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Help Breathe New Life into Our Church Leaders
The week after my father passed, I returned home to St. Paul, Minnesota, to preside over Read More
April Casperson | Read Psalm 24:1-6
Psalm 24 is seen as a nod to the return of the ark and a naming of God’s almighty power and authority over the entire universe. This text centers God and God’s role in overseeing all of creation. Similarly, the text asks the reader to imagine who may be worthy...
God who welcomes all, open my eyes to the ways in which I attempt to keep others from you. Shape my witness to the world so that my life may reflect the love you have given to all. Amen.
The scriptures for this week focus on power and authority. The biblical narrative throughout the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament provides a framework for how humans should understand and engage with power. Power and authority belong to God, and part of God’s grace and compassion for the world and for humanity includes the unmerited grace offered to all. However, humans have agency. Scriptures are full of outlines of how humans should care for others, and how those who are on the margins are not asked to give from their scarcity. In contrast, those who have abundance in resources and wealth—which includes power—are asked to give up some of their abundance so that all may have what they need.
Read 2 Samuel 6:1-5 and 12b-19. What symbols carry power in this story, and where is the presence of God?
Read Psalm 24. What gives us a connection to God in this scripture?
Read Ephesians 1:3-14. What is the connection between the infinite power of God and humanity’s need for grace?
Read Mark 6:14-29. Where is God present in the life and death of John the Baptist? Where is God present in your life?
Respond by posting a prayer.
