God.

I try to be honest, God, when I talk to you.

I’ll be honest. I want to try to be honest.

Today, I need to honestly say, we do not understand what is really going on. In just about anything.

Nations, families, our own hearts, we know there is chaos and uncertainty and question.

We confess.

We are so overwhelmed with theories and choices and demands and attacks that we are not sure what to confess. We are aware that we read your commands to one group and we know we fall short.

We read that Paul followed those commands and knew that he fell short.

We take it on ourselves to look at the lives of others and point out where they fall short.

We look at the Instagrammed lives of others and believe that we fall short.

We confess. We are constantly measuring and constantly calibrating our value by those measures.

And we are losing every time.

Whatever our nation, we cry out to you.

Whatever our family, we cry out to you.

Whatever our heart, we cry out to you.

Give us a glimpse, God, of your glory that we may find courage.

Give us a glimpse, Jesus, of you that we may find you.

Give us the freedom to forget what is behind and to lean toward you.

We ask today and each day

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

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Reflecting the texts for today, Exodus 20:1-20 and Philippians 3:4-14