Monday, August 15, 2022

CELEBRATE WHAT GOD IS DOING

PSALM 118:15-16 (CEV)
From the tents of God's people
come shouts of victory:
   “The Lord is powerful!
   With his mighty arm
   the Lord wins victories!
   The Lord is powerful!”


LUKE 1:46-47 (MSG)
And Mary said,
   I’m bursting with God-news;
   I’m dancing the song of my Savior God.


SUMMARY SENTENCE
Celebrate what God is doing!

PRAYER
Powerful Savior, we're bursting with the God-news of how you've treated us. What you do for us is beyond words. Forgive me for trying to reduce it all to simple talking points. Help me to sit and take it all in -- and to dance and sing. I'm going to celebrate what you're doing. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name; your Kingdom come; your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

Sunday, August 14, 2022

GOD STOOPS TO US

The 10th Sunday after Pentecost

PSALM 113:5-7 (CEB)
Who could possibly compare to the Lord our God?
God rules from on high;
     he has to come down to even see heaven and earth!
God lifts up the poor from the dirt
     and raises up the needy from the garbage pile.


PHILIPPIANS 2:5-7 (MSG)
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God stoops to us.

PRAYER
Thank you, Jesus, for giving up your divine rights and the glory of heaven to become fully human. I seek to live emptied of myself following your humility and service. Root out any pride or selfish ambition. Instill in me your mind and attitude, Jesus. May I view people and situations with your wisdom. Amen. (Daily Texts, Ground Up Grace edition)

THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name; your Kingdom come; your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.


Saturday, August 13, 2022

SACRIFICE

ISAIAH 50:6 (CEV)
I let them beat my back
     and pull out my beard.
I didn't turn aside
     when they insulted me
     and spit in my face.


JOHN 1:29 (CEB)
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God attacks evil through sacrificial non-resistance.

PRAYER
Lamb of God, we appreciate your sacrifice which restored our relationship with you. You made it happen. I confess that I take the whole sin thing too lightly. I don't acknowledge it much or fully recognize what you've done to repair the damage caused by my sin. Help me to grow in my understanding and appreciation. I'm going to echo the words of John to my generation -- "Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name; your Kingdom come; your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

Friday, August 12, 2022

BREAD

PSALM 146:7 (ABP)
God gives justice to the oppressed
and hands out food to the hungry.


MARK 8:6 (NLT)
Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God enjoys feeding the hungry.

PRAYER
Jesus, the bread of life, thank you for feeding us so well. Forgive me for being so stingy when it comes to handing out bread. Open my eyes and my heart to the needy people around me. Help me to connect with those who need a meal or just a conversation. I want to be a part of your global feeding program. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

DAILYTEXTS.ORG

*ABOUT THE
DAILY TEXTS

The Daily Texts have been published by the Moravian Church since 1731. In 2011 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)

EEB = EasyEnglish Bible (©2015, MissionAssist)

ERV = Easy-To-Read Version (©2006, World Bible Translation Center)

GNT = Good News Translation (©1992, American Bible Society)

MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)

NCB = New Catholic Bible (©2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp.)

NCV = New Century Version (©2005, Thomas Nelson Inc)

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)

NRSV = New Revised Standard Version (© 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.)

NTE = New Testament for Everyone (©2011 Nicolas Thomas Wright.)

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