A prayer of reflection on Micah 6:6-8 and Matthew 18:21-35:
Almighty, merciful, and redeeming God,
When drawn into your Word together we are forced to look in the mirror of your Divine Law, and we come face to face with the reflection of our sinful nature. We so often find ourselves in the role of the “wicked servant”.
Satisfied with the mercy we’ve been granted in you yet tightfisted in flowing that mercy to others. Content to be served, yet slow and grudging in sacrificial service to those around us. Stingy with grace and forgiveness for others, when you have been radically generous with us. We who have been forgiven much find ourselves sitting around expecting much from others. We have moved from a place where we love mercy and possess a desire to see people live in forgiveness to a place where we love to judge and are possessed only by a hard hearted desire for justice. Hold to your promises and move us back and replant our feet under your cloak of righteousness and give us a new and merciful heart.
Renew our hearts, Lord, for we quickly forget the sweet taste of forgiveness. We quickly forget how much we have been gifted in Christ.
Renew our hearts, Lord, and make us receivers and proclaimers of the Gospel, of the Good News, of Christ. Receivers and proclaimers of the Good News of salvation. Receivers and proclaimers of the Good News of restoration. Receivers and proclaimers of the Good News of forgiveness on account of the crucified and living Christ. For according to His promise, whoever we forgive is forgiven. If we do not proclaim forgiveness, then who will?
So we call on you, Lord, to cause us to walk in unity with the Spirit and mind of Christ that we might show sympathy, and live in brotherly love with tender and humble hearts. Renew our hearts so we do not live according to the world’s expectations, repaying evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, cause us to forgive, bless and serve our neighbor, for to this we are called in Christ, whose forgiveness washes over us that it may flow onto and into others.
AMEN.