Genuine Love = Peaceful Living

Paul the Apostle calls us to BE a living sacrifice in Romans 12:1-8.  How is that possible?  Love ... pure, real, genuine.  

As I have contemplated the depth of love Paul invites us to embrace, especially his instruction to live peaceably with all, I am reminded of St. Francis of Assisi.  St. Francis was a rich young Italian born in the 12th century.  While on his way to fight in a war he had a vision of Jesus which changed his life.  St. Francis soon took a vow of poverty and sought to live in peace and harmony with all, even the animals.   He knew what it meant to "BE" a living sacrifice.  He knew what it meant to live in peace with all.  And he invites us to do the same.

I invite you to spend a few moments considering the word “Love.”  Read and pray and listen and celebrate God’s Love through the Word.  Breathe and settle into a place of openness within yourself with a simple breath prayer.  Use this one or create your own (six to eight syllables is good for beginning breath prayer but I’ve used more as I've breathing more deeply, you really have to learn to move with your own breathing patterns:)

Breathing in ... God of Pure Love

Breathing out ... Help me love ALL

and when you are ready to move deeper into the text ... Pray:  God of Love, speak into my heart, lead me into your Word and illuminate your way of pure Love.   Amen. 

Read Romans 12:9-21 (NET) slowly.   Immerse yourself in these holy words as you engage in Lectio Divina, which means sacred reading.  Allow yourself to be drawn deeply into God’s love as you read and pray and listen.  Let the words wash over you and take you where God is leading you ... 

Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another. Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people. Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Read the passage again slowly and Reflect ...
How does your word or phrase from this passage illuminate your life or the life of your community right now?  How is God inviting you to change or grow or pray or act?

Read the passage again slowly and Respond ...
What do you say to God about your life and how you feel you are being called in this moment?   How do you pray when you consider what God is saying to you?

Rest ...
Come to a place of silence within yourself and just "BE" with God.  Try for 10 minutes or beyond.

A couple of Roseate Spoonbills, the older one leading the younger one.  Cinco Ranch, Texas ... in a "channel" of water

When you are ready to move on, Pray the Prayer of St Francis:  

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.

If music is a pathway to God for you, take this link to youtube, watch the beautiful scenes of nature and listen to a song based on the Prayer of St. Francis: Make me a Channel of your Peace which is sung by Susan Boyle. 

Genesis Roots: Rebekah and Isaac, an arranged marriage that goes right

This week we continue my summer lectionary series called "Genesis Roots."  The word genesis means origin, beginning, or birth.  Root, in the context in which I'm writing, means essential core or source of life. In a way, the roots of the story of monotheistic faith rest in the stories we find in Genesis.

God works in mysterious ways.  Indeed.  Sometimes, mysterious is almost unbelievable.  I find the story of the way Isaac and Rebekah came to meet each other, get married, and fall in love ... to be pretty mysterious in a way that only God could orchestrate.   Ishmael's mother, Hagar, had gotten him a wife from Egypt, which may have dismayed his father, Abraham.  Now that Sarah has passed away, Abraham insists that that Isaac's wife be a relative from his father's house.  He plans, with help from his servant, to make that happen.  Personally, I think Abraham has learned as much from Sarah as he is directed by God!   

Read these excerpts, Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-61 (NET - Link to The VOICE Bible) to hear the amazing story of how Abraham's servant, a pretty prayerful guy himself, finds Rebekah to become Isaac's wife.

“I am the servant of Abraham,” he began. “The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. The Lord has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. My master’s wife Sarah bore a son to him when she was old, and my master has given him everything he owns. My master made me swear an oath. He said, ‘You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find a wife for my son.’

 When I came to the spring today, I prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful, may events unfold as follows: Here I am, standing by the spring. When the young woman goes out to draw water, I’ll say, “Give me a little water to drink from your jug.” Then she will reply to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too.” May that woman be the one whom the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’

“Before I finished praying in my heart, along came Rebekah with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels water. Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.’ I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right path to find the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son. Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me as well, so that I may go on my way.”

So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want to go with this man?” She replied, “I want to go.”  So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female attendant, with Abraham’s servant and his men. They blessed Rebekah with these words:  “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands!  May your descendants possess the strongholds of their enemies.”  Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with the man. So Abraham’s servant took Rebekah and left.

As we can see from these passages, Abraham's servant is a praying man and God is listening ... or perhaps we might say that when we are praying "in the Spirit" and watching for God's movement in our circumstances, everything falls into place.  

• Have you ever prayed in the way of Abraham's servant?
• How did God "answer" your prayer?
• How has our mysterious God worked in the circumstances of your life?
• Can you remember a time when you said yes and surrendered to God in faith, not knowing what that really meant for you?
• How do you feel when you follow God into the unknown?

When you have pondered God and prayer and mystery and surrender, I invite you to spend a few moments preparing your heart to worship God as you engage with the text via Lectio Divina.   Breathe deeply and envision God’s Spirit filling you with the ability to follow our mysterious God into the unknown without fear!  Settle into a place of confidence within yourself with a simple  breath prayer.  Use this one or create your own.

Breathing in (who do you worship?)   ... Mysterious God
Breathing out (what do you need?)     ... Give me peace with the unknown

and when you are ready to move deeper into the text, pray ... Mysterious God, I often wonder at the way you work in the world and in my life.  Help me to recognize when you are calling me into the unknown, but then it is really only unknown to me.  You are there, in my future, with all that I need.  Help me trust in you.    In Christ, Amen. 

Step 1: Lectio … Reading
Read  Genesis 24:62-67 (NET) slowly, taking in the story that is unfolding.
Listen for a word or phrase that catches your attention.
Silently focus on that word or phrase or perhaps an image that is forming.
Sit with your word or phrase or image for as long as seems good to you.
Allow it to sift through your heart and mind.
Let the story come alive in your soul through that word, phrase, image.

Click here to read in original Lectio Version: The VOICE Bible

Now Isaac came from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. He went out to relax in the field in the early evening. Then he looked up and saw that there were camels approaching. Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel and asked Abraham’s servant, “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. So she took her veil and covered herself.

