One Little Word

Lessons:
Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
Psalm 1
1 John 5:9-13
St. John 17:6-19

Prayer of the Day
Gracious and glorious God, you have chosen us as your own, and by the powerful name of Christ you protect us from evil. By your Spirit transform us and your beloved world, that we may find our joy in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

^17:6 “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; ⁸ for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. ⁹ I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. ¹⁰ All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. ¹¹ 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. ¹² While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³ But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves.¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. ¹⁵ I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.  ¹⁹ And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

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St. John 17:6-19 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

 

It’s a Wild World

You know I’ve seen a lot of what the world can do,
And it’s breaking my heart in two,
‘Cause I never want to see you sad girl, don’t be a bad girl.
But if you want to leave take good care;
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there,
But just remember there’s a lot of bad and beware.

Oh, baby, baby it’s a wild world;
It’s hard to get by just upon a smile.
Oh, baby, baby it’s a wild world;
And I’ll always remember you like a child, girl.

[Cat Stevens, from “Tea for the Tillerman” (1970)]

Cat Stevens was right: it is a wild world. By many measures, even wilder now than in 1970. There are dangers galore, especially for someone who is childlike, and accustomed to getting by on a smile. It’s no wonder this song rang true for so many when it was released, and still echoes in our minds some forty years later.

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Lessons:
Acts 10:44-48
Psalm 98
1 John 5:1-6
St. John 15:9-17

Prayer of the Day:
O God, you have prepared for those who love you joys beyond understanding. Pour into our hearts such love for you that, loving you above all things, we may obtain your promises, which exceed all we can desire; through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

[Jesus said,] ^15:9 “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹ I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. ¹² This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵ I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. ¹⁶ You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. ¹⁷ I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.“

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St. Mark 15:9-17 New Revised Standard Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Abide in My Love

Jesus has such high hopes for us, doesn’t he? Just in this one passage, we hear him say:

• Keep my commandments.
• Abide in my love.
• Know complete joy.
• Love one another as I have loved you (in other words, being willing to sacrifice even life itself for those whom you love…).
• Do what I command.
• Go and bear fruit.

I have to admit: I’m not that optimistic. Read the rest of this entry »

Lessons:
Acts 8:26-40
Psalm 22:25-31
1 John 4:7-21
St. John 15:1-8

Prayer of the Day:
O God, you give us your Son as the vine apart from whom we cannot live. Nourish our life in his resurrection, that we may bear the fruit of love and know the fullness of your joy, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

^15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. ² He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. ³ You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. ⁵ 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. ⁶ Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷ If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. 

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St. John 15:1-8 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Pruning the Vine

I love the way Jesus teaches. He’ll throw out a parable — often a shocking or disturbing story — and after it rolls around in your mind for a time, you get what he means. Because of the vivid nature of the images, the message stays with you for a good, long time. All someone needs to do is mention the title, and you remember the point immediately. The Good Samaritan… it doesn’t matter what side you’re on; what matters is whether or not you demonstrate love. The Workers in the Vineyard… it doesn’t matter how long you worked; what matters is the owner’s generosity. The Unforgiving Servant… forgiveness is not intended to get you off the hook; it is intended to transform you, and cause you to become a forgiving person.

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Lessons:
Acts  4:5-12
Psalm 23
1st John 3:16-24
St. John 10:11-18

Prayer of the Day:
O Lord Christ, good shepherd of the sheep, you seek the lost and guide us into your fold. Feed us, and we shall be satisfied; heal us, and we shall be whole. Make us one with you, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

^10:11 [Jesus said:] “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away – and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³ The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. ¹⁷ For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

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St. John 10:11-18, New Revised Standard Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Sheep and Shepherds

Sheep are among the dumbest of animals. I don’t want to offend any who might be sheep lovers, but it’s true. And I suspect that is why the Bible holds so many sayings about sheep. They are among the most trusting, obedient animals alive — not because they’ve rationally decided to be trusting and obedient, but because they aren’t smart enough to be any other. However, although they don’t have much independence or initiative, what they do have is a clear sense of who their master is, and what they should do when their master beckons.

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