Daily Prayers for Lent | 3-22-22

“No Newness Yet.”

You are the God who makes all things new,

We gladly raise our voices and move our lips

to acknowledge, celebrate, and proclaim

your staggering newness.

As we do so, we hold in our hearts

deep awareness of all the places where your newness

is not visible, and 

has not come.

Our hearts link to many places of wretchedness

short of your newness.

We picture our folks at home,

sick, in pain, disabled, paralyzed

and no newness yet.

We know up close the deep wretchedness 

of poverty, of homelessness, of hunger 

and no newness yet.

Move our hearts closer to the passion of our lips.

Move our lips closer to your own newness.

Work your newness in hidden, cunning ways among us.

Move us closer to your bodied newness in Jesus,

newness of strength come in weakness,

newness of wisdom come in foolishness.

Draw from the wretchedness we know

to his scarred, bloody wretchedness

that is your odd entry of newness into our life.

We pray in the name of his suffering newness. Amen

(WALTER BRUEGGERMAN | “No Newness Yet,” Awed to Heaven Rooted in Earth