Saturday, May 18, 2024

Thy Kingdom Come: The God Who Empowers (May 18)

 


ENTER

Read Isaiah 61:1-4 and Luke 4:18-19

Jesus claims the promise of Isaiah when he reads the scroll in the synagogue. He announces, the Lord has anointed me;he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

God empowers us with the same promise, and sends us to do the work of reconciliation, love, and reclamation. We too are to comfort all who mourn…raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities. AND we do this in and with the empowerment of God. It’s not something we can do by ourselves. It is God’s work of building Beloved Community out of the ashes of our own self-created devastations.

Where do you feel the need to work for justice, freedom, peace, and love?

WALK

As you walk, talk with God about whatever in the world, or in your life, is troubling you. Perhaps God is empowering you to make a difference there. Frederick Buechner says, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

What needs your passion plus God’s love?

DEEPEN

You can use the PAINT process to further enter prayer through the image.

Pause: Prepare to Pray through scripture and/or silence

Ask: Sit with the image for a few minutes What is the image saying to me? What part are you focusing on?

Imagine: Imagine yourself in the image. Let your senses get involved. Would you hear or smell or see or feel something if you were inside the image?

Notice: What word, emotion, other image comes to mind? What might God be saying in the image?

Time: Take time to Reflect and Rest in God’s presence. You may want to journal or draw your response to the image and your quiet time. Respond in prayer to God for the message of the image.

PRAY

Pray for the five people on your heart, and/or for these five Diocese of the Rio Grande parishes:

Trinity, Portales
Ascension, Cloudcroft
St. Stephen’s, Ft. Stockton, TX
St. Luke’s, Deming
St. John’s, Alamogordo

SHARE

You can share your insights in the comments or on TKC. You’ll also find further resources and prompts at Thy Kingdom Come | Thy Kingdom Come (https://www.thykingdomcome.global/)