Opening Prayer: O God, you offer us a refuge amidst the
trials of life. May our waiting prepare
us to see glimpses of your face, even as we long for the full appearance of
your goodness throughout all the earth.
Amen. (A Guide to Prayer for All Who Walk with God by Rueben P.
Job, Norman Shawchuck, and John S. Mogabgab)
Scripture: Isaiah 11:1-10
Journal: How do these words strike your heart today? What do they bring to life within you? How do they disrupt or disturb you? How do they offer you hope?
Reflection:
We will experience the minutes and hours and days
of our lives differently when hope takes up residence. In a letter to Jim Forest, who at the time
directed the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Thomas Merton wrote, “The real hope
is not in something we think we can do, but in God, who is making something
good out of it in some way we cannot see.”
Hope is not dependent on peace in the
land, justice in the world, and success in the business. Hope is willing to leave unanswered questions
unanswered and unknown futures unknown.
Hope makes you see God’s guiding hand not only in the gentle and
pleasant moments but also in the shadows of disappointments and darkness. (Turn
My Mourning into Dancing by Henri Nouwen)
Prayer
Closing Prayer:
Holy
preparation,
counterweight
of surprise,
plum
line of hospitality;
you
are fresh hay quickly strewn,
soft
linen bands newly torn,
to
hold the One who is to come.
O
Preparation, catcher of the off guard,
leveler
of all things high and low;
you
are the smoother of rough edges
and
bearer of good news.
Come,
reveal our webs of apathy
with
holy, sweeping light.
Amen.
(Behold! By Pamela C. Hawkins)
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