​"Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. 

Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. 

Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by love. 

No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint. Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness."

Reinhold Niebuhr, The Irony of American History

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”
Luke 17: 11-19 NRSV

At sundown yesterday (Oct 8th) our Jewish friends and neighbors begin their celebration of Yom Kippur which will end at sundown today (October 9). Yom Kippur is the Jewish Day of Atonement and is considered the holiest and most solemn day on the Jewish calendar.

In the Jewish tradition it is a time for moral review, and Christians do well to embrace moral review as a spiritual practice. Wednesday mid-week, mid-day is a good intersection to take time, even a moment, to review who we have been and reorient ourselves to who God is calling us to be.

"Birth is a beginning
And death a destination.
And life is a journey:
From childhood to maturity
And youth to age;
From innocence to awareness
And ignorance to knowing;
From foolishness to discretion
And then, perhaps, to wisdom;
From weakness to strength
Or strength to weakness –
And, often, back again;
From health to sickness
And back, we pray, to health again;
From offense to forgiveness,
From loneliness to love,
From joy to gratitude,
From pain to compassion,
And grief to understanding –
From fear to faith;
From defeat to defeat to defeat –
Until, looking backward or ahead,
We see that victory lies
Not at some high place along the way,
But in having made the journey, stage by stage,
A sacred pilgrimage.
Birth is a beginning
And death a destination.
And life is a journey,
A sacred pilgrimage -
to life everlasting."
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(This moving meditation is from Yom Kippur's Kol Nidre service and can be found in Gates of Repentance, the Union prayerbook for the Days of Awe by Chaim Stern, Central Conference of American Rabbis.)

To benefit Village Partners International

Do this and remember me. Those simple words, spoken over bread and cup, call us back to you, Lord Christ.

This is my body, given for you. In your arms, Lord Jesus, stretched on a cross the love of God embraces all the earth.

This is my blood, poured out for you for the forgiveness of sin. Lamb of God, as you empty yourself you fill our cups until they overflow.

Take, eat.

All of you drink.

Your commands, Prince of Peace, call us to come around your ever-expanding table and be welcomed. You call us to make room for more, eat our fill, no need to hold back at this family feast, there is always plenty with baskets left over.

Lord of lords, we look around and see the whole communion of the saints, some singing, some shouting, some letting loose of tears long held at bay. We come, just as we are and through the power of the Holy Spirit we are lifted into your presence. We come and find rest for our souls. We leave imbued with our belovedness and that of our brothers and sisters, too.

These are the gifts of God for the people of God. Lord of love, your body and blood, the gifts of God, for the people of God, for us, all of us, everywhere, united in and through you. We tremble at the cost of such gifts. And we remember.

We remember the grace, the mercy, the redemption won for us.

We remember the cross.

We remember the empty tomb.

We remember our hearts burning and our eyes opening.

We remember your promises.

We remember the grace, the mercy, the redemption won for the world.

The bread of life, the cup of salvation, the gifts of God for God’s people, all over the world.
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We remember, Lord Christ, as we give you thanks, with our lips and with our lives.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer...Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Romans 12:12,15, NIV

Lord our God, we thank you for your gospel, the great, good tidings we may carry in our hearts to give us joy in this present time, even though on all sides people are in anguish and agony. We thank you that your gospel fills our hearts with compassion, enabling us to help carry what many have to suffer. Show us our need of you so that we can receive your help. If we must be the first to suffer all kinds of pain and distress, may we do so joyfully because we have been promised blessing in the midst of all the pain. May we continually honor your name, praising you for the good news of your kingdom, for the promise that everything must work together for good through Jesus Christ the Savior. Amen.
​-https://www.plough.com/en/subscriptions/daily-prayer/october/daily-prayer-for-october-1