A QUOTE, A TEXT AND A PRAYER…OR TWO
A QUOTE
Grace is the incomprehensible fact that God is well pleased with a man, and that a man can rejoice in God. Only when grace is recognized to be incomprehensible is it grace. Grace exists, therefore, only where the Resurrection is reflected. Grace is the gift of Christ, who exposes the gulf which separates God and man, and, by exposing it, bridges it.
… Karl Barth (1886-1968), The Epistle to the Romans, translated from the 6th edition by Edwyn C. Hoskyns, London: Oxford University Press, H. Milford, 1933, 6th ed., Oxford University Press US, 1968, p. 31
A TEXT
Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse.
Proverbs 19:1
Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.
Psalm 119:1-2
AND A PRAYER…OR TWO
Eternal God, giver of love and peace, you call us your children to live together as one family. Give us grace to do your will, that we may bring justice and peace to all people, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
O Lord who loves us as a father, who cares for us as a mother, who came to share our life as a brother; we confess our failure to live by your principles. We have not always shown your love. We have not seen or have chosen to ignore the needs of others. Reminds us what it means to be your children. Make us worthy of you. We want you to be proud of us. Help us to see ourselves and others as you see us. Fill our relationships with compassion and love, fill our hearts with faith and hope for our world. Amen.