The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. Then Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her as his wife and loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Step 2: Meditatio … Receiving
Continue to focus on your word or phrase or image.
Pay attention to the thoughts and feelings it evokes.
What memories come to your mind?
Ask God to continue to speak to you and reveal your path.
Listen and watch for God’s mysterious presence as you move through your day

Step 3: Oratio … Responding
Consider any desires that have been awakened by your prayer
Perhaps you have found an area of your life that needs attention
Do not rush ... wait and listen as God forms your prayers and desires

Step 4: Contempatio … Resting
Allow your word, phrase or image to fall away ...
Allow yourself to rest in the silence ...   

If images are a pathway to God for you, you may want to pray while "gazing" upon this painting of Abraham, Isaac, and the Messenger of God.  How does this image resonate with what has arisen within you?

Rebecca Meets Isaac by the Way, c. 1896-1902, by James Jacques Joseph Tissot, in public domain, wikimedia commons

To end your time of praying with scripture, pray this prayer of surrender written by 

Thomas A Kempis, 1380-1471, author of Imitation of Christ: 

 Lord, You know what is best; let this be done or that be done as You please. 

Give what You will, as much as You will, when You will. 

Do with me as You know best, as will most please You, 

and will be for Your greater honor. 

Place me where You will and deal with me freely in all things. 

I am in Your hand; turn me about whichever way You will. 

Behold, I am Your servant, ready to obey in all things. 

Not for myself do I desire to live, but for You - 

would that I could do this worthily and perfectly!  Amen.

Trinity Sunday: Grace, Love, and Communion!

Holy, Holy Holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and Mighty!
God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!

This is a song written for Trinity Sunday by Reginald Heber in 1826.  It has become a well beloved hymn since that time. For a little more info/reflection, take this link to 2012's "Holy, Holy, Holy."

The word “trinity” is not used in the bible but there are instances in which we can discern the biblical writers belief of three “persons” in the economy of God.   The doctrine, which means teaching, of the Trinity was formalized at the Council of Nicea in 325 CE.  Traditional Theology as expressed in the little known 6th century Athanasian Creed says it this way, “we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity … the whole three Persons are coeternal together, and coequal: so that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped.”   Today I say, “God, One in Three, Three in One.”  I became interested in pursuing my own thoughts about the Trinity after reading an adaptation of Three Hermits (Leo Tolstoy, 1886) by Anthony deMello in Song of the Bird.  Take this link to 2010's "Mystery" and scroll down to  "pondering" if you'd like to read this delightful little story.

  

The doctrine of the Trinity is not an easy one to understand nor to articulate because it is mysterious, unexplainable and beyond our comprehension … How can God be Three in One and One in Three?  Do we worship one God or three Gods?   Intellectually speaking, believing the Trinity means we believe that God is one in essence (Greek ousia), but distinct in person (Greek hypostasis).   Yet “person” does not mean person as we think of a human person.  The Greek word hypostasis simply means “individual reality.” 

Process theologian, Lewis S. Ford (“Contingent Trinitarianism” in Trinity in Process: A Relational Theology of God) says, “Although the trinity has been traditionally understood as “three persons (ie, three subjectivities) in one substance (ie, one impersonal substratum), the original formulation need not be so understood.”   His essay highlights one of the hallmarks of Process Theology, that of contingency, and the question becomes:  Is it possible for a God with no contingent aspects to know a contingent world?  

Today's reading comes from 2 Corinthians,  a "letter" Paul has written them.  When we read the entire letter, we can hear Paul's emotions simmering with the threat of an afternoon thunderstorm looming on the horizon.  He seems hurt, angry and disappointed in this church, which seems to be divided into various cliques by “quarreling, jealously, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.” (2 Cor 12:20)  With this in mind, we read Paul's closing remarks and listen to his final admonishments, letting them steep us in hope for the divisions we find in our own communal context. 

One of the reasons that I love the little story of the Three Hermits is it's invitation to see beyond what I know and enter into the unknowing of God for then will the Light shine and I may walk on water! 

When you are ready to pray with our scripture, I invite you to spend a few moments to prepare your heart for engagement with the text via Lectio Divina.   Breathe deeply and envision our Trinitarian God, One in Three, Three in One filling you with light with each breath you take!  Settle into a place of confidence within yourself with a simple breath prayer.  Use this one or create your own (six to eight syllables) and this week I've chosen what I'll call a double breath prayer.  As I have been praying with it, it simply emerged this way and it feels more complete.

Breathing in (who do you worship?)   ... One in Three
Breathing out (what do you need?)     ... fill me with light

Breathing in (who do you worship?)   ... Three in One
Breathing out (what do you need?)     ... help me shine bright

When you are ready to move into the text, pray:  Holy God, One in Three, Three in One, often we find ourselves in conflict with our brothers and sisters over deeply held convictions.  Sometimes those convictions become larger than the love we have for you and the unity you call us to with your very Being.  Open my heart and my mind and my soul as I read your words, that I might find, through the light of your love, a way to be loving and kind to those I disagree with.  Amen.

Read 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 (NET) and immerse yourself in the words as you engage in Lectio Divina, which means sacred reading.  Allow yourself to be drawn deeply into God’s Presence as you read and pray and listen.  If you are in conflict with a person or a group of persons, you might listen for God's words through that lens.

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice, set things right, be encouraged, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Read the passage again and Reflect ...
How does your word or phrase from this passage illuminate your life or the life of your community right now?  How is God inviting you to change or grow or pray or act?

Read the passage again and Respond ...
What do you say to God about how this passage is calling you?   How do you pray when you consider what God is saying to you?

Breathe deeply and Rest ...
Come to a place of silence within yourself and just "be" with God.  Try for 10 minutes or beyond.

When you are ready to move on,  Pray:  O God, One in Three, Three in One, I want to live in the unity of Grace, Love, and Communion with my brothers and sisters in Christ, with all the people of the whole world, and with all of creation.  In your mercy, help me.  Amen.

