? Join the conversation.
Today's Scripture
I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.
—Matthew 25:35 (NRSVUE)
Today’s Litany
ONE: God of the caravans,
ALL: We pray for our siblings’ protection.
Provide for them as you once did for your children in the desert.
ONE: God of the sojourners,
ALL: We ask that you give them shelter.
Protect them as they are vulnerable.
ONE: God of the travelers,
ALL: We ask that you guide them on their journey.
Make clear their paths and direct their feet.
—[Litany by Tony Huyn in Rally]
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.
Something More
Psalms for Black Lives, written by Pastors Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes and Andrew Wilkes, is the perfect resource to add to your bookshelf as we celebrate Black History Month. May we join with God and with each other in the holy work of pursuing justice, undoing structural racism, and building a society that truly values Black lives. Learn more here.
Lectionary Readings
- Isaiah 6:1-8, (9-13)
- Psalm 138
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
- Luke 5:1-11
Read the lectionary texts courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library here.
Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.
3 Comments | Join the Conversation.God’s Purest Gift
Today's Reflection
Note: This week’s New Every Morning reflections are structured differently to follow the format of our featured title, Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice, which addresses issues of social justice through reflection and over 50 call-and-response prayers known as litanies.
I can now freely receive the love I’ve always desired to have because I have embraced that I am not my past; I am a reflection of the love that Christ represents within me and within the way I love God’s people. Love is one of God’s purest gifts to us.
—Nikki Roberts, "As You Love Yourself," in Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice, edited and compiled by Britney Winn Lee (Fresh Air Books, 2020)
Today's Question
How does embracing God’s love free you from the shame or burdens of your past? Join the conversation.
Today's Scripture
If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!
—2 Corinthians 5:17 (NRSVUE)
Today’s Litany
ONE: Merciful God of second chances,
For the privilege of being a beneficiary and a benefactor of grace,
Moment by moment, intention by intention,
ALL: We give you our gratitude.
ONE: For holy self-love and acceptance,
For wellness, self-forgiveness, and authenticity,
For wisdom and strength to confront with Light the dark corners of our pasts,
For courage to name and reject the bad theology that causes division
Among those who love, worship, believe, or think differently than we do,
ALL: We give you our gratitude.
[Litany by Nikki Roberts in Rally]
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.
Something More
Psalms for Black Lives, written by Pastors Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes and Andrew Wilkes, is the perfect resource to add to your bookshelf as we celebrate Black History Month. May we join with God and with each other in the holy work of pursuing justice, undoing structural racism, and building a society that truly values Black lives. Learn more here.
Lectionary Readings
- Isaiah 6:1-8, (9-13)
- Psalm 138
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
- Luke 5:1-11
Read the lectionary texts courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library here.
Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.
3 Comments | Join the Conversation.Hope
Today's Reflection
Note: This week’s New Every Morning reflections are structured differently to follow the format of our featured title, Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice, which addresses issues of social justice through reflection and over 50 call-and-response prayers known as litanies.
Hope, quite possibly the most elusive of these things, challenges me to turn its seemingly faraway song into an experience into which people from all walks of life can enter. How do I wrestle hope down from its hiding place, put meat on its bones, and offer it as a viable option to a room full of strangers? That’s the magic of storytelling and world-building. In the four walls of my theatre, I tell stories of the least of us, centering their experiences and showing how people under the boot of oppression can overcome, all while maintaining a sense of integrity, humanity, and joy.
—Zhailon Levingston, "Hope," in Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice, edited and compiled by Britney Winn Lee (Fresh Air Books, 2020)
Today's Question
When has a theatre (or other arts) experience opened you to a new perspective? Join the conversation.
Today's Scripture
This is because we remember your work that comes from faith, your effort that comes from love, and your perseverance that comes from hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father.
—1 Thessalonians 1:3 (CEB)
Today’s Litany
ONE: We are made to collaborate with those around us to build deeper connections and sustainability around new ways of doing life together.
ALL: Another world is possible and on its way.
ONE: We are making space in our world for doubt and uncertainty by calling out fear and isolationism.
ALL: Another world is possible and on its way.
ONE: This is the truth about us. It always has been and always will be.
ALL: A new world is both here and arriving. We wait for it, usher it, greet it as a hopeful people.
—[Litany by Zhailon Levingston in Rally]
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.
Something More
Psalms for Black Lives, written by Pastors Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes and Andrew Wilkes, is the perfect resource to add to your bookshelf as we celebrate Black History Month. May we join with God and with each other in the holy work of pursuing justice, undoing structural racism, and building a society that truly values Black lives. Learn more here.
Lectionary Readings
- Isaiah 6:1-8, (9-13)
- Psalm 138
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
- Luke 5:1-11
Read the lectionary texts courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library here.
Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.
3 Comments | Join the Conversation.One Small Step
Today's Reflection
Note: This week’s New Every Morning reflections are structured differently to follow the format of our featured title, Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice, which addresses issues of social justice through reflection and over 50 call-and-response prayers known as litanies.
God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ask for, think about, or imagine. When we recognize injustice, what we can ask for, think about, or imagine may seem like an insufficient response to the injuries affecting us. Feeling unequal to the task, we may avoid doing anything.
