Listen

The same Spirit agrees with our spirit, that we are God’s children. But if we are children, we are also heirs. We are God’s heirs and fellow heirs with Christ, if we really suffer with him so that we can also be glorified with him.

Romans 8:16-17

Think

Inheritance happens both via nature and via nurture. From my father, I inherited a thick head of hair and a love of puns and word games. From my mother, I inherited an underdeveloped thyroid and a skill for finding connections with people I’ve just met. From my seminary advisor, I inherited a particular love for the Gospel of John and a collection of bright neckties. From my grandparents, I inherited a paradoxical fondness of thrift stores and foreign travel, of new cars and old books, of home-baked pies and restaurants where they know your name.

God’s Spirit bears witness to our own spirit, speaking through our nature, reminding us of our status as God’s beloved children. God’s Spirit also reminds us that we have inherited the results of Christ’s suffering, including the promised hope as a part of the body of Christ. As children of God and co-heirs with Christ, we have also been nurtured in the way of the cross. Every day, we are led by God’s Spirit toward the glory that is ours in Christ.

Peter Hanson

Pray

Give us the joy of knowing that we are your children, loving God!

Remind us every day that our family heritage includes love, truth, forgiveness, and peace.

Through your suffering on the cross, you are close to those who are suffering. Be with those today who continue to suffer in our world because of the tragedy of gun violence, because they have lost their children, their classmates, their teachers, their friends. Give them your Spirit of peace.

Let us be stewards of the inheritance we have received, speaking truth, sharing forgiveness and hope.

Amen.

Go

You are a beloved child of God,

created in God’s image,

empowered with the gift of Christ’s peace,

led by the Spirit of truth.

Go into this troubled world led beyond your fear to live as God’s children here and now.