Icon: Holy Forefathers, Russion, Novgorod (in my possession)

If Images are a pathway to God for you, you might want to Pray with this Icon by engaging in Visio Divina, what can also be called the prayer of gazing, with this image.  I recently acquired this one after experiencing a sense of the Holy Trinity through it.  As I sat gazing upon it, I saw three persons, each with 2 persons within.  And I thought, each "person" of God carries the other two, they are never without each other ... for me, this is how they are relationally one.  Realize that images only go so far, they are not reality but they certainly can point to reality or at least to a perception of reality.  As a matter of fact, I prefer feminine images of God, especially for the Holy Spirit.  But I can still appreciate this icon and it can still speak to me.  This is what visio divina, which means "sacred seeing" is about, finding meaning through art or image that speaks to a deeper truth that you sense within yourself.  And yes, it is subjective.  I don't expect anyone else to "see" or "feel" what I see and feel.  I hope that one would see and feel what is helpful for them in their own life and journey to God, who is always pursuing a deeper relationship with each of us in our way, time and context.  Enjoy!

If music is a pathway to God for you, take this link to youtube, watch the beautiful natures photos in the video and listen to Holy, Holy, Holy to end your time of praying with scripture. 

Lectio & Labyrinth: Loving God Means Loving Others

This week we weave together the ancient spiritual practices of Lectio Divina with walking the Labyrinth as we pray with 1 John 4:7-21.  Do you have easy access to a Labyrinth that you could walk?   If not, you can take this Link to a finger Labyrinth that you can download and print: PDF File/Labyrinth.  If you prefer, I'll give you a link below to an online labyrinth within your experience of Lectio.  By the Way, we are going OFF Lectionary this week :)

Thus says the LORD:
Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.  Jeremiah 6:16ab

Both Lectio Divina and Walking the Labyrinth are ancient spiritual pathways to God.  Lectio Divina is a Latin phrase that means "sacred reading." It is a way of praying and listening for the still, small voice of God speaking through gentle reading of scripture.  Lectio Divina has also been known as "listening with the ear of the heart."    Beginning in the middle ages, Christianity adopted the Labyrinth as a symbol, changing the design to permeate it with specifically Christian meaning. For almost a thousand years there has been an identifiable Christian labyrinth tradition.

In our spiritual lives we often talk about the horizontal relationship, the relationship between a person and God.  The horizontal relationship informs and affects the vertical relationships in our lives, the relationship between a person and another person.  Read the beginning verses of 1 John 4 (7-10)* to get a sense of how we know the depth of God’s love for us. 

Beloved, let us love one another because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten of God and has knowledge of God.  Those who do not love have known nothing of God, for God is love.  God’s love was revealed in our midst in this way: by sending the Only Begotten into the world, that we might have faith through the Anointed One.  Love, then, consists in this: not that we have loved God, but that God has loved us and has sent the Only Begotten to be an offering for our sins.  

This is the question that arises for me as I read this passage.  “How does the love of God for us in Christ inform how we express our love for other human beings? 

With a sense of the love that God has for you and remembering that Jesus died willingly because humanity is loved so deeply by God, consider this question:  How do you feel about God’s love for you?  Settle into a place of loving openness within yourself with a simple Breath Prayer.  Use this one or allow one to emerge as you breathe in and breathe out.  (I have found that six to eight syllables is best for breathing)

Breathe in ... Loving God (Name for God)
Breath out ... Fill me with Love (Your Desire)

Pray:  Loving God, I cannot truly comprehend the depth of your love for me and for all people.  Help me to feel your love in my heart and offer your love to other people in the world.   Amen.   

 
Read 1 John 4:11-21* and immerse yourself the beauty of Love as we find it in the text.  1 John is written to encourage a community that is divided.  Some have left the community and perhaps are now opposing this Christian community.  Engage in Lectio Divina, Praying with Scripture.  Allow yourself to be drawn deeply into God’s Presence as you read and pray and listen for the whispers of God.

Beloved, if God has loved us so, we must have the same love for one another.  No one has ever seen God.  Yet if we love one another, God dwells in us, and God’s love is brought to perfection in us.  The way we know that we remain in God and God in us is that we have been given the Spirit.  We have seen for ourselves and can testify that God has sent the Only Begotten as Savior of the World.  When any acknowledge that Jesus is the Only Begotten, God dwells in them and they in God.  We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.  God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God in them.  Love will come to perfection in us when we can face the day of judgment without fear – because our relation to this world is just like Christ’s.  There is no fear in love, for perfect love drives out fear.  To fear is to expect punishment, anyone who is afraid is still imperfect in love.  We love because God first loved us.  If you say you love God but hate your sister or brother, you are a liar.  For you cannot love God, whom you have not seen, if you hate your neighbor, whom you have seen.  If we love God, we should love our sisters and brothers as well; we have this commandment from God.

Read this passage again slowly.  Consider where God is calling your attention.   Reflect on just a word or phrase.  Spend time with your word or phrase and listen to the whispers of God through the words that have drawn you into the text ... Listen!    Take a walk on the Labyrinth or spend some time outside in nature.   Find a place to sit quietly.  Let the Spirit of God guide you.  Turn your word or phrase or image over and over in your mind.  Let God speak into your heart as you listen.  Take this time to "Release" anything that emerges and that you need to let go of in order to move on ...

As you pause at the center of the Labyrinth, take time to "Receive" and welcome God's word for you. Consider these questions or others that may arise in your time of pause:  Where is God speaking into my life through my word or phrase?  How is my life touched by my word or phrase? 

Before you begin your journey anew from the center, slowly Read the passage again.   Turn your attention to your word or phrase.  Know that it is ok if you are being drawn in a different direction on this reading!  Consider how you will Respond to what you have heard from God …

As you walk or move out of the center along the same labyrinth path you took in, know that you are gaining strength for your continuing journey of life.  How am I being called into deeper love relationships with others in my community or in the world?   How am I being called to Respond:  In word … prayer … action … or in some other way? 

As you reach the end of the Labyrinth pathway, it is time to Rest in the silence of God's Presence.  Allow God to draw you deeper into the shining light of God’s Holy Presence and into the relationship of love that God has with you.  Let all the words fade away and stay in this holy place as long as you can.  Simply BE with the God who loves you and whom you love.

