The 5th Sunday after Pentecost
Sing and shout for joy, people of Israel!
Rejoice with all your heart, Jerusalem!
The Lord has stopped your punishment... ~ Zephaniah 3:14-15 (GNT)
It was Jesus, a descendant of David, whom God made the Savior of the people of Israel, as he had promised. ~ Acts 13:23 (GNT)
KEY IDEA:
Jesus saves us from judgment because God is merciful. Rejoice!
PRAYER:
Lord, you have found a way to save us from the punishment we deserve. I'm grateful for your mercy. Help me to share that mercy with others who are unaware and are living in fear of God. I'm going to live as a joyful witness of Jesus -- who is the ultimate carrier of God's mercy. Amen.
This is the day the Lord acted; we will rejoice and celebrate in it! ~ Psalm 118:24 (CEB)
But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began. ~ Luke 15:22-24 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
We celebrate God's kindness.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for acting on our behalf and then throwing a party to celebrate. You are generous. I'm a bit stingy -- slow to get excited about your grace. I hold back. Free me to join the party. I don't want to be like the older brother in the prodigal son story. Amen.
Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind,
and the powerful are not what they appear to be.
If you weigh them on the scales,
together they are lighter than a breath of air. ~ Psalm 62:9 (NLT)
The Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost. ~ Luke 19:10 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Jesus is seeking lost and "worthless" people to give them lives of significance in his kingdom.
PRAYER:
Lord, I'm amazed that you'd build your kingdom using the lost and "worthless." Thank you for including me. I am such a person. I know that I'm important to you but I feel insignificant and worth no more that a breath of air. Forgive me for thinking that way. And help me to accept your attention as an affirmation of your desire and willingness to improve my life. I'm going to live as a person found by Jesus. Amen.
The Lord has stopped your punishment;
he has removed all your enemies.
The Lord, the king of Israel, is with you;
there is no reason now to be afraid. ~ Zephaniah 3:15 (GNT)
Keep alert. Be firm in your faith. Stay brave and strong. ~ 1 Corinthians 16:13 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Stay on task because God is with you.
PRAYER:
Lord, I'm thankful that you are with me. I'm not exactly where I want to be but I know that you are here with me anyway. My mind and sense of being tend to drift. I lose focus, grow weak, and get involved in things that have nothing to do with my faith. I'm not afraid of anyone right now -- apart from myself and my own weaknesses. Help me to stand firm with Jesus. I'm going to stay on task. Amen.
*ABOUT THE
DAILY TEXTS
The Daily Texts have been published by the Moravian Church since 1731. In 2015 I started posting these Bible verses for my spiritual formation students at Pacific Islands University. In the process of responding to the verses, I found the rhythm of looking for a common thread and writing a prayer based on that key idea to be helpful for my own soul. The prayers are more or less modeled on the TRIP method, which is what I ask my students to do in their journaling. ~ Brad Boydston
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase -- a freestyle biblical adaptation -- somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
