Love Challenge Week: Loving our Enemies, Haters, and family members who differ from us.

Dear Family of Love!

Happy You Matter Monday!  This week we are going to challenge ourselves praying for our enemies, haters, and family members who differ from us. We are also going to put our love energy into the practice of doing the same by loving our enemies, haters, and family members who differ from us. 
Our Theme of Action: Week 3: Challenging ourselves to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. How can we be of help to them. 
Our secondary theme comes from the Gospel for the Second Sunday in Lent :  Being a modern prophet in and out of our own Jerusalems and the Jerusalems throughout the world. The seven Keywords and concepts are these:
 Prophet

Jerusalem

Going against authority

Fearlessly serving

Comforting and gathering the flock in a desolate city and sometimes being prevented in doing so.

Pharisees

Where are the modern day Jerusalems? 

Here is the Gospel to refer to throughout the week:

At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ Jerusalem, Jerusalem,the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,and you were not willing!See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name

of the Lord.’

Tonight we are going to take a look at or main theme of the week's lessons.

Let your Spirit, O Lord, come into the midst of us to wash us with the pure water of repentance, and prepare us to be always a living sacrifice to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Daniel 9:3–10

I turned to the Lord God, to seek an answer by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying,

“Ah, Lord, great and awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love with those who love you and keep your commandments, we have sinned and done wrong, acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and ordinances. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

“Righteousness is on your side, O Lord, but open shame, as at this day, falls on us, the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. Open shame, O Lord, falls on us, our kings, our officials, and our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by following his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.”

The Psalm

Psalm 79:1–9

Deus, venerunt

1 O God, the heathen have come into your inheritance;

they have profaned your holy temple; *

they have made Jerusalem a heap of rubble.

2 They have given the bodies of your servants as food for the birds of the air, *

and the flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the field.

3 They have shed their blood like water on every side of Jerusalem, *

and there was no one to bury them.

4 We have become a reproach to our neighbors, *

an object of scorn and derision to those around us.

5 How long will you be angry, O LORD?*

will your fury blaze like fire for ever?

6 Pour out your wrath upon the heathen who have not known you *

and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon your Name.

7 For they have devoured Jacob *

and made his dwelling a ruin.

8 Remember not our past sins;

let your compassion be swift to meet us; *

for we have been brought very low.

9 Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your Name; *

deliver us and forgive us our sins, for your Name's sake.

The Gospel

Luke 6:27–38

Jesus said, “I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

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We have quite a bit to chew on but that's ok! Lent is not a time of making things easy for oneself.  Tonight's keyword is prophet. When was the last time you met a prophet? Are you a prophet and don't know it? When we speak truth to power and set the record straight are we being prophets?  Is it easier to listen to a prophet than it is a politician who seeks to incite the masses to hate, to kill, or become seduced into extremism or fear?  Looking at the two Gospels decide for yourself where you fit in. If a prophet came to your town and told you to love Mr. and Mrs. Bad Guy who took your money out of your bank account by stealing your ATM card could you do it? I'm telling you it wouldn't be easy but it is something I'm called to do regardless of how I feel.  The above is tonight's ponder work and journaling assignment.

Ponder work for tomorrow is on the Keyword: Jerusalem

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Let us engage our "Be Stills"  after our ponder work. 

Be still and know that I am God.

Be still and know.

Be still.

Be.

Slowly inhale.

Hold.

Slowly exhale

Pause. Count to 10.

Repeat 4 times! 

Now sit quietly and reflect up the day past and enjoy your visit with God. Open wide your heart homes and feel God filling you up with Love Energy.

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Dear Ones it is time to light our candles and be at prayer and gather together for our Virtual Candlelight Prayer Vigil. Tonight we pray that we may love our enemies, haters, and family members who differ from us. We pray that we may sew seeds of CALM (Compassion, Acceptance, Love, and Mercy) throughout the world. We pray that God will guide our hearts as we face the daily struggles of our lives. We pray that everyone will know that they matter to God, each other, themselves, that even our family members who wish us harm are loved by God too. We pray that we may learn to love ourselves more fully so that we may love others with equal and abiding measure. 

Gracious God we pray that we may learn to use our prophetic voices to speak truth to power with out fear.

God we pray that we may never be silent during times of conflict and let the world know that it is unacceptable to be filled with hate violence in the forms of action and speech, bigotry, racism, and extreme thinking.

God we pray that we may never be silent and stand firm for the protection of our family members who are vulnerable and do not have advocates in their corners.

God we pray that we may never be silent when our leaders go off track and remind them that they are to serve the people and not the interests of lobbies, special interest groups or their own dangerous and self serving agendas.

God we pray that we may never be silent when we need to tell our stories that will benefit and make change in the world.

God we pray that we may never be silent and tell and show our family members we love them.

God we pray that we may never be silent as we serve others and that when you call us to be silent we may listen. Help us to serve the least of these with loving hands, feet, words, and deeds.

God we pray that we may listen to you as we pray for the concerns that you are laying upon our hearts and in our minds especially________________

God we pray that we may listen to our bodies, minds, and spirits that we may seek to keep them healthy.

God we pray that we may be good in the conservation of your Cathedral of Life.

God help us to meet the Love Challenge this week with courage, strength, and love energy and that our heart homes maybe expanded as we become more loving towards our enemies, haters, and family members who differ from us.

God we lift up these our prayers in the name of your Son Jesus. Amen.

The  Beatitudes  Matthew 5:3–12 

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. (5:3)

Blessed are those who mourn: for they will be comforted. (5:4)

Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth. (5:5)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled. (5:6)

Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. (5:7)

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will see God. (5:8)

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they will be called children of God. (5:9)

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:10

 A Prayer attributed to St. Francis

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to
be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is
in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen.

For our Enemies  (From the BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER)

O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth; deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

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Good Night Dear Ones, have a blessed and restful night and that you may take time to know that you matter. I love you and give thanks to God for you always.

Tomorrow is Take Care Tuesday. Let us take care of ourselves so that we may take care of others.

Love and Blessings,

Sara