WHEN SENSELESS TRAGEDY OCCURS

WHEN SENSELESS TRAGEDY OCCURS
OUR BEST AND ONLY HELP IS GOD – and the Holy Spirit is ready to support and sustain us, when we ask. Even though tragedies we hear about in the media are upsetting, especially when it involves people who do not deserve the death they suffered, it helps us to be reminded that God is still here in our lives. God’s plan is still going forward and we still are needed to answer our call to obedience and love for all others. In fact, it is all the more important that we as believers continue to tell the good news of God’s love and mercy. When others do not show mercy, we can not crumble. Telling the story is too important, and the Holy Spirit will help us find the words and respond with the appropriate deeds.

It is fitting that this hymn should appear here today, since it was the theme at the United Church of Christ’s General Synod meeting in 1999, and the anniversary of the creation of the UCC, in Cleveland, Ohio in 1957. I hope this hymn will not only be a blessing, but also a prayer.

For Times Like These in Which We Live

[O For A Thousand Tongue]  or  [O God Our Help In Ages Past]

1.  For times like these in which we live

Grant us your strength, O God;

To us your Holy Spirit give,

To spread your truth abroad.

2.  Help us discern your holy will,

Creation to restore;

Your gracious purpose now fulfill,

One world forevermore.

3.  O keep us faithful to our task

As seasons come and go;

And work through us, we humbly ask,

Your love to tell and show.

4.  Our faith and hope, O God, renew,

And do not let us miss

Your call to us to live for you

At such a time as this.   Amen.     PEACE

Based on the theme of the 22nd General Synod of the United Church of Christ and the 2000 Annual Meeting of the Central Atlantic Conference of the United Church of Christ.

Copyright (c) 1999 by Robert A. Lewis.  All rights reserved.  However, permission is hereby granted for this hymn to be copied for use in worship services or in other church gatherings provided that the following credit line is used: “Reprinted with permission.  Copyright (c) 1999 by Robert A. Lewis.”

A CLOSE AND LOVING RELATIONSHIP

A CLOSE AND LOVING RELATIONSHIP
IS WHAT GOD WANTS WITH EACH OF US – in order to fully communicate with us. God desires to guide, protect and support us in the work we are each called to do. Many of us have not yet reached this communication. So how do we get there? Prayer and a willingness to allow God into our lives on an intimate level is a way it can begin. There are many ways that this can happen, and God has in mind a way of reaching each of us, as we grow in our understanding and love for God. Prayer and faith practices are not only effective in themselves, but they have an unexpected effect on us as well. As we live a faithful life, we learn and grow in unknown and unanticipated ways, because the Holy Spirit is within us, helping us to gain wisdom and understanding that we do not expect or plan. This is God’s grace at work within us. It is beneficial and surprising what God causes to happen, and is designed to delight us in its unexpected and surprising ways.

It is because we are created by God and the Holy Spirit resides within each of us, that we can do acts of love, and be creative. Growing in our understanding and love is a direct result of how God created us. We are not alone, ever. We take each step in unison with the Holy Spirit. When we fully realize this is the way God gives us, to turn our back on sin and walk with Christ each day, we can achieve this, knowing we don’t do it alone. We start by making a decision to do it, and pray to God for the abiding presence that will guide our steps. This may seem confusing. Yes, the Holy Spirit is already in us, but we need to approach God and confirm our intentions by asking for what we need so that we are fully engaged in the process. There are many examples of people in the Bible, who lived faithful lives. The Old Testament examples lacked one strong element that we now have. The death of Jesus tore the curtain that separated the people from the Holy of Holies in the temple. Because of the dying sacrifice of Jesus, we are not barred from entering into the most holy place where God is. Hebrews 10 declares,  “19 So, brothers and sisters, we are completely free to enter the Most Holy Place without fear because of the blood of Jesus’ death.  20 We can enter through a new and living way that Jesus opened for us. It leads through the curtain—Christ’s body.”  This sacrificial act of Jesus, broke all barriers that might stand in the way of our being able to approach God.  Surprising God, assure us that we may enter into a holy relationship with you, and begin a life guided and supported by the Holy Spirit, as soon as we ask for such a life. We are grateful that we are offered this opportunity to walk with you, because Christ died for us. The way has been opened as the curtain was torn asunder. Give us the courage and strength to take the first step, and then the next, to live a faithful life with you.  Amen.  PEACE

