God, we turn towards you with hurting hearts. We have failed to accept what you have offered:
justification by grace and saving by faith. It is too simple a formula. We think it needs to be complicated,
with steps we check off as we go, and a great revelation at the end. Rather, you are the sacrifice and the
great redemption. Our job is to turn to you. As the great physician you circumcise our hearts and ask us
to live a life of humility, faith, hope, and charity. Ah, there is the rub – we struggle with faith, hope, and
charity. We say we have faith, but constantly live in fear and despair. We doom-scroll through news feeds
that feed us catastrophe, tragedy, and anger. We engage in creating divides of us and them based on
whatever differences we can find. Lord, circumcise our hearts and remind us the paths of your
righteousness: what you ask of us is faith, hope, and charity. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.