Grieving God
(Devotion edited by Ros McDonald)
Prayer: The Comforting
Let us place our losses in the hands of God.
Dear God, you who cried when you lost a friend,
who wept over Jerusalem,
who asked friends to stay with you
while you struggled with your life,
please stay with us now, holding us in your love.
Cover our lives with the fragrant oil of your healing,
send your Spirit to comfort us in our grief,
and fill our emptiness with new things.
Gather our scattered lives into a community of love,
where loss can be shared and gifts can be given
for the easing of mourning.
We pray these prayers in confidence,
for you are our restoration and the renewal of our hope.
Amen.
(Sourced from In This Hour, Dorothy McRae-McMahon, 2001)
Read:
John 11: selected verses (NIV)
Read this 3 times, noting especially the emotion in this passage. Each time ask God’s help and think about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
“Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.
Thought for the Day:
Like Lazarus, many in our country are sick. We grieve for those who have died, for those who have lost employment, lost hope, lost the ability to see friends and family, lost the ability to freely leave home.
Through Jesus we meet a God who grieves with us and for us. Here, near the body of his dear friend, Jesus is “deeply moved in spirit and troubled”, affected by the weeping of the mourners.
We can give thanks that we are not alone. God is with us.
Finish by rereading the prayer.
Present God
(Devotion by Ros McDonald)
In response to watching Compass on ABCTV Sunday 9th August which followed the last months of the life of Jeremy Spinak AM, who died at aged 36. A leader in the Jewish community, in the end he lost his sense of connection with God.
https://iview.abc.net.au/show/compass
Prayer: Eternally present
O Thou eternally present,
timeless Existence
beyond all time,
we are always present to You,
even when we have forgotten You
or simply turned away from You
because we ran out of time.
Give us the sense
to take the time
for what is really important:
those deep, sustaining relationships
that bind us to the ones we love
and the sacred, Spirit-fed,
life-giving bond
we know we share with You.
Be present to us
all of the time,
now and forever.
Amen.
(Sourced from WomanWitness, Miriam Therese Winter, 1992)
Read:
John 14: 15-20 (NIV)
Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”
Thought for the Day:
Knowing that he is about to leave his disciples, Jesus is comforting them, assuring them that through the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, Jesus will dwell within them. This indwelling does not depend on how close we feel to God, or whether we have a sense of the presence of God. God’s Spirit is within us because God, through Jesus, has promised it will be. Jesus says that “I will not leave you as orphans”. His use of the word “orphan” reminds us that we are members of God’s family. Jesus tells his disciples, and us, that there is a connection between receiving the Holy Spirit and keeping Jesus’ command to love. Look for opportunities to let God’s love flow through you today.
Finish by rereading the prayer.
Exchange
(Devotion edited by Graeme Harrison)
PRAYER:
Father of love give me an open mind, a mind ready to welcome and to receive the new light and knowledge you reveal to me. Let the past never set a limit to the future. Give me courage to change my mind when that is needed. Let me be tolerant to the thoughts of others and hospitable to the light that comes to me through them.
(LFC Elders Prayer Diary 3, Friday Morning )
Read:
Matthew 13:44-46. Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
(Matthew 13:44-46 NIV)
Thought for the Day:
Where did your mind linger; on what is gained or on what is given up? Why?
Image of God
(Devotion edited by Graeme Harrison)
PRAYER:
Faithful Father,
give me greater faith and hope and make me more constant in love.
In loving let me believe, and in believing let me love, and in loving and in believing let me hope for a more perfect love and a more unwavering faith,
through Jesus Christ my Lord.
(LFC Elders Prayer Diary 3, Thursday Morning )
Read:
Galatians 3:26-29. Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
(Galatians 3:26-29NIV)
Thought for the Day:
There is a battle going on since the fall of humanity into sin; who controls God’s image? Is it God or self-serving humans?
One cynical 19th century philosopher put it this way, ‘Man has made god in his own image’. By this he meant that human beings are always trying to figure out how to change god’s media image so that he fits whatever they want to do. The British did it with their catchy PR phrase “For God, King and Empire”. It took some serious spin and PR to change God’s ‘media’ image from “gentle Jesus meek and mild” to Empire builder, invader and conqueror of other people’s homelands but they did it. Quite successfully too.
