“Blessed Are Your Eyes”
Thank you, O God, for what—for whom—our eyes have seen and our ears have heard.
Keep us, O God, from ever taking for granted the great blessing of knowing you and of following and learning from Jesus.
Inspire us, O God, to put our experience to good use in the ways that we think, talk, and live.
Amen.
“But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:16-17)
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
A Prayer for Saturday, July 30, 2011
“This People’s Heart Has Grown Dull”
Help us, O God, to see and to admit the factors in our lives that can turn us into people who see but do not perceive, who hear but do not listen, and who have hearts that have grown dull: laziness, disappointment, grief, disillusionment, thoughtlessness, coldness, sorrow, failure, success, and selfishness, just to name a few—any or all of which can lead to a spiritual lifelessness that deprives us of the fullness of life in you that leads to meaning and joy.
If we are people whose dullness and lifelessness cause us to hear your good news in ways that cause us to become even duller and more lifeless, please intervene by your grace and open our lives up to you.
If we are people whose dullness and lifelessness cause us to hear your good news in ways that cause us to be aware of our dullness and lifelessness, please intervene by your grace and move us more toward you.
If we are people whose dullness and lifelessness were long ago left behind or never in our memory experienced so that we hear your good news in ways that have come to seem to us routine or ordinary, please intervene by your grace and keep our lives open to and amazed by the wonder of it all.
If we are people, O God—and we are—please intervene in our lives by your grace.
Amen.
“The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: ‘You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn—and I would heal them.’” (Matthew 13:13-15)
Help us, O God, to see and to admit the factors in our lives that can turn us into people who see but do not perceive, who hear but do not listen, and who have hearts that have grown dull: laziness, disappointment, grief, disillusionment, thoughtlessness, coldness, sorrow, failure, success, and selfishness, just to name a few—any or all of which can lead to a spiritual lifelessness that deprives us of the fullness of life in you that leads to meaning and joy.
If we are people whose dullness and lifelessness cause us to hear your good news in ways that cause us to become even duller and more lifeless, please intervene by your grace and open our lives up to you.
If we are people whose dullness and lifelessness cause us to hear your good news in ways that cause us to be aware of our dullness and lifelessness, please intervene by your grace and move us more toward you.
If we are people whose dullness and lifelessness were long ago left behind or never in our memory experienced so that we hear your good news in ways that have come to seem to us routine or ordinary, please intervene by your grace and keep our lives open to and amazed by the wonder of it all.
If we are people, O God—and we are—please intervene in our lives by your grace.
Amen.
“The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: ‘You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn—and I would heal them.’” (Matthew 13:13-15)
Friday, July 29, 2011
A Prayer for Friday, July 29, 2011
“To You It Has Been Given”
If we have been privileged to be given some insight into your way, O Lord, protect us from arrogance that would lead us to think we’ve seen enough and grant us humility that always wants to see more.
Remind us that it is not enough for us to settle for what we have already seen.
If we have not yet been given some insight into your way, O Lord, move whatever in us needs to be moved to clear our field of vision that we might see and give us a hunger to see.
Remind us that it is tragic for us to settle for what we haven’t seen.
Amen.
“Then the disciples came and asked him, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’ He answered, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.’” (Matthew 13:10-12)
If we have been privileged to be given some insight into your way, O Lord, protect us from arrogance that would lead us to think we’ve seen enough and grant us humility that always wants to see more.
Remind us that it is not enough for us to settle for what we have already seen.
If we have not yet been given some insight into your way, O Lord, move whatever in us needs to be moved to clear our field of vision that we might see and give us a hunger to see.
Remind us that it is tragic for us to settle for what we haven’t seen.
Amen.
“Then the disciples came and asked him, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’ He answered, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.’” (Matthew 13:10-12)
Thursday, July 28, 2011
A Prayer for Thursday, July 28, 2011
“A Sower Went Out to Sow”
Lord, only you have the words that can bring us life, so would you by your grace cause us to be found in a position to hear and receive them so that we can benefit from them for our sake, for the sake of others, and for the sake of your kingdom?
Amen.
“Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundred-fold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!” (Matthew 13:3b-9).
Lord, only you have the words that can bring us life, so would you by your grace cause us to be found in a position to hear and receive them so that we can benefit from them for our sake, for the sake of others, and for the sake of your kingdom?
