Letting Go

SCRIPTURE
- Genesis 8:7       
“Noah sent out a raven to see if the waters had lessened on the earth. It flew back and forth until the waters dried up."

REFLECTION
- Sr. Kathleen

MUSIC
- "God of Day and God of Darkness" by The O'Neill Brothers Group
- "Be Born in Me" Instrumental

NOTES
-

PRAYER OF LETTING GO
To You do I belong, O God,
into Your hands I surrender my life.
Pour out Your Spirit upon me
that I may love You perfectly,
and serve You faithfully
until my soul rests in You.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_03 0:27

Hello, and welcome to the God Minute. We're so happy to begin another week together. You know, Mondays can come at us pretty quickly with a new week already asking for our attention. So before we get too far into it, let's give these next few minutes to God to listen, to pray, and to simply be in his presence. Whatever this week may hold, we begin it together. Let us pray. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.

SPEAKER_02 1:19

Psalm 33. Praise of God's power. Rejoice, you righteous in the Lord. Praise from the upright is fitting. Give thanks to the Lord on the harp, on the ten string lyre, offer praise.

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Sing to him a new song, skillfully play with joyful chant. For the Lord's word is upright, all his works are trustworthy.

SPEAKER_02 2:00

He loves justice and right. The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord. By the Lord's word the heavens were made, by his breath all creation.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

He gathers the waters of the sea as a mound. He sets the deep into storage vaults. Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all who dwell in the world show him reverence.

SPEAKER_02 2:38

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.

SPEAKER_02 2:48

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 3:12

Noah sent out a raven to see if the waters had lessened on the earth. It flew back and forth until the waters dried up. The word of the Lord. I recently heard a brief reference to this scripture passage and was surprised to realize that Noah had sent a raven out first to see if the floodwaters had dried up. I only remember the dove being sent out, which is sent out later. And the second time the dove returns, it does so with an olive leaf, indicating the floodwaters had receded. This new piece of information had me pondering. The raven. What about the raven? In Jewish culture, the raven was considered an unclean animal. It eats the dead and rotting flesh of animals and dead plants floating on the waters. And this verse says, the raven flew back and forth over the water, but does not enter the ark again. As I prayed with that, I was moved to ask the question, Lord, what is the raven circling my life that you don't want back in? And of course, I got an immediate answer. Well, it was kind of like God was just waiting for me to ask the question. The answer I received, expectation. Expectation is a raven circling my life, especially regarding certain individuals. Expectations of what they should be doing about their future, or expectations about their health, their spiritual life, and so on. Circling, circling, expectation after expectation. I then remembered a saying I heard some time ago. Do not let your expectations override your acceptance. Yes, acceptance. Acceptance was for me Noah's dove. This is what God was inviting me to. To accept people as they are, where they are, and how God is moving in them. I know for myself the greatest gift anyone has given to me is just that the gift of acceptance. Not trying to change me or fix me or make me into their image and likeness, but to let me be me. And yes, I do need to be corrected at times, and I do need to ask forgiveness, and I do make mistakes, but by God's grace and love, I am becoming more the person God knows and sees, the Kathleen that looks like him. As you sit in your ark today, I invite you to ask God if there is a raven circling your life, and is there a dove waiting to enter.

SPEAKER_03 7:19

Trusting that God receives it with tenderness. As one family of faith, we pray. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Let us pray. God of new beginnings, teach us to loosen our grip on the expectations we place on others. Give us hearts wide enough to receive people as they are, and eyes gentle enough to notice the quiet ways you are already at work in them. Help us release what keeps circling and welcome what brings peace. May we offer others the same grace and acceptance that you so freely offer us. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

Amen.

SPEAKER_03 8:47

To you do I belong, O God. Into your hands I surrender my life. Pour out your Spirit upon me, that I may love you perfectly and serve you faithfully until my soul rests in you. Thank you for praying with us today. As we step into this new week, let's take Sister Kathleen's question with us. What are we ready to release? And what might God be inviting us to welcome? And may God bless us as we do in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

unknown 9:28

Amen.

SPEAKER_03 9:31

Look for Christ in the small things until we pray again tomorrow.