For my Bloom family (and any who overhear) today:
Brothers and sisters:
You are the people of Jesus
May you know it deep in your bones today
May your commitment to his way mark you out as different
And may that difference be blessing for the world
May you be marked by your poverty of spirit, by your grief over the vandalism of shalom in God’s good world, by your gentleness and humility, and by your longing for things to be made right;
May you know the kingdom.
May you be marked by the mercy which triumphs over the world’s cold standards of justice, by the purity and singleness of heart that enable you to both “see” and “say” God, by an eagerness to throw yourself into the uncomfortable and unpopular work of bringing shalom in a world that loves conflict, and by your willingness to suffer for everything that belongs to Jesus and his Father.
May you bring the kingdom.
May you see yourselves as salt, as light, and as a city of heaven situated right smack in the country of death; may faith, hope, and love fill your hearts with courage and fortitude to remain in the “Way”, even when it’s hard; may the poor be lifted, the weak made strong, and the lost be found through your lives today.
And may Denver have more light…
Much more light…
Because of you.
Amen.
