A Concord Pastor Comments: Monday Morning Offering: 3/11

Coffee in the Morning by George Mendoza

Good morning, good God!

In the spirit of this holy Lenten season, Lord,
I offer you a contrite* heart...

I don't understand the mystery of your mercy, Lord:
   you love me even in my sins;
   you never fail to see the good in me;
   you always see what is to be loved in me;
   you never cease to reach out, gently,
      to rescue me from my selfish ways,
      to bring me home to the embrace of your arms,
      to mend what is broken within me,
      to heal what is sick,
      to forgive what is sinful...

I don't understand, Lord,
but I'm ever grateful for
the mysterious mercy you never fail to offer me:
and so this morning,
I offer you my contrite heart...

So great is your love, Lord, for each of us;
so exquisite the delight you take in us
even when we forget or tarnish or deny
the image of your beauty within us...

I return, Lord,
with a heart I sometimes try to hide from you
when I've marred your beauty
mirrored in my soul...

So, I offer you my contrite heart...

I lose sight of your goodness within me
and I fear that you see only what I see -
my brokenness...

So, I offer you my contrite heart...

I forget that you come to meet me
   where I'm rough-edged
that you might smooth me;
   where I'm rough,
that you might mend me;
   where I'm broken,
that you might strengthen me;
   where I'm weak,
that you might heal me;
   where I've sinned,
that you might forgive me
   and forgive me and forgive me once again...

And so I offer you my contrite heart...

And I know, Lord,
that sometimes I see in others
only their rough and broken edges
and I miss their goodness
- through which your beauty shines -
and so I offer you my contrite heart
with the hope of learning to see and love others
as you see and love them,
as you see and love me...

Forgive my sins, Lord,
and receive what's good within me:
be gentle in receiving the heart I offer you
for I offer you a broken and contrite heart...

Help me forgive those who have hurt me, Lord,
and to see the goodness within them,
to see what you love in them:
let me be gentle in receiving them
into my contrite heart...

Help me to trust in the mystery of your mercy, Lord,
in the mystery of your merciful and sacred heart...

I offer you my contrite heart, O God,
this morning, this day, this night
and in the week ahead...

Amen.

*apologetic, humble, remorseful, repentant,
just plain sorry!