Opening Prayer
Lord of power and might, who art
the author of all good things; graft in our hearts the love of thy name,
increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of thy great
mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (GS, 5th Century)
1 John 3:18-24
Dear children, let us not love with
words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This is how we know that we
belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our
hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows
everything.
Dear friends, if our hearts do not
condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask,
because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command:
to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he
commanded us. Those who keep his commands live in him, and he in them. And this
is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. TNIV
Prayer of Commitment
O my God, let me walk in the way of
love, which knoweth not how to seek self in anything whatsoever. Let me love
thee for thyself, and nothing else but in and for thee. Let me love nothing
instead of thee, for to give all for love is a most sweet bargain. Let thy love
work in me and by me, and let me love thee as thou wouldst be loved by me. —Dame Gertrude More, 1606-1633
from ‘The Inner Life and Writings of Dame Gertrude More’
story immersion practice
Love is a common word to us. We
know that to be loving we must be like Christ. We know that the greatest
commandments are to love God and love others. And often it is our love for God
that enables us to love others, but our love for others must be a love that
moves out into the meanness of the world. It should not be accompanied by
agendas and requirements. Love that
moves out into the world is freely given and it is unending. It means loving
people who disagree with us, loving people who sit in that other section of the
church sanctuary, and loving people when we feel offended, belittled,
mistreated, disregarded or forgotten.
Love that moves out into the world recognizes the similarities of
humankind, the fact that we are of a same kind, and God sees us all as His
children.
This week you’ll notice several
opportunities to practice the story by praying for and making peace with those
who are different or difficult to love
practicing
the story
Sometimes, who we choose to act
lovingly toward reveals more about our motives than we realize. “Let us do good
to all people,” reminds us who to love, and “let us not love with words or
tongue but with actions and in truth,” tells us how to love. Today, choose
someone you would be least likely to love, and find a way to show him or her
kindness. Commit your act of kindness in secret.
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