PRAYING FOR OTHERS IN NEED

PRAYING FOR OTHERS IN NEED
IS WHAT GOD WANTS US TO DO – and then consider what else we can do to alleviate hardship or pain. Recently “The Hunger Site” on Facebook had a quote from Pope Francis, “You pray for the hungry. Then you feed them. This is how prayer works.”  There are many passages in both the Old and New Testaments that tell us to give relief to those in need. In Isaiah 61:1-2 we see a broad perspective of what the Lord calls us to do: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;”  And in this passage from Proverbs 14:31, we see how the mind and heart of God is directly connected to the poor,  “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”  Then Proverbs 22 assures:  “The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.”   Note in all the passages that we are called not only to fill physical needs, but we also see in the words of Jesus from Luke 4, he was called “to bring good news to the poor”, giving spiritual relief, compassion and mercy to heal wounded souls. When we give to those in need, we honor our call from God, and the heart of the mission of Jesus.

This is another way we can love God and love others. We love and honor God, when we support others around us. We will need to ask God in our praying for help to become more aware of the subtleties of need. Others are sometimes embarrassed by need, and are not able to ask for help. Being a compassionate presence that communicates love and acceptance is a way of opening a door to help others. A non-anxious presence will do a lot around a person who is in grief or pain, to calm and begin a process where God can directly help, through the inner presence of the Holy Spirit. This would be a very spontaneous kind of prayer, done as soon as we are aware of a person in need of this kind of help. There are many who are ready and willing to help with physical needs. But we can become very uncomfortable with things like grief. If we are in a position to touch them between the shoulders, while not making them uncomfortable, and then praying for their spiritual relief from suffering through our intervention with the Holy Spirit, we have responded to God’s call to alleviate suffering in an unusual way, that not many are able or willing to do.  Loving God, we pray that you will help us become attuned to those subtle needs around us, and learn to recognize how we might be a loving presence, and a channel for the Holy Spirit’s work within those who are suffering. We thank you that we are called to be a part of this great work of healing.   Amen.        PEACE

The Hunger Site is a wonderful internet destination, and one of a number of charities that are a part of “The Greater Good”, where we can accomplish a lot in very little time. I encourage you to visit and see how we can all help. I have used “Greater Good” and their related sites for gift giving. It is a wonderful way to honor causes of your choice while giving useful items to loved ones, and in some cases, supporting workshops of artisans all over the world.  ❤
http://thehungersite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/ths/home

GOD MAKES IT HAPPEN IN US

GOD MAKES IT HAPPEN IN US
SO WE CAN GIVE TO OTHERS – and be a blessing. God puts the energy in us to change the attitudes of those around us. This is one way that we are able to help move the world toward something more like the new creation of God. You may be saying to yourself, “I don’t have the energy for that.” We do, only because God puts it in us. It is not something we generate. It is a gift from God. Once we accept that it is there within us, it will help us begin to react to others differently. Are you having a bad day today? Are we just too busy to stop and try to change our mental attitude? If we could turn our day around in two minutes would you do it? God offers us the power to change how we see our lives and the world around us. If you would like to make a difference in your life, as well as in the lives of everyone you touch with your life, take two minutes and follow this exercise.