The battle to control God’s public image with spin is as old as the tower of Babel.
But Paul points out that God has reclaimed control of how he is portrayed in the public space by sending Jesus Christ. God fights back by disempowering all the divisions that benefit the privileged over the underprivileged: “neither
Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female”.
It is the privileged who twist god’s image to favour themselves but what if Jesus creates a community where God saves us all equally, values us all equally, gives us all the same privileges in the Kingdom of God. This God is no-one’s patsy and needs no spin doctor to speak for God. God has spoken and the crucified Christ is his Word.
Let God speak.
Of the Earth
(Devotion edited by Graeme Harrison)
PRAYER:
Creator God.
Through your hand and through your Word, you have given us life and given life to all our world.
You call us to be stewards and co-creators.
Awaken within us a deep respect for where we walk. Help us to tread lightly on this land and to cherish the gifts endowed upon us.
We make this prayer through the Holy Spirit, who has moved in this world for all time. Amen
(Prepared by Evangelisation & Spiritual Formation Team, © Brisbane Catholic Education)
Read:
Genesis 1:24-31. Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
24And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.
25God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
30And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
(Genesis 1:24-31 NIV)
Thought for the Day:
A Reflection from Jurgan Moltmann’s book “The Spirit of Hope- Theology for a World in Peril”
Before we human beings till and keep the earth and assume any rule over the world or any responsibility for creation, the earth cares for us. It creates the conditions that are favourable for the human race and has preserved it down to the present day. It is not that the earth is entrusted to us: we are entrusted to the earth. The earth can live without us human beings, but we cannot live without the earth.
… the human being is the last being God creates and therefore, the most dependent of all God’s creations. For their life on earth, human beings are dependent on the existence of animals and plants, air and water, light, daytime and night time, sun, moon, and stars, and without these things, we cannot live. Human beings exist only because all these other creatures exist. … So it is impossible to conceive of the human beings as a divine potentate over and against nature.
Human beings are a part of nature. … It is only when we become aware of our dependence on the life of the earth and on the existence of other living things that we shall turn … into truly human beings.
Forgiving God
(Devotion by Ros McDonald)
Prayer:
Come to us, O God of surprising grace.
Break into the places in our lives
which we think are not worthy of your entry,
and show us the measure of your love for us.
Break through into newness
in all our life together, O God,
in the wonder of your transforming presence.
Amen.
(Sourced from Uniting in Worship 2, Uniting Church in Australia, 2005)
Read:
Psalm 32: 1-5(NIV)
Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you. In particular, notice the emotional distress of the writer.
Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
Thought for the Day:
It’s easy to carry around a burden of guilt, for actions and words we regret, or for actions which we think we should have done, and words which we didn’t say. Sometimes our actions and words are wrong and hurtful and our guilt is there because we know that we have not lived up to the Christian way of life. Sometimes we feel guilt unnecessarily, for events that were not our responsibility, or that we had no control over.
Whatever the reason for our guilt, we can bring it to God in prayer, as did the writer of Psalm 32. This is a gutsy thing to do, because having been forgiven by God, we can become free to change and perhaps to take some action.
For many people, living in stage 4 lockdown intensifies their feelings. Did you notice the emotional distress of the writer of the Psalm? Notice too, the experience of being blessed, described in the first stanza of the Psalm, after the writer brought his/her distress to God. We have a God who became human in Christ Jesus, who understands us completely and loves us passionately. If you are in emotional distress, talk with God in prayer, then talk with someone you trust.
Finish by rereading the prayer.
In All Things God Works for Good …
(Devotion by Graeme Harrison)
PRAYER:
Everything
God in my living
There in my breathing
God in my waking
God in my sleeping
God in my resting
There in my working
God in my thinking
God in my speaking
Be my ev'rything
Be my ev'rything
Be my ev'rything
Be my ev'rything
God in my hoping
There in my dreaming
God in my watching
God in my waiting
God in my laughing
There in my weeping
God in my hurting
God in my healing
Christ in me! Christ in me!
