O Sovereign and almighty Lord, bless all your people, and all your flock. Give your peace, your help, your love unto us, your servants, the sheep of your fold, and may we be united in the bond of peace and love, one body, and one spirit, and one hope of our calling, in your divine and boundless love.
Liturgy of Saint Mark, used by the Orthodox Church of Alexandria, fourth century
This week’s biblical lesson is based on Joe Chadburn’s quote, “World peace is possible and inevitable.” Let’s connect peace with God’s promises.
Joe Chadburn’s words echo the biblical conviction that peace is not a human fantasy but a divine promise. Scripture consistently points to a future where God’s reign brings reconciliation, healing, and wholeness to creation.
Think of peace like the sunrise. Even in the darkest night, the dawn is inevitable. God’s peace is the sunrise of eternity—it may feel delayed, but it is unstoppable. Our role is to live as people of the dawn, anticipating and reflecting the light of Christ.
Prince of Peace, We thank You for the promise that Your peace is not only possible, but inevitable. Teach us to live as peacemakers, to embody reconciliation in our words and actions, and to trust in Your coming kingdom.
May our lives reflect the dawn of Your peace, and may we be signs of hope in a world longing for healing. We await the day when swords are beaten into plowshares, and Your love reigns forever.
In Jesus’ name, Amen 💕✌️🙏
For you goodness and generosity
In giving us all we need.
Help us to praise you O God.
In every circumstance of life.
In good times and bad,
Help us to trust you, O God.
In love and faithfulness,
With all that we have and all that we are,
Help us to serve you, O God.
As we speak or write or listen
To those nearby or far away,
Help us to share your love, O God.
In our plans and work
For ourselves and for others,
Help us to glorify you, O God.
In every thought and word and deed,
By the power of your Holy Spirit,
This week, may we live for you, O God.
Church of Australia, Contemporary Liturgy
May the Lord bless you and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.
Numbers 6:24-26, NLT
Now may God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound and hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13, NKJV
This week’s biblical lesson centers around the profound question: “How do you love God?”
The question “How do you love God?” is answered not in abstract theory but in relationship. Scripture shows us that loving God is holistic—it involves the heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is not a single act, but a way of life.
Importantly, our love for God is always a response to His love. We do not initiate it; we receive it and reflect it back. As John reminds us, “We love because He first loved us.”
Think of loving God like turning toward the sun: when we face Him, His light warms us, and the shadows fall behind. Loving God is about orientation—choosing daily to face Him, to walk in His light, and to let His love shape our lives.
Lord of Love, Teach me to love You with all my heart, to desire You above all else. Teach me to love You with all my soul, to surrender my life into Your hands. Teach me to love You with all my mind, to seek Your wisdom and truth. Teach me to love You with all my strength, to serve You with joy and faithfulness.
May my love be a reflection of Yours, for You loved me first, and Your love never fails. In Jesus’ name, Amen 💕✌️🙏
In an episode of the podcast “Rethinking God with Tacos,” Brother Pete Scheller delivered a profound message that resonated profoundly with me. He asserted that the Father yearns for acceptance, peace, love, and alignment with His divine perspective on humanity’s creation as both fearfully and wonderfully made.
The Father offers a path to freedom from self-hatred, restoration, reconnection, and a glimpse into one’s true identity as a cherished child. Scheller posed a question to listeners, inviting them to accept themselves as God has accepted them. He urged them to make peace with themselves, love themselves, and like themselves as He does.
Furthermore, Scheller emphasized that the Father sets individuals free from self-hate and self-rejection, revisiting them with His loving kindness, mercy, and grace. He restored their souls, reconnected them with Himself, and reminded them of their true identity as well-loved children of a benevolent Father.
Scheller concluded by offering listeners a glimpse of their reflection in God eyes, releasing them from their fears and grounding them in His love. He reassured them that He has this under control and encouraged them to smile, breathe, and relax, acknowledging that He has the ability to guide them into their future.
[Source: Rethinking God with Tacos Podcast, Episode: Pete Scheller / Dancing With Wisdom, May 21, 2023]
[Podcast Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rethinking-god-with-tacos-podcast/id1505604825?i=1000614337006&r=4100%5D
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I would like to have my frequent prayer, answered that God let my life be meaningful in the enhancement of His kingdom, and that my life might be meaningful in the enhancement of the lives of my fellow human beings.
I call upon all the people of our Nation to give thanks on that day for the blessings Almighty God has bestowed upon us, and to join the fervent prayer of George Washington who as President asked God to “impart all the blessings we possess, or ask for ourselves to the whole family of mankind.” – Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States of America.
“O Lord, our heavenly Father, whose blessed Son came not to be served, but to serve:
Bless, we beseech thee, all who, following in his steps, give them to the service of others; that with wisdom, patience, encourage, they may minister in his name to the suffering, and friendliness, and the needy; for the love of him who laid down his life for us, the same thy, Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, who lived and reigned with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.” Amen Anonymous 💕✌️🙏
Lord, I have sinned in all the branches of sloth; by my negligence, I have been slow in God’s service, slothful and negligent in the faith, and I have taken great care and thought for the ease of my vile body, and I have not remembered the words of the Scriptures, nor followed after them, by recent of my sloth. Again, I have not given thanks to God, as I should, for the spiritual and temporal blessings that he has given and sent me, and furthermore, I have not served God as I ought, according to the blessings and virtues that He has given me. I have neither said nor done those good things which I might have said or done, and have been slow in slothful in your service of Our Lord, and have done and busy myself in the service of the worldly things, and also I have better serve myself and my own flesh and have set more store thereby, than the service of my sweet Creator. I have long been full idle, whence many evils and ill thoughts and meditations come to me. – A Citizen Of Paris, c, 1393 From the Goodman of Paris: A Treatise on Moral and Domestic Economy
Whispers of Grace 