Opening Prayer: Almighty God, help me to grow in my understanding of Your grace, and accept more fully Your forgiveness offered through Your Son, in whose name I pray. Amen.

Read: Matthew 7:1-5
Reflect: Why is it so difficult for us to not judge other people? What reasons does Jesus give for not judging others? How would society have to change in order for humans to abide by this teaching?

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself.

Hymn: “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind”
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways!
Reclothe us in our rightful minds;
In purer lives Thy service find;
In deeper reverence, praise.

In simple trust like theirs who heard,
Beside the Syrian sea,
The gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word,
Rise up and follow Thee.

Drop Thy still dews of quietness
Till all our strivings cease.
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.

Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and Thy balm.
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind and fire,
O still small voice of calm!

Closing Prayer: Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, “Amen! Praise the Lord” Ps. 106:48