Tuesday, June 8, 2021

“Be delighted, and be a delight.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 
"14 For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. 15 And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.

16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view;[a] even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view,[b] we know him no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself,[c] not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Lord,
in Bible study yesterday,
as we prayerfully discussed
what this passage was calling us to be and do,
someone offered up,

“Be delighted and be a delight.”

Lord,
that phrase keeps echoing in my mind.
"Be delighted…"
To take delight
To find delight
in your love, love for ALL others,
in your grace, grace for ALL others,
in your acceptance, acceptance of ALL others,
in your transforming my life, transforming ALL of us
to be like Christ.

"Be delighted"
by signs of your peace among us,
by daily simple gifts of life,
by the complexity of creation.

"And be a delight."
Be a delight to God
in our praise,
in our prayers,
in our generosity of time, ability, money.

Be a delight to others
in the ways we speak and greet others,
in the ways we live, love, and care for our family.
in the ways we serve the least of these,
in the ways we share God’s love with others,
especially those who we may think don’t deserve it.
None of us “deserve it” that’s why it’s called, “Grace.”

“Be delighted, and be a delight.”

Lord, I think that is a
delightful way (you knew I had to say it!)
to reorient my perspective,
my outlook.

Lord,
Help me see
what delights you in the world.
Help me live out
the delight you take in me.

May it be so
In my life, and in the life of the world
today and every day.
Amen.

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Praying for Creation

 “Creator God,
Bless the tear we shed
for the resources that we have squandered. 
Bless the sigh we breathe out
for the spoilt air and atmosphere. 
Bless the head we hang
for the creatures lost and exploited.
Bless the hands we wring
for the things we have broken and wasted. 
Bless us as we lament.
Cradle us as we regret.
Restore us as we start afresh.”
--John Polhill In 'A Heart for Creation'