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MEDITATION:

Written by John E. Biersdoft, a contemporary pastor and author. This is from his book “Healing of Purpose.”

Love, according to the Christian gospel, is what God is about. Therefore, according to the same gospel, love is what we are to be about. Love completes the dimensions of commitment and freedom. By commitment we take charge of our commitment intimations from God that the world is not random chaos, but an arena for purposeful activity to bring all things to God. As we mature in our commitments and participation in God’s mission in the world, we come to moments of freedom when the creation becomes transparent, and the bright epiphany of God’s direct and immediate presence shines through phenomenal reality. Then we see that God is all in all, in all things arising and passing away. In those moments of meditation we realize that reality is infinitely more marvelously magical than any supernatural expectations we could have manufactured. We are truly surprised by God and know that in the ultimate sense there are no limits—all things are possible for those who love God, who are called according to God’s promise.

PRAYER:

Written by Margaret Grun Kibben, contemporary Chaplain to the US House of Representatives and former Chief of Chaplains for the US Navy.

Gracious God, we earnestly pray today to walk in Your presence. With You beside us, may Your nearness both inspire and compel us to take steps in response to Your divine mercy, in obedience to Your divine guidance, and in gratitude for Your divine compassion for us.

May each thought that comes to our minds be of Your will. May each aspiration our souls conjure be worthy of Your blessing. May every action we take reveal Your love to those who need it so desperately. May every word we speak give honor to You.

It is our humble prayer that in everything we do today, we would be instruments of Your transcendent love in this place, of Your sacrificial love for all of creation, and of Your redeeming love for this world and for each of Your children. We offer ourselves to You in the hope of Your mercy and in the strength of Your name. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by John Wijngaards, a contemporary scripture scholar, author, and a laicized priest. This is an excerpt from his book “Inheriting the Master’s Cloak.”

In the face of the needy, the sufferer, the enemy, we see the face of the incarnate God. What we do to the needy, the Some time ago, when I was browsing through John’s Gospel, I came across these reassuring words of Jesus: “Whoever believes in me will do what I do – yes, he will do even greater things” [John 14:12]. That is surely an exaggeration, I thought. It cannot be true. This has to be understood as hyperbolic language. Doing greater things than Jesus has done? But when I studied the context and began to think about it, the full impact of Jesus’ statement dawned on me. Jesus meant what he said, and its message has weighty implications.  Jesus has just declared, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” He goes on to say that he is in the Father and the Father in him. Also, his teaching is not his own teaching, but the Father’s. Jesus’ activity, in other words, what he does and says, reveals the Father. Whatever Jesus does—the preaching on the kingdom, the manifestation of his power, his service to the people—is all work done by the Father. In the same way the Father will work in Jesus’ disciples. Jesus is going to heaven, but in the disciples the same work of the Father will go on. The disciples, therefore, will do what Jesus did—yes, even greater things than he did.

PRAYER:

Written by James Merritt, a contemporary pastor and author.

God, Your Son Jesus gave me the ultimate example of what it means to be a servant. Not only did He serve in practical ways, but He also served me to the point of giving His own life for my sin. Reveal to me ways in which I can serve others every day. Broaden my horizon when it comes to serving, and help me to not only look for practical ways to serve others every day, but also to grow in my service by acting as a servant in every facet of life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

This meditation is an excerpt from the book “Seeking God’s Peace in a Nuclear Age: A Call to Disciples of Christ,” edited by Ronald E. Osborn.

In the face of the needy, the sufferer, the enemy, we see the face of the incarnate God. What we do to the needy, the sufferer, the enemy, we do to God. Moreover, our every action as Christians either expresses or denies the intention of Christ who, in indwelling our humanity, lives not only in all other persons, but in each of us as well. Conversion to the way of Christ demands the radical change which follows our acknowledgement of this indwelling: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). The Christian life is a continuing effort to release the divine impulse through all that we say and do.

PRAYER:

This prayer is from the Leonine Sacramentary, the earliest surviving collection of Roman Mass formularies and ordination prayers from the early 7th century.

Grant to us, Lord, We ask You, the spirit to think and do always such things as be rightful; that we, who cannot do anything that is good without You, may by You be enabled to live according to Your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Donald J. Shelby (1931-2012), a minister, speaker, and writer. This is an excerpt from his book “Forever Beginning.”

Meeting Jesus does not inevitably lead to his becoming our personal savior. We must make room in our life for him; we must choose him and accept him as our savior by claiming his presence. We must let him be Lord of our lives. That decision involves opening ourselves to Jesus and receiving him into the most intimate dimensions of our lives. Because Jesus comes to us in love, he refuses to exploit or manipulate us, to be coercive or invasive, for to do so would contradict the very nature of love. If he would be loved by others, we must let them love us. We must be vulnerable and reachable enough that others can get close enough to love us, including Jesus. So Jesus approaches the threshold of our being with beckoning love, and he waits for us to open our life to him from the inside….

