Good morning.
Today is Monday,
March 1st,
2021.
Oh Lord,
Let my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun.
Glory to God,
The three in one,
Creator,
Redeemer,
And sustainer.
As it was in the beginning,
Is now,
And will be forever.
Amen.
Come let us bow down and worship.
Let us kneel before the Lord,
Our maker.
Remind yourself that you are in God's presence.
Notice how God may be speaking to you today.
Let yourself dwell on any word or phrase that catches your attention or moves your heart and let your heart respond to God in prayer.
Please repeat these words.
Hear the cry of your children,
Lord.
Come quickly and set us free.
Our reading today comes from John chapter six,
Verses 26 through 40.
Jesus replied,
I assure you that you are looking for me,
Not because you saw miraculous signs,
But because you ate all the food you wanted.
Don't work for the food that doesn't last,
But for the food that endures for eternal life,
Which the human one will give you.
God the father has confirmed him as his agent to give life.
They asked,
What must we do in order to accomplish what God requires?
Jesus replied,
This is what God requires that you believe in him whom God sent.
They asked,
What miraculous signs will you do that we can see and believe you?
What will you do?
Our ancestors eat manna in the wilderness,
Just as it is written,
He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
Jesus told them,
I assure you,
It wasn't Moses who gave the bread from heaven to you,
But my father gives you the true bread from heaven.
The bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
They said,
Sir,
Give us this bread all the time.
Jesus replied,
I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me will never go hungry,
And whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
But I told you that you have seen me and still don't believe.
Everyone whom the father gives to me will come to me,
And I won't send anyone away who comes to me.
I have come down from heaven not to do my will,
But to do the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
That I won't lose anything he has given me.
But I will raise it up at the last day.
This is Abba,
God's will,
That all who see the Son and believe in Him will have eternal life.
And I will raise them up at the last day.
Please repeat these words.
Hear the cry of your children,
Lord.
Come quickly and set us free.
On Mondays,
We pray for the world.
We are told in scripture that God created the world and God loves the world and everyone in it.
So I invite you in a silent moment to let your imagination move to the world.
How do you conceive of the world?
Picture the world in your mind and hold the world before God.
Don't worry about diagnosing the complicated needs of the world or telling God what to do.
Just behold the world before God.
Bless all who call on you,
Almighty God,
From the rising of the sun to its setting.
By your goodness enrich us.
By your love inspire us.
By your spirit guide us.
By your power protect us.
In your mercy receive us.
Now and always.
We pray in the name of Jesus who taught us to pray.
Our Father in heaven,
Eternal God,
Earth-maker,
Pain-bearer,
Life-giver,
Source of all that is and all that shall be.
Not only Father,
But Mother of us all.
May the hallowing of your name echo through the universe.
May the way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world.
May your heavenly will be done by all created beings.
May your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another,
Forgive us.
In times of temptation and test,
Strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure,
Spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil,
Free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
Now and forever.
Amen.
Jesus you are the bread of life.
Give us this bread so that we may never go hungry.
Show us how to work for the food that endures for eternal life.
The food that comes only from you.
Amen.
And now my friends,
May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ go with you wherever he may send you today.
May he guide you through the wilderness,
Protect you through the storm.
May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you.
May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
Go in peace.
