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FOR TODAY Read the collect for all Christians in their vocation, found on page 256 in the Book of Common Prayer.
Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers, which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
A clergy was once asked, “When did you go into the ministry?” To the dismay of the person asking the question, the clergy replied, “When I was baptized.” Too often those in the pews think of ministers as those in the pulpit or at the altar. The truth is that each of us, by our baptism, are ministers; this may be a reality to which many are not fully awake. Barbara Brown Taylor once wrote, “A gardener’s altar may be his garden where sacraments of seed and bud contain the grace of God’s life-giving power; a potter’s altar may be her wheel and kiln where the sacraments of clay and paint evoke God’s creative genius; a grandparent’s or parent’s altar may be their lap where sacraments of children exhibit the grace of God’s love.” The word sanctification, as included in our collect, can be an elusive concept for many people. Simply put, we affirm that by grace we are called to various altars whereby we share the mercy and grace that has been shared with us. And, this dynamic exchange changes the world as it changes us. In this way, we are sanctified and called to grow into deeper devotion and relationship. This dynamic exchange hearkens to a saying attributed to St. Irenaeus: “The Glory of God is a human being fully alive.” We cannot find that holy liveliness without sanctifying grace and without understanding that our life is more than consumption and procreation. That is, we all have a divine purpose to which we are called and fashioned.
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION You are a minister of God’s redeeming love with a divine purpose. Where is the altar of your ministry today and how is that altar helping you share the redemptive power of God’s love and grace with others?
AWAKE
This second week focuses on the word awake. As Christians, we often find ourselves called into cycles of newness and resurrection. The good news is that we are never alone in the process. With God at our side we can trust that every time we are called to wake up to new ways of seeing or being, we are learning more about ourselves and our purpose. Trusting in the process allows us to grow even closer to God. Find all previous daily devotionals here
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