Good morning.
Today is Tuesday,
March 30th,
2021.
Oh Lord,
Let my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun.
Glory to God,
The three in one,
Creator,
Redeemer,
And sustainer.
As it was in the beginning,
Is now and will be forever.
Amen.
Come,
Let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the Lord,
Our maker.
Remind yourself that you're in God's presence.
Notice how God may be speaking to you today.
Let yourself simply dwell on a word or a phrase that catches your attention or moves your heart and let your heart respond to God in prayer.
Please repeat these words.
Jesus,
You are the light of the world.
Open our eyes that we might see.
Our reading today is John 13,
Verses 21 through 38.
After he said these things,
Jesus was deeply disturbed and testified.
I assure you,
One of you will betray me.
His disciples looked at each other,
Confused about which of them he was talking about.
One of the disciples,
The one whom Jesus loved,
Was at Jesus' side.
Simon Peter nodded at him to get him to ask Jesus who he was talking about.
Leaning back toward Jesus,
This disciple asked,
Lord,
Who is it?
Jesus answered,
It's the one to whom I will give this piece of bread once I have dipped it in the bowl.
Then he dipped the piece of bread and gave it to Judas,
Simon Iscariot's son.
After Jesus took the bread,
Satan entered into him.
Jesus told him,
What you're about to do,
Do quickly.
No one sitting at the table understood why Jesus said this to him.
Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag,
Jesus told him,
Go buy what we need for the feast or that night he should give something to the poor.
So when Judas took the bread,
He left immediately and it was night.
When Judas was gone,
Jesus said,
Now the human one has been glorified and God has been glorified in him.
If God has been glorified in him,
God will glorify the human one in himself and will glorify him immediately.
Little children,
I am with you for a little while longer.
You will look for me,
But just as I told the Jewish leaders,
I also tell you now where I am going,
You cannot come.
I give you a new commandment,
Love each other.
Just as I have loved you,
So you also must love each other.
This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples when you love each other.
Please repeat these words.
Jesus,
You are the light of the world.
Open our eyes that we might see.
I invite you now to hold someone's name before God.
Whoever the Holy Spirit leads your mind to in this space,
Hold before God in prayer.
You can repeat the person's name over and over with your voice or in your mind,
Or just hold this person silently in your heart.
Don't worry about diagnosing the person's need or telling God what to do.
May the light of Christ go before you and behind you,
Beneath you and above you.
On your right and on your left,
When you rise and when you lie down,
May the light of Christ be with you.
May the light of Christ be in you.
In the name of Jesus who taught us to pray.
Our Father which art in heaven,
Eternal God,
Earth maker,
Pain bearer,
Life giver,
Source of all that is and all that shall be.
Not only Father but Mother of us all,
May the hallowing of your name echo through the universe.
May the way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world.
May your heavenly will be done by all created beings.
May your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on Earth.
Let the bread we need for today feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another,
Forgive us.
In times of temptation and test,
Strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure,
Spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil,
Free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
Now and forever.
Amen.
Jesus you are the resurrection and the life.
Lord we believe,
Help our unbelief.
Give us hope,
Give us life.
Amen.
And now my friends,
May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ go with you wherever he may send you today.
May he guide you through the wilderness,
Protect you through the storm.
May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you.
May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
Go in peace.
