Monday Meditation

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acrylic-ballerina-painting--300Holy God of homecoming,
we give thanks
for the houses of love
you build within every human being.
We pray for hearts
that always welcome
both friend and stranger.

Create in us,
minds that are open
to new experiences and ideas.
Give us souls
that are filled
with the gentle grace
of Jesus Christ.

[pause for the graceful touch of God]

We live in a confusing world
and an even more confused time.
We are obsessed with
war and terror,
glitz and glamor,
sizzle without substance.

We run away
from your house of love
and instead run recklessly
into the hellish wilderness
created by the inner demons
of our unnecessarily frightened minds.

We act like children
fighting over toys,
afraid to lose some
insignificant bauble.
We think, “This land is my land,
it’s not your land.
This house is my house,
it’s not your house.
This love is my love,
it’s not your love,”
And in so thinking,
we create a reality
that separates us
from each other
and from you.

We fail to understand
that this land is your land,
God whose very existence
creates the land.
This house is your house,
God whose house
has room for us all.
This love is your love,
infinite and unconditional,
freely given
regardless of gender,
skin color,
sexual orientation
or nationality—
each an artificial border
created by a fearful mind
lost in the wilderness.

[pause for the graceful touch of God]

Call us home, God,
for we long for a deeper truth:
The realization that
we are all one people,
one family,
one collective state of consciousness
who will finally feel
at peace
when we awaken
to the realization that
home is found in your loving arms—
arms that are always reaching out
to welcome us back
as we all find our way home.

Amen.

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