Friday Lectio: James 3:16-18

Today’s reading is from the book of James, chapter 3, verses 16 through 18. As we listen, can I open my heart to what the Holy Spirit might want me to hear? Are there any words or phrases that specially stand out to me today? 16 Are you jealous? Are you concerned only about getting ahead? Then your life will be a mess. You will be doing all kinds of evil things. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is pure. That’s the most important thing about it. And that’s not all. It also loves peace. It thinks about others. It obeys. It is full of mercy and good fruit. It is fair. It doesn’t pretend to be what it is not. 18 Those who make peace plant it like a seed. They will harvest a crop of right living. Our prayer this week is called “The St Francis” prayer, after St Francis of Assisi, and it’s a good prayer to memorize, as we look for God’s peace to grow in our hearts: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl, and is produced by Richard Clark and Nick Thompson. You can support this and future seasons of the podcast by joining us as a patron: visit patreon.com/wewonder to learn more. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @wewonderpod to stay in touch, or learn more at www.wewonderpod.com. Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you Monday!