Monday April 1, 2024
Well, now Easter is over – but wait! Easter isn’t “over,” only the day we celebrate as Easter. The day should not be just another holiday we rack up in our list, like Christmas or Thanksgiving. More than sprig flowers or bunnies, Easter should be a reminder of how we are to live the whole year.
We are told to live in hope. But what does that really mean in a world so full of hate and death? We’re not just supposed to ignore it and wait for some sweet bye-and-bye, but to create a realm of peace on earth. But it seems so impossible, we say. The forces of hate and death are so much larger than us.
That’s where hope comes in. Hope is not just wishing things would be different. Our faith tells us that hope is actively working for a transformation for this world, and each of us has the power to transform at least one small part of this world, whether it’s in a food bank, an animal shelter, or working to end gun violence. These may not sound like much, but each action brings us closer to creating a realm of peace and justice.
Prayer for the Day
Standing in the light of Resurrection, we cast our own shadows
For we live as if we do not expect our lives to be changed;
Focusing on our disappointments, our doubts overwhelm us,
Because nothing has changed in the world around us.
Reopen our spirits so we take Resurrection seriously,
So we rise with the hope that we can create a better world.
In the name of the One who embodies our hope,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
There is a really deep well inside me. And in it dwells God ... But more often stones and grit block the well, and God is buried beneath. Then God must be dug out again.
Etty Hillesum, from An Interrupted Life: The Diaries of Etty Hillesum, 1941-1943
We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theologian, activist (1906-1945)
The Lord is faithful in all words and gracious in all deeds.
The Lord upholds all who are falling, raises up those who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing.
Justice and kindness are the ways of the Lord
Psalm 145: 13b-17a
Monday April 1, 2024
Well, now Easter is over – but wait! Easter isn’t “over,” only the day we celebrate as Easter. The day should not be just another holiday we rack up in our list, like Christmas or Thanksgiving. More than sprig flowers or bunnies, Easter should be a reminder of how we are to live the whole year.
We are told to live in hope. But what does that really mean in a world so full of hate and death? We’re not just supposed to ignore it and wait for some sweet bye-and-bye, but to create a realm of peace on earth. But it seems so impossible, we say. The forces of hate and death are so much larger than us.
That’s where hope comes in. Hope is not just wishing things would be different. Our faith tells us that hope is actively working for a transformation for this world, and each of us has the power to transform at least one small part of this world, whether it’s in a food bank, an animal shelter, or working to end gun violence. These may not sound like much, but each action brings us closer to creating a realm of peace and justice.
Prayer for the Day
Standing in the light of Resurrection, we cast our own shadows
For we live as if we do not expect our lives to be changed;
Focusing on our disappointments, our doubts overwhelm us,
Because nothing has changed in the world around us.
Reopen our spirits so we take Resurrection seriously,
So we rise with the hope that we can create a better world.
In the name of the One who embodies our hope,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
There is a really deep well inside me. And in it dwells God ... But more often stones and grit block the well, and God is buried beneath. Then God must be dug out again.
Etty Hillesum, from An Interrupted Life: The Diaries of Etty Hillesum, 1941-1943
We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theologian, activist (1906-1945)
The Lord is faithful in all words and gracious in all deeds.
The Lord upholds all who are falling, raises up those who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing.
Justice and kindness are the ways of the Lord
Psalm 145: 13b-17a
Monday April 1, 2024
Well, now Easter is over – but wait! Easter isn’t “over,” only the day we celebrate as Easter. The day should not be just another holiday we rack up in our list, like Christmas or Thanksgiving. More than sprig flowers or bunnies, Easter should be a reminder of how we are to live the whole year.
We are told to live in hope. But what does that really mean in a world so full of hate and death? We’re not just supposed to ignore it and wait for some sweet bye-and-bye, but to create a realm of peace on earth. But it seems so impossible, we say. The forces of hate and death are so much larger than us.
That’s where hope comes in. Hope is not just wishing things would be different. Our faith tells us that hope is actively working for a transformation for this world, and each of us has the power to transform at least one small part of this world, whether it’s in a food bank, an animal shelter, or working to end gun violence. These may not sound like much, but each action brings us closer to creating a realm of peace and justice.
Prayer for the Day
Standing in the light of Resurrection, we cast our own shadows
For we live as if we do not expect our lives to be changed;
Focusing on our disappointments, our doubts overwhelm us,
Because nothing has changed in the world around us.
Reopen our spirits so we take Resurrection seriously,
So we rise with the hope that we can create a better world.
In the name of the One who embodies our hope,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
There is a really deep well inside me. And in it dwells God ... But more often stones and grit block the well, and God is buried beneath. Then God must be dug out again.
Etty Hillesum, from An Interrupted Life: The Diaries of Etty Hillesum, 1941-1943
We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theologian, activist (1906-1945)
The Lord is faithful in all words and gracious in all deeds.
The Lord upholds all who are falling, raises up those who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing.
Justice and kindness are the ways of the Lord
Psalm 145: 13b-17a
Monday April 1, 2024
Well, now Easter is over – but wait! Easter isn’t “over,” only the day we celebrate as Easter. The day should not be just another holiday we rack up in our list, like Christmas or Thanksgiving. More than sprig flowers or bunnies, Easter should be a reminder of how we are to live the whole year.
We are told to live in hope. But what does that really mean in a world so full of hate and death? We’re not just supposed to ignore it and wait for some sweet bye-and-bye, but to create a realm of peace on earth. But it seems so impossible, we say. The forces of hate and death are so much larger than us.
That’s where hope comes in. Hope is not just wishing things would be different. Our faith tells us that hope is actively working for a transformation for this world, and each of us has the power to transform at least one small part of this world, whether it’s in a food bank, an animal shelter, or working to end gun violence. These may not sound like much, but each action brings us closer to creating a realm of peace and justice.
Prayer for the Day
Standing in the light of Resurrection, we cast our own shadows
For we live as if we do not expect our lives to be changed;
Focusing on our disappointments, our doubts overwhelm us,
Because nothing has changed in the world around us.
Reopen our spirits so we take Resurrection seriously,
So we rise with the hope that we can create a better world.
In the name of the One who embodies our hope,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
There is a really deep well inside me. And in it dwells God ... But more often stones and grit block the well, and God is buried beneath. Then God must be dug out again.
Etty Hillesum, from An Interrupted Life: The Diaries of Etty Hillesum, 1941-1943
We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theologian, activist (1906-1945)
The Lord is faithful in all words and gracious in all deeds.
The Lord upholds all who are falling, raises up those who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing.
Justice and kindness are the ways of the Lord
Psalm 145: 13b-17a