Ordinary Time

Pause

“Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Christ, all people here below;
Praise Holy Spirit evermore;
Praise Triune God, whom we adore.”

Neil Weatherhogg, “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow,” 1990

Listen

God revealed his hidden design to us, which is according to his goodwill and the plan that he intended to accomplish through his Son. This is what God planned for the climax of all times: to bring all things together in Christ, the things in heaven along with the things on earth.

Ephesians 1:9-10

Think

If we had the power, I’m sure there are gaps in the world that we would like to bridge. The gaps between poor and rich, sickness and health, lack of and access to education, dirty and clean water – all deserve a significant narrowing.

One gap in particular has often been a mystery to me: heaven and earth. Each week, many Christians pray the Lord’s Prayer “…Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Is that even possible? Might we have a role in bridging that gap? When we depend only on ourselves, we are on a bridge to nowhere. However, if we look to God as our starting point, we see the hope of every good possibility.

May we come to recognize we aren’t blessed because of things we do on our own. We are blessed by the things God has done and continues to do. Thanks be to God for bridging the gap between the things on earth and things in heaven together in Jesus Christ.  #NowWeAreGettingSomewhere #ItStartsWithGod

Neil Myer

Pray

Gracious God, thank you for bridging the gap between heaven and earth. Help me remember to turn to you as the starting point for everything I do. Amen.

Go

Go into the world remembering God’s richest blessings are not found in the randomness of everyday life but in the gift that is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.