Monday Music is a place to start your week with 10min of prayer, scripture and worship. Have a wonderful week everyone! God is good.

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PRAYER

Jesus, You are love. You are the kind of love that changes cultures. Your love never ends. Your love sees no bounds. Your love took You to a cross. We are humbled and overwhelmed that You would go that far for us. Create in us hearts full of just an ounce of that love. Shape us and change us and mold us. We love you, Jesus. Amen.

LYRICS

To those who are so broken
That it’s better left unspoken
You are all welcome in this place
Where the royals set their crowns on the table and sit down
Next to those without a name (editor note: this is one of my favorite lines of any song)

We pass the wine, we break the bread
We bare our souls of where we’ve been
We revel in the stories and raise our glasses up

To love
To every time we’ve ever given up
To the humble king who came to rescue us
Who knows the scars we have
Who finds us in our deepest pain and always brings us back
To love

And to those who’ve taken casualties
And want to save an empty seat
You are not alone
Listen close and you will find
The saints who’ve gone before their time
Are in every tale that’s told

A THOUGHT & SCRIPTURE

To those who are so broken, that it’s better left unspoken. You are all, welcome in this place.

Have you ever felt that way? You’ve done something too horrible or unacceptable that those in your life or church or school or workplace or family, just wouldn’t want to know. Or at least you think that they wouldn’t?

Have you ever seen someone stuck in a life situation that is just…untouchable to you? The scary thing is when it is within arms reach of you. Maybe it’s a neighbor or someone that always sits in close proximity on the bus or a schoolmate that has a couple classes with you. The person is close enough that you could do something or say something, but this voice inside of you keeps holding you back and says, “They’re different. They might reject your offer to help. What if someone sees you talking to them? Oh, it’s ok, someone else will help them. Yeah, I’m pretty busy. What would I say anyway? What if they want something from me? I… I…”

I’ve been there. Too many times to count. I regret many of them. I wish I would’ve acted and loved. I wish I would’ve said to those voices, “Enough. This person is someone too. They are just as much a child of God as I am, and I see a need. I’ve been loved and I am called to love.”

It reminds me of a story of love…

Luke 7: 41 Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. 42 But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?”

43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.”

“That’s right,” Jesus said. 44 Then he turned to the [immoral] woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.

47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

When we have an opportunity to love, do we first stop and remember the ultimate love that Jesus paid for us on the cross? The sacrifice of love beyond anything we could imagine. For us. In the previous story from the Bible, Jesus had not yet accomplished that forgiveness, but somewhere in that woman’s heart, she knew He was the Messiah, the Son of God and her Savior. She knew she was an outcast and she dared to enter Simon’s house and just had to bless Jesus for who He was. He then forgave her sin.

Jesus could have seen her need and brushed her aside and made some excuse to remove her from the room. Come on, he was in the presence of powerful, rich, educated men who would never even look in the direction of a woman like that. Yet, He allowed her touch him, adore him and be in close contact with Him.

Where the royals set their crowns on the table and sit down
Next to those without a name

I LOVE this line. It’s so beautiful. Picture it. Royals in robes and typically separated from society are seated (without their crowns) next to people who are so low they don’t even have a name. Yet, they sit at the table with Jesus to share the same meal, the same forgiveness, the same blessing and an equal portion of God’s abundant Grace.

No judgements. No titles. No social ladders. No educational/theological/sociological aptitudes needed. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. We are all His. All of us. Prostitutes, Pastors, Teachers, Parents, Engineers, Millionaires, Homeless, Drug-Addicts, Next-Door Neighbors. He wants us all.

We pass the wine, we break the bread
We bare our souls of where we’ve been
We revel in the stories and raise our glasses up

To love

Just love. We raise our glasses to love. Stories of love. We’ve all been through a lot, but what most desire is love. The love of our Savior.

1 John 4:8 – But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

When I begin to question if I should love, I just remember that at God’s table, I won’t be questioning if someone is worthy in “Earthly manner.” I’ll be thankful that they know the love of Jesus, just like I do.

So, when I have the opportunity to share Jesus’ love on this side of Heaven, I think I’ll give it a go.

VIDEO – Sing, pray, listen and let God speak to your heart.

PRAYER

Thank you for Your love, Jesus. It’s enough. It’s always enough. Turn my eyes to see those who need Your love. Remove the earthly lies that tell me to judge. Fill my heart with the Spirit of Your love. Help me to see others with your eyes and always raise my glass to love. Amen.