Kara WiechmannPrayer of the Day
God, you cultivated a world that is full of your glory. When we are struggling with dark thoughts and heavy burdens, when we are tired and weary, when we are longing to see you, open our eyes to see your light shining in and through our lives. Guide us to be light-bearers for all those still struggling down paths obscured by despair. Amen.
ColdFire via Adobe StockGod of the Shadows,
of the Hidden Places,
of the Bellies of Whales,
and the Recesses of Tombs,
Rev. Talitha Amadea AhoPrayer
O God, show us your steadfast love. In a changing world speak your word of eternal Love which does not change. Hear our cries, from the depths of our longing. Bring us mercy and compassion, tenderness and commitment, all that we need to carry us through. Be born in us this day. As we open to you in vulnerability, surround us and fill us with your love.
Rev. Merianna HarrelsonPrayer of the Day
Creator God, so often we look around us and see only the changes that need to be made. We look past what you are doing in the lives of the children who surround us. Open our eyes to the joy of the world they are creating alongside you. Amen. Read more
Patrick FotoPrayer of the Day
Maker of All That Is, thank you. You are our Source of life and hope. Forgive us for all the ways we sin against you and the Earth. Restore our connection to you and all of Creation, that we might be a part of your great Restoration of the world. Reconnect us to our fellow creatures. Help us tread lightly on your holy ground. Cultivate your deep peace within us that we might trust you and live in The Way of Christ. Amen.
Dave Davidson (Pixabay)Prayer
Eternal God, gift us the hope we need to keep awake and watch for your amazing works. Help us participate in the upending of the world as we know it so we will know the world of your loving grace. We pray all this and more in your most Holy Name. Amen.
Commentary on Isaiah 64:1-9 & Mark 13:24-37
In August of 2017, the United States experienced what some media outlets called “the Great American Eclipse.” It was a total solar eclipse that spanned fourteen different states, with a partial eclipse being visible from parts of Canada to parts of South America. I was traveling that day and remember pulling off the highway into a shopping mall to catch a glimpse of the event. It was a moment where much of the United States was united with creation, as everyone stopped to go outside and look up. Reflecting on where we are today, six years later, many of us have lost all hope of anything in creation bringing so many people together. Read more
Ashley UpdegraffPrayer of the Day
God of abundance, You provide all that we need. Thank you for your gifts of bread and fish, grass and grain, care and rest. Give us eyes to recognize all that you have given us, and turn us into a generous people, willing to share what we have with joy and compassion, trusting that, in you, there is always enough. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Commentary on Matthew 14:22-33
I live in the Midwest. Right now, in the middle of summer, parched due to lack of rain, the grass that surrounds me is primarily brown, with a few splotches of light green and even fewer splotches of bright, vivid green.
Living in the central plains of North America, grass (no matter its color) is abundant. It is everywhere. It surrounds people’s homes, it covers football fields and soccer fields, and it lines the side of every road. Grass is a common, mundane thing here, often overlooked and taken for granted. Read more
Miriam Samuelson-RobertsPrayer of the Day
God of all growth, you nurture the seeds of our love and joy and make us co-workers in your kingdom. Give us strength to open and grow in your abundant love, that we might contribute to a world where all are fed, sheltered, and nurtured. In the name of Jesus, who brings us abundant life. Amen.
Commentary on Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
Here we go—another story about seeds! On the heels of the Parable of the Sower two weeks ago and the Parable of the Weeds Among the Wheat last week, we get the Parable of the Mustard Seed this week. This parable is quite short—just two verses—in the gospel of Matthew and is not much different from its telling in the other two synoptic gospels. Read more
Liesl SpitzPrayer of the Day
O God of all beings, open our hearts to the beauty of your creation. Where we are called to grow, nourish us. Where we are tempted to judge, chasten our impulses. Give us courage, strength, and wisdom to support the flourishing of all beings whom you have created and called good. Amen.
Commentary on Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
The weekend I met my now-spouse, I brought him around to my apartment in South Minneapolis and showed him my most proud achievement: the two by five foot plot I was tending behind the building, of which the landlord was kind enough to give me temporary stewardship. In the brief tour of what I had planted, I noticed an unknown sprout and began to pull it. Kenan, who I would learn was knowledgeable in plant identification and herbalism, stopped me. He leaned in, looked closely, and told me what this small leaf would become—sorrel—as well as its delicious taste and healing properties. We left it there to grow among the tomatoes.
Rev. Merianna HarrelsonIntroduction
I first heard about Suzanne Simard’s Mothering Tree book on the On Being podcast where she was interviewed. In this interview, she described the wisdom that exists deep in the woods. Her research had uncovered that not only do trees communicate with each other through an underground root system using mycelium, but also they take care of each other by sending nutrients to young saplings who are struggling to thrive. As I listened, I knew I needed to read her book. Her description and observation of mothering trees is a perfect example of the body of Christ caring for each other.
Moss-Covered Roots of a Tree at Dreher Island State Park in South Carolina
