Wednesday - the Kingdom of God

Prayer:  Great God,  thank You that You listen to each of our prayers and meditations.  May we,  this day,  keep a time of silence so that we may hear Your voice and Your calling.  Amen.

Read St. Luke 17: 20 - 25

The Pharisees were grilling Jesus on when the Kingdom of God would come.   Jesus says that the Kingdom of God is not plotted on a calendar.  The Kingdom of God is already amongst us.

Then Jesus instructs the disciples on the Kingdom of God and tells them not to rush around after rumours of people saying that the Kingdom of God has come or that the Son of God has returned.  We are to stay where we are and continue the work of God in the place that God has called us.    Jesus instructs the disciples that the Kingdom of God will simply come.

The important phrase for us to remember is Jesus telling the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God is already here amongst us.     God is with us. 

It is through meditation and reflection that we bring the Kingdom of God into action.

1.  Give God thanks for all you have received.   Give God thanks for the big things you have received as well as all the small things you have received.    Remember the “things” are not monetary.  Faith,  life,  family…..    What have you received in your life this week for which you are thankful?  

2.  Ask for the grace to know your sins and to root them out.

Spend time on this statement.  Ask God to help you root out the things in your life that are sinful…. or caused hurt to yourself…. or caused hurt to others….   

Ask God to help you remember and then ask for forgiveness of things you have said or not said… for things you have done or not done.

Be greatful for the life God has given to you.

3.  Reflect over your week so far.  What actions,  thoughts, words, feelings have you had?   Have your actions, thoughts, words, and feelings led you to God?

4.  Ask God to forgive your sins and faults

It is in asking forgiveness of God that we become whole people of God.

5.  With God’s help,  what one thing will you resolve to change in your life tomorrow so that your life is a reflection of God?    This day,  how will you share the Kingdom of God with others?

End with the Lord’s Prayer.

Tuesday - always go back and say thank you

Prayer:  Jesus,  have mercy upon us!  Christ have mercy upon us!   For we will live this day in joy and praise.  God Holy,  God strong and Holy,   God Holy and Immortal,  grant us Your peace.

Read St. Luke  17:  11 - 19

Jesus was journeying between Samaria and Galilee when a group of ten lepers called out to him.     The lepers stood at a distance.   As lepers were considered “unclean”,  they could not approach people to ask for help.    So from a distance,  they loudly shout, “Jesus, have mercy upon us!”

Jesus says for the lepers to go show themselves to the priest.    It is only the priest that can  declare a leper clean.   Once a person is declared clean, then they can live with their families again.

While the ten lepers are heading to find the priest,  they are cleaned.    One of the lepers goes back to thank Jesus.   Jesus had given the leper his life back.    The  cleansed leper is so greatful to Jesus that he praises and glorifies God.

This cleansed leper was a Samaritan…. a foreigner.   Jesus asks why the nine who were also cleansed did not come back to glorify and praise God.   Only the foreigner came back to give thanks and praise.  

Jesus says for the cleansed leper to go on his way…. his faith has healed and save him.

This is a story not only about healing (and remembering to say thank you),  but also  a story of who is open to the gift of  faith.   The gift of  faith is given to the Samaritans.   This thought would have been unthinkable for Jews.  Samaritans were the group of God’s chosen people who were not captured and exiled into Babylon.  They  were despised by the Jews (and often vice versa as well) as they had a different style of worship and married within the peoples living in the area who were not Jewish.     

Yet,  here is one Samaritan that understands the healing of Jesus… and goes back to thank Jesus.   While the nine who were of the Jewish faith did not go back to thank Jesus.      The Kingdom of God is open for all people. 

This day,  meditate on ways to say thank you to God today.

Prayer:  Thank You Great God that we live each day in Your presence.  Open our eyes to Your glory and our hearts to Your song.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Monday - Faith is not a measurement

Prayer:    Open our hearts and our minds to Your Kingdom O LORD.   May we come before You today with thanks and praise for Your gift of faith that is given to each and every one of us.  Amen.

Read St Luke 17: 5 – 10

The disciples said to Jesus, “Give us more faith!”

Jesus responds by saying that faith is not measured by more or less. Faith is not something that is earned by degrees nor in classes.   Faith is a gift of God for all people.

There are three parts to faith.    Part one --  Faith is a gift from God to each of us.  Part two of faith is our acceptance of this gift.    Part three is what we do with this gift.     

Yet we often hear of people saying they can’t do something because they don’t have enough faith.   If we follow the understanding that God gives everyone the gift of faith,  then why don’t  people think they have enough faith?    Trust and acceptance and change.   

Trusting in God.    Many people find trust only comes after they are comfortable.  Which is rather sad as I’m sure that we all miss out on God’s  call to us.   Trust means that with God with us,  we take a step out of our lives to something new.

Acceptance that God has given us this gift of faith.    Until we accept the Word of God in our hearts,  we will spend days and months or  years going around trying to find any other way to not accept the Word of God.   

Change.    None of us like change.   Change means uprooting ourselves and doing new things.   But if we don’t change we become stale and stagnant.  Then the Word of God is not shared with our family and friends.  

This day,  meditate upon what you are doing with your gift of faith that God has given to you.   

Prayer:  Great God,  we thank You for  Your gift of faith.  Help us to accept this gift and then take this great gift to share with others.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.   

Sunday - General Assembly Sunday

Prayer:   Living God,  as the Commissioners and Representatives meet in Your presence today,  may You instill Your wisdom and healing  in their thoughts and actions.   May each of the Commissioners and Representatives and Guests first reflect upon Your love and Your Majesty before any decisions are contemplated.   Build up Your Church O Lord through the gift of these Your people.    Inspire their hearts to serve You all the days of their life.   Give each of those meeting today at General Assembly the strength and vision to see Your Kingdom here on earth.    This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Saturday -

Prayer:  Great God,  may we live in deep reverence before You all of our life.  You are our God and we are Your people.   We love You with our whole hearts and live to serve You each day.   Amen.

