faith and family | september 2019
Vicki Rutledge
This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it! Psalm 118:24
I love this Bible verse and childhood song. In Chapter one of Liturgy of the Ordinary, Tish Harrison Warren mentions this verse and says, “We are marked from our first waking moment by an identity that is given to us by grace: an identity that is deeper and more real than any other identity we will don that day. The new life into which we are baptized is lived out in days, hours and minutes. God is forming us into new people. And the place of that formation is in the small moments of today.” This is such a comforting reminder that if (when!) we do mess up, God has already given us grace. As a Christian, baptism represents the acceptance into the people of God. When we wake up and enter into each new day, Tish Harrison Warren is encouraging us to remember our baptism, which, according to The New City Catechism, “signifies and seals our adoption into Christ, our cleansing from sin, and our commitment to belong to the Lord and to his church.”
In the first chapter of this book, Tish Harrison Warren explains how we can experience God in one of our daily routines – Waking. She reminds us, “There is no task too small or too routine to reflect God’s glory and worth.” We cannot do anything to earn God’s grace, love, forgiveness – we are loved by God because of what Christ did for us on the cross. When we learn to identify as God’s beloved, we can better understand and appreciate God’s presence in the small moments of our days and remember that we are His children. Let’s not forget that we belong to Him, and He delights in us.
Because we believe in a sovereign God, we can trust that even in our most incredible and exciting days, as well as our most challenging days, God is working through us to accomplish His greater purpose for our lives. Every day, you are released from yesterday’s sin. Today is a new day with new mercies. God has blessed and named this day; let us rejoice and be glad in that!
Now what?!
As parents, we want our children to understand the love of God – and to celebrate His grace every day. Remind your child that God forgives them and loves them no matter what! Here are some helpful tips. ☺
Sing this song with your child:
This is the day, this is the day.
That the Lord has made, that the Lord has made.
We will rejoice, we will rejoice,
And be glad in it, and be glad in it.
This is the day that the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the day, this is the day
That the Lord has made.
Say this Morning Prayer or The Lord’s Prayer:
Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen. – Book of Common Prayer
Layne Spears, Advisory Board Secretary