Ordinary Time 
Pause
As children of God, we often feel like there is a clear-cut list of dos and don'ts. But in reality, we live our days in gray areas where the rules are not always evident. We create great expectations and routinely let ourselves down. Perhaps we should go back to the source and look beyond our own expectations to the One who calls, claims, forgives, and loves us to the end. Let's journey together to see how this might look for us today.
Listen
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
Leviticus 19:1-2
Think
Often times being a Christian in the summer is a lot easier than being a Christian during the school year. It’s hard to carry the closeness to God after a “mountain top experience” into your daily life, back to class, back to your job and weekend social life. It’s often hard to take a transformational experience like domestic or overseas mission and weave it back into your daily life. But God calls us to do just that.
God calls us to be a holy people, to love and follow God no matter where we are or whom we encounter. God’s love and acceptance is open to all and we are called to share that with the world. That means letting grudges go, offering forgiveness, choosing not to judge or gossip about a peer. It means serving the poor, even and especially when you are not on a mission trip. It means loving God and God’s people even when it feels “uncool” and especially when it feels hard.
Leslie Manning
Pray
God, help me to pursue you with passion today. Help me to walk into this day or night with the expectation and understanding that you are moving in my life. Help me to move in others' worlds offering comfort, peace, mercy, and generosity of spirit and resources to all whom I meet. Amen.
Go
“Go forth into the world in peace.
Be strong and of good courage.
Hold fast to that which is good.
Render to no one evil for evil.
Strengthen the fainthearted.
Support the weak.
Help the afflicted.
Honor all persons.
Love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit
and the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
be among you and remain with you now and forever. Amen.”
—The Rt. Rev. Duncan M. Gray, II
