Opening Prayer:
Loving Father, teach me to love and care for those that need you today. Those who are passed over and do not feel love unless I love them for you. May Christ's love for others be felt through me today. In your name and by your power I pray these things. Amen. (Disciplines for the Inner Life by Michael Benson and Bob Benson)
Psalm for the Week: Psalm 103
Scripture for the Day: John 13:1-17
Reading for Reflection:
Try to imagine the scene. You are sitting at the table with Jesus and
his friends on the night before he died.
A confusing sorrow overshadows you.
Yet a mysterious hope has settled in your heart. Suddenly Jesus is standing in front of you. He looks into your eyes and immediately you
are filled with an awareness of your tremendous worth.
Supper
was special that night
There
was both a heaviness and a holiness
hanging
in the air
We
couldn’t explain the mood
It
was sacred, yet sorrowful.
Gathered
around the table
eating
that solemn, holy meal
seemed
to us the most important meal
we
had ever sat down to eat.
We
were dwelling in the heart of mystery
Though
dark the night
Hope
felt right
as
if something evil
was
about to be conquered.
And
then suddenly
the
One we loved startled us all
He
got up from the table
and
put on an apron.
Can
you imagine how we felt?
God
in an apron!
Tenderness
encircled us
as
He bowed before us.
He
knelt and said,
“I
choose to wash your feet
because I love you.”
God
in an apron, kneeling
I
couldn’t believe my eyes.
I
was embarrassed
until
his eyes met mine
I
sensed my value then.
He
touched my feet
He
held them in his strong hands
He
washed them
I
can still feel the water
I
can still feel the touch of his hands.
I
can still see the look in his eyes.
Then
he handed me a towel
and
said,
“As
I have done
so you must do.”
Learn
to bow
Learn
to kneel.
Let
your tenderness encircle
everyone
you meet
Wash
their feet
not
because you have to,
because
you want to.
It
seems I’ve stood two thousand years
holding
the towel in my hands,
“As
I have done so you must do,”
keeps
echoing in my heart.
“There
are so many feet to wash,”
I
keep saying
“No,”
I hear God’s voice
resounding
through the years
“There
are only my feet
What
you do for them
You
do for me.”
(Seasons of the Heart by Macrina
Wiederkehr)
Reflection and Listening: silent and written
Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself
Song for the Week: Our God Reigns
Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself
Song for the Week: Our God Reigns
So much holy So divine
Yours and so much mine
By the morning Light is Thine
Perfect by design
Mighty to men Light of the earth
Sending the son To echo his worth
Breaker of sin, Winner of souls
Every creature will know
Yours and so much mine
By the morning Light is Thine
Perfect by design
Mighty to men Light of the earth
Sending the son To echo his worth
Breaker of sin, Winner of souls
Every creature will know
Our God Reigns Over the Heavens
Over the earth Our God reigns
Praise His name All still standing
All that was, all that remains
Our God reigns
In devotion To His bride
Standing by her side
Mighty to men Light of the earth
Sending the son To echo his worth
Breaker of sin, Winner of souls
Every creature will know
Closing Prayer:
Our Father, here I am, at your disposal, your child, to use me to continue your loving the world, by giving Jesus to me and through me, to each other and the world. Let us pray for each other as we allow Jesus to love in us and through us with the love with which His Father loves him. (Seeking the Heart of God by Mother Teresa)
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