As a young child, my dad spent countless hours teaching and saying bedtime prayers with me. One of the many I learned by heart is this one from an old New England sampler:

God bless all those that I love;
God bless all those that love me;
God bless all those that love those that I love;
And all those that love those that love me.

The prayer’s almost nonsensical structure and wording appealed to my child’s mind – it was simply fun to say. Some 60 years later, as many in our nation are seeking a very narrow definition of who the “neighbor” is that God commands us to love and care for, I find the prayer to be profoundly inclusive in who we are asking God to bless. Consider:

All those that I love – Mostly easy, though sometimes not so much.
All those that love me – This might hold a few surprises.
All those that love those that I love – Here’s where it starts to get really interesting! The circle of love and blessing expands to include persons of all ages and identities, giftedness and circumstances.
All those that love those that love me – The circle of love and blessing continues to expand exponentially! And God has more than enough love and blessing to go around!

I invite you to pray this prayer with me this week. Remember people by name, if you can. And then challenge yourself to imagine all those other “neighbors” connected to you by this circle of love and blessing. Bask in it and share it!

— Pr. Tammy