To enter into that intimate relationship where Jesus becomes our savior is to let Jesus be with us and within us, person to person, on the emotional and volitional levels of our being. It is to respond to the contagion of his presence. It is to let down whatever defenses we hav in place so that we come together heart to heart, so that the spirit in him touches and resonates with the spirit in us. It is to meet him with our deepest feelings and fears, with our aspirations and imaginations, with our desires and loyalties, with our creative energies and self-understanding. It is to meet him with our shadow-side and our hidden face, risking his acceptance of all we are – even those things about ourselves we have rejected and tried to disguise. It is to meet him with the expectation that what happens between him and us will enlarge life with fulfillment and beauty. It is to enjoy with him that same pervasive sense of well-being and excitement that quickens in us when we spend unhurried time with good friends or when we share intimate moments of oneness with those we love. It is to meet him with gratitude and a sense of wonder over the gift of himself that Jesus offers.

PRAYER:

Written by Phil Togwell, a contemporary writer and   leader of the Anglican Diocese of Durham’s Prayer Project.

While I may not have any actual enemies, I can think of a few people who annoy me, people who have upset me, hurt me, and offended me. Jesus, help me to love them. And as I pray my best prayer for them now, I choose to bless them in your name. Jesus, I am deeply grateful that you love me as I am, but also that you don’t leave me as I am. Because you love me, you admonish me, you don’t let me get away with bad behavior, you discipline me. And I yield to it all again. Help me to become a little more like you in the way that I love others today. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Tia McCollors, a contemporary Christian author.

The darkness is deceiving. It turns objects into things they aren’t and can heighten the intensity of our fears. We stop in our tracks during a midnight trip to the bathroom, frozen for a moment by the snake lying in the middle of the floor. We quickly realize that it’s the braided belt we wore with our favorite dress earlier that morning to Sunday worship service. The shadows of dogwood trees brushing against our bedroom window bring joy and singing birds in the morning, but transform ominous shadows at night and unrecognizable noises at night.  The enemy of our souls knows that walking in the darkness clouds our judgment and darkens the path to our true source; that source, being the Lord God Almighty. When in dark or fearful situations, turn on the light. God’s word is a source of light. Psalm 119  tells us that it is “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Find scriptures that apply to your concerns and declare the word of God aloud. You don’t have to walk in the enemy’s darkness if you turn on the light of Jesus.

PRAYER:

From the Mozarabic Rite, a liturgical rite of the Latin Church once used generally in the Iberian Peninsula (Hispania), in what is now Spain and Portugal. 

Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, and the brightness of Thy Spirit illumine our inward souls, that He may kindle our cold hearts, and light up our dark minds; who abideth evermore with Thee in Thy glory. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by John E. Biersdorf, a contemporary pastor and writer on science and religion. This is an excerpt from his book “Healing of Purpose.”

Compassion is expressed in gentleness. When I think of the people I know who model for me the depths of the spiritual life, I am struck by their gentleness. Their eyes communicate the residue of solitary battles with angels, the costs of caring for others, the deaths of ambition and the costs of caring for others, the deaths of ambition and ego and the peace that comes from having a very little left to lose in this life. They are gentle because they have honestly faced the struggles given to them and have learned the hard way that personal survival is not the point. Their caring is gentle because their self-aggrandizement is no longer at stake. There is nothing in it for them. Their vulnerability has been stretched to clear-eyed sensitivity to others and truly selfless love.

PRAYER:

Written by Francis of Assisi (c1181-1226), an Italian Catholic friar, deacon and preacher. He founded the men’s Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of Saint Claire, the Third Order of Saint Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land.

 I beg you, Lord, let the fiery, gentle power of your love take possession of my soul, and snatch it away from everything under heaven, that I may die for love of your love as you saw fit to die for love of mine. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Kevin Adams, a contemporary American church planter, trainer in church leadership, and pastor.

She was a slave, bound to men who used her to make a lot of money. They found she “had a spirit by which she predicted the future,” so they used her for “fortune-telling.”  Whatever that spirit was, it knew that Paul and his friends were “servants of the Most High God,” and it moved her to pester the new missionaries in town. This slave girl connected with the gospel of Jesus by way of surprise. Paul grew so annoyed by her carrying on that he told the spirit to leave her “in the name of Jesus Christ.” And immediately she was free—not just from her demonic master but from her human ones too. She experienced Christ’s power as a gift.