Amen.
“Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundred-fold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!” (Matthew 13:3b-9).
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
A Prayer for Wednesday, July 27, 2011
“In Parables”
Inspire us, O Lord, to want to gather around Jesus to hear what he has to teach us.
At the same time, prepare us, O Lord, to deal with the fact that we will not always get straightforward, simple to understand, step by step instructions from him.
Parables, after all, are designed to draw us in, to make us part of the story, and to force us to make a decision.
Prepare us to listen, O Lord.
Prepare us also to think.
Amen.
“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables”…(Matthew 13:1-3a)
Inspire us, O Lord, to want to gather around Jesus to hear what he has to teach us.
At the same time, prepare us, O Lord, to deal with the fact that we will not always get straightforward, simple to understand, step by step instructions from him.
Parables, after all, are designed to draw us in, to make us part of the story, and to force us to make a decision.
Prepare us to listen, O Lord.
Prepare us also to think.
Amen.
“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables”…(Matthew 13:1-3a)
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
A Prayer for Tuesday, July 26, 2011
“Whoever Does the Will of My Father”
O God, it is a difficult and blessed privilege to be members of Jesus’ family because it means being disciples of Jesus which means following him in doing the will of the Father like he did the will of the Father.
And such doing of the Father’s will is, the record shows, rewarding in its costliness and costly in its rewards.
Give us strength and grace, O God, to follow Jesus in doing your will; enable and empower us to love, to give, and to serve as much as we, with your help, possibly can.
Amen.
“While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ‘Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’ But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ And pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:46-50)
O God, it is a difficult and blessed privilege to be members of Jesus’ family because it means being disciples of Jesus which means following him in doing the will of the Father like he did the will of the Father.
And such doing of the Father’s will is, the record shows, rewarding in its costliness and costly in its rewards.
Give us strength and grace, O God, to follow Jesus in doing your will; enable and empower us to love, to give, and to serve as much as we, with your help, possibly can.
Amen.
“While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ‘Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’ But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ And pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:46-50)
Monday, July 25, 2011
A Prayer for Monday, July 25, 2011
“Worse Than the First”
Help us, O Lord, not to settle for temporary or partial fixes to our spiritual problems; help us not to settle for seemingly ridding ourselves of what is wrong within us without also welcoming the ways that you will fill us with what is right—that you will fill us with your love, with your grace, and with yourself.
Remind us, O Lord, that right positions, right words, right ideas, and right actions—right as we regard them and even as our community regards them—are not enough, particularly if they consist mainly of what we don’t think, don’t say, or don’t do.
Fill us so much with your life, O Lord, that there is little room for anything else.
Amen.
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.” (Matthew 12:43-45)
Help us, O Lord, not to settle for temporary or partial fixes to our spiritual problems; help us not to settle for seemingly ridding ourselves of what is wrong within us without also welcoming the ways that you will fill us with what is right—that you will fill us with your love, with your grace, and with yourself.
Remind us, O Lord, that right positions, right words, right ideas, and right actions—right as we regard them and even as our community regards them—are not enough, particularly if they consist mainly of what we don’t think, don’t say, or don’t do.
Fill us so much with your life, O Lord, that there is little room for anything else.
Amen.
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.” (Matthew 12:43-45)
Sunday, July 24, 2011
A Prayer for Sunday, July 24, 2011
“Something Greater”
O God, we listen to a lot of people. Some are worth listening to while others are not; give us discernment to know the difference.
But above all, O God, help us to listen to Jesus—to his words, to his actions, to the witness of his entire life—more than we listen to anyone else, regardless of how much they merit our attention.
Amen.
“The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!” (Matthew 12:41-42)
O God, we listen to a lot of people. Some are worth listening to while others are not; give us discernment to know the difference.
But above all, O God, help us to listen to Jesus—to his words, to his actions, to the witness of his entire life—more than we listen to anyone else, regardless of how much they merit our attention.
Amen.
“The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!” (Matthew 12:41-42)
Saturday, July 23, 2011
A Prayer for Saturday, July 23, 2011
“The Sign of the Prophet Jonah”
There is not much point, Lord, in our trying to get our minds around the sign of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but if we can get our hearts and spirits wrapped around it—or maybe better put, if it can get wrapped around our hearts and spirits—well, that makes all the difference.
