THURS MAY 9 2024
God is love. (1 John 4:16)
You are all-powerful. You are all-knowing. You are present everywhere at all times. Yet, more than anything else, you are love. You heal and transform. You redeem and restore. Love is your way of being, and not merely a lofty ideal or a fleeting emotion. May we abide in your love, caring and sharing as you did with us. Amen.
WED MAY 8 2024
No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:12)
In Christ Jesus, you revealed your face to us. In Christ Jesus, you showed us your way – the way of love. Your love is unwavering and unshakable. Your love is not self-seeking nor easily angered. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Perfect your love in us, O God. Amen.
TUES MAY 7 2024
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 5:12)
Your love, Lord Jesus, is uninhibited and freely shared. Your love, Lord Jesus, is boundless and unconditional. Your love, Lord Jesus, heals and nurtures and is not limited to those who might return the favor. May we love as you have loved - freely and joyfully, deeply and truthfully. Amen.
MON MAY 6 2024
As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. (John 15:9)
You looked at every human being with compassion and saw beauty and goodness in them. You loved them all. And you invite us to enter that life of love. May we accept this wondrous gift of love freely and joyfully. May we dwell in it forever and let it fuel and propel our existence each day, each moment. Amen.
THURS MAY 2 2024
My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. (John 15:8)
You are delighted when we are fully alive! You are pleased when we grow! You are glorified when we bear fruit! Shower your love and grace upon us, O God, that we may be your disciples full of the fruit of heaven - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Amen.
WED MAY 1 2024
Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. (John 15:6)
Remove all that is dead, lifeless, and unproductive from us, O God. Do not let our life become one big tangled mess. Prune us and prepare us for new growth. Reshape our desires and reorder our priorities, that we may have life and have it abundantly. Amen.
TUES APR 30 2024
I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
In your design, we will thrive and flourish only as one vine. We exist and bear fruit, not as free-standing branches, but joined together as one vine, receiving the life-giving sap from you and letting it flow through us to other branches. Help us build strong connections, Lord Jesus. Help us thrive and flourish. Amen.
MON APR 29 2024
‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. (John 15:1-2)
For us, uninformed and inexperienced gardeners, pruning sounds harsh. Breaking the things of old sound disruptive and painful, be it a branch or a habit. Even so, help us subject ourselves to your pruning knife, O God. Grant us courage and conviction, faith and trust; help us develop into our fullest and most beautiful and productive existence. Amen.
THURS APR 25
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long. (Psalm 23:5-6)
You set a table for us right in front of our adversaries. Our cup is so full it spills over. Through ups and downs, twists and turns, you pursue us with your goodness and mercy, providing us with everything that makes life possible and good. Never flinching, never faltering, may we follow you and dwell in your loving embrace forever and ever. Amen.
WED APR 24 2024
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. (Psalm 23:1-3. KJV)
You, indeed, are our Good Shepherd! You lead us to green pastures and still waters, where our souls are restored and our spirits replenished. Guide us along life’s journey, O God. Lead us in right paths, that we may have life and have it abundantly. We are your flock, and we trust you. Amen.
TUES APR 23 2024
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters (Genesis 1:1-2, KJV)
What an amazing world you have created, O God! Out of a formless void, you created – the sun and moon and stars! Out of nothing, you created – crocuses, daffodils, and violets; field and forest, flowery meadows and flashing sea! For the beauty of the earth and the glory of the skies, for your love that knows no end, we raise our hymn of grateful praise! Amen.
MON APR 22 2024
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
May we never confuse abundance with excess. May we never confuse abundance with convenience, either. May we never take any of your gifts for granted or disposable. May we live fully and abundantly, exploring and enjoying this beautiful world you have created. May we live humbly and reverently, protecting and preserving the Earth, the only home we have and share with all life. Amen.
THURS APR 18 2024
When he [Risen Lord] was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. (Luke 24:30-31)
You are there, in the breaking of the bread! You are there in the sharing of the cup! There, at your table, you reveal yourself to us, nourishing our souls and sustaining our spirits. May we never neglect gathering at your table, Lord Jesus. There, may we become what we eat – your body taken, blessed, broken, and given away that all may have life and have it abundantly. Amen.
WED APR 17 2024
As they came near the village to which they were going, he [Risen Lord] walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ (Luke 24:28-29)
How often we do not recognize you for who you truly are! How often we do not understand your heart and will! Even so, stay with us, Lord Jesus. Do not leave us alone in our confusion and doubt, fear and despair, but stay with us and enlighten us. Gently and tenderly, move us to the right path and guide us to eternity. Amen.
TUES APR 16 2024
While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. (Luke 24:15-16)
Have mercy on us when you come near us but we do not recognize you. Have mercy on us when you walk alongside us but we do not see you. Have mercy on us when you try to grab our attention but we keep ignoring you. Open our eyes, Lord Jesus, that we may see you; open our ears that we may hear you. And grant us grace that upon seeing and hearing, we may follow you. Amen.
MON APR 15 2024
Now on that same day [the day of Resurrection] two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. (Luke 24:13-14)
How disappointed they must have been! They had hoped that Jesus was the one to restore Israel’s fortune! How confused they must have been! They saw him crucified, but now the rumor had it that the tomb was empty. When we feel lost, Lord Jesus, help us stay the course and keep on walking. Amen.
THURS APR 11 2024
As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. (Luke 19:41-42)
We now recognize, Lord Jesus. We now know. You showed us with every fiber of your being. You taught us with every breath you had. Help us dwell deeply in those things that make for peace – truth, trust, compassion, connection, gratitude, and forgiveness. In this world of endless cycles of hurt and harm, hatred and violence, help us, Lord Jesus, that we may live out our faith and dwell in peace. Amen.
WED APR 10
When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. (John 20:22-23)
You call us to live a forgiven and forgiving life. Send us your Holy Spirit, O Risen Christ, and move us from guilt, shame, and anger to forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing. In the tangle of broken and disordered relationships, help us realize our own part and know from the heart what it is to be forgiven. Then, having experienced your forgiveness, may we extend the gift to others. Amen.
TUES APR 9 2024
After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’(John 20:20-21)
You made your presence known in many different ways - in the sound of your voice, in the imprint of your wounds, in the sight of your face, and in the taste of the bread you broke. Open our eyes, ears, and taste buds to your presence, O Risen Christ. Fill our hearts with your joy and send us into the world as carriers of your peace. Amen.
MON APR 8 2024
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ (John 20:19)
Then and now, we live in a world of conflict and violence, Lord Jesus. Then and now, we often feel stuck behind the closed doors of grief and remorse. Yet, locked doors could not keep you out, and neither can our closed hearts. Come and gift us with your peace, Lord Jesus, the peace that surpasses all understanding, the peace that overrides our fear. Amen.