Be Free

BE FREE

a prayer to open

Here I am, Lord. Quiet my mind. Open my heart.

Give me ears to hear your invitation and the faith to respond.

The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought [to Jesus] a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one . . . until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

“No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

Jesus’ interaction with this woman provides an example of what he brought into the world: grace and truth. Jesus extended grace to the woman, but he also called her to live in truth by leaving her life of sin. He wanted her to be free, no longer enslaved to sin. Jesus extends this invitation today, calling us to receive his grace and forgiveness. He doesn’t stop there, though; he also invites us to turn from sin and be free.

• What sins in your past do you condemn yourself for even though Christ does not condemn you? When you put your faith in Christ, those sins were fully forgiven. Imagine Jesus sitting next to you and speaking these words to you: “I do not condemn you. I have forgiven you. You are free.” Ask God to help you receive Jesus’ words.
• Read this passage again slowly. What invitation related to turning away from sin do you sense Jesus extending to you?
• Who in your life do you find yourself quietly criticizing or condemning? Seek God’s guidance about how you might be able to extend Jesus’ love and grace to that person.

Loving God, thank you for your grace and the invitation to be free. Thank you for calling me to live in truth. Illuminate the ways I subtly criticize my family, my friends, my coworkers, and even strangers while ignoring the darkness and sin inside me. Give me eyes to see those who desperately need your grace and the reminder that you love them. Use me to be your ambassador of grace and freedom. Amen.