START WITH PEACE

2 CHRONICLES 20:12 (NRSVUE)
We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.

LUKE 10:1, 5 (NRSVUE)
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and said to them... "Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!"

THE ESSENCE
When you're on assignment from Jesus, start with a word of peace. 

DAILY FODDER
   And when are you not on assignment from Jesus?
   In 1955 Janet Jackson wrote the lyrics and her husband, Sy Miller, the music for the iconic song “Let There Be Peace On Earth.”

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me;

Let there be peace on earth the peace that was meant to be.

With God as our presence, family all are we.

Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now.

With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow;

To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally.

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

PRAYER 
Thank you, Lord, for appointing me an ambassador of your peace. Forgive me for approaching this assignment with outdated approaches, where I start by asserting myself or taking control of the moment. Help me begin with words and posture of peace. I want to represent you, the Prince of Peace, well. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

GOD'S FOOLS

The Fifth Sunday in Eastertide

PSALM 94:11 (MSG)
GOD knows, all right—
   knows your stupidity,
   sees your shallowness.

1 CORINTHIANS 3:18-19 (MSG)
Don’t fool yourself. Don’t think that you can be wise merely by being relevant. Be God’s fool—that’s the path to true wisdom. What the world calls smart, God calls stupid.

THE ESSENCE
You'll have to appear foolish to achieve wisdom and success, according to God's standards. 

DAILY FODDER
Why can't a person be wise in the eyes of God and the world? Does it all have to be mutually exclusive?

PRAYER 
All-wise God, even though we acknowledge with gratitude your unmatched wisdom, we still chase alternative sources of wisdom and success. Forgive us our fickelness. Teach us to accept our role as fools in this world of self-appointed experts. I desire to live as a fool so that I can reveal your wisdom through my life. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

LONG-TERM FAITHFULNESS

PSALM 103:17-18 (CEB)
But the Lord’s faithful love is from forever ago to forever from now
   for those who honor him.
And God’s righteousness reaches to the grandchildren
   of those who keep his covenant
   and remember to keep his commands.

REVELATION 3:10 (CEB)
Because you kept my command to endure, I will keep you safe through the time of testing that is about to come over the whole world, to test those who live on earth.

THE ESSENCE
God values long-term faithfulness. 

DAILY FODDER
How has the long-term faithfulness of others affected your life? 

PRAYER 
Lord, there is no beginning or end to your love. Forgive me for seeking out love from other sources that can't ever do what you do. I look for affirmation from peers, lovers, and even Facebook. Help me to set myself firmly in your camp—to make you my routine, my sole identity. I'm not going to waver regardless of what comes my way. In Jesus' name, Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

GOD IS WAITING

ISAIAH 8:17 (MSG)
Meanwhile, I patiently trust the Lord, even though he is no longer pleased with Israel.

ROMANS 9:4 (CEV)
They are Israelites: the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship and the promises all belong to them.

THE ESSENCE
God continues to patiently wait for his people to get their act together and to start trusting him. 

DAILY FODDER
Why does God invest so heavily in people who don't consistently trust him?

PRAYER 
Patient Lord, thank you for the times you wait for me to come with my troubles, sorrows, and joys. You wait with open arms of compassion. You welcome me in and hold me close. I am adopted into your family. I am yours. You give good gifts, and with gratitude, I give you all the glory. Thank you. Amen. (Daily Texts, Ground Up Grace edition)

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.