Take a deep breath, close your eyes and center yourself. Let your mind see God at your very core. God is there to bring you warmth and protection. God will not harm you. Only grace – unconditional love and acceptance are there for us. This is a God we can trust because God does not retaliate against us. Open to God, and pray: “open me to your love and help me live in your love today.” If you have made the decision to live in God’s love today, it will happen. The Holy Spirit will expand your heart and mind into seeing others with love, and pour the love that comes from God through you, and out to others. If we say we are Christians and love God, this is something we can do to help the world. We can get ourselves too busy with the world, and forget that we are called to something else, a different way of living in the world. If we are to live a different kind of life, one that God calls us to live, then we need to do the living differently. I pray we may begin our day as a new creature in God, and live each day in love. We can use the method above, or another one of our choosing, but to love God, we must show it in how we love others.  Loving God, show us how to stop for 2 minutes, and decide to follow your way of love for all others in the world, as Jesus showed us, and the Holy Spirit gives us the power to do. Thank you for the power of your love. May we allow ourselves to be your instruments of love to change the world. Teach us to be a loving influence wherever we are.   Amen.     PEACE

GOD PROTECTS US

GOD PROTECTS US
FROM EVIL – when we pray and listen. God has a vision of our broken creation being restored, returned to wholeness, and devoid of evil, of selfishness. God wants all of us to be a part of that plan to restore God’s creation. But it requires something of us to accomplish the plan. The most important thing is our willingness to listen to God, and then respond. God wants to eradicate evil, but we must help. God will give us the strength to help, but we must want to help. God will take away the obstacles, but we must want to be free of them. It is the choice between love and fear. When we fear, our world becomes smaller, and we stop considering anyone but ourselves. There is not even room for God, when we are filled up with fear.

By contrast, when we choose love, our world expands to include others, and our fear gets smaller, and eventually goes away. Our choice of love is a choice for God, because God is love. 1 John 4   “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.  17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.  18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  19 We love because he first loved us.”  The power of love is like the power of God, the most powerful force in the universe. Nothing will stop God’s love. When we love and channel the power of God, great things will be accomplished. This is the vision of God. Love has strength, perseverance, and understanding inherent in it. It has no room for fear, and instead gives courage and hope. We are charged to let God cast out evil and replace it with good. This is the work of God, that we are a part of, partners with the Holy Spirit.   God of vision and love, help us see the vision of the world your transforming love will bring into being. Make us a partner with you in this vision becoming a reality. Bless all our lives with forgiving love, and the power to transform the world, working with you in one little encounter at a time.   Amen.     PEACE

GOD IS STILL SPEAKING

GOD IS STILL SPEAKING
JUST AS GOD HAS SPOKEN IN AGES PAST – and the message remains one of love, strength and challenge. Today I share another of my husband’s hymns, a reminder of how and what God says to us, and that still speaks to us today, as the UCC celebrates the 61^st anniversary of its birth and service to God. The details may change over time, but the call is the same. The work of God’s loving redemption of the world and its people is still there. The cries of God’s people are still in need of being answered. Using what God provides to respond to human need, God is still calling us to act in love and justice, working with God to fulfill the promise.

God Spoke in Ages Past     [Crown Him with Many Crowns or This is my Father’s World]

1. God spoke in ages past

To call forth and create

A universe that is diverse,

A world both good and great.

God spoke in ages past

To seek and to redeem;

And those who heard God’s Holy Word

Have shared and served God’s dream.

2. God’s Word has come to us

In story and in song;

A company of people free,

To God we now belong.

God’s Word has come to us

Through scripture, font, and meal,

That we may know and tell and show

God’s work all ills to heal.

3. God spoke in ages past

And God is speaking still;

By day ‘n night more truth ‘n light

Break forth to show God’s will.

Yes, God is speaking still

To promise and to call;

In covenant we’re called and sent

To speak to one and all.

4. Go now and speak God’s Word,

Proclaim God’s message true;

Let all be told, both young ‘n old,

That God makes all things new.

Go now and speak God’s Word,

Proclaim to all the earth;

By word ‘n deed meet human need,

Show forth the gospel’s worth.

Based on the theme “God Is Still Speaking” for the 24th General Synod, United Church of Christ, 2003. Copyright ©) 2002  by Robert A. Lewis.  All rights reserved.  However, permission is hereby granted for this hymn to be copied for use in worship services or in other church gatherings provided that the following credit line is used: “Reprinted with permission. Copyright ©) 2002 by Robert A. Lewis.”

