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Written by Henri Nouwen (1932-1996), a Dutch priest, professor, writer, and theologian.  This is an excerpt from his book “Making All Things New.”

To bring some solitude into our lives is one of the most necessary but also most difficult disciplines. Even though we may have a deep desire for real solitude, we also experience a certain apprehension as we approach that solitary place and time. As soon as we are alone, without people to talk with, books to read, TV to watch, or phone calls to make, an inner chaos opens up in us. This chaos can be so disturbing and so confusing that we can hardly wait to get busy again. Entering a private room and shutting the door, therefore, does not mean that we immediately shut out all our inner doubts, anxieties, fears, bad memories, unresolved conflicts, angry feelings, and impulsive desires. On the contrary, when we have removed our outer distractions, we often find that our inner distractions manifest themselves to us in full force. We often use these outer distractions to shield ourselves from the interior noises. It is thus not surprising that we have a difficult time being alone. The confrontation with our inner conflicts can be too painful for us to endure. This makes the discipline of solitude all the more important. Solitude is not a spontaneous response to an occupied and preoccupied life. There are too many reasons not to be alone. Therefore, we must begin by carefully planning some solitude.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. [Mark 1:35]

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Written by Jennifer Tucker, a contemporary author.  This is an excerpt from her book “Present in Prayer.”

How do you praise God when the healing you’ve been praying for doesn’t come, or when that job you wanted falls through? Or when a friend ghosts you or your spouse leaves or you lose someone you love?  How do you praise God when you’re drowning in the depths of depression or when your mind is flooded with anxiety or when your body is suffering in chronic pain? Praise is not reserved for only the pretty moments of life or the days we deem good enough. We praise God not because of our circumstances but because of His character. Genuine praise is dependent not on how we feel but on who He is. Praise is the ground that steadies all our prayers. Praise roots our prayers in hope as it grounds our hearts and minds in God’s constant presence and abiding love. Praise helps us remember. As we pray for healing or cry out for help, we praise Him as we remember His past provision. As we lament the pain and suffering that surrounds us, we praise Him as we remember His presence with us right now. As we tell Him our worries and our fears, we praise Him as we remember His future promises… It can be easy to praise God in wide generalities and simply say, “Thanks for everything, God.” But it can be a powerful practice to do like the psalmist and turn our thoughts to specific times when God has provided for us, letting our praise be filled with the smaller details of His goodness and grace in our lives. When we remember what God has done, we gain courage to trust what God will do.

Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He did for me. For I cried out to Him for help, praising Him as I spoke. [Psalm 66:16-17]

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Written by Mattea Gernentz, a contemporary poet, writer, and curator.  This is an excerpt from “A Beautiful Year in the Bible.”

For generations, God’s chosen people had anxiously awaited their promised Messiah, the one who would mark the fulfillment of God’s promises and plans. Amid this collective waiting, Elizabeth, a woman beyond the years of childbearing, is astonished when she conceives a child [John the Baptist]…Her young cousin, Mary, visits and shares the news of her own miraculous pregnancy. Mary bears the Messiah himself…Mary and Elizabeth’s stories remind us that everyone is invited to participate in God’s plans. Although human beings often draw lines of division—due to age, status, or experience—God deliberately crosses these boundaries, choosing those we may overlook as instruments for Shalom—God’s perfect peace.  Elizabeth was considered too old, and Mary was poor and unwed, but both women were pivotal figures in God’s redemptive work. The Lord’s inclusive nature extends to us today. Just as Elizabeth and Mary contributed to the vision of God’s Kingdom, we too are called to play a role in God’s ongoing story, offering our unique “yes” through out time and abilities…God’s vision for the world is much like a community garden wherein every person, regardless of background or capability, contributes to the growth and health of the whole…We are part of something greater…a holy vision that transcends the limits of our understanding. May we surrender to joyfully living out God’s purpose for us all.      

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” [Luke 1:38]

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Written by Sara Thomas, a contemporary podcaster and writer.

You’ve given your all. You’ve cast the nets, led the team, done the work… and still, it feels like you’re coming up empty. John 21 gives a powerful picture of how Jesus meets you right there. The disciples, tired and disoriented, go back to what they know—fishing. But they catch nothing. That is, until they hear a familiar voice from the shore say, “Cast your net on the other side.” Jesus was already present. Already preparing a meal. Already inviting them into grace. He didn’t scold. He didn’t point out their failure. He simply invited: Come and have breakfast. This story reminds us: that Resurrection grace doesn’t depend on your success, Jesus meets you in your exhaustion and offers restoration, and your work doesn’t start with perfection—it begins with presence. When you feel like your work isn’t producing results, it might not be about doing more. It might be about noticing who’s already on the shore.

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. [John 21:4]

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Written by Chris Webb, a Benedictine Anglican Priest and author.