Let it be, dear Lord—let it be.
Amen.
“But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.’” (Matthew 12:39-40)
There is not much point, Lord, in our trying to get our minds around the sign of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but if we can get our hearts and spirits wrapped around it—or maybe better put, if it can get wrapped around our hearts and spirits—well, that makes all the difference.
Let it be, dear Lord—let it be.
Amen.
“But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.’” (Matthew 12:39-40)
Friday, July 22, 2011
A Prayer for Friday, July 22, 2011
“We Wish to See a Sign”
Lord, help us to grow into a faith that does not need any signs from you other than the signs of your grace, love, and mercy that we experience every day of our lives.
Amen.
“Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’” (Matthew 12:38)
Lord, help us to grow into a faith that does not need any signs from you other than the signs of your grace, love, and mercy that we experience every day of our lives.
Amen.
“Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’” (Matthew 12:38)
Thursday, July 21, 2011
A Prayer for Thursday, July 21, 2011
“By Your Words”
We acknowledge, O God, that our words matter more than we usually think they do; help us to take them more seriously, knowing that the content of our words reflects the content of our hearts. That being the case, help us to take the content of our hearts with utmost seriousness so that we will have a healthy place from which healthy words can and will flow.
Guard us from legalistic paranoia over the silly and meaningless words that we utter in moments of joy, humor, pain, or confusion.
But also guard us from unthinking carelessness about the ways that our words, especially our words that reflect on you, on the nature of our relationship with you, and on your ways in the world, can reflect an unthinking carelessness about those most important realities.
Amen.
“I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)
We acknowledge, O God, that our words matter more than we usually think they do; help us to take them more seriously, knowing that the content of our words reflects the content of our hearts. That being the case, help us to take the content of our hearts with utmost seriousness so that we will have a healthy place from which healthy words can and will flow.
Guard us from legalistic paranoia over the silly and meaningless words that we utter in moments of joy, humor, pain, or confusion.
But also guard us from unthinking carelessness about the ways that our words, especially our words that reflect on you, on the nature of our relationship with you, and on your ways in the world, can reflect an unthinking carelessness about those most important realities.
Amen.
“I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
A Prayer for Wednesday, July 20, 2011
“Out of the Abundance of the Heart”
Lord, guard us from the minor hypocrisy of saying or doing things in an effort to mask who we truly are in our hearts; protect us from trying to appear to be better than we are.
But Lord, especially guard us from the major hypocrisy that results from our having deluded ourselves into believing that we are in fact other than we are; especially protect us from thinking that we really are better than we are.
Help us to see ourselves—to see our innermost selves—as we truly are. If we are evil, we are evil. If we are good, we are good. But perhaps most of us are somewhere in between or are in some ways both at the same time.
Lord, have mercy! Please move us all more toward you! Please rid our hearts of evil treasure and fill them with good treasure! Please cause us all to be more receptive of your grace! Please let our hearts be so full of you and your love and your grace that every day what comes out of our mouths and what is done in our lives is better and better and healthier and healthier--and has more and more integrity.
Amen.
“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out an evil treasure.” (Matthew 12:33-35)
Lord, guard us from the minor hypocrisy of saying or doing things in an effort to mask who we truly are in our hearts; protect us from trying to appear to be better than we are.
But Lord, especially guard us from the major hypocrisy that results from our having deluded ourselves into believing that we are in fact other than we are; especially protect us from thinking that we really are better than we are.
Help us to see ourselves—to see our innermost selves—as we truly are. If we are evil, we are evil. If we are good, we are good. But perhaps most of us are somewhere in between or are in some ways both at the same time.
Lord, have mercy! Please move us all more toward you! Please rid our hearts of evil treasure and fill them with good treasure! Please cause us all to be more receptive of your grace! Please let our hearts be so full of you and your love and your grace that every day what comes out of our mouths and what is done in our lives is better and better and healthier and healthier--and has more and more integrity.
Amen.
“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out an evil treasure.” (Matthew 12:33-35)
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
A Prayer for Tuesday, July 19, 2011
“Whoever Is Not With Me Is Against Me”
Help those of us who follow Jesus, O God, to see what you are doing; give us discernment to know how you are working in the world to change lives and to set people free. Protect us from refusing to see how the Spirit inspires works of grace and love and from refusing to share in such Spirit-inspired works.