Our individual responses—or even our institutional ones—in fact may be insufficient. Those possibilities notwithstanding, there is another, deeper truth: God uses seemingly insufficient things to effect justice, to bring about freedom.
—Andrew Wilkes, "One Small Step," in Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice, edited and compiled by Britney Winn Lee (Fresh Air Books, 2020)
Today's Question
How is God using your small steps to bring about justice and freedom? Join the conversation.
Today's Scripture
Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us.
—Ephesians 3:20 (CEB)
Today's Litany
ONE: We seek justice with discernment, rejecting the false ideal of having to know everything before starting anything.
ALL: All-wise God, help us distinguish between essential facts and nonessential perspectives so that we can take informed action for justice.
ONE: One small step to undo oppression is greater than an ambitious, undone deed.
ALL: Give us the strength to begin the work and the stamina to complete it.
[Litany by Andrew Wilkes in Rally]
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.
Something More
Psalms for Black Lives, written by Pastors Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes and Andrew Wilkes, is the perfect resource to add to your bookshelf as we celebrate Black History Month. May we join with God and with each other in the holy work of pursuing justice, undoing structural racism, and building a society that truly values Black lives. Learn more here.
Lectionary Readings
- Isaiah 6:1-8, (9-13)
- Psalm 138
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
- Luke 5:1-11
Read the lectionary texts courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library here.
Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.
2 Comments | Join the Conversation.Here Lies Love
Today's Reflection
Note: This week’s New Every Morning reflections are structured differently to follow the format of our featured title, Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice, which addresses issues of social justice through reflection and over 50 call-and-response prayers known as litanies.
I’m sitting in a dark room listening to Yo Yo Ma and crying over the death of another Black teen I saw on the news—this one for playing his music too loudly. I’m remembering the teen boy in my community who was killed in a drive-by shooting and how the kids at the center where I worked grieved so deeply for him. I’m angered by migrant children dying of thirst and homeless people dying of exposure. I’m confused by the death of a mother whose daughters are still toddlers. I want to honor these lives by grieving their deaths well, but I’m overcome. I’m trying to remember Jesus—not only as the crucified one but also as the victor over sin and death.
—Osheta Moore, "Here Lies Love," in Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice, edited and compiled by Britney Winn Lee (Fresh Air Books, 2020)
Today's Question
How does remembering Jesus help you with grief? Join the conversation.
Today's Scripture
The LORD is a safe place for the oppressed—
a safe place in difficult times.
—Psalm 9:9 (CEB)
Today's Litany
ONE: Jesus, you can empathize with us as we grieve. You, Lord, have sat with the trauma of loss. You know the anger, sadness, and confusion that comes when death visits your loved ones. You know because you wept for the loss of your friend. Weep with us today, Lord. We trust in you to meet us in this space. Remind us that we are not alone.
ALL: Come, Lord Jesus, bring us comfort.
ONE: Lord, teach us the power of lament, and give us courage to weep with those who weep. Surround us and those who have been shaken by tragedy with love and community. Give us new resolve to love ourselves and others fully.
ALL: Come, Lord Jesus, bring us connection where this death has brought senselessness.
[Litany by Osheta Moore in Rally]
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.
Something More
Psalms for Black Lives, written by Pastors Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes and Andrew Wilkes, is the perfect resource to add to your bookshelf as we celebrate Black History Month. May we join with God and with each other in the holy work of pursuing justice, undoing structural racism, and building a society that truly values Black lives. Learn more here.
Lectionary Readings
- Isaiah 6:1-8, (9-13)
- Psalm 138
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
- Luke 5:1-11
Read the lectionary texts courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library here.
Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.
1 Comments | Join the Conversation.Mirrors
Today's Reflection
Spiritual growth happens when we challenge ourselves to sincere dialogue with someone for whom God looks very different. Interfaith conversations hold mirrors to our own beliefs, where we see both brightness and room for transformation. . . .
Soulmates are the partners and friends who show us who we really are. They hold mirrors to our hearts, reflecting what makes us real and lovable, while also shedding light on the bruised and callused spots that need work. They encourage us to live into our most precious calling: becoming the spiritual creatures we are meant to be.
—J. Dana Trent, Saffon Cross: The Unlikely Story of How a Christian Minister Married a Hindu Monk (Fresh Air Books, 2013)
Today's Question
Who encourages you to become the spiritual creature you are meant to be? Join the conversation.
Today's Scripture
For now we see in a mirror, dimly. . . . Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
—1 Corinthians 13:12-13 (NRSVA)
Prayer for the Week
In your infinitude, O God, you humble me. As I strive to better understand you, help me recognize this striving in others. Your presence is revealed in so many beautiful ways. Amen.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.
Something More
During the 40 days of Lent, beloved author Beth Richardson invites us to make space for the Holy One in the wilderness of our lives. With daily reflections and weekly spiritual practices, Walking in the Wilderness provides a spiritual feast for readers during one of the more challenging seasons of the year. Get your copy for only $10 (33% off) with promo code WWLENT.
Lectionary Readings
- Jeremiah 1:4-10
- Psalm 71:1-6
- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
- Luke 4:21-30
Read the lectionary texts courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library here.
Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.
3 Comments | Join the Conversation.