Good morning.
Today is Tuesday,
February 9th,
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 sing to the Lord.
Let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
Remind yourself that you are in God's presence.
Notice how God may be speaking to you today.
Let yourself dwell on a word or a phrase that catches your attention and let your heart simply respond to God in prayer.
Please repeat these words.
Shepherd us Lord with a faithful heart and guide us in the way of truth.
Our reading today is John 2 verses 13 through 22.
Since it was almost the Jewish Passover,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
In the temple,
He found people selling cattle,
Sheep,
And pigeons while money changers sat at their counters.
Making a whip out of cords,
Jesus drove them all out of the temple,
Even the cattle and the sheep,
And overturned the tables of the money changers,
Scattering their coins.
Then he faced the pigeon sellers.
Take all of this out of here.
Stop turning God's house into a market.
The disciples remembered the words of scripture.
Zeal for your house consumes me.
The temple authorities intervened and said,
What sign can you show us to justify what you've done?
Jesus answered,
Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.
They retorted,
It has taken 46 years to build this temple and you're going to raise it in three days?
But the temple he was speaking of was his body.
It was only after Jesus had been raised from the dead that the disciples remembered this statement and believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
Please repeat these words.
Guard us Lord with a faithful heart and guide us in the way of truth.
On Tuesdays we pray for our friends.
So I invite you to allow your mind,
Your imagination to be guided by the spirit of God and rest on a friend,
Someone that you would like to pray for today.
And in this moment,
Lift that person before God.
Don't worry about diagnosing the person's needs or feeling like you need to give God any instructions.
Just lift this friend before God who loves this person more than you could possibly imagine and knows this person better than you ever could.
You can say the person's name with your voice or in your mind or just hold this person in your heart.
Bless all who call on you Almighty God from the rising of the sun to its setting,
From your goodness enrich us,
By your love inspire us,
By your spirit guide us,
By your power protect us,
In your mercy receive us now and always.
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.
With 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.
God of life,
You turn our ordinary moments into extraordinary journeys.
Open our eyes to see the miracles hidden in plain sight.
Transform our mortal days with your divine love.
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.
So in peace.
