UNDER GOD'S CARE

The 5th Sunday after Epiphany

ECCLESIASTES 7:14 (ABP)

When times are good -- celebrate!

But when times are bad --

ponder what's going on.

For God is behind both

the good times

and the bad times,

thus keeping us from presumtuousness

about the future.

MATTHEW 6:26 (MSG)
Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Live footloose and fancy free under the care of God.

PRAYER
Thank you, God, for the gifts of time and life. I admit that I take myself way too seriously in such matters. Some days I worry over what could happen. But on other days I'm cocky and confident about what the future holds. Help me to chill and to release my presumptuousness. I'm going to put one step in front of the other, step forward, and trust you for everything along the way. 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.

GENEROSITY PAYS

GENESIS 28:20,22 (CEV)
Jacob solemnly promised God, “...I will give back to you a tenth of everything you give me.”

2 CORINTHIANS 9:6 (ABP)
Think of it this way, the person who plants only a few seeds ends up with a small crop but the person who plants a lot of seeds reaps a considerable crop.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Generosity pays.

PRAYER
Generous God, you've given everything so that we can experience abundant lives. I admit that I haven't quite grasped the whole generosity thing. I can be penny-pinching and stingy. I worry that there will not be enough. Free me to live according to the divine model. As your abundant life flows through me set me free to live generously. I'm going to honor Christ through my open-handedness. 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.

CREATOR

ISAIAH 29:16 (MSG)
You have everything backward!
     You treat the potter as a lump of clay.
Does a book say to its author,
     “He didn’t write a word of me”?
Does a meal say to the woman who cooked it,
      “She had nothing to do with this”?

EPHESIANS 2:10 (MSG)
No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God is the designer and creator and we're simply along for the ride.

PRAYER
Creator God, you've done an awesome job -- from the smallest detail to the grandest. And you've invited us to join you in your work. Forgive my feeble stabs at autonomy. My attempts mess with my mind and hinder my participation in your work -- as I try to make it all about me. Restore my place in your work; refresh my outlook; and renew my connection with you. I want to recognize your rightful place in the driver's seat. 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.

GOD'S AGENDA

JEREMIAH 1:12 (ABP)
Then the Lord said to Jeremiah, "You're reading things correctly. I'm monitoring the situation to make sure that my orders are carried out."

MATTHEW 5:17 (NLT)
Jesus said, "Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose."

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God's agenda will be carried out; so are you going to align your life with it?

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, you've got an agenda for your creation. I'm grateful that you sent Jesus into the world (and my life) to complete it. I confess that there are a lot of interests vying for my attention -- many of them contrary to your agenda. And sometimes I even entertain them for a while. Help me to adjust my life so that it is exclusively aligned with your agenda. I want to be a part of 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.