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PRAY NOW: TODAY'S PRAYER
Humdrum relationships - Mary and Martha
Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things ...
Prayer
You know me, Lord, so
well.
I have seen the depressing sinkful of dishes, and
heard the laughter from the sitting room
Where the TV is; and I have wondered
How I got landed with all this to do. Again ...
And sometimes, I've said so. Vociferously.
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And I have done the dishes
In a quiet house, and my mind has fled
To some happy or sad thought, but something real,
something urgent
That the rhythmic swish of the dishcloth in my
hand has set free.
And I have started, as the water from the still-running
tap
Spills out of the bowl, or jumped when, in my
hand,
The cup runs over.
You know me, Lord, so well.
Sometimes I am Martha, with my worthy agenda
And my sense of being taken for granted;
My hectoring sense of all that needs done, that
no one is doing,
That drives me to ginger up and chivvy along.
The humdrum has to be got through first.
Then comes the good stuff ...
And sometimes it is given to me to be Mary.
To be grasped by a moment when eternity strikes
down into time,
And time must yield.
Then the humdrum is charged with meaning,
And not just the meaning of its own flat demands.
For you, Christ, are here. Now.
Help me to grasp your presence. Now.
To 'Be still, and know that I am God ...'
Now.
Maybe the dishes can wait ...
Amen
Readings
Genesis 28:11-22
Exodus 3:1-5
2 Kings 6:8-23
Luke 15:11-32
John 12:1-8
Luke 24:13-35
Prayer activity
Sit quietly, and look at your surroundings. Just stop
completely. Marvel at the fact that it's all there.
Accept it as it is. Then, in a way that seems appropriate
to you - greet the presence of Christ in this reality.
Prayer for the Church
Those who bring care and encouragement to people in any
kind of need and who work and pray for a healthier society
in which all may find fulfilment
especially the
Social Care Council, CrossReach, and the staff of the
various units it operates.
Blessing
May the God of Mary, the God of Surprises,
Open our eyes to see his unexpected presence,
And the God of Martha, God-with-us in the routine things,
Strengthen us daily to do our work with joy.
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