With all the noise in the world, do you hear the voice of God? Your calendar tells you what to do, but do you remember who you are? Being comes before doing. This is a call to put first things first. Return to the Lord with this daily pattern of prayer and devotion. Set aside this time as a sanctuary. Find a space free of distraction and follow this pattern.
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation
“You have made us for Yourself. And our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” (Augustine)
Creator of all things, hear my voice, for you have made it. You who live in heaven, hear my prayer from earth. I am one person in one little town in one corner of your vast creation. Of all the people on the planet, hear me also. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Confession
O God, in the beginning you made us good, even “very good.” I admit the many things in my life that are far from your good intent. I try to change, and then find myself in the same place once again. Lord, you know me. Have mercy. Make me right. Forgive my wickedness. Bring me back to good, as you intended from the beginning. Amen.
Word: John 17:5
And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”
Meditation: Made for Unity
Today’s meditation is written by Megan Roegner.
In John 17:5, Jesus speaks of how he was with God in the beginning, “before the world existed.” This reference to Creation brought me back to a question that has been lingering in my mind. What does it mean to be made in God’s image? Genesis 1:26 says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…’” The first-person plural pronouns of “us” and “our” reveal the triune nature of our God. When God says in Genesis 2:18: “‘It is not good that the man should be alone…’” perhaps this is because we are made in his image, the image of a God who was not alone, even in the beginning. We are made for unity, to live with and love other people.
Sometimes I want to deny this part of myself that was made to live in unity with others. I am an introvert. I’m also the mother of small children and a teacher—my life is filled with other people all the time. Even as I write this, a three-year-old is demanding my attention and throwing stuffed animals at me. Sometimes I feel like what I need, more than anything else, is to be alone, to have an uninterrupted thought. I frequently savor solitude, luxuriating in the silence of a solo car trip or the rare peace of an empty house.
But I also know that I am more “me” with the people I love and who love me than I am by myself. With my students, who bring me so much laughter and the opportunity to show grace. With my friends, who seem to see a version of me who is so much better than the me I see in the mirror. With my family, who knows all my flaws and loves me in spite of them.
In one of my doctoral classes, we’ve been reading about the theories of prominent developmental psychologists like Lawrence Kohlberg, Jean Piaget, and Erik Erikson. What these men realized through their lives’ work was written throughout Genesis and John, thousands of years before: That man was not made to live alone, that we are our most true selves when we are living in community with others.
Unity in a sinful world isn’t easy. We are living in a time that seems designed to pull us apart: Busy schedules, social media, and the twenty-four hour news cycle make it so easy to be lonely and to focus on division. But we cannot forget that we were made to live together, “perfectly one” (John 17:23), with our Creator and Savior and with one another.
Dear Jesus, thank you for creating us to live in unity with you and with one another. Heal our communities where there is division. Let us all find our shared identity in you. Amen.
Benediction
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Rom. 11:33,36))