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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

WHEN WE MINISTER to those in need, we respond to the presence of God in others and remember the moments when God ministered to us in our need. When we pray, we respond to God’s call to step out of the constant hustle of our daily lives, enter into sacred space, and be renewed by God’s Spirit. When we fast from food, drugs, technology, or possessions, we let go of the things that cloud our senses so that we can see God for who God is: the God who loves us deeply. The God who calls us beloved—that’s the real treasure.

—Kristen E. Vincent, We Are Beloved: A Lenten Journey with Protestant Prayer Beads  (Upper Room Books, 2019)

Today's Question

How might you welcome, feed, or clothe Jesus today?  

Today's Scripture

“And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’”
—Matthew 25:40 (NRSV)

Prayer for the Week

I love you, Lord.
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Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

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

Sponsored by The Upper Room. Copyright © 2019 | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA

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Today's Reflection

IN VIRTUALLY EVERY Benedictine community, we see the affirmation, “Treat everyone as Christ.” This statement illuminates the heart of the Benedictine ethic and the hospitality for which many know it. Benedictine hospitality stems from the belief that Christ is present as guest and host in every encounter. Jesus proclaims a divine-human synergy, as recorded in Matthew 25. ...

We reveal our love for God in our love for one another. Christ feels the pain of those who are marginalized and neglected, who experience injustice on city streets, long waits in line for social services, and exclusion of voting rights. God rejoices in children welcomed in church in all their chaotic creativity, in families receiving shelter, and in foreigners provided safe asylum. In ways beyond our imagining, God feels our pain and celebrates our joy. Everything we do touches God.

—Bruce G. Epperly, The Mystic in You: Discovering a God-Filled World (Upper Room Books, 2018)

Today's Question

When have you seen Jesus hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, or in prison?  

Today's Scripture

“For 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, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.... Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
—Matthew 25:35-36, 40 (NRSV)

Prayer for the Week

Peace Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
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Something More

The Academy for Spiritual Formation creates transformative space for people to be in communion with God, self, others, and creation for the sake of the world. Learn more.

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

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

Sponsored by The Upper Room. Copyright © 2019 | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA

4 Comments | Join the Conversation.