Gracious God, as I look out my window I see the beauty of your beloved creation exploding in colorful blooms, raining down in steady drops of water, so abundantly green the shrubbery threatens to take over the entire view. The peace of my small corner of the world, at least in this moment, is palpable and I am grateful.
Almighty God, as turn my gaze to the headlines, I see the horror inflicted on your beloved creation. Bombs have been exploding in Kabul. Terror is once again raining down in England. Violence threatens to take over the entire view. The pain in so much of your world, at least in this moment, is pervasive, and I am troubled.
Loving God, as I examine my conscience I see I am guilty of enjoying my safe, small corner of the world, oblivious to the suffering of your beloved creation. I too easily forget that my corner is intimately connected to the rest of the globe. You have told us to care of that which you have made and called good. You have said we are one body, unable to extricate ourselves one part from another, therefore, when part of the whole hurts, we all grimace. You have commanded us to go to all nations, to feed and tend your sheep, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We cannot hoard your gifts and relish their benefits while some of your children know nothing but stress and uncertainty.
Patient God, you held nothing back from us, not even your Son, that we might be reconciled to you and to one another. Your Son, our Savior, promised not to leave us orphaned or alone, empowering his disciples to continue his work in the world. The promised Holy Spirit came with flame and wind, teaching, speaking, overwhelming our own selfish dreams with your expansive ones. As refugees await a home, and the planet groans under the weight of our exploitation and greed, and your children in places too many to name long to go to about the ordinary activities of life without fear, we pray you would open our eyes to your vision for all you have made and called very good.
Compassionate God, as we begin this day, a day of safety and abundance for some and a day of anguish and scarcity for many, grant us the wisdom, the will and the courage to act in ways that demonstrate our care for every corner of your world. May explosions of kindness surprise and heal. May justice rain down and relieve the parched, desert places. May grace be so abundant it threatens to take over the entire view. May the mercy you desire be evident in every moment of our lives, so that no matter where we look, there will be cause to rejoice, together. Amen.
