As We Gather at Your Table, ELW 522
1 As we gather at your table, as we listen to your word, help us know, O God, your presence; let our hearts and minds be stirred.
Nourish us with sacred story till we claim it as our own; teach us through this holy banquet how to make Love's vict'ry known.
2 Turn our worship into witness in the sacrament of life; send us forth to love and serve you, bringing peace where there is strife.
Give us, Christ, your great compassion to forgive as you forgave; may we still behold your image in the world you died to save.
3 Gracious Spirit, help us summon other guests to share that feast where triumphant
Love will welcome those who had been last and least.
There no more will envy blind us nor will pride our peace destroy, as we join with saints and angels to repeat the sounding joy.
Devotion
As I write this devotion, the heat indices for many areas of our state are in the triple digits. Just last night on the news, the meteorologist was comparing our temperatures with those in Miami, Fla. During these days of heat, common advice is to stay hydrated and remain well-nourished.
Of course, the need for proper nourishment is not restricted to times of intense heat. Our body needs nourishment to perform all of its daily activities-from being able to think clearly to cleaning out toxins and waste. Similarly, our spiritual life also needs proper nourishment in order for it to thrive. Proper nourishment comes from reading and hearing God's word, coming to the Lord's table and delighting in God's creation, among other things. The more we do these things, the more we have eyes to see how our story is connected to God's, and the more eager we are to claim God's story as our own.
Prayer
Gracious God, as we gather at your table and listen to your word, help us to recognize your presence. Stir our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit. Nourish us with the things that are of you until we claim them as our own. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.