Daily Meditations
Hospitality is a form of worship —————————The Talmud
Welcoming people is so important. I have been to churches where no one spoke to me. Obviously I was in no hurry to go back.
Being together over a dinner table is so important. Meals bring us closer together. Jesus left us with a meal for us to share. It is the ultimate hospitality.
Greet people in love and share meals of food and meals from the altar.
Generous God, help us to be as generous to others as you have been to us. AMEN
My soul is a broken field, plowed by pain. ————Sara Teasdale
This may sound depressing. The thought that my soul is in this state. But think about that field. It is plowed by God and ready for planting. It is rich soil and can produce food to eat or flowers for beauty. It is ready to receive the seed that God will plant.
Creative God, we wait for the seed… your gift to bring our soul, not only to fruition but also, to joy. AMEN
This is so true that it is scary. We are the person who get ourselves into trouble. We are the person who doesn’t follow the path of Jesus. We are the one who passes by the homeless person on the street. We are the person who judges others. We are the person who tells malicious stories about our acquaintances. We would like to blame someone else but we can’t.
We HAVE met the enemy and he is us!
Loving God, help us to take the log out of our own eye. Remind us that what we hate most is others is frequently one of our own failings. Teach us to love. Forgive us and grant us your mercy. AMEN
Prayer is essentially about making the heart strong so that fear cannot penetrate there. ————-Matthew Fox
The more that we spend time with God the more he becomes our home. Home with God is our safe place. When we are held in his countenance we are secure. Fear is let go as we rest in his arms. Pray, pray, pray, not always with words. Silence with God is prayer too.
Intimate God, if we come to you and ask to dwell with you we will be in a safe place. That safety can remove fear. AMEN
Nature is perfect, wherever we look, but man always deforms it. ———J.C.F. von Schiller
God made us stewards of the earth. He made us and then expected us to care for everything else. Instead we listened to the part about being in charge and forgot the rest. If we can’t learn to be stewards (dictionary:Â manage or look after another’s property) before long there will be nothing to manage.
Abundant God, your plan was for us to care for your creation. Help us to do just that. AMEN
In California everyone goes to a therapist, is a therapist, or is a therapist going to a therapist. —–——Truman Capote
It seems in earlier generations we needed less therapists. Some might say it was because less people were diagnosed. I have a different idea. Many of us lived in small towns and had more people to talk our problems over with. I think we also depended more on God than on science. We shouldn’t discard the science but more time spent with God may solve some of the things that confront us. God is always there…waiting on us…ready to listen…ready to help. Spend more time with God.
Loving God, you are the perfect listener for our troubles. AMEN
I don’t think God is as concerned about right doctrine as he is about the shape of people’s lives.-———————-unknown
God’s concern is how we live our lives. Can we be kind to others, love the unlovable, feed the hungry, house the homeless and see the pain in others. This is the bottom line. Other things are trivial compared to this.
Understanding God, you know that we can concentrate on the minor things and let the real issues go. Help us to see the needs of others and respond. AMEN
If God seems far from you who has moved? ————-Suzanne Boyd
God is with us all the time. The problem is that we are not always with God. It is so easy to think that God is not listening to us or doesn’t answer our prayers. We begin to think that maybe God isn’t there at all. In actuality, God has not moved at all. We are the ones who have stepped away.
Patient God, we often stop paying attention and feel distant from you. Remind us that we are the ones who moved. AMEN
There we no functional families in scripture. ———-an insight
We think that there is so much that we have to do or be before we can be of any use to God. Absolutely not true. If you just look at the people God used in scripture you can see that they were not who you would expect. David–an adulterer, Joseph’s family sold him into slavery, Rahab was a prostitute. There are many other examples. God knows we cannot be perfect. He chooses who he wants to do his work.
Quirky God, you seem to pick the most unlikely people to do your work. Help us to see that we don’t have to be perfect but just follow you. AMEN
Praying shapes believing.-—————— Lionel L. Mitchell
Praying not only shapes believing but it also enhances it. The more time we spend in prayer the closer we become with God. Too often we think that prayer time has to be planned and formed. This is so wrong. Prayer can be just a moment where we want to thank God or tell him something….just like speaking to a friend. Rmember God is always there and hears us.
Nurturing God, you hear our every thought and prayer. Help us to tell you our thoughts at any moment. When we pray you hear. AMEN
Hear God in Other Voices 