Prayer Practice for the Week

Intercessory Prayer

There are many ways to love our neighbor, but intercessory prayer—praying on behalf of other people—is surely one of the most powerful. In this type of prayer, we bring the person or the circumstance that troubles us before God until we can sense and be changed by God’s attitude toward that person or circumstance. ( Learn more.)

Daily Devotion

Scripture of the Day

Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. ( Amos 5:24)

Reflection

This phrase, like so many others, borrowed from its context sounds positively wonderful. In the verses just before it, however, God expresses — rather harshly — disgust and disapproval of the people’s worship. God rejects the burnt-offerings, the grain-offerings, and all their hymns of praise. God is unimpressed with our polished, wordsmithed liturgies. God cares most about the poor and the oppressed. God cares less about our worship and more about our lives.

Prayer

Holy One, may my life be less about worshiping you on my knees, and more about compassion and service. May my faith be less focused on what I want and more about what the most vulnerable in our society require. May my relationships be bent and reshaped into a more holy, more loving form. Amen.