ALIVE IN CHRIST

PSALM 118:17 (MSG)
I didn’t die. I lived!
And now I’m telling the world what GOD did.

GALATIANS 2:20 (MSG)
My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
I live because of what God does.

PRAYER
It's a relief, God, to know that my life doesn't hinge on how well I perform. I can't keep it up. Forgive me for pretending that I can. Help me to embrace the life of Christ in such a way that I'm allowing his life to bubble up through mine. I am alive because I'm connected to your life. Amen.

PASSING THE PEACE

NUMBERS 6:25 (ABP)
I pray that God will smile on you and fill your life with his good gifts.

JOHN 20:21 (MSG)
Jesus repeated his greeting: “Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.”

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Might God fill your life with the gift of his peace so you can pass it along to others.

PRAYER
Good God, you never run out of gifts to give. I am especially thankful for the gift of peace that comes through Christ. I confess that I don't fully prioritize peace-making. Breath your peace into my life again so that I can share it with others. Amen.

GOD'S GRAND BLESSING

PSALM 103:22 (MSG)
Bless GOD, all creatures, wherever you are—
everything and everyone made by GOD.
     And you, O my soul, bless GOD!

LUKE 13:29 (CEB)
People will come from east and west, north and south, and sit down to eat in God’s kingdom.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Celebrate! For God's blessings are intended for all people, indeed, all creation.

PRAYER
Creator God, I celebrate your big-picture thinking and inclusivity. I confess that I'm relatively small-minded and mostly interested in relating to the people who are most like myself. Expand my horizons so that I can better see the grandness of your kingdom. I'm going to find someone with little in common with me to talk with today. In the name of Christ Jesus, Amen.

GOD CARES

PSALM 36:6 (NLT)
You care for people and animals alike, O LORD.

MATTHEW 6:26 (CEV)
Look at the birds in the sky! They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God cares for both the great and small.

PRAYER
Glorious God, your hands are big enough to hold the mighty, and yet the smallest are not lost in them. Thank you for your care -- care that extends even to the smallest unpleasant animal. Forgive me for failing to trust in your oversight -- for trying to take on responsibilities that are best handled by you. Free me from my worry. I'm going to look to you and your provision. Amen.