Help those around us who do not follow Jesus, O God, to see what you are doing; give them discernment to know how you are working in the world to change them and to set them free. Enable them to see how the Spirit inspires works of grace and love on their behalf and to be able to open their lives up to what the Spirit is doing for them.
Help those of us who follow Jesus, O God, to be led by the Spirit to work alongside Jesus in doing works of grace and love on behalf of hurting and lost people.
Help those of us who do not follow Jesus, O God, to be led by the Spirit to accept what Jesus and Jesus’ followers are being led by the Spirit to do for us to touch us with grace and love.
Amen.
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” (Matthew 12:30-32)
Help those of us who follow Jesus, O God, to see what you are doing; give us discernment to know how you are working in the world to change lives and to set people free. Protect us from refusing to see how the Spirit inspires works of grace and love and from refusing to share in such Spirit-inspired works.
Help those around us who do not follow Jesus, O God, to see what you are doing; give them discernment to know how you are working in the world to change them and to set them free. Enable them to see how the Spirit inspires works of grace and love on their behalf and to be able to open their lives up to what the Spirit is doing for them.
Help those of us who follow Jesus, O God, to be led by the Spirit to work alongside Jesus in doing works of grace and love on behalf of hurting and lost people.
Help those of us who do not follow Jesus, O God, to be led by the Spirit to accept what Jesus and Jesus’ followers are being led by the Spirit to do for us to touch us with grace and love.
Amen.
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” (Matthew 12:30-32)
Monday, July 18, 2011
A Prayer for Monday, July 18, 2011
“Tying Up the Strong Man”
Empower us, Lord, to join in your work of tying up the strong man, of limiting the influence and actions of the Evil One. Help us to live in the ways of Jesus—the ways of love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness—rather than in the ways of the Evil One—the ways of hate, legalism, revenge, and unforgiveness.
Empower us, Lord, to join in your work of plundering the strong man’s property, of helping people to find their way to the expansive and eternal life that can be theirs in you and away from the limiting and limited life that is theirs in him.
Empower us, Lord, to join in your good work of overcoming evil with good.
Amen.
“Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered.”(Matthew 12:29)
Empower us, Lord, to join in your work of tying up the strong man, of limiting the influence and actions of the Evil One. Help us to live in the ways of Jesus—the ways of love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness—rather than in the ways of the Evil One—the ways of hate, legalism, revenge, and unforgiveness.
Empower us, Lord, to join in your work of plundering the strong man’s property, of helping people to find their way to the expansive and eternal life that can be theirs in you and away from the limiting and limited life that is theirs in him.
Empower us, Lord, to join in your good work of overcoming evil with good.
Amen.
“Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered.”(Matthew 12:29)
Sunday, July 17, 2011
A Prayer for Sunday, July 17, 2011
“Then the Kingdom of God Has Come to You”
We confess, O God, that our motives and purposes, unlike those of Jesus, are not always driven and inspired by doing your will in your way for your reasons; we confess, O God, that we do not always have purity of heart and single-minded purpose.
Please help us to grow toward greater Christ-likeness in those very important areas of life.
Empower us by your Spirit to overcome evil by doing good and to do so in ways that make it very clear that we are empowered by the same Spirit that empowered the actions of Jesus and that we are citizens of the kingdom that his actions inaugurated.
Amen.
“And said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.” (Matthew 12:25b-28)
We confess, O God, that our motives and purposes, unlike those of Jesus, are not always driven and inspired by doing your will in your way for your reasons; we confess, O God, that we do not always have purity of heart and single-minded purpose.
Please help us to grow toward greater Christ-likeness in those very important areas of life.
Empower us by your Spirit to overcome evil by doing good and to do so in ways that make it very clear that we are empowered by the same Spirit that empowered the actions of Jesus and that we are citizens of the kingdom that his actions inaugurated.
Amen.
“And said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.” (Matthew 12:25b-28)
Saturday, July 16, 2011
A Prayer for Saturday, July 16, 2011
“He Knew What They Were Thinking”
We have our doubts. We have our questions. We have our hesitations.
We have our thoughts.