Be aware that you may find a desire to express what you have received.  This is a wonderful time to journal, to write about your experience, thoughts, feelings, and insights.   Some persons find that God’s voice is clarified through the writing process.

Prayer:  O God help me welcome your love into my heart and my relationships with others.  Help me take your beauty, your mercy, your love and your justice out into my community and into the world.    In Christ, Amen. 

If you would like to linger a little longer in the Labyrinth spaces ... consider taking this link to The River's Voice Labyrinth Walk Song on their website and enjoy!  You can choose whether to listen to the song or simply enjoy the instrumental drumming.   May peace fill your soul as you listen ...

*Scripture/The Inclusive Bible:  The First Egalitarian Translation (by Priests for Equality) …

Mutual Love in God's Economy

As I was choosing the lectionary reading that drew me this week, these words captured my heart:  Let mutual love continue.  Ahhh LOVE, yes.  Yet it was really the word mutual that made my heart sing!  In God's economy of life, love rules relationships.  God’s economy is the divine desire to dispense the Spirit into the people of God as their everything in order to gain a communal expression of God in God-Self.   In God's economy it is not just love but mutual love.  Relationships ... are a 2-way street but how often do we find ourselves either loving more than the other OR being loved more than we are able to give.  So our relationships with others are often out of balance.  I think this is fine over the course of time if they are more like a "see-saw."  Sometimes I give more and sometimes you give more, that would seem to be a way of mutuality.  I John 4:7a says this, "Dear friends, let’s love each other, because love is from God."  I feel like no matter who it is that does the loving, the love IS from God. 

Let mutual love continue.  When summing up all of the teaching of the law and prophets, Jesus says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as you love yourself." (GWT)   In the Gospels, Jesus gives us the story of the Good Samaritan to tell us who our neighbor is and how we should treat that neighbor on the way to giving us an image of what "love" is.  The writer of Hebrews gives us Chapter 13 and highlights the concept of hospitality, service, and sacrifice in the ancient world.  

Rublev's Icon of the Holy Trinity (in the public domain) also known as The Hospitality of Abraham

Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Sabaoth. Heaven and earth are full of your glory!

As you read and pray and listen, celebrate God’s Presence through the Word.   Breathe and settle into a place of openness within yourself with a simple Breath Prayer.  Use this one or create your own (six to eight syllables but I’ve used 10 and that is ok)

          Breathe in ... God of Love (pause)

               Breath out ... fill my heart (pause)

and when you are ready to move deeper into the text ... Pray:

God of Love, Glorious One ... fill my heart with your Shining Presence and make your home within me.  Empower me to reach out to all people with a hospitable spirit and the love you shower upon me.  Amen.

Read this lovely passage slowly and immerse yourself in the vivid images of love as you engage in Lectio Divina, or Praying with Scripture.  Allow yourself to be drawn deeply as you read and pray and listen to God sing in your soul.

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 NRSV

Let mutual love continue.  Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.  Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured.  Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers.  Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you."  So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"  Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.  Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Read the passage again and Reflect on just a word or phrase … or the image that draws your attention. 

*If you want to try "Visio" Divina, which means divine "seeing," sit with the Icon of the Holy Trinity (see above image :) Remember that "Lectio" Divina is divine "reading."  In Visio Divina we make the same basic movements but while "gazing" upon a sacred image.  You might be surprised how much art speaks to the depths of your soul. 

Sit with your selection (phrase or image) and listen to the whispers of God... Listen!  Turn your word or phrase or image over and over in your mind.  Let God speak into your heart.

Where is God speaking a word of wholeness into your life through your selection?

What do you hear God speaking into the depths  of your soul?

Read the passage again slowly and Respond to God.   Turn your attention to your word or phrase or image.  Know that it is ok if you are being drawn in a different direction on this reading!

As you contemplate your word or phrase or image, how are you being called to offer hospitality ... for others, for yourself, for God?  

How are you being called to an extravagant and mutual love for God, for yourself, and for others in the world ... in word, prayer, action or perhaps in some other truly radical and hospitable way? 

Read the passage again and Rest.  Allow God to draw you deeper into the abundance of love that God has for you and for all people.  Let the words fade away ...when you are ready to move on

Pray:  God of Love, Glorious One!  I am beginning to see you differently.  I understand the mutuality you speak of in this passage.  Help me live up to this calling that stretches me.   Amen. 

My friend Peter: When failure leads to following!

Christ the Lord is Risen!  Christ the Lord is Risen indeed!

Later, Jesus himself appeared again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberius. This is how it happened: Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two other disciples were together. Simon Peter told them, “I’m going fishing.”  They said, “We’ll go with you.” They set out in a boat, but throughout the night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples didn’t realize it was Jesus.  Jesus called to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”  They answered him, “No.”   He said, “Cast your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”  So they did, and there were so many fish that they couldn’t haul in the net. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard it was the Lord, he wrapped his coat around himself (for he was naked) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they weren’t far from shore, only about one hundred yards.  When they landed, they saw a fire there, with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you’ve just caught.” Simon Peter got up and pulled the net to shore. It was full of large fish, one hundred fifty-three of them. Yet the net hadn’t torn, even with so many fish. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples could bring themselves to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.  John 21:1-14 (CEB)

We encounter the risen Christ in the midst of the life of the disciples.  I am always intrigued with this passage because Peter says, "I'm going fishing."   A man ... who was a fisherman in his "former" life, who had become a follower of Christ while he was walking on earth and who is now struggling to become an apostle of Christ (which means one who is sent by Christ) after his death and resurrection, this simple man attempts to return to something familiar and comfortable and enjoyable.  Yet he is returning not just to a once-upon-a-time hobby but to his former vocation, the work which made him feel valued and successful as a younger man.

So once again in the face of the unknown... the fisherman go where they know ... they go fishing.  And the fish weren't biting!  Wow!  Fishermen who can't catch fish.  It's enough to make you want to abandon your boat altogether!  Well it happens doesn't it?  We try and we try but we just can't get it ... until one day we do.  This may be the story of Peter's life ... and mine, too.  Is it your story as well? 

