Today (Sept. 30) is Bible Sunday at Salem and Belmont Lutheran Churches.  We are presenting Bibles to two 3rd graders at Salem and one 3rd grader at Belmont.  In addition to these presentations we are presenting and dedicating new pew Bibles at Salem.  I have been looking forward to this day for some time now.  Hopefully people will receive them joyfully but I am sure there will be some reservations at first – we will see.  I will write more about this presentation later. 

In the mean time let us join together in a word of prayer.  I wrote this prayer with the Gospel text from Luke 16:19-31 in mind.  I also make reference to "the great divide".  That reference is from a song by one of my favorite contemporary Christian groups, Point of Grace.  The song is called, "The Great Divide".

Let us pray…
Loving, forgiving, healing and merciful God…through the cross of Jesus Christ you carry us from this life to the next.  You created a "bridge" that spans the "great divide"; destroying the power of sin, death and the devil.  You love the "unlovable"; you forgive the greatest of sins; you heal all hurts; and you show mercy though we do not deserve it.  Though we create "chasms" that separate us from the fullness of communion with you; continue to: open our hearts to experience love through the proclamation of forgiveness; heal our hurts and show us mercy.  And through this proclamation may we see that "bridge" that crosses the "great divide" – the love of Jesus Christ our Lord, in whom we pray.  Amen.

God bless your day and guide your comings and goings.

-edh-