Would I have helped?

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Read the article about this on Sunday. It made me stop and ask myself the question, Would I have stopped and helped? I don't live in a big city, so I don't know? But there are situations that happen around me everyday, that well to be honest, I just pass on by. There are times I have stopped to help and I have not regretted it. There are times, I have picked up my cell phone and called the police as soon as I saw it. But this? I do not know how to answer. It appalls me, it causes me to stop and think about the nation, the people we have become.

It brings to mind the parable Jesus told of the good samaritan Gospel of Luke (10:25-37). From the time in my childhood on that I first heard the poem, I wanted to be the good samaritan. I have also, looked at all the people in the parable and been aware that I have been one of those people at one time or another.

Friday, I became the one in the ditch by my own doing, I left my wallet in the taxi cab in Miami after I got out at the airport. And guess what at everyturn I met good samaritans that didn't know me from Adam. The agent checking me in at US Airways went out of his way to help me try to track down the taxi driver, and he helped me calm down. The worker who came up to the desk just to talk to the agent also was helpful and reassuring. The TSA agent who checked my tickets and passport as I started to enter security offered to pray for me and reassured me. The TSA person at the end of security offered consolation too.

But the good samaritan of all was the Taxicab driver, who finding my phone number contacted my husband by phone to let him know he found my wallet and was sending it to me. Now that is a good samaritan. Thank you whoever you are for finding and sending it back. There still are good samaritans in this world and one lives in Miami, Florida driving people from all over the world to where they need to go in Miami, Florida.

I know, it was just a wallet with all my credit cards, all my id's in it, it wasn't my life. But I bet this guy would have stopped for the homeless guy. Would I? Will I?

Prayer for Easter 4

Lord,
We who live in a world of cities, tall buildings, one way streets, suburbs, and gated communities don’t necessarily know what sheep are like or what sheepherding entails. Sometimes we do feel like sheep in our world being herded by the dos and don’ts, oughts and ought naughts, media, voices we don’t even recognize. Sometimes the den of the voices gets so loud we can’t even recognize our own voice. Calm and quieten our hearts, our minds and our souls to that one small voice; yours. And in hearing your voice we hear our own voices that we sing your song of grace to one another. Amen. Abi

Cross posted at revgalblogpals

Prayer for Easter 3

Lord, we sing your praises loud and clear for all you have done for us.
We thank you for being with us in our times of grief.
We thank you for hearing our cries in the night.
We thank you for bringing your joy to joyless lives
We thank you for seeing us through the messes in our lives.
We thank you for friends and family whom we love and who love us.
We thank you for your great mercy and faithfulness.

Lord we take time now to pray for all those who are grieving.
For those who suffer from illnesses.
For those among us who are in the hospital.
For those who are struggling financially.
For those who are in a troubled relationship.
Lord we pray for you resurrection power in their lives.

Lord we pray for those who are hurting in our world.
We pray the country of Poland who has suffered a traumatic loss of their President
and so many of their country’s leaders.
We pray for those who are suffering from Iceland’s volcano,
which has caused flight delays and other problems.
We pray for those who lost loved ones in the many recent earthquakes, especially those in China.
We pray for those who are starving in the world today.

Lord we pray for revgalblogpals who are traveling to their retreat this weekend,
keep them safe and restore and nourish them.
We pray for those revgalblogpals who were unable to go this time,
may they experience the power of your resurrection in their lives.
Amen

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Prayer for Easter 2

Lord,
We find ourselves in the locked doors of ourselves just as the disciples were behind closed doors. We too are afraid, perhaps for a different reason than theirs. But we too need the breath of the Holy Spirit to take away our fears so that we can come out from behind these locked doors.

Lord, we are like Thomas with our questions and our doubts. We sometimes need to see in order to believe, we need you in order to have faith.

Lord, we too need the peace you bring because our world is fraught with violence, and unrest.

Lord, just as Thomas confessed you are his Lord and his God, we boldly claim for our lives.

Lord we thank you for the blessing you have given us, the ones who believe without seeing.

Lord, may the doors of our churches be open to all and that doubters be welcomed here.

crossposted at revgalblogpals

Easter Sunday Morning Prayer

On this Easter morn we welcome you Jesus into our lives.
We welcome your resurrection for it is
life changing, life giving and life sustaining.
We welcome the hope it brings to our world.
We welcome the joy it brings to our darkness.
We welcome the empty tomb for we know that it means you are on the loose.

Lord, may your resurrection give life to those who feel lifeless,
those who are just going through the motions,
and those who have had the death of a loved one.

Lord, may your resurrection give hope to those who are mired in despair,
who feel hopeless,
and who have given up all hope.

Lord, may your resurrection give joy to those who feel no joy,
lost their joy or have had their joy snuffed out.

Lord, may you be on the loose in this world as the risen one..
cross posted at revgalblog pals
painting of the Risen Christ by HeQui