God of the past, we know you are still speaking to us, guiding us in all that you call us to do, to reclaim creation. Help us listen for your call, and show us how to overcome fear, using the tools you so generously give us, to accomplish what you are asking us to do. We thank you for the opportunity to be involved in this great work of redemption and reconciliation.   Amen.       PEACE

LIFE IS FULL OF GRACE

LIFE IS FULL OF GRACE
Part 3 – [from a sermon preached on Jun 25, 2017, at St John’s UCC, Emmaus, PA]

One way we might begin our process of recognizing God’s grace is to hear about God’s grace, and then to begin to look for the effects of God’s love in our lives and in the world around us. We have to know something is possible, before we can begin to see the world in a different light. As we begin to allow God to show us the love at work around us and at a distance, we begin to see more of God’s work in people, and our vision is expanded to recognize more of God’s loving grace. Our awareness is enhanced just as when we buy a car, and suddenly we start noticing all the other cars on the road that are similar to ours. We will be given a new vision of what God’s love looks like when we see it in others.

Our hearts will expand, and the grace already within us will increase the love and mercy we will be able to show to others. Gradually, we will grow in our capacity to let God’s unconditional love flow through us, and God’s light will shine as a beacon to all in need of grace. All those things that Jesus has shown us to do become possible in the strength the Holy Spirit gives us through grace. We cannot do any of it in our own strength or will. We may decide to let God work in us, as we grow and mature in our relationship with God, but we only actually accomplish what we are asked to do in the power of loving grace. In our human state, we may say to ourselves “I don’t know what to do to help”, but as we hear in Hebrews 4:16,  ”Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  The grace of God already within us, acts to give us the confidence to open ourselves so we can find God’s grace and mercy at work in us, and use it in response to need. Suddenly our minds and hands will work to help in the ways God calls us to help. This is how we operate on faith, because grace in within us showing us what we can do, and then will guide our hands in doing it. God will even help our ego get out of the way.

We have all heard stories of people acting in saving ways in times of disaster or catastrophe. They often don’t remember what they did when it is all over. At the time of great need they simply responded and were guided by something both within and outside themselves. They put themselves aside and helped. This is one way grace is at work. At other times, we may just serve as a quiet loving presence, without doing much else. In God’s great plan, we are called to receive grace, and also be instruments of God’s grace.

One of the simplest ways is to acknowledge that God created us to be a conductor of the light. Remember the children’s song, “Let Your Little Light Shine”? God has made every one of us to “be a star”, so that we can shine the light that comes from God, out into the world. This light is not to be hidden. We are reminded of this in Matthew 5,  “15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see.”  So the easiest way I know to begin being a star is to smile. We can start by smiling at everyone we know. Then see how that goes. I am sure God will help us do this, if we ask. God will then give us the confidence to smile at those we don’t know. It isn’t really any harder, except that we think it will be. Not everyone will return your smile, but the key is in the blessing we may pass on to those who are in need of the light that comes through our smile. We are projecting God’s love, in a world where so many people are in need of it. Consider how we can pass on the love and light God has put in us, so that others may come to know the light that is within them.

As I was writing this, I was given this image to help in our understanding. Picture all of us in a very long line, a line so long that we cannot see over the rise to the house on fire at the end of the line. Buckets of water are coming by us, and we are asked to pass them on. We also have a cup of water in one hand. As each bucket goes by, some water is sloshing out over the top, and we pour our cup of water into the bucket to fill it back up. As the next bucket comes by, we continue to pour our cup of water, which is always full, into the bucket. As we stand there for hours, we find we are tired, but our strength is renewed to keep passing the buckets, and pouring water from our cup, that is always full.   Gracious loving God, we are grateful for the way you work within us, making us a part of your work of grace, and giving us the strength and resources we need that will always keep our cup full. Help us be a star, shining the light of love and grace, so that others may see it and be awakened to their blessings and the light that is within them. In the name of your precious son, who continues to fill our cup, we pray this.  Amen.    PEACE

LIFE IS FULL OF GRACE

LIFE IS FULL OF GRACE
Part 2 – [from a sermon preached on Jun 25, 2017, at St John’s UCC, Emmaus, PA]

We can think of grace as the force of God’s unconditional love on the world, and everything in it. Grace is the means by which the Holy Spirit acts in our lives. As we begin to open our hearts to God, we will gradually notice the little things God is putting in our path, seasoning our lives to help us feel the love. Someone else may be prompted to say a word of encouragement, and that will cause us to react in a more loving way to others we encounter during the rest of our day. Or the sight of a puppy may ignite the love in us, and help us feel differently than we had been feeling. Every time we acknowledge God’s love in us, it has the potential to change us for the better. Then this has a domino effect. Every time we pass on the light of God’s love, it has an important impact on every other person or situation we meet.

