“We thank our God every time we remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of our prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. We are confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for us to think this way about all of you, because you hold us in your hearts, for all of you share in God’s grace with us, both in our retirement and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is our witness, how we long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is our prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.”
Open our hearts Lord, to listen to your living Word. Open our hearts, Lord, to take time to quiet ourselves, to better hear what you are saying to us. Open our hearts, Lord, to remember the ELCA theme of God’s Work-Our Hands, that we, your servants might “take up the towel”, remembering all you sacrificed for us on the cross, all you taught us as you walked on this earth and continue to teach us through God’s Holy Word. Help us to be the best witnesses we can be to those around us that all might know your loving grace and mercy. In Jesus’ Holy Name we pray. Amen
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