India, Nov. 1 -- The hands we fold in prayer are also the hands with which we share bread, plant trees and comfort the lonely. Loving God should shape everything those hands do. Christian love begins with receiving God's love. "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). In Jesus Christ, God comes near, offering forgiveness and new life.

At the cross, he reveals a love that gives itself for the healing of our broken world. Our worship grows from gratitude for this grace. Prayer, Scripture and obedience draw us into a relationship that changes how we see the world. Jesus joins love for God with love for our neighbour (Mark 12:30-31).

We honour him when we respect the dignity of people whose religion, caste, language or circumstance...