Monday 14 March 2022

Today is Monday the 14th of March, in the second week of Lent.
Settle into prayer today with, 'From The Dust', by Paul Zach…
From the dust we came
To the dust we shall return
From the dust we came
To the dust we shall return
God everlasting
Age unto age, the same
We are a moment
Then like a breath we fade
From the dust we came (From the dust we came)
To the dust we shall return
From the dust we came (From the dust we came)
To the dust wе shall return
God everlasting
Wе are cut down as grass
Seeds in the morning
Then by the night, we pass

Today's reading is from the Gospel of Luke.
Luke 6:36-38
Jesus said to his disciples: 'Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.'

Jesus is very clear here. We are to be merciful and forgiving, neither judging nor condemning others. Where might you find yourself especially challenged by these words?
Where would you yourself benefit from being treated in this way? Neither judged nor condemned, but met with mercy and forgiveness?
As you hear the passage again, notice especially the promise of God's generosity in the second part of the passage.
What do you want to say, as this prayer comes to an end, to this generous, merciful and forgiving God?

You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.