Sometimes the first thought that jumps into our heads is an accurate thought; sometimes it is an inaccurate one. Sometimes our first thought is a believing one; sometimes it is an unbelieving one. Sometimes it is a seeking one; sometimes it is an avoiding one.
We acknowledge, O Lord, that you know our every thought. Cause that knowledge to lead us not to live in fear but rather to live in trust that you can move us and are moving us to a place of greater faith and hope—if we will but let such movement be our goal.
May our thoughts—and your work on, in, and through our thoughts—always contribute to growth in our knowledge of you.
Amen.
“But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ‘It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out demons.’ He knew what they were thinking.…” (Matthew 12:24-25a)
We have our doubts. We have our questions. We have our hesitations.
We have our thoughts.
Sometimes the first thought that jumps into our heads is an accurate thought; sometimes it is an inaccurate one. Sometimes our first thought is a believing one; sometimes it is an unbelieving one. Sometimes it is a seeking one; sometimes it is an avoiding one.
We acknowledge, O Lord, that you know our every thought. Cause that knowledge to lead us not to live in fear but rather to live in trust that you can move us and are moving us to a place of greater faith and hope—if we will but let such movement be our goal.
May our thoughts—and your work on, in, and through our thoughts—always contribute to growth in our knowledge of you.
Amen.
“But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ‘It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out demons.’ He knew what they were thinking.…” (Matthew 12:24-25a)
Friday, July 15, 2011
A Prayer for Friday, July 15, 2011
“Can This Be…?”
Perhaps, O Lord, we ask such a question about Jesus just about every day: can he really be who he appears to be? Can he really be who they—who we—say he is?
Help our thinking to be informed by what we see him doing for others and by what we experience him doing for us.
Then they—and we—just might be the answers to our own questions.
Amen.
“Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and said, ‘Can this be the Son of David?’” (Matthew 12:22-23)
Perhaps, O Lord, we ask such a question about Jesus just about every day: can he really be who he appears to be? Can he really be who they—who we—say he is?
Help our thinking to be informed by what we see him doing for others and by what we experience him doing for us.
Then they—and we—just might be the answers to our own questions.
Amen.
“Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and said, ‘Can this be the Son of David?’” (Matthew 12:22-23)
Thursday, July 14, 2011
A Prayer for Thursday, July 14, 2011
“To Fulfill”
Lead us, Lord, to be faithful in bringing hope and justice, in bringing your good news, to all the people that we can.
Lead us also, Lord, to be faithful in bringing those needed things to people in the right ways—the ways in which Jesus fulfilled the ways that you intended him and all your children to follow.
Lead us, Lord, to be faithful in living and speaking out of the trust, the humility, the grace, and the gentleness of the one to whose life and message it is, after all, that we bear witness with our lives and words.
Amen.
“This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope.’” (Matthew 12:17-21)
Lead us, Lord, to be faithful in bringing hope and justice, in bringing your good news, to all the people that we can.
Lead us also, Lord, to be faithful in bringing those needed things to people in the right ways—the ways in which Jesus fulfilled the ways that you intended him and all your children to follow.
Lead us, Lord, to be faithful in living and speaking out of the trust, the humility, the grace, and the gentleness of the one to whose life and message it is, after all, that we bear witness with our lives and words.
Amen.
“This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope.’” (Matthew 12:17-21)
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
A Prayer for Wednesday, July 13, 2011
“He Cured All of Them”
Give us discernment and wisdom, O God, that we will know when to act publicly and when to act privately, when to confront and when not to confront, and when to speak boldly and when not to speak boldly.
But all along the way, O God, regardless of how you lead us to act and to speak, help us to do good for all the hurting people that we can.
Amen.
“When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds follow him, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known.” (Matthew 12:15-16)
Give us discernment and wisdom, O God, that we will know when to act publicly and when to act privately, when to confront and when not to confront, and when to speak boldly and when not to speak boldly.
But all along the way, O God, regardless of how you lead us to act and to speak, help us to do good for all the hurting people that we can.
Amen.
“When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds follow him, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known.” (Matthew 12:15-16)
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
A Prayer for Tuesday, July 12, 2011
“Conspired Against Him”
Thank you, O God, for endowing us with creative and imaginative capacities.
Help us, O God, to use those capacities to do good and not evil, to help and not to harm, and to contribute to your kingdom and not to take away from your kingdom.
