MON MAY 20 2024
When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground. (Psalm 140:30)
Your Spirit, O God, creates and renews. Your Spirit, O God, energizes and enlivens. You set loose your breath, and everything springs to life – the whole world in bloom and blossom. Descend upon us here and now! Fill us with your light and love, so that we may have life and have it abundantly! Amen.
THURS MAY 16 2024
They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:16)
We live in a troubled world, O God, to which we do not belong. When we feel lost and confused, guide us with your Word and help us see where we are going. Let your Truth be a lamp throwing a beam of light on our dark path. Lead us and show us the way. We are yours and we trust you. Amen.
WED MAY 15 2023
And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. (John 17:11)
If you are for us, who can be against us? With your mighty arms protecting us, who will divide, diminish, and destroy us? Never dwelling in fear and doubt, may we pursue this life that you conferred as a gift. One in heart and mind, with courage and conviction, may we pursue your purpose and will. Amen.
TUES MAY 14 2024
Can a woman forget her nursing-child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. (Isaiah 49:15)
If you are with us like a nursing mother with her child, who will be against us? You never forget us; you never leave us alone. Help us overcome any weaknesses and failings secured in this love. Come what may, may we be strong and courageous and carry on. Amen.
MON MAY 13 2024
As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. (Isaiah 66:13)
Mothering God, the Creator and Source of every breath, you nurture us and comfort us, heal us and restore us. You inspire joy and hope. Through ups and downs, twists and turns, may we dwell in your love and light. May we make this life’s journey never forgetting whose children we are. Amen.
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.