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

Faithful love and truth have met; righteousness and peace have kissed. Truth springs up from the ground; righteousness gazes down from heaven. Yes, the Lord gives what is good, and our land yields its produce. Righteousness walks before God, making a road for his steps.

Psalm 85:10-13

Think

How do we decide to give something away? Is it old? Have we outgrown it? Does it take up too much space, and we want to make room for something different? Is it a duplicate? Whatever the case may be, most of the time we don’t give away our best stuff, do we?

God gives what is good. The truth of a blessing is that God gives it. Not a God who plays favorites, but a God of extravagant love. God doesn’t do hand-me-down love. Yesterday’s meatloaf is not the main course. God serves up blessings beyond our wildest imagination. The menu is full of the good stuff: love, truth, righteousness, peace. God offers us the very best, not simply what is leftover. We are blessed by God’s generosity.

May we strive to do the same for God and our neighbors.

Neil Myer

Pray

Gracious God, you have given me more than I can imagine. You have filled me up with every good thing. Thank you! Help me to share of your goodness with others. 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.