Amen.
“But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.” (Matthew 12:14)
Thank you, O God, for endowing us with creative and imaginative capacities.
Help us, O God, to use those capacities to do good and not evil, to help and not to harm, and to contribute to your kingdom and not to take away from your kingdom.
Amen.
“But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.” (Matthew 12:14)
Monday, July 11, 2011
A Prayer for Monday, July 11, 2011
“Lawful to Do Good”
Cause us, O God, to view other people both as more valuable than those things that are of economic worth to us—some of which we must have—and as more valuable than even our most cherished religious observances—some of which we must observe.
Inspire us, O God, to do good for others in any situation, in any way, and at any time.
Amen.
“He said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.’ Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other.” (Matthew 12:11-13)
Cause us, O God, to view other people both as more valuable than those things that are of economic worth to us—some of which we must have—and as more valuable than even our most cherished religious observances—some of which we must observe.
Inspire us, O God, to do good for others in any situation, in any way, and at any time.
Amen.
“He said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.’ Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other.” (Matthew 12:11-13)
Sunday, July 10, 2011
A Prayer for Sunday, July 10, 2011
“So That They Might Accuse Him”
O Lord, please give us grace never to see the plight of another human being as an opportunity to make a point or to support a position.
Guard us from being manipulators.
Please give us grace always to see and to treat people as people.
Amen.
“He left that place and entered their synagogue; a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, ‘Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath?’ so that they might accuse him.” (Matthew 12:9-10)
O Lord, please give us grace never to see the plight of another human being as an opportunity to make a point or to support a position.
Guard us from being manipulators.
Please give us grace always to see and to treat people as people.
Amen.
“He left that place and entered their synagogue; a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, ‘Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath?’ so that they might accuse him.” (Matthew 12:9-10)
Saturday, July 9, 2011
A Prayer for Saturday, July 9, 2011
“Lord of the Sabbath”
On the one hand, O God, keep us from falling into the trap of too easily justifying doing what we want to do or too easily justifying what others want to do by pretending that the ancient ways and instructions don’t mean anything.
On the other hand, O God, keep us from falling into the trap of too easily concluding that we are righteous and others are not because it appears that we follow the rules and they do not or of too easily concluding that because we follow the rules we have met all of our obligations to you, to ourselves, and to others.
Given that Jesus is our Lord, enable us to view and to treat the traditional spiritual disciplines such as sabbath observance like Jesus viewed and treated them, namely, as disciplines that are worthy of our respect and of our observance but not as opportunities to condemn other people or to neglect our responsibilities toward other people.
O God, help our practice of the spiritual disciplines to lead us to practice mercy, fairness, grace, and kindness toward other people.
Amen.
“He said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests. Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice”, you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.’” (Matthew 12:3-8)
On the one hand, O God, keep us from falling into the trap of too easily justifying doing what we want to do or too easily justifying what others want to do by pretending that the ancient ways and instructions don’t mean anything.
On the other hand, O God, keep us from falling into the trap of too easily concluding that we are righteous and others are not because it appears that we follow the rules and they do not or of too easily concluding that because we follow the rules we have met all of our obligations to you, to ourselves, and to others.
Given that Jesus is our Lord, enable us to view and to treat the traditional spiritual disciplines such as sabbath observance like Jesus viewed and treated them, namely, as disciplines that are worthy of our respect and of our observance but not as opportunities to condemn other people or to neglect our responsibilities toward other people.
O God, help our practice of the spiritual disciplines to lead us to practice mercy, fairness, grace, and kindness toward other people.
Amen.
“He said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests. Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice”, you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.’” (Matthew 12:3-8)
Friday, July 8, 2011
A Prayer for Friday, July 8, 2011
“What Is Not Lawful to Do”
Give us, O God, the right perspective on what is right and what is wrong; give us the right perspective on what is good and what is best; give us the right perspective on what is harmful and what is helpful.
Help us, O God, to care about and to practice the disciplines of our faith in ways that will contribute both to our spiritual health and to the well-being of others.
And help us, O God to care more about what hungry and hurting people need than we do about seeing them follow our rules—even if they are good rules.
Amen.
