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MEDITATION:

Written by Anthony of Sourozh (1914-2003), a writer and broadcaster of prayer and the Christian life. He was a monk and Metropolitan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church. This is an excerpt from this work “Meditations on a Theme.”

In other words, you choose your life, that is to say, you choose all the conditions of your life, when you choose the thoughts upon which you allow your mind to dwell. Thought is the real causative force in life, and there is no other. You cannot have one kind of mind and another kind of environment. This means that you cannot change your environment while leaving your mind unchanged, nor, — and this is the supreme key to life and the reason for this pamphlet—can you change your mind without your environment changing too. This then is the real key to life: if you change your mind your conditions must change too—your body must change, your daily work or other activities much change; your home must change; the color-tone of your whole life must change – for whether you be habitually happy and cheerful, or low-spirited and fearful, depends entirely on the quality of the mental food upon which you diet yourself. Please be very clear about this. If you change your mind your conditions must change too. We are transformed by the renewing of our minds. So now you will see that your mental diet is really the most important thing in your whole life.

PRAYER:

From the Saram Primer, a book of prayers and Christian worship resources from the 1500s, collected at the Salisbury Cathedral.

May the Father, who created all things in the beginning, bless you.

May the  Son of God heal you.

May the Holy Spirit enlighten you,

guard your body, save your soul,

direct your thoughts, and bring you safe to the heavenly country, where he lives and reigns,

God, in a perfect Trinity,

forever and ever. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Maria Boulding (1929-2009), an English nun, writer, and translator. This is an excerpt from her book “The Coming of God.”

The listening which can go on all day amid a variety of occupations is concentrated when we give up time to be alone with God in prayer. Prayer is an exposure to the reality of God. For those who pray regularly the time may come fairly soon when particular thoughts or words no longer seem to help. Prayer seems to have gone dead. The relationship is moving into a new phase, and you have to learn to change gear. At other times you may be able to find as much inspiration as ever in the Scriptures, in thinking about God and in the experiences that generally mediate his word to you, but when you try any of this in the time of prayer, you have the impression that this and real prayer are mutually exclusive. To be spending the time on that is somehow to dodge the issue. This can be a distressing and disconcerting experience, but it may be another “creative disintegration” and the way through to contemplative prayer.  Provided that you are refusing God nothing, you can probably trust the inclination to let it ride a bit. Wait in silence, attentiveness, stillness, just aware of God in some dim way and of your need of [God], but without particular efforts to formulate ideas or words, except perhaps just to bring yourself gently back when you stray. It is baffling and disconcerting, but in some way all-important to you to stay there like that in darkness and quiet.

PRAYER:

Written by Jacquie Riker, a contemporary pastor.

In the joy of your heart, Your light remains.

In the gift of your caring, Your light remains

Where you reached out to help, Your light remains.

Where you sat in silent peace, Your light remains.

In the place where you worked, Your light remains

In the stillness of the starry night, Your light remains

In the light of each day fully embraced, Your light remains.

Like the touch of an Angel, Your light remains.

When you live as a light, Your heart is joined in the Infinite Light of Love.

And that about you which is eternal … remains.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Pam DePuydt, a contemporary author.

As Jesus and the apostles walked to the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus comforts them, explaining many things, telling them they will do greater works than He had done.  However, there is a catch.  In order for them to do all these things, to believe all these things, to trust all these things, they must abide. 

Abide? How does one do that? The Greek tells us they were to “remain or continue.”   So, continue following His teachings and examples and ways, as though He would always be with them.  One of the Hebrew translations would have them to “cleave, follow close, join together as if glued.” A vine is connