Meditation/prayer based on Ephesians 2: 13-22

Ever-present and uniting God,

We come before you this morning looking to heal from the wounds of another day, the divisions of a week gone by.  We open our hearts to you looking for answers to problems we don’t fully understand, to forces that seem beyond our ability to manage, as we try to live out our days in harmony, within your divine purpose for us.

In the quiet moments of our reflection with You this morning, we breathe in the sweet air that you give us each moment to help calm our spirits.  We let the air into our bodies and feel our lungs expand, relaxing our bodies and quieting our spirits.  And we breathe out again, letting out the troubles of the day, the noises of the world that distract us from Your presence that lives within us.  Be with us this morning in our breathing in,… and our breathing out,… as we calm ourselves and open our souls to your healing power.

For we live in a time of division and conflict, a moment in history where once again peace and tranquility are torn away from our grasp.  Just as in those early years of your Son’s ministry on earth, there are those today who won’t value the humanity of others, who hold to legal formality and regulations, rather than look to the enduring peace that is possible in Him.  For in His gift of himself and His sacrifice, he has made it possible for reconciliation to take place, for hostility to be replaced by a common sense of humanity built around His ministry with us.

We remember from the words of St Paul that we are no longer strangers to each other.  We are in fact fellow citizens, brothers and sisters with one another, living in God’s house, sharing each other’s burdens and joys, reconciled to one another through the cross. Help us to grow in our faith, in our acceptance of one another, willing to confront the barriers that divide us, the conflicts that keep us from accepting each other as your children.  For we know that your Son remains the chief cornerstone of the building of faith that surrounds us, and gives us hope, and meaning.

In our renewed spirit of coming together help us to remember the needs of those who surround us. There are those needing shelter, and food, as well as freedom from abuse or neglect.  Help us in our renewed unity to work together to see the needs around us and to answer the call to help them in Your sacred Name.  For as we bring down the walls that prevent us from working together, so will we see the needs of those who wait outside Your temple for love and acceptance.  May we be instruments of your peace within our own lives, and in so doing reach out to help those who are calling for help in your Name. 

For we ask all this in the Name of Your Son, Jesus, who became flesh like us, and in His sacrifice and giving of Himself, continues to show us the way.