“At that time Jesus went through the cornfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.’” (Matthew 12:1-2)
Give us, O God, the right perspective on what is right and what is wrong; give us the right perspective on what is good and what is best; give us the right perspective on what is harmful and what is helpful.
Help us, O God, to care about and to practice the disciplines of our faith in ways that will contribute both to our spiritual health and to the well-being of others.
And help us, O God to care more about what hungry and hurting people need than we do about seeing them follow our rules—even if they are good rules.
Amen.
“At that time Jesus went through the cornfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.’” (Matthew 12:1-2)
Thursday, July 7, 2011
A Prayer for Thursday, July 7, 2011
“I Will Give You Rest”
Some of us, O Lord, need to wake up to the fact that we carry heavy burdens and that we have weary souls; indeed, it is those who delude themselves as to the state of their lives—those who claim peace when they have no peace, who claim control where they have no control, who deny their need for grace when all they need is grace—who are in the most trouble.
Pry open the eyes of those of us who have closed our eyes to the state of our lives that we might be able to see the rest that you offer us in Christ Jesus.
Some of us, O Lord, need to wake up to the fact that we choose to continue carrying heavy burdens that you have taken from us and that we choose to continue pursuing wearisome lifestyles when you have given us rest; we still try to be good enough or busy enough or respectable enough when your grace and what your grace produces is all that can ever be enough.
Pry open the hearts of those of us who have realized our need to come to you for rest but who have not fully accepted it and are not fully living in it.
Your rest is too great a gift to turn down. Help us to receive it gladly and fully.
Amen.
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-29)
Some of us, O Lord, need to wake up to the fact that we carry heavy burdens and that we have weary souls; indeed, it is those who delude themselves as to the state of their lives—those who claim peace when they have no peace, who claim control where they have no control, who deny their need for grace when all they need is grace—who are in the most trouble.
Pry open the eyes of those of us who have closed our eyes to the state of our lives that we might be able to see the rest that you offer us in Christ Jesus.
Some of us, O Lord, need to wake up to the fact that we choose to continue carrying heavy burdens that you have taken from us and that we choose to continue pursuing wearisome lifestyles when you have given us rest; we still try to be good enough or busy enough or respectable enough when your grace and what your grace produces is all that can ever be enough.
Pry open the hearts of those of us who have realized our need to come to you for rest but who have not fully accepted it and are not fully living in it.
Your rest is too great a gift to turn down. Help us to receive it gladly and fully.
Amen.
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-29)
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
A Prayer for Wednesday, July 6, 2011
“To Whom the Son Chooses to Reveal Him”
Let it be our heart’s desire, O Lord, to be in on the knowing, to be in on the relationship that binds Father and Son and people together.
Let us be people who are humbly aware of our great need, who are much more awed by your grace and love than we are impressed by our wisdom and ability, so that we will be the kind of people to whom the Son chooses to reveal the Father and who can and will see the One who has been revealed to us.
Thank you, God, that we can trust it all to you; help us to do just that.
Amen.
“All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Matthew 11:27)
Let it be our heart’s desire, O Lord, to be in on the knowing, to be in on the relationship that binds Father and Son and people together.
Let us be people who are humbly aware of our great need, who are much more awed by your grace and love than we are impressed by our wisdom and ability, so that we will be the kind of people to whom the Son chooses to reveal the Father and who can and will see the One who has been revealed to us.
Thank you, God, that we can trust it all to you; help us to do just that.
Amen.
“All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Matthew 11:27)
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
A Prayer for Tuesday, July 5, 2011
“To Infants”
Grant, O Lord, that regardless of our level of intelligence and our attainment of wisdom, we will be open and trusting enough to realize and to receive your love and grace.
Let us be smart enough to do some good but not too smart for our own good.
Amen.
“At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.” (Matthew 11:25-26)
Grant, O Lord, that regardless of our level of intelligence and our attainment of wisdom, we will be open and trusting enough to realize and to receive your love and grace.
Let us be smart enough to do some good but not too smart for our own good.
Amen.
“At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.” (Matthew 11:25-26)
Monday, July 4, 2011
A Prayer for Monday, July 4, 2011
“They Would Have Repented”
Lord, help us to accept the great responsibility of responding to your grace that comes with the great privilege of encountering your grace.