I think many of us tend to do this after we feel failure. We retreat into what we know in the face of the unknown.  At least I do.  It helps me to get my bearings and ground myself.  What about Peter and his friends.  Even though Jesus had made "appearances" to the them in recent days it was not necessarily in visibly recognizable forms.  They were being led to "know" the presence of Jesus in more subtle ways.  I think this also happens to me.  It seems the closer I get to God, the more subtle God's movements are in my life.  It is an invitation to let go and "lean in," to listen and to follow more deeply into the unknown. 

When you are ready to let go and lean into our focus verses for Lectio Divina, take a few moments to center yourself by engaging in a simple breath prayer (6-8 syllables) like this one (or one that emerges from within yourself)

Breathe in ... Risen Christ (pause)
Breathe out ... I love you (pause)

Then pray for illumination of the text:  Risen Lord Christ, open my heart to the power of your resurrection.  As read the words of Scripture, walk with me and allow me to receive the Holy Spirit so I might live in grace and peace, within myself and with others.  Amen.

John 21:15-19 (CEB)

Step 1: Lectio … Reading

Read the passage silently to yourself, slowly and reverently, letting the words steep in your mind.

Listen for a word or phrase that catches your attention.  Gently focus on that word or phrase.  Repeat it several times and allow it to be sifted through your heart and mind all the way to your soul.

When they finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”  Simon replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.”  Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  Simon replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.”  Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep.” He asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  Peter was sad that Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” He replied, “Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.”  Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. I assure you that when you were younger you tied your own belt and walked around wherever you wanted. When you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and another will tie your belt and lead you where you don’t want to go.” He said this to show the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. After saying this, Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me.”

Step 2: Meditatio/Meditation … Receiving
Read the passage a 2nd time ...
Continue to focus on your word or phrase (it may be different on this reading)
Pay attention to the thoughts and feelings the passage evokes within you.
What images emerge in your imagination?  What memories come to your mind?
Ask God to continue to speak to you through this word.
Listen for God’s reply as you move through your day

Step 3: Oratio/Prayer … Responding
Consider any desires that have been awakened by your prayer.
Perhaps you have found an area of your life that needs attention.
Do not rush ... wait and listen as God forms your prayers and desires

Step 4: Contempatio/Contemplative Silence … Resting
Allow yourself to rest in the silence.  Allow your mind to settle into the silence.
When you feel the time to move on ...

Pray … Risen Christ!  I love you.  Help me to express that love by reaching out to people in your Name.  Help me to love others in the same way you have loved me.  Help me see others as you see them.  Help me always to follow you!  Amen.

If music and/or art are pathways to God for you, this is a good translation (with lyrics) of a Spanish Song called Pescador de Hombres on youtube ... although I learned it in a slightly different translation, this one is O Lord you have come to the Seashore.  The illustrations change with each lyric and they are very beautiful!  It is well worth your time and musical/visual reflection ...

Journey of Lenten Discipleship: The Extraordinary Aroma of Love!

This has been a very exciting week for me.   My granddaughter was born on Sunday ... as I hold her in my arms and gaze upon her breathtaking beauty I am drenched in the "extraordinary aroma of love."   The love I have for her ... yes, but more importantly the love that God has for each one of us, agape love.  Agape is the Greek word for "unconditional love."  This kind of love is truly extraordinary.  Remember the story of the prodigal son which was the Gospel lectionary reading last week.  No matter how far you and I run, wander, or fall away ... God is waiting to embrace us with open arms when we return, full of agape love!

As we continue our Lenten journey we are coming ever so much closer to the cross, the darkness, and the glorious resurrection!   Over these last few weeks we have been considering our spiritual lives, looking deep within to find ourselves falling short of what God intends for us and yet also at the same time finding ourselves recipient of God’s extraordinary act of love in Jesus Christ.    In this week's Gospel reading, we see extravagant love embodied in the ritualistic act of anointing by Mary of Bethany.  As we witness this beautiful act of love, we can allow ourselves to be filled with awe at Jesus’ ability to simply “receive.”  Enveloped by the scent of perfume and love, Jesus was able to receive because he was open, an empty vessel to receive the outpouring … I invite you to breathe deeply as you imagine this scene taking place before you.

John 12:1-8 (CEB)
Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, home of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Lazarus and his sisters hosted a dinner for him. Martha served and Lazarus was among those who joined him at the table. Then Mary took an extraordinary amount, almost three-quarters of a pound, of very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She anointed Jesus’ feet with it, then wiped his feet dry with her hair. The house was filled with the aroma of the perfume.  Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), complained,  “This perfume was worth a year’s wages! Why wasn’t it sold and the money given to the poor?”  He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He carried the money bag and would take what was in it. Then Jesus said, “Leave her alone. This perfume was to be used in preparation for my burial, and this is how she has used it.  You will always have the poor among you, but you won’t always have me.”


Can you smell the fragrant aroma of God’s love pouring out through this simple act? 
How easy is it for you to receive acts of love from others?   Sometimes we are unable to receive because we are closed off, full of other things … thoughts, feelings, attachments, etc.   

Lent is a time when we seek to be a fragrant love offering to the world.  How do you embody this kind of love?  Perhaps you can concentrate on the Journey of Discipleship through contemplative/reflective prayer practices such as Lectio Divina, Breath Prayers, Centering Prayer and Walking the Labyrinth …

As you breathe and settle into a place of deep gratitude within yourself, listen for the echoes of the deep love and care God has for you ... if other feelings arise too, welcome them all with this part of Contemplative Outreach's Welcoming Prayer ...

Focus, feel, and sink into the feelings, emotions,

thoughts, sensations, and commentaries in your body.

Welcome the Divine Indwelling in the feelings, emotions,

thoughts, commentaries, or sensations in your body by saying

“Welcome.”

