TUESDAY

OPENING?PRAYER

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we, your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving kindness to us and all who you have made. We bless you for your creation, preservation, and the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to who with you and the Holy Spirit, be honour and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

SCRIPTURE

?For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord??Romans 8:38-39?

CLOSING?PRAYER

Creator of the universe, the light of our glory shines in the darkness of our lives. Make us attentive to your presence, prompt to serve you and ever eager to follow in the steps of the one who is our true light, Jesus Christ your son our Lord. Amen.?

Rev Marie's Thoughts

Our Scripture today seems to sing in praise of God's grace. ?Paul, sitting in a situation that we would deplore, sings out his triumphant hymn of praise. It begs to be read aloud, very loud, and with joy. ?It is a hymn we declare in the face of death at every funeral. ?It is an assurance I often share with folks as they face trials and even the end of their own lives. It is a passage I have repeated to myself over and over in the days when all is wonderful and even more?often in dark days of doubt or pain.

I wish I could say I have always held onto it tightly, that I have always been able to sing it with?confidence. ?The reality is that sometimes that has been true, but at other times the best I could do was whisper it doggedly in the cold 3am of a lonely night. ?Sometimes the best I could do was to repeat it over and over until I could begin to believe again. And there have been times when I have had to depend on my brothers and sisters to believe?it for me, to remind me of this truth.

But the good thing is, whether I am declaring this with confidence, or struggling to believe it might be possible doesn't change the reality the scripture expresses. The grace of?God's love is the rock on which everything else is built. Like the air we breathe, it surrounds us and sustains us. How easy it is to become unaware of the air we breathe - until an illness robs us of the ability to breathe easily and then we struggle! ?In moments of panic and despair, we say to the person who is struggling "Breathe - now just breathe, slowly...... slowly....., breathe!"?It is much the same with God's love.

But surely there is a better and easier way to live in the?consciousness of God's love than to wait until we are?desperately trying to gasp the oxygen of faith in the midst of trial?? There is!

To be sure, there are wonderful moments when the emotion of thankfulness wells up in us, and we are "lost in wonder, love and praise", but more often we live in unawareness, too busy to notice the air we breathe, or God's presence around us.

Our prayer reminds us ?to be thankful and then seeks God's help to "give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service".

Developing a stance of gratitude in our lives builds this awareness. That is why a practice of intentional reflection and gratitude is so valuable and why those who practice it testify to the life-changing nature of keeping a gratitude journal. The practice builds our awareness, and we begin to observe God's hand in our lives in places where we were?conscious?of it before.??It?reminds us to breathe in deeply the air of God's love. ?The oxygen that fills our souls strengthens and prepares us for all that will follow. ?And sharing that together allows us to carry one another in the times when one of us is gasping for the breath of faith.

It is not that we earn God's love by saying "thank you" often enough. ?Rather, it is that by breathing deeply the oxygen of gratitude and praise, we become aware - and being aware of the immensity of the love around us, we are strengthened to live the lives God has called us to live.

Here's to breathing grace - pure grace - today!