And Lord, guard us from the sin of presuming that we have responded to your grace just because we have seen it and heard of it; guard us also from the sin of assuming that your grace is so narrow that it applies only to “us” because of who and where we are or that it is so wide that it applies to “us” whether or not we respond to it and live in it.
Amen.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.” (Matthew 11:21-24)
Lord, help us to accept the great responsibility of responding to your grace that comes with the great privilege of encountering your grace.
And Lord, guard us from the sin of presuming that we have responded to your grace just because we have seen it and heard of it; guard us also from the sin of assuming that your grace is so narrow that it applies only to “us” because of who and where we are or that it is so wide that it applies to “us” whether or not we respond to it and live in it.
Amen.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.” (Matthew 11:21-24)
Sunday, July 3, 2011
A Prayer for Sunday, July 3, 2011
“Because They Did Not Repent”
Cause us, O God, to respond to who Jesus is, to what Jesus says, and to what Jesus has done and still does in the ways that we should.
If we need to hear and to accept the reproach of Jesus because we have not acknowledged our waywardness and our lostness, then let us hear and accept his reproach.
Do not let us stay there, though—give us grace truly to repent, truly to let you turn us around and point us in the direction we should go.
Then help us to keep walking in that way—in the way of Jesus.
Amen.
“Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent.” (Matthew 11:20)
Cause us, O God, to respond to who Jesus is, to what Jesus says, and to what Jesus has done and still does in the ways that we should.
If we need to hear and to accept the reproach of Jesus because we have not acknowledged our waywardness and our lostness, then let us hear and accept his reproach.
Do not let us stay there, though—give us grace truly to repent, truly to let you turn us around and point us in the direction we should go.
Then help us to keep walking in that way—in the way of Jesus.
Amen.
“Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent.” (Matthew 11:20)
Saturday, July 2, 2011
A Prayer for Saturday, July 2, 2011
“To What Will I Compare This Generation?”
Lord, we acknowledge and confess that the kind of life we live can have an impact on the effectiveness of our witness; we furthermore acknowledge and confess that the impact is limited. Sometimes, people are going to hear what they want to hear, see what they want to see, and believe what they want to believe—both about us and about you.
So Lord, make us wise in the ways that we live.
But Lord, please soften the hearts, minds, and lives of those around us in this generation that they might be able to sense and to experience your love and grace; may they even sense them in us.
And Lord, whatever else they say about us and about the ways we live, please let them accuse us of being friends of sinners—and let that accusation be justified!
Amen.
“But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” (Matthew 11:16-19)
Lord, we acknowledge and confess that the kind of life we live can have an impact on the effectiveness of our witness; we furthermore acknowledge and confess that the impact is limited. Sometimes, people are going to hear what they want to hear, see what they want to see, and believe what they want to believe—both about us and about you.
So Lord, make us wise in the ways that we live.
But Lord, please soften the hearts, minds, and lives of those around us in this generation that they might be able to sense and to experience your love and grace; may they even sense them in us.
And Lord, whatever else they say about us and about the ways we live, please let them accuse us of being friends of sinners—and let that accusation be justified!
Amen.
“But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” (Matthew 11:16-19)
Friday, July 1, 2011
A Prayer for Friday, July 1, 2011
“The Least in the Kingdom of Heaven”
O Lord, give us grace to be the least in the kingdom of heaven for it is in weakness, humility, service, and sacrifice that we will be at the center of what you are doing.
O Lord, give us grace to receive our place in the kingdom of heaven as the gift that you intend it to be, not as something that we must fight for or struggle to achieve.
O Lord, give us grace to know your way in the world and to live your way in the world so that we can hear with Christ-like ears, think with Christ-like minds, talk with Christ-like mouths, and act with Christ-like motives.
Amen.
“Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. Let anyone with ears listen!” (Matthew 11:11-15)
O Lord, give us grace to be the least in the kingdom of heaven for it is in weakness, humility, service, and sacrifice that we will be at the center of what you are doing.
O Lord, give us grace to receive our place in the kingdom of heaven as the gift that you intend it to be, not as something that we must fight for or struggle to achieve.
O Lord, give us grace to know your way in the world and to live your way in the world so that we can hear with Christ-like ears, think with Christ-like minds, talk with Christ-like mouths, and act with Christ-like motives.
Amen.
“Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. Let anyone with ears listen!” (Matthew 11:11-15)
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