Tessera Materials

Opening Prayer

God of grace,
You invite us to take upon ourselves an easy yoke and light burden.
As we gather in Your presence this day,
may Your Spirit enable us to receive what You have for us.
Allow troubled hearts and minds to know peace, comfort and courage.
Show us what to lay down, and help us to know what is ours to carry. Amen.

Read/Reflect

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
— Matthew 6:33–34

We often find ourselves weighed down by questions about tomorrow.

How much longer? Why is this happening? What should I do? Where is this all going? Who will help me? What does it all mean?

These are real questions, and some of them deserve our attention. But when we carry tomorrow’s burdens into today, we can miss the invitation of Jesus to be present with us right now.

Jesus is loving us today. He is inviting us to take his easy yoke and light burden today. Perhaps part of following him is learning to exchange the heavy questions that consume us about tomorrow for the lighter, more purposeful questions he places before us today.

Did I offer peace today?
Did I bring a smile to someone’s face today?
Did I speak words of healing today?
Did I loosen my grip on anger and resentment today?
Did I take a step toward forgiveness today?
Did I love today?

We may not be able to answer all our questions about tomorrow. But today, we can choose how we will live and display fruit of God’s Spirit, how we will love others, and how we will participate in the life of God’s kingdom.

• What heavy question about tomorrow might Jesus be inviting you to lay down so that you can take up a lighter, more purposeful question for today?
• What might change in the way you live today if you were able to loosen your grip on that question about tomorrow?

Closing Prayer

Life-giving God,
heal our lives,
and pour out your strength and courage upon us,
that we may hurry to make you welcome
not only in our concern for others,
but by serving one another and our neighbors
generously and faithfully in your name. Amen.

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