God.

I think that we’re wrong about you, most of us, most of the time.

We talk as if you are judging us with plague and pestilence.
We talk as if the most important thing to you is gathering in buildings.
We talk as if you are most in love with – or least angry at – one nation or one party or one system.
We talk as if you want us to be healthy, wealthy, and wise.

We forget that Peter says that following you makes us foreigners here.
We forget that you were here before there were nations, and you will be here after all allegiances are gone.
We forget that you call us to obey you, each of us and together.
We forget that you love us to death and back again, each of us and together.
We forget that you command us and invite us, and you show us how to love us all, each of us and together.
We forget that you forgive, each of us and together.
We forget that we need to be forgiven, each of us and together.

Help us remember all of this, through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

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Reflecting on Acts 2:36-41 and 1 Peter 1:17-23.

Published in God. We Still Need You: A Year of Pandemic Prayer and Practice From a Hospital Chaplain.