This is because love is not just a feeling, love is energy. It transfers to others, and causes positive change. Love is powerful. God has created it that way. It shows its power in how it moves. When we show love to others, it transfers to them, and then is added to by that next person, or it just rests with them until they choose to welcome it, then add to it and pass it on to others. It is in the act of welcoming it, the energy, the love from God, that God’s grace increases the love, not in our power, but in the power that grace puts in each of us because we are made by God to function like that. It is then grace that is behind the love increasing as it passes through us and into others.

Prayer is the best example of this. Prayer is not just thoughts sent out to God, for the support of ourselves or others in need. Prayer is energy and has the power of God’s grace within it. Prayer goes beyond thought when we have the intention of giving the power of grace pouring through us, to send love on its way to those we want to help. Even when we don’t know all this, God’s powerful grace sends the energy of prayer where it is needed. Prayer may send love, comfort, healing or change. But prayer exerts its power on those of us praying as well. It is the grace within us that helps us grow, as we pray. Our capacity to think in loving and merciful ways increases, not because we are good, but because of God’s love growing in us. Prayer helps open us to God and the life-changing effects of the unconditional love that is grace.

The world teaches us to only trust what can be seen. However, God asks us to trust that there are created wonders we can’t see. We can feel them though. It depends on how much we are willing to allow God to show us of these experiences. For instance, we can feel energy every time we get zapped by static electricity. We can also feel the energy in our bodies very easily. If you would like to try it, extend your arms out in front of you and squeeze your hands into fists 6 or 8 times and release. Then bring your hands almost together in front of you. You should feel a slight tingling or maybe a pulsing, but you will feel there is something there, between your hands. This isn’t a trick. This is the energy in our bodies, amplified so we can feel it. Now consider that whenever we shake hands or touch someone we are sharing our energy and transferring it. It is subtle and we are not attuned to noticing this subtle effect it has, either on us or the hand we are touching. Studies have shown this can have healing power, when used in certain ways. One study said that if we gently apply touch between the shoulders, or move our hand across the back from one shoulder to the other and back again, it relieves sadness or grief. In observing people for many years, I have noticed that many people instinctively do this at funerals. Even placing your arm around someone’s shoulder is very comforting, because it is transferring loving energy, and connecting us to the source which is God’s love.   Healing God, we are grateful that you have put this healing energy in each of us. Help us to become aware of it, and teach us to use its power in love for ourselves and others.  Amen.        PEACE

LIFE IS FULL OF GRACE

LIFE IS FULL OF GRACE
Part 1 – [from a sermon preached on Jun 25, 2017, at St John’s UCC, Emmaus, PA]

How many of us like reading the Old Testament? I find much of it frustrating to read because it is from a time in the history of God’s people, before God fully revealed the plan for grace. The parts of the Old Testament that speak to me are those reassuring, loving and prophetic passages that begin to show us the grace that God finally revealed in Jesus and in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is good for us to know the history of God’s children long ago, but more importantly, it is vital that we see how God’s faithfulness kept them going through the hope and promise for their future. In a passage from Jeremiah 29, we hear about God’s plan, filled with hope and promises. God says to the people in exile – “11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”  We know from history that not all remained faithful to the hope and promise God gave them.