Christ in me the Hope of Glory!
You are ev'rything
(Tim Hughes © 2005 Thankyou Music (Admin. by SHOUT! Music Publishing Australia) For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI Licence # 113082 Used with permission)
Read:
Romans 8:28-36. Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
(Romans 8:28-36 NIV)
Thought for the Day:
I can’t tell you how often I have seen verse 28 on posters, bookmarks and mugs. I can tell you how often I have seen verse 36 similarly displayed; zero. The reason is that we want verses around that make us feel that everything is going to be ok. Verse 28 seems to say that but verse 36 seems to contradict. There is no contradiction in Paul’s mind.
This is because he understands that verse 28 is a statement about the universe and everything; that God is moving in life in such a way that love wins at the end of history. He is not trying to say that God’s action will only let good things happen in the life of the individual Christian. That is why verses 28 and 36 are not contradictions in Paul’s mind. Bad things do happen to people who love Christ and follow him. Paul himself was imprisoned and executed just a year or two after this letter was sent. Paul did not feel cheated by this. He was happy enough knowing that he experienced God’s personal love in the here and now (including when unjustly bound in prison) and that dwelling in that unconditional love was his inheritance forever.
How do you feel about your life in the world? Do you resonate with Paul, that despite everything you are the most fortunate person alive because of Jesus?
That is your inheritance to claim.
Overcome Evil
(Devotion by Graeme Harrison)
PRAYER:
A prayer for remembrance
O Lord,
remember not only men and women of good will,
but also those of ill will.
But do not remember all the suffering they have inflicted upon us;
instead, remember the fruits we have borne
because of this suffering –
our fellowship, our loyalty to one another,
our humility, our courage, our generosity,
the greatness of heart that has grown from this trouble.
When our persecutors come to be judged by you,
let all these fruits we have borne be their forgiveness. Amen.
Found on the clothing of a dead child
at Ravensbruck concentration camp
(Sourced from A Treasury of Prayers in Uniting in Worship, copyright 1988 Uniting Church in Australia)
Read:
Romans 12:17-21. Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
(Romans 12:17-21 NIV)
Thought for the Day:
Yesterday was Hiroshima Day. It is a testimony to human wisdom. Apparently, it was reasoned that the wartime Japanese government would never surrender and that hundreds of thousands of American soldiers would lose their lives fighting street by street through the cities of Japan. Instead, if the USA dropped a weapon of mass destruction onto two cities and wiped out everyone including infants and non-combatants the Japanese government would be so appalled at the inhumanity of their enemies that they would surrender. Famously, it worked. No American lives were sacrificed but every principle that the allies were fighting to protect was sacrificed.
How do you overcome evil in this world? Do live by Jesus teachings or do we abandon them when the level of evil seems too big? Whatever you are facing in your life, may you “overcome evil with good.”
Humorous God
(Devotion by Ros McDonald)
Prayer: God of Merriment
God of merriment, help us keep our sense of humour.
Help us to see the comical side of human self-importance.
When we take ourselves too seriously, enable us to chuckle at our folly.
Fill us with the robust joy of Easter.
God of merriment, because of all your victories in Christ Jesus,
liberate us to share in the song of the morning stars
and the joyful shouts of the children of God,
now and forever. Amen.
(Adapted from Jesus Our Future, Bruce Prewer, 1998)
Read:
Luke 6: 41-42 (NRSV)
Ask for God’s guidance, then read this slowly. As you read for a second time, imagine the scene described.
Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbour, “Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye”, when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye.
Thought for the Day:
It’s easy to get so familiar with the bible that we miss the humour. There are many examples of Jesus using humorous exaggeration to make a point. The idea of someone with a huge log sticking out of their eye trying to extract a speck out of the eye of another is ridiculous. Words like these blow away our tendency to think of Jesus as always serious and intense. Through Jesus, we meet a God who has a sense of humour, a playful God. Today may God help us to celebrate the humorous and the playful.