If other feelings emerge, welcome them all as they come by circling back to this prayer as often as you need to.  If you find yourself doing this often consider exploring spiritual direction with a trained spiritual director whose gift is to be a companion on the journey of others.  Spend time with this welcoming prayer until you feel it is time to move from prayer into the sacred reading of the biblical text, and then ... Pray:

As I welcome you into my time of sacred reading, open my senses as I read and fill me with the fragrant aroma of your agape love.  Amen.  

Read John 12:1-8 again slowly, immersing yourself in these beautiful and delicate images of God that are the gifts of this narrative ... noticing the emergent discordant attitudes as well. 

Read the passage again slowly and Reflect on Mary of Bethany's sense of who God is and on Judas Iscariot's sense of who God is.   Listen for a word or a phrase that draws your attention.   Repeat that word or phrase.  Ponder this Word or phrase through which God is speaking to YOU as you let the story unfold in your mind and heart.   Where does your word or phrase intersect your life where you are right now … as you feel yourself listening, not listening, obeying, not obeying, doing, not doing, speaking, not speaking, praying, not praying, fasting, not fasting ... How are you responding, not responding … make an honest assessment, where are you?

Read the passage again slowly and Respond.   Share with God how you feel about what you are hearing through your word or phrase.   Speak your word or phrase out loud and ask God to help you surrender to the word you have heard and the wisdom it holds as you explore its meaning for you where you are right now.

Read the passage again and Rest.  Allow the presence of God to surround you and deepen your faith so you are able to surrender to God's call.  Rest until the peace of God settles into your soul ...

When you sense the time to move on,

Pray these words from the song, "Breathe."

This is the air I breathe, This is the air I breathe
Your Holy presence living in me
This is my daily bread, This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me
And I, I'm desperate for you, And I, I'm lost without you.   Amen.
Now ... Listen to This is the Air I breathe on Youtube and rest in the sense of abandonment and surrender to God's Presence through worship and song.

Song of Solomon: The Voice of my Beloved!

Have you ever read the Song of Solomon?   It is beautiful poetry that weaves an erotic love story between two people emboldened by their passion.  It is traditionally attributed to King Solomon, son of David, but it may just as likely have been a book of poetry dedicated to him.   The whole book is definitely worth the time to read and wouldn’t take that long.  In fact, many persons have considered this story of human love to be as racy as a contemporary romance novel.  On the other hand, the Song of Solomon (also known as the Song of Songs) is the source of many commentaries, both in antiquity and in contemporary writings, upon the love between God and humanity.   

“Back when he was a young romantic, Solomon writes love letters to his lady and she writes back.  Some people read it from a different angle – that they’re love letters between the Liberator and his people … whichever, it’s hot stuff.” 

~Rob Lacey, from The Word on the Street

In the three years of lectionary readings, this is the only passage you will find from the Song of Solomon.  Are you curious yet?  Come take a peek at this glorious LOVE poetry … I invite you to spend a few moments to prepare your heart to worship God as you pray with this passage from the often provocative Song of Solomon.  

Breathe deeply and envision God’s Spirit filling you with love with each breath you take! 

Settle into a place of openness within yourself with a simple breath prayer.  Use this one or create your own (six to eight syllables) 

          Breathe in (who do you worship?) Gentle  Spirit (pause)

               Breath out (what do you need?) fill me with Love (pause)

and when you are ready to move deeper into the text ... Pray:

God of Love, as I read your holy word, open my heart and let me know your loving presence deep within me, filling me with the gentle warmth of your Spirit.  Reveal the wonder of your presence drenched in the Word as I worship you and pray through the Scripture.  Amen.   

Read Song of Solomon 2:8-13 slowly, allowing the passage to unfold in your mind.   Visualize the scene in your imagination and allow the Spirit to lead you deeply into this fragrant garden of God’s love.

A Garden in Panama July 2009

Listen!  It’s my lover:here he comes now,
        leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills.
My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Here he stands now, outside our wall,
        peering through the windows, peeking through the lattice.
My lover spoke and said to me,
“Rise up, my dearest, my fairest, and go.
Here, the winter is past; the rains have come and gone.
Blossoms have appeared in the land;
        the season of singing has arrived,
        and the sound of the turtledove is heard in our land.
The green fruit is on the fig tree,
        and the grapevines in bloom are fragrant.
Rise up, my dearest, my fairest, and go.

Read the passage again slowly and Reflect on just a word or phrase that draws your attention.   Sit with your word or phrase and listen to the whispers of God’s presence in the hearts of these lovers ... Listen!  Turn your word or phrase over and over in your mind and let God speak into your heart.   Where is God inviting you to “rise up, dearest, fairest, and go?”   Or perhaps there is another invitation you find in the text?

Read the passage again slowly and Respond to God.   Once again turn your attention to your word or phrase, knowing that it may be a different word on this reading.    As you contemplate the invitation you are hearing from God, how are you being called to respond, in word … prayer … action … or in some other way?

Read the passage again and Rest.  Allow Gentle Spirit to comfort you in your unknowing.  Let all the words fade away ... when you are ready to move out of your meditation, is there a simple phrase that you might carry with you throughout your day … ?

To end your time of rest, pray this prayer or one of your own.  If you are so inclined, perhaps you might journal a little reflection and/or make a little art to process your time of prayer as I have.

Gentle Spirit, I am here.  I embrace You as You embrace me.  Let me rise up and come wherever you lead me!  Amen.

Cindy’s Reflection … Such rich images, they almost assault my senses.  I confess I am more comfortable with viewing this passage as God’s love for humanity, as God’s love for me in a more intimate sense.  Perhaps I am too steeped in our culture that often considers the sexual side of life to be talked about privately rather than openly.  While I honestly don’t agree with that, I am still uncomfortable … I wonder why that is???   Is it just the culture or is there an unhealed hurt that I must deal with in order to embrace this passage in all of its depth???  As I relish this passage as God’s love song …  I do so love the image of God “peeking through the lattice.”  It speaks to me of playfulness and the sense of the God who watches and pursues me continually. I wonder what God sees when "peeking through the lattice" into my soul ... As the ocean continues to play with the beach, so does the God of love and laughter continue to send waves of love upon my heart.  Amen … 

Pentecost: Living Flame of Love!

