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New every morning is your love, great God of light, and all day long you are working for good in the world. Stir up in us desire to serve you, to live peacefully with our neighbors and all your creation, and to devote each day to your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

"A Liturgy for Morning Prayer," Upper Room Worshipbook

Used by permission from the Book of Common Worship, © 2018 Westminster John Knox Press. All rights reserved. This prayer appears in “A Liturgy for Morning Prayer” in Upper Room Worshipbook.

Today’s Reflection

FORGIVENESS IS EASIER if we have opened ourselves to God’s love. When you ponder whether to forgive others, take a moment to imagine God’s loving you just as you are, with all your goodness and all your limitations. Breathe in that love, allowing it to reach all the dark places inside you. Feel it wash over you like a cleansing rain. Then listen to biblical reminders of God’s love like these from the prophets.

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
or show no compassion for the
child of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.” (Isaiah 49:15)

“Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
I took them up in my arms;
but they did not know that I healed them.
I led them with cords of human kindness,
with bands of love.
I was to them like those who lift infants
to their cheeks.
I bent down to them and fed them.”(Hosea 11:3-4)

In the immediate emotional heat of a hurt, praying these passages may not be possible, but as feelings calm down, reading such selections from scripture can help us act from a place grounded in self-love.

– Kathleen Fischer
Forgiving Your Family

From pages 49-50 of Forgiving Your Family: A Journey to Healing by Kathleen Fischer. Copyright © 2005 by Kathleen Fischer. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.

Today’s Question

Try the prayer exercise of breathing in God’s love. Share your thoughts.

Today’s Scripture

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.

John 10:14-15, NRSV

This Week: pray for your neighbor. Submit your prayer to The Upper Room Living Prayer Center or share it in the comment section.

Did You Know?

Help the middle schoolers in your church experience God’s love, empower your high schoolers in leadership, and engage every generation in youth ministry. Learn more at Discovery.UpperRoom.org.

This week we remember: Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz (April 17).

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

Sponsored by Upper Room Ministries ®. Copyright © 2018 | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA

5 Comments

  • Jill Posted April 21, 2018 5:44 am

    Wash over me, Breath of God.

    Maybe a bit of further explanation, regarding my comments yesterday. My sister is a Believer. And, we are both certainly working towards the same goal of helping mom through this diagnosis and treatment, and also supporting dad in the midst of this. In this manner, we are united.
    What I inadequately attempted to state yesterday was how my heart aches that we can’t support each other – at least I feel this way. I don’t really know how she feels. We used to be incredibly close and I wish she was a source of support right now. I believe she wants to be and tries to be, yet virtually at the end of every phone conversation I am frustrated. And I don’t readily call her when I am struggling. We are on different spiritual wavelengths. I am so grateful for my two closest friends who “get” where I am coming from, accept the murmurings of my heart and provide such encouragement to me.
    Mom and I had a wonderful few hours yesterday. I thought we were going to shop at this store fairly close to her house and that would be it. But she wanted to go to a bigger store a bit further away. And when we finished there, she suggested we go to this other store in the area and then she wanted to do lunch. It was almost as if things were normal. Nothing was spoken of her illness and what she is facing on Monday. I just went with where she took the conversation, hoping that she was enjoying this bit of normalcy.
    Grateful for plentiful sunshine yesterday – more in store for these next few days with rising temps. Grateful to play tennis last evening and re-connect with friends from a former team. Will watch my god-son play baseball today.

  • robert moeller Posted April 21, 2018 7:19 am

    Your explanation today is very helpful in understanding your situation. Yes, even believers have their differences. Prayers that there is an answer to your struggle.

    When my sister and I cared for our Mom, I took Mom to church and church activities, my sister would help get Mom ready, but never went. She had a falling out with church when it became clear her son was gay.

    Working together for the benefit of Mom went well for the most part, supporting each other was more difficult, we are not two peas in the same pod. Still in touch, but both of us live very different lives.

    I also think it is very difficult to know who is a believer and who is not, only God knows for sure. Sometimes it seems rather obvious, but there are also times when looks can be deceiving. I try to treat everyone as if they are a believer. We are asked to love everyone.

    Thankful for memories from 43 years ago yesterday. That was a wonderful day. Grateful for sun today, a good breakfast, time with Pearl, and being able to help my son today. He has a job interview. Progress sorting through family, ancestry, and regional history papers yesterday, had a good walk.

    Will reply to posts in a little while.

  • Julie Posted April 21, 2018 8:11 am

    Perhaps because I do not seek friendship among my family relationships it is difficult for me to understand. My family members come together to handle any situation in a matter of fact manner. We rarely discuss feelings other than expressing our love. Yet, we are safe in our knowledge that any family member would do anything for another.
    Prayers for Jill and her family. I assume when you mention Monday that is the beginning of your mother’s treatment.
    Prayers for Robert, Erich, and Pearl. May your memories bring only joy and no sorrow.
    Blessings and prayers for and thank you to all of the UR family
    We love the things we love for what they are.
    Robert Frost

    • robert moeller Posted April 21, 2018 3:51 pm

      Thankful for the positive interview Erich had today. It made the early wakeup from Pearl easier to handle. We all got an afternoon nap.

      Julie, there are similarities between your family and mine when it comes to dealing with each other.

      Like that Robert Frost quote. I’m not much into poetry, but there are lines of his that touch me.

      After many cloudy days, SUN, and not just a brief glimpse, but almost all day.
      I’m not much of a sun lover, but it’s nice to know it is still there. We most certainly need the sun and the SON.

      Prayers for the UR family, have a great weekend, and a blessed Sunday.
      Our pastor and his wife have a second son. All went well. His name is Soren.

  • Mary Ng Shwu Ling Posted April 22, 2018 7:27 am

    Forgiving is part and parcel of life and in all relationships for no one is perfect.

    Thank you God for forgiving us and teaching us to forgive one another.

    Blessings

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