It is possible to be so self-absorbed and self-centered that we are blind to the needs, struggles, and pain of those around us; unfeeling and uncaring, we easily excuse ourselves from being involved in the lives of others. But as we are transformed into greater Christlikeness, another temptation rears its head—a more seductive and subtle temptation. We absorb ourselves in “justice,” in “society,” in “reforms.” We identify the issues and vigorously campaign. We speak out and make our voices heard. We become energetic activists for righteousness! Yet the truth is we have not learned to see, let alone love, the woman or the man—the individual human being whose life is so profoundly affected by the issues and causes over which we agitate…We need to get more personal. We need to learn to see people. I suggest spending an evening down at the soup kitchen or homeless shelter. But not cooking, cleaning, or serving. Instead, grab a bowl of soup and sit with the folks who come through the door. Chat with them. Ask about their lives. Where are they from? Where are their families? What do they do, day by day? Who are their friends? What are their interests, their stories, their memories? Begin to see them as people, not recipients or charity cases…Or perhaps you might spend a day with a drop-in for single mothers. Or in a prison. Wherever you live, there are places where you can meet the lost, the lonely, the troubled, the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed, and open yourself to their company and friendship.The compassionate life is, first and foremost, personal. It must be rooted in genuine, direct relationships, not nebulous issues. We cannot love causes. We can only love people—and this love is the root of all real, enduring justice and peace. As we walk in the footsteps of Jesus, we need to learn to see.

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. [Luke 7:44]

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Written by Ken Boa, a contemporary author and founder of Reflections Ministry.

Your creation is a magnificent unity in diversity, profound in wisdom, awesome in understanding, marvelous in purpose and rich in elegance. You revel in variety, subtlety, intricacy, information, and beauty. All things work together in both the physical and spiritual realms. I thank You for creating and calling me to become conformed to the image of Your Son, and I pray for the grace of holy desire to pursue by Your power what You have called me to become in Christ. I thank You for friendships and alliances with likeminded people, and I am grateful for the manifold gifts and ministries in the Body of Christ. Give me a growing heart for Your people so that I will be embedded in others-centered community as a lover and servant of the people You love. Amen.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. [Romans 8:28]

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Written by Grace Pouch, a contemporary writer and teacher.

My Mom was out walking on the beach one day, praying and asking the Lord to give her a fresh word of encouragement to pass along to the church that she pastors. She saw a small clump of coral at her feet, and she sensed God say, “Consider the coral.” She picked it up and studied it—as one would study scriptures—and found it packed with truth about life together as a congregation. A small piece of coral is actually made up of many tiny individual organisms. These organisms share a structural skeleton that binds them together as a living community, and these communities form a vast reef under the sea. Healthy reefs, made up of many different types of corals, bring life and vitality to the ocean, give shelter to other living things, and protect coastlines. It is a beautiful image of the Church: a vast network of congregations of all sorts and sizes, made up of millions of individual souls, united by one Lord, one faith, and one baptism to radiate God’s love to the world.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. [1 Corinthians 12:27]

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Written by Lilias Trotter (1853-1928), a British artist and protestant missionary to Algeria.

I am seeing more and more that we begin to learn what it is to walk by faith when we learn to spread out all that is against us: all our physical weakness, loss of mental power, spiritual inability—all that is against us inwardly and outwardly—as sails to the wind and expect them to be vehicles for the power of Christ to rest upon us. It is so simple and self-evident—but so long in the learning!

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. [2 Corinthians 11:30]

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Written by Drew Dixon, a contemporary minister, spiritual director, and author.

In a world increasingly mediated by technology, incarnation is one of the most important theological categories for us to recover…When Jesus came, the transcendent God became a body—the omnipresent God became local…The glory of God was tangibly experienced through embodied reality. This was true for the gospel writers, and it is true today…Though Jesus has ascended and is seated with the Father, there is still a way in which he remains incarnate on earth. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that, “For those who belong to him, Jesus’ departure does not mean a loss but rather a new gift. For the first disciples the bodily community with Jesus did not mean anything different or anything more than what we have today.” That “new gift” is the body of Christ that we know as the Church. Despite technology’s gifts, the great temptation of our age is to become increasingly disembodied being s living through pixels on the screens. But the Word is meant to become flesh and dwell among us in our localized, embodied expressions of the Church. This is where we are meant to see the glory of God. In our incarnated fellowship, we find our truest sense of belonging as we share meals, listen to stories, and wrestle with our common faith. Being face to face forces s to reckon with our differences. In mutual presence, we learn to really see one another and be formed by one another so that, together, we become more like Christ., As we are reconciled to one another and seek to love our neighbors, we show forth the glory of God on earth.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. [John 1:14]

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Written by Gregory the Great (c540-604), Catholic Pope known for instituting the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome to convert the then largely pagan Anglo-Saxons to Christianity.

We must take note that in the sacred scriptures, the Lord sometimes calls himself “Lord,” sometimes “Father” and sometimes “Bridegroom.” For when he wishes to be feared, he calls himself “Lord;” when he wishes to be honored, “Father;” when he wishes to be loved, “Bridegroom.” As honor is more worthy than fear, God rejoices much more to be called “Father” than “Lord.” As love is dearer than honor, God rejoices much more to be called “Bridegroom” than “Father.” The Lord and the church are therefore not called “Lord” and “Handmaiden” in the Book of Songs but “Bridegroom” and “Bride” so that he may be eagerly served not only in fear and in reverence but also in love and so that a deep interior attachment to God may be aroused by this exterior language. When he calls himself “Lord,” he indicates that we have been crated by him; when he calls himself “Bridegroom,” he indicates that we have been united to him. Moreover, it is far more significant to be united to God than to be created and adopted by him. Therefore, when “Bridegroom is written, something quite lofty is conveyed since it reveals the bond of union.

I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness,  and you will acknowledge the Lord. [Hosea 19-20]

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