Question #5:  Are there more Gods than one?

Answer:  There is but One only,  the living and true God.

Deuteronomy 6: 4

Jeremiah 10:10

Psalm 145

There is only One God.  The living and true God.     Generation after generation stands in awe of God’s love and majesty.

   

This weekend is the meeting of General Assembly.   Presbyterians from all over Canada join together in prayer and praise and business.       And even though tempers may flare and differing  opinions may cause eye brows to raise,  there is a common love.  That love is the love of the living God.  

Prayer:  God,  You are all mercy and grace.  You are not quick to anger and You are rich in love.  Be with those who meet this weekend and week at General Assembly.  Remind each person that You are the living God who gives love and joy to all.  Guide the commissioners and representatives in their decisions so that the Kingdom of God may be visible to all peoples.     Amen.

Friday - constant forgiveness, constant responsibility

Prayer:   Lord Jesus Christ,  let Your healing love enfold us this day so that we can be instruments of Your love.   Lord Jesus Christ,  let Your healing love spring up within us so that with great delight we can do Your will.  Amen

Read  St Luke 17: 1 – 4

Jesus then instructs the disciples that hard trials and temptations will come their way.    It is a part of life.      Be alert to these trials and temptations.  

Jesus continues to say that if the disciples see a friend not following the path to God,  to correct the friend.  If the friend repents,  then forgive the friend.  Even if the friend continues to behave badly,  the disciples must constantly forgive their friend.  

Constant forgiveness.    Constant responsibility.      Two extremely difficult things to do in our life  yet Jesus is instructing the disciples (and us) that forgiveness and responsibility are central to our faith.    Reflect-- how does our Church constantly forgive and is constantly responsible.

Let us journey together with an Ignatian Examen time of Reflection and Prayer:

1.  Give God thanks for all you have received.   Give God thanks for the big things you have received as well as all the small things you have received.    Remember the “things” are not monetary.  Faith,  life,  family…..    What have you received in your life that you are thankful?  

2.  Ask for the grace to know your sins and to root them out.

Spend time on this statement.  Ask God to help you root out the things in your life that are sinful…. or caused hurt to yourself…. or caused hurt to others….   

Ask God to help you remember and then ask for forgiveness of things you have said or not said… for things you have done or not done.

Be greatful for the life God has given to you.

3.  Reflect over the day.  What actions,  thoughts, words, feelings have you had?   Have your actions, thoughts, words, and feelings led you to God?  Have you remembered to constantly forgive yourself and others?  Have you remembered to be constantly responsible for your own actions? 

4.  Ask God to forgive your sins and faults

It is in asking forgiveness of God that we become whole people of God.

5.  With God’s help,  what one thing will you resolve to change in your life tomorrow so that your life is a reflection of God?

Close with the Lord’s Prayer.

Thursday - listening

Prayer:   Wake us up O Lord this day to the needs of all peoples.   Wake us up O Lord this day to answer Your call of helping others.  Amen.

Read St Luke 16: 19 – 31

To emphasis to the Pharisees (and us today) the conflict of possessions and piety,  Jesus tells a parable.  This is a “wake up” parable.   Jesus begins this parable by telling of a rich man and a poor man.  The  rich man  had everything and lived in luxury.     The poor man was covered with sores and had to beg for everything in his life.

Then both men die.   Lazarus is taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham.   The rich man is in hell and in torment.  The rich man,  who has had everything he could want in his life looks up and calls out to Abraham to have mercy and  to ask for Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool the rich man’s tongue for he is in torment.

The rich man knows Lazarus as he calls him by name.  Yet,  even though Lazarus sat outside the door of the rich man’s house,  the rich man did not help Lazarus.    The rich man with all his wealth ignored the needs of the poor and sick.    

Abraham tells the rich man that he can not send Lazarus to help him… the rich man had all of his life to help others yet he chose to ignore the needs of others.

The rich man then asks Abraham to go speak to his five brothers and tell them to smarten up their lives and to help the poor and the sick and the needy.   But Abraham answers that the five brothers have Moses and the Prophets to tell them how to live a good life.   

Then comes the response from the rich man… “But they are not listening”.    Abraham responds that if they won’t listen to Moses and the Prophets,  they are not going to listen to someone who rises from the dead.

But they are not listening.    

But they are not listening.    Words that we too must heed this day.   Are we listening to the words of Scripture telling us to go help the poor, the sick,  the shut-in?   Does our Church listen and help the poor, the sick, the shut-in?    

Let us journey together with an Ignatian Examen time of Reflection and Prayer:

1.  Give God thanks for all you have received.   Give God thanks for the big things you have received as well as all the small things you have received.    Remember the “things” are not monetary.  Faith,  life,  family…..    What have you received in your life that you are thankful?  

2.  Ask for the grace to know your sins and to root them out.

Spend time on this statement.  Ask God to help you root out the things in your life that are sinful…. or caused hurt to yourself…. or caused hurt to others….   

Ask God to help you remember and then ask for forgiveness of things you have said or not said… for things you have done or not done.

Be greatful for the life God has given to you.

3.  Reflect over the day.  What actions,  thoughts, words, feelings have you had?   Have your actions, thoughts, words, and feelings led you to God?   Have you listened to the words of Scripture this day?

4.  Ask God to forgive your sins and faults

It is in asking forgiveness of God that we become whole people of God.

5.  With God’s help,  what one thing will you resolve to change in your life tomorrow so that your life is a reflection of God?

Close with the Lord’s Prayer.