22nd. April. 2022. Daily Devotion.
44 ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.45 ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46
Like the pearl, God’s kingdom is beautiful, lovely, beyond measure. The world is full of all kinds of lovely things; art, and music, and people, and food, and nature. The variety of beauty is marvellous. We should enjoy them fully, but always keeping in mind, they are dim reflections of the beauty of God. “For now, we see through a glass, darkly,” as the KJV so eloquently puts it. (1 Cor. 13:12) If we ever allow our faith to become grim, all we need do is reflect on the perfect pearl that is the kingdom of God we hold within our bosom and let its warm light shine throughout every fibre of our being.
Notice that the first man comes across his treasure by accident, suddenly and unexpectedly, in the course of hard manual labour, while the second spends his life searching for pearls. However, people may find God, whether in a sudden brilliant flash of illumination, or by dint of a lifetime of searching, they must be willing to give up their past and follow him.
Father, give us grace to find and to realise the gift of your Kingdom within, freely offered in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Give to us, Lord, the peace of those who have learnt to serve you, the joy of those who are glad to obey you and the delight of those who rejoice in your praise; through Christ our Lord. Amen. Aidan of Lindisfarne (d.651)
For Mercy
All-merciful Lord, have mercy upon all Your faithful, on those who are mine and on those who are strangers; on those whom I know and on those whom I know not; on the living and on the dead; and forgive all my enemies, and those who hate me, the trespasses that they have committed against me; turn them from the malice which they bear towards me, that they may be worthy of Your mercy. Have mercy upon Your Creatures and upon me, a great sinner. Amen.
Jesus our guest, none of our communities include everyone. There are many places we set aside for our own safety, identity, or privacy, or through prejudice or presumption. We find it hard to make space for people we consider unsavoury – people who use obscene language or who hold views we find offensive. How often have we shut out others just by our presence, never mind our words and actions? Lord have mercy. You alone will open the longed-for space for all in your commonwealth of love and grace, when you judge the nations, heal our divisions and transform our communities. What you started in Galilee, continue now. Through your Spirit, come, be our guest. Widen our circle again. Amen
Prayer to end terror and violence in the world
Dear God, your children live in fear and panic. They fear for their lives, they fear for their family and loved ones, they fear for the future. We ask you Lord to intervene and extinguish all fears in our hearts.
Put an end to terror and violence in the world and fill our hearts with peace
Establish compassion and understanding among us and let peace and unity reign Let the violent put down their arms and protect the weak and defenceless, In Jesus’ name, Amen