Paul walked and talked the gospel, and that can bring radical change. Set free, the girl no longer fit into an exploitative system. The gospel changed her life and upset the social balance, and that stirred up trouble for Paul and Silas. Some people try to stuff the church into limiting categories and definitions. But the dynamic church, true to the gospel, cannot be contained. The gospel brings personal and social change. Jesus brings salvation that triumphs through losing, prospers through giving, and leads through serving. When Jesus’ power comes into our life, we do not look at people or social status in the same way. We begin to see everyone and everything with Jesus’ eyes of love and justice.

PRAYER:

A Collect (short general prayer used in Christian liturgy) from the 6th Century

O Lord Jesus Christ,

you gave your life for us

that we might receive pardon and peace.

Mercifully cleanse us from all sin,

and always keep us in your favor and love;

for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Calvin Hoogendoorn, a contemporary pastor and author. 

Are you willing to submit to people in authority over you? Your answer may reveal whether you are content to live as one of God’s chosen people in the world. The Bible teaches that submission is the appropriate demeanor for God’s children. In his writings Peter teaches that the child of God is to submit to “every authority,” whether in government, in employment, in marriage, in community, or in the church. These examples make a critical point. Since the Lord instituted authorities, to disobey them is to disobey him. What does it mean to submit? Like a car yielding to the flow of traffic, submission means blending into the flow of God’s kingdom work. It sounds simple enough, but most of us dislike the idea of submitting. Some even suggest it is the enemy of freedom. The truth, though, is that God provides grace and freedom through submission. Sin compels a person to live in an ever-shrinking universe called “me.” Submission is the grace that frees us from sin’s personal blinders by calling us to live within a community. The kingdom gospel is a world-embracing gospel, and I am to accept my civic responsibility in order to give expression to it.

PRAYER:

Written by Calvin Hoogendoorn, the author of today’s reflection.

Dear Lord, by your Holy Spirit give me courage to exercise the privilege of submission to you, your Word, your call, and to all authority that you have established. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Peter Hoytema, a contemporary paster and author. 

In connection with praying “Your kingdom come,” Jesus taught us to say, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in ­heave.”  We can sometimes feel uncertain whether the things we pray for are in line with God’s will. Or perhaps we might think that our confidence is somehow ­diminished if we say, “. . . if it be your will” as we pray. While God’s will is deeply mysterious, there is also something very reassuring about it. Praying “your will be done” does not mean we fully understand God’s will. This is mostly a prayer that expresses our desire to do God’s will. And that is a prayer of strong conviction. It conveys our trust in the goodness of God’s will and our assurance that God will carry out his purposes. And, remember, praying within God’s will is about following Jesus’ example.

Even Jesus wrestled with his Father’s will and submitted to it. The result of that prayerful struggle was that Jesus could say with firm resolve, “Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” His connection with the Father was the source of his strength. A book about prayer that I have grown to appreciate has an interesting title. It’s called Yielding. There is nothing weak about submitting to God. Yield­ing to God’s will is the very thing that strengthens us.

PRAYER:

Written by Peter Hoytema, the author of today’s reflection.

Lord, sometimes your will seems confusing; guide us to pray like Jesus. Help us to trust you, love you, and obey you. May your will be done in our lives. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by In Touch Ministries, a ministry of Dr. Charles F. Stanley.

If professing believers were really honest, many would say their lives bear little resemblance to the Christian life described in Scripture. They struggle repeatedly with the same sins, feel that God rarely answers prayers, and wonder why He hasn’t given them the desires of their heart. How is this possible? The problem may be a lack of submission to Jesus Christ. People often want the forgiveness of sins and the promise of heaven but are not willing to place themselves under the lordship of Christ. Therefore, they are disconnected from what He wants to do in their life. In refusing to submit, they forfeit the blessings that come to those who know Christ as Savior and Lord.

Today’s passage states, “You are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness” (Romans 6:16). Although we strongly dislike the concept of slavery, that is the reality for every person who enters the world: We are all born as slaves of sin. Thankfully, that doesn’t have to be the final word. Anyone who turns to Christ in repentance and faith is set free. However, this is not freedom to simply do whatever we want. In fact, doing so would naturally head us back to our old slave master of sin. Avoiding submission to God results in wasted years of chasing after His blessings through our own cunning. True freedom and blessing are found only in being a slave to God, who is always good, wise, and loving. In obedience to His will, we find freedom from sin, answers to prayer, and new desires that come from a changed heart.

PRAYER:

Written by Richard John Neuhaus (1936-2009), a Christian cleric and writer.

Forgive us, Heavenly Father, for living as though you do not know and do not care, as though you are not our loving Father. Give us such faith that the constant theme of our live may be, “Lord, let it be to me according to your word.” This we trustingly ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.

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