The word Pentecost comes from the Greek word pentekoste {pen-tay-kos-tay'} which literally means “the fiftieth day.”  In Jewish tradition, Pentecost is the second of the three great Jewish feasts.  Pentecost was celebrated at Jerusalem every year in the seventh week after the Passover in gratitude for the harvest.   Pentecost was the perfect day for the Holy Spirit to make an appearance to the fledgling Christians.  The words of God through the prophet Joel (2:28) … “I will pour out my Spirit on all people” and the promises of Jesus Christ (Luke 24:49) … “I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven” are fulfilled on the “day” of Pentecost in Jerusalem after Jesus left the disciples “on their own.” And now they are alone no longer.  And we are no longer alone either.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit we are continually in the presence of God for the Spirit of the Living God who lives within us.  To the Corinthians (1 Cor 6:19) Paul writes, "don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you? 

In Paul’s letter to the Romans he speaks often of the Holy Spirit.  Paul is a very dense writer.  By that I mean he packs a lot of meaning into sentences which often run on for quite awhile.  Paul requires the reader to be thoughtful in order to understand both what he says and the layers of meaning within.  For those of us who simply do not believe that we pray well, Paul gives us hope.

I invite you to spend a few moments to prepare your heart to worship God as you pray with Scripture.   Breathe deeply and envision God’s Spirit filling you with love with each breath you take!  Settle into a place of confidence within yourself with a simple breath prayer.  Use this one or create your own (six to eight syllables)

          Breathe in (who do you worship?) Spirit of God (pause)

               Breath out (what do you need?) pray through me now (pause)

and when you are ready to move deeper into the text ...

Pray: Spirit of God, O Living Flame of Love ... fill me with your presence and pray in me, pray with me, pray through me.  I do not know how to pray, it is true, but I trust that you love me and are always with me.  For your presence and for your love , I am forever grateful.   

Amen … Amen … Amen

Step 1: Lectio … reading
Read  Romans 8:22-27 to yourself twice in a slow and reverent manner.
Listen for a word or phrase that catches your attention.
Silently focus on that word or phrase.
Repeat it several times and allow it to sift through your heart and mind.

Romans 8:22-27
We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.  For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.  Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.  And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Step 2: Meditatio … receiving
Continue to focus on your word or phrase.
Pay attention to the thoughts and feelings it evokes.
What images emerge in your imagination?
What memories come to your mind?
Ask God to continue to speak to you through this word
Listen for God’s reply as you move through your day

Step 3: Oratio … responding
Consider any desires that have been awakened by your prayer
Perhaps you have found an area of your life that needs attention
Do not rush ... wait and listen as God forms your prayers and desires

Step 4: Contempatio … resting
Allow yourself to rest in the silence.
Allow your mind to settle into the silence.
When you feel the time to move on ...

Pray this poem by John of the Cross (1542-1591).  It is called The Living Flame of Love and the words flow from union of the soul into and with the intimate depths of the Spirit of God.

  


O living flame of love


              that tenderly wounds my soul
              in its deepest center! Since
              now you are not oppressive,
              now consummate! if it be your will:
              tear through the veil of this sweet encounter!

O sweet cautery,

              O delightful wound!
              O gentle hand!   O delicate touch
              that tastes of eternal life 
              and pays every debt!

              In killing you changed death to life. 

O lamps of fire!
              in whose splendors
              the deep caverns of feeling,
              once obscure and blind,
              now give forth, so rarely, so exquisitely,
              both warmth and light to their Beloved.


How gently and lovingly
              you wake in my heart,
              where in secret you dwell alone;
              and in your sweet breathing,
              filled with good and glory,
              how tenderly you swell my heart with love. 

Amen … Amen … Amen

Beloved, Let Us Love One Another

What is Love?  The Mirriam-Webster online dictionary defines love as:  (1) strong affection for another person arising out of kinship or personal ties, ex: maternal love for a child (2) attraction based on sexual desire, affection and tenderness ex: felt by lovers (3) affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests,  ex: love for friends. 

In the following verses from 1 John 4, the Greek word agapao {ag-ap-ah'-o} is used.  It means to welcome persons, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly and to be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing.   Today we refer to "agape" love as the unconditional love of God for all people.  


What is Love?  I'm pondering ... 

• is love a feeling? OR 
• is love an action? OR 
• is love a feeling that leads to action? OR 
• is love an action that leads to feeling?

I think I'm pretty much at ... all of the above ... but in the context of Agape Love I think it does have an overwhelming bent to action.  We love because God first love us ... and so, I think, that when we are loved, no matter who it is that is doing the loving, we are being loved by God.

Now I'm pondering what it means when the writer of this letter writes, "God IS Love."   And I think that if I don't know God, perhaps I have no idea what love really is.  And if I don't know what love is, how can I love others in the way God asks me to love them ... ahhh, are we chasing rabbits?

Let us simply take a few moments to breathe deeply ... all the way to our toes!  And begin breathing a breath prayer.  Use this one or allow a breath prayer to arise from within ... 

         Breathe in ... Loving God (pause)

                Breathe out ...  You are Love   (pause)

and when ready to move deeper into the text ... Pray this prayer I've written or speak your own prayer

O God, You ARE Love, I want to know deep in my heart how much I am loved.  I want to know you so I can love others as you have asked me to love.  Draw me closer to you as I read and meditate on your holy Word.  Speak to me and give me a word of love for all time.    Amen.    

Read 1 John 4:7-21 slowly and let the word God has for you resonate deep within you ... 


Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.  God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.  In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.  By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.  And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world.  God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God.  So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.  Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.  We love because he first loved us.  Those who say, "I love God," and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.  The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

Read the passage again slowly and allow a word or a phrase to capture your attention ... it may warm your heart or pique your curiosity.  Turn that word over in your mind as you "listen with the ears of your heart."  Reflect on your word or phrase ... where does it touch your life this day?  Where is God whispering to you?

