Saturday, February 8, 2014

Daily Meditation: Care, the Source of All Cure

Henri Nouwen Society - Daily Meditation
Saturday February 8, 2014

Care, the Source of All Cure

Care is something other than cure. Cure means "change." A doctor, a lawyer, a minister, a social worker-they all want to use their professional skills to bring about changes in people's lives. They get paid for whatever kind of cure they can bring about. But cure, desirable as it may be, can easily become violent, manipulative, and even destructive if it does not grow out of care. Care is being with, crying out with, suffering with, feeling with. Care is compassion. It is claiming the truth that the other person is my brother or sister, human, mortal, vulnerable, like I am.

When care is our first concern, cure can be received as a gift. Often we are not able to cure, but we are always able to care. To care is to be human.

- Henri J. M. Nouwen  
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Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Photo by V. Dobson.
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Friday, February 7, 2014

Daily Meditation: Dressed in Gentleness

Henri Nouwen Society - Daily Meditation
Friday February 7, 2014

Dressed in Gentleness

Once in a while we meet a gentle person. Gentleness is a virtue hard to find in a society that admires toughness and roughness. We are encouraged to get things done and to get them done fast, even when people get hurt in the process. Success, accomplishment, and productivity count. But the cost is high. There is no place for gentleness in such a milieu.

Gentle is the one who does "not break the crushed reed, or snuff the faltering wick" (Matthew 12:20). Gentle is the one who is attentive to the strengths and weaknesses of the other and enjoys being together more than accomplishing something. A gentle person treads lightly, listens carefully, looks tenderly, and touches with reverence. A gentle person knows that true growth requires nurture, not force. Let's dress ourselves with gentleness. In our tough and often unbending world our gentleness can be a vivid reminder of the presence of God among us.

- Henri J. M. Nouwen  
Lenten book discussion starts March 5th. Please click here for information.

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Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Photo by V. Dobson.
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Henri Nouwen Society | PO Box 220522 | St. Louis | MO | 63122 | USA
Henri Nouwen Society | John M. Kelly Library, 3rd Fl. | 113 St. Joseph Street | Toronto | ON | M5S 1J4 | Canada

Today's Moravian Daily Text

Moravian Daily Texts

Friday, February 7 — Psalm 21
Genesis 37; Matthew 13:24-35

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7 (NIV)

Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 John 5:21 (NIV)

Mighty God, as a people and a nation we have been richly blessed, but Lord, we often forget that striving for material goods or weapons to use against others will not bring us closer to you. Yet if we trust you and turn from wrongdoing, you will keep us safe and protect us. Amen.






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Thursday, February 6, 2014

Daily Meditation: Returning to God's Ever-Present Love

Henri Nouwen Society - Daily Meditation
Thursday February 6, 2014

Returning to God's Ever-Present Love

We often confuse unconditional love with unconditional approval. God loves us without conditions but does not approve of every human behavior. God doesn't approve of betrayal, violence, hatred, suspicion, and all other expressions of evil, because they all contradict the love God wants to instill in the human heart. Evil is the absence of God's love. Evil does not belong to God.

God's unconditional love means that God continues to love us even when we say or think evil things. God continues to wait for us as a loving parent waits for the return of a lost child. It is important for us to hold on to the truth that God never gives up loving us even when God is saddened by what we do. That truth will help us to return to God's ever-present love.

- Henri J. M. Nouwen  
Lenten book discussion starts March 5th. Please click here for information.

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Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Photo by V. Dobson.
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Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Daily Meditation: God's Unconditional Love

Henri Nouwen Society - Daily Meditation
Wednesday February 5, 2014

God's Unconditional Love

What can we say about God's love? We can say that God's love is unconditional. God does not say, "I love you, if ..." There are no ifs in God's heart. God's love for us does not depend on what we do or say, on our looks or intelligence, on our success or popularity. God's love for us existed before we were born and will exist after we have died. God's love is from eternity to eternity and is not bound to any time-related events or circumstances. Does that mean that God does not care what we do or say? No, because God's love wouldn't be real if God didn't care. To love without condition does not mean to love without concern. God desires to enter into relationship with us and wants us to love God in return.

Let's dare to enter into an intimate relationship with God without fear, trusting that we will receive love and always more love.

- Henri J. M. Nouwen  
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Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Photo by V. Dobson.
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Henri Nouwen Society | PO Box 220522 | St. Louis | MO | 63122 | USA
Henri Nouwen Society | John M. Kelly Library, 3rd Fl. | 113 St. Joseph Street | Toronto | ON | M5S 1J4 | Canada

Today's Moravian Daily Text

Moravian Daily Texts

Wednesday, February 5 — Psalm 19:7-14
Genesis 35:1-36:8; Matthew 12:46-13:9

You shall not spread a false report. Exodus 23:1

Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. 1 Peter 2:1

Lord, you sit at God's right hand. You teach us that you would have us live lives full of truth and righteousness. May we put our faith and hope in you, love one another, avoid sinful actions, and live a life that will glorify God. Amen.






Have you ordered your 2014 Moravian Daily Texts?  The Moravian Daily Texts are available in a variety of published formats, including hardcover, paperback, large print and journal editions. To get your copy, visit our web site or call the Interprovincial Board of Communication of the Moravian Church in North America at 800-732-0591, ext. 38. Visit our online catalog for more information.

The 2014 Moravian Daily Texts is now available in eBook format for the Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook and Apple iBooks. 

Have you enjoyed your Daily Text reading? Why not tell others about our daily devotional emails? Invite them to visit "An introduction to the Moravian Daily Texts" to subscribe

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© 2012, 2013 Interprovincial Board of Communication, Moravian Church in North America