Wednesday: Mercy
Pray: Begin by making the sign of the cross and calling upon God’s name.
From God to us, from death to life, from me to you … in the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Almighty God, you are always working to bring people into relationship with you. Help us to see your goodness as we study your holy Word. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Listen: Listen carefully as these verses from the Bible are read aloud.
Acts 19:25-26
Demetrius brought together everyone who was in the same business and said: “Friends, you know that we make a good living at this. But you have surely seen and heard how this man Paul is upsetting a lot of people, not only in Ephesus, but almost everywhere in Asia. He claims that the gods we humans make are not really gods at all.” (CEV)
Engage: Talk about the Bible by having parents respond to children’s questions.
Child: Why did Paul tell the people that their gods were not real? Was this a mean thing or a kind and merciful thing that he did? Why?
Child: To be “merciful” means to treat someone well, even though they may deserve to be punished. When have you been merciful to someone else? What happened?
Affirm: Pray for God to put his Word into action in your daily life.
God of grace, when we make bad choices and go down the wrong path, you send people into our lives to help us turn around. This is a kindness, even when it doesn’t feel like that. Thank you for your mercy, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Have each person in the family bless one another with these words.
May you see how God is kind and merciful. Amen.