Sunday Prayer: 6A To Love, Be Love, For Love

Oh God
Seriously,
How much more can we take?
Wave after wave of violent storms,
nature-made,
or
human made,
enough, already. Honestly
do your thing, God
and love as only you can.

Love us back to wholeness.
Love us back to wellness
Love us back to fullness
Love us. Love us. Love.

Your love, O God, is not
like human love. It's not
really about emotions, rather
it's about action. Love as a verb
doing what You do, love is.

Love heals. Love restores. Love
mends. Love reaches out to strangers
love enables one to help another
be, become, more who each is meant
to be. Love God, love others, as self.

Gracious God, there is more
destruction and devestation
around us, more than we could
imagine. Dig your hand into
this muck, this chaos,
the broken lives,
and through love,
with love,
guide us.
Help us to be
Love.

Help us to be your love.
Bless our lives that we
may be a blessing, too.
Amen.

crossposted on A Place for Prayer

11th Hour Preacher's Party: Too Much Love? Edition

The season of Easter is drawing to a close, just two weeks until Pentecost. For six weeks we have had lesson on love from the Gospel of John. The love message of John intertwined with the mixed messages of the struggles of the early church in Acts, which were often "un-loving" in nature. The love message of John mirrored in the Psalms. And, the love message of John challenged by the thoughts conveyed in 1 Peter. All this preaching on love is leaving some of us preachers yearning for ordinary time and the message of law abiding Matthew. (or, not...as the case may be). Personally, I love the Gospel of John and rarely tire of his message of unrelenting, comprehensive, expansive love. And likewise, I find it a difficult transition to move into Matthew. (But, I digress. For more on this theme check out the comments in Tuesday's Lectionary Leanings...

This week I'm using the Gospel reading and a story from MSNBC on the a herd of goats and sheep who lead and protect a blind horse, all of whom live on a rescue ranch in Wyoming. I'm looking at the idea of not being abandoned, and of love abiding within, and that through the challenges of life our call is to be the love of God in this world.

Or something like that.

What about you? Where are your thoughts and ideas taking you this week? I have a delicious spread of coffee and tea, breads, yogurt, cereal, fruit - to get us started. Pull up a chair and sit awhile. We'll be here all day to help you when you get stuck, to laugh when you need to lighten up, to offer a hug when you need some lovin'. After all, there can really never be too much love, IMHO.