Read the passage again slowly and allow that word or phrase to simmer ... or allow a different word or phrase to emerge for you.  In this movement, we Respond.   What would you like to say to God about your word or phrase?  Perhaps a prayer of gratitude will emerge in your heart ... you may want to journal your response.

Read the passage one last time and simply Rest in the beauty of it ... receive it as a love letter from God!

When you are ready to move into prayer, use this prayer poem by Lucy Maud Montgomery.  You can pray it as it is or rework the words to make it "feel" like your own.  OR you can create a prayer of your own ... just say what you feel, the words don't have to be fancy and they don't have to rhyme like Maud's do, they just need to be sincere and from your heart.  

Beloved, this the heart I offer thee 

Is purified from old idolatry, 

From outworn hopes, and from the lingering stain 

Of passion's dregs, by penitential pain. 

Take thou it, then, and fill it up for me 

With thine unstinted love, and it shall be 

An earthy chalice that is made divine 

By its red draught of sacramental wine.  Amen.

May we love one another in the world as we have been loved and cared for by God ... Amen.

Maundy Thursday 2010: Love Each Other

John 13:1-17, 31b-35     Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.  Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.  So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.   When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”  Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”     “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!"   Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”    Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”     Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.”  For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”     After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing?  You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am.  And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each others feet.  I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.  I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.     As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him.  And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will soon give glory to the Son.  Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going.  

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.  Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Context:  As we move deeper into Holy Week ... we turn to the Gospel of John.  We will stay with John through the First Sunday after Pentecost.  John's Gospel is different.  It was written much later than the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) and it has a much more theological (study of God) and mystical (experience of God) feel to it with its vivid imagery.  Many of the "details" differ and are used to make a point rather than tell us what actually happened.

The reading for Maundy Thursday takes us into the Upper Room. The disciples will not be sitting upright at a high and proper table like we do.  They will be reclining casually around a low table.  We strain and stretch our necks to look over Jesus' shoulder.   As he washes the disciples feet, they protest his sense of servanthood ... he is their master teacher and their leader.  At the end of this holy and sensual (meaning to appeal to the senses) ritual, Jesus gives us a new commandment:  Love Each Other.  The word "maundy" comes from the Latin word mande, which means "mandate" or "command," and arises from Jesus words in this passage.  As the journey heats up, Jesus sears this message of humble and communal love into their minds and hearts.  Jesus tells us how to recognize his followers:  LOVE.   

Going Deeper:  This passage cries out for savoring the imagery of this ritual of foot washing!

Reread the first set of bold printed verses as if you were one of the servants watching the scene unfold from the shadows where you let your curiosity challenge and lead you ...  What do you see?    As Jesus gets up and begins to prepare himself by removing his robe how does he move?  How different does he look as he wraps the towel around him as a servant?  What expressions do you see on the disciples' faces as they realize what he is doing?  What happens between Jesus and Peter?  How is Peter moving ... toward Jesus or away from Jesus?  What is the expression on Jesus' face?  Does his expression change when he talks of the one who is not "clean?"   What else do you see?      What do you hear?  As you go about your work, what does the discussion sound like that is coming from the table?  Would you characterize this little group as happy or sad when you consider the noise level?  What happens to the small conversations when Jesus rises?  What do you hear now that the voices are stilled?  How does Peter sound with his outburst?  Is he angry or confused or ...?  How would you feel if this happened to you?  Can you hear the water as it splashes back into the basin?   Does this have a calming effect or are you beginning to feel anxiety emerge within you?   What else do you hear?

Reread the first set of bold printed verses as if you were one of the disciples watching the scene unfold from your place at the end of the table ... where you let your mind wander and remember and lead you ...  What do you smell?     What is cooking?  Does the smell of food make you hungry?  Or are you too excited to eat?  What else do you smell?     What do you taste?     Can you still taste the dusty road you've been traveling? Does the taste of wine wash away that dry taste and satisfy your thirst?  What else do you taste?

Reread the first set of bold printed verses as if you were Peter, front and center in the scene with Jesus where you let your emotions run rampant to help you understand and to lead you ...  What do you feel?     As you recline at the table, Jesus comes to you and you protest!  No!  Why don't you want Jesus to touch your feet? Jesus is so patient as he looks into your soul and argues with you ... As he pours the water over your feet, how does it feel?  Is it hot, cold, soothing, shocking ...?   As he reaches out to dry them with the towel wrapped around his waist, can you feel the material?  Is it scratchy, like burlap or smooth, like cotton?    What do you want to reach out and touch?  Who do you want to reach out and touch?  

Pondering:  This passage is about learning to serve humbly, but it is also about loving others as we serve.  Are you on the journey?  Are you serving others out of a deep sense of calling?  Are you growing in love? 

Praying: 

Clip Art courtesy of the General Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church 

Later in the evening Jesus and the disciples leave the upper room and go to the Mount of Olives where Jesus is arrested after being betrayed by Judas ... In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus and the disciples have a long time of solitary prayer in the Garden (depicted in clip art, above).  However, in the book of John, Jesus prays together with the disciples in the upper room rather than alone in the Garden.  Read and meditate on this prayer that emerges from Jesus' prayer for all disciples throughout the ages, found in John 17 ...

Holy One, the time has come ... once more we travel with Jesus to the Garden during Holy Week.  Help us to glorify you as Jesus did.  Thank you for eternal life.  We are blessed to know you through Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.  Help us to complete the work you give us to do.  We have always been yours, we are yours today, and we will always be yours.  We know everything we have is a good gift from you.  We walk around in this world but we follow you.  Holy God, protect us by the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit so that we are united as one with You.  In Christ we received your Word.  Keep us safe from all evil for we belong to you, not to the world.  Make us holy by your truth.  Teach us your word, which is truth.  Send us into the world as a holy sacrifice just as Christ was sent and made holy by your truth.  Make us one, just as the holy trinity is one.  May we always be one with you, Holy One so the world will believe that Jesus was sent by you to show us the way of love and unity.  Help us to love each other as you love us.  Righteous One, the world doesn’t know you, but we know you. . Send us forth ... Not our will, but yours be done.  Amen.

See my reflection blog for my original poetry and artwork for Maundy Thursday ...