Then we come to the New Testament and the beginning of the gospel of John, and see a foreshadow of what would happen when we are told that the Jews, Jesus’ own people did not accept him. He did not fit the heroic image that legend had built, over the centuries of their persecution. However, God was faithful to the promise and plan God had told them about. So this is what is recorded in John’s gospel, chapter one: 12 “. . . to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of humankind, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”

We believers think of Jesus and the redemption he has made available to us all as the greatest gifts from God. So it follows that grace is the product of that unfailing love. I had a loving aunt named Grace. I don’t know if my grandparents considered the meaning of that word when she was named, but she lived out the essence of her name in her life with others. She had the practice, every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas, of making several different kinds of cookies. They were not only delicious, but beautifully crafted, a feast for the eyes. She was known far and wide for her cookies, and used them in her gracious hospitality at her church, and to all who crossed her threshold well into the New Year, every year of her long adult life. Her cookies and her smile communicated God’s forgiving love to all. She passed on her faith in practice to both her daughters, as they found their own ways to serve God, and live out their mother’s faithfulness. One worked much of her life in food ministry and the other was honored by her community in the 4th of July parade for her years as a volunteer EMT and for helping to establish their local ambulance corp many years ago. In 2 Timothy 1, we are reminded of grace as a legacy. So Paul writes this to Timothy:  “ 5 I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. 6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”. . . “9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. God did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was God’s plan from before the beginning of time—to show us this grace through Christ Jesus. 10 And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News.”

One way of knowing God’s grace is in our experience with others. It is because of grace that we know the joy of a baby’s laugh, or a friend’s kind words when we are in need. Another way we know grace is through creation, with all its joy and wonder. When we are in awe of beautiful spring flowers and the glory it brings to our surroundings, it is because of how God has created us, that we are given the opportunity to know the blessings God has placed in our path. God has put in us a capacity to be blessed and to know that we are blessed because of God. It is then our own choice to open to God, and see those blessings around us. They are subtle and can seem small many times, or obvious and in our face at other times. God has given us so much, and God wants us to feel blessed and loved. It is our choice to know that love, and give God thanks for what grace brings us.  Gracious loving God, we are grateful for your plan to bring unconditional love into our world. Help us to open our eyes and see your grace all around us, along with the blessings it brings with it.   Amen.       PEACE

A LOVING PARTNERSHIP IN GOD

A LOVING PARTNERSHIP IN GOD
IS THE FRUIT WE PRODUCE – from our relationship with God. Each time we make the choice to allow God to work in us, we become the fruit God is growing. The pictures we see painted in John 15 show us how this works. As each new day comes, we can choose to follow what Jesus says:  “4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”   How can we do this though? It seems like it is awfully difficult to do. When we start to let go of the fear of what will happen, and stop worrying about how it could happen, we can begin to allow God to work in us. It is in this process that the words from the previous verse will help.  “ 3 You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.”  So it looks like there should be nothing to stand in our way – except ourselves and whatever walls we put up to block what the love of God would like to do within us.

Our culture pumps negative attitudes at us all day long. And the institutional church over centuries has sent us the wrong message – that we ourselves must do the work of getting rid of our sin, meaning everything we have ever done wrong – before we can come before God, and have any hope of receiving God’s love. John 15 shows us that this is wrong. We are all able to receive God’s love because God wills it. The Bible is full of stories of how people have made a mess of living their lives, and God still loves them, although the negative stories tend to distract us from what God does in each of us. In John 14 Jesus describes the process.  25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.”  So when we begin each day with the prayer “Dear God, open me to your love and help me live in your love today,” we are allowing God into our whole lives, to do the work of transforming us into who we were created to be – a loving person. When we begin to live in this way, we have started down a new path God reveals to us. We will be reminded of the lessons of love God showed us in Jesus, and how they can help us make better choices for living out God’s love in our own lives. The Holy Spirit will show us ways of living our lives in a more loving and compassionate way, and we will be motivated to continue on this path, by the reactions we get from the love we give to others.   Loving God, we are grateful for the lessons of love and forgiveness Jesus has shown us, and the continuing lessons of love we learn from the Holy Spirit, so that we may bear the fruit of love, and become signs of a life with you. Help us be a light to others because your love shines so brightly, and a compassionate presence because your love is so strong. Help us to allow this work of love within us every day. In Jesus name, who showed us this way.    Amen.     PEACE