Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church - New Paltz

“Now is the day of salvation!”

If today, this very day, is the auspicious arrival of Christ’s salvation for us, then as Paul reminds the Corinthians, we need to remember what is important and leave behind what is not. This day we are reminded that we are dust and to dust we shall return. We pray for God to “accomplish in us the work of Christ’s salvation.” We pray for God to take the canvas of our lives and paint upon them a resurrection story. We pray for these changes individually and as congregations. We pray this on behalf of the Church and of society. We pray this on behalf of the world.

Turn our pride and self-righteousness into dust oh God and build instead within us humility and a desire to serve only you. Turn our quick tempers and impatience into dust and build instead within us measured compassion, quiet justice, and the ability to forgive generously. Turn our greed oh God into dust and build instead within us the desire for joy-filled giving of our selves, time, and possessions. Turn our lives from their self-serving focus instead to focus only on you. We pray that in place of war we may sow peace. We pray that in place of prejudice we might sow Christ-like welcome of the stranger and those different from us.

“From dust we came and to dust we shall return. Accomplish in us the work of Christ’s salvation.” We do not say accomplish in us those things which we believe are needful or important. We do not say satisfy our desires and fulfill our wish lists. We humbly ask God to replace all of the things which are unworthy with God’s true desire, Christ’s true intent for our lives and the world.

Today's Readings - Matthew 6: 1-6; 16-21; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10; Psalm 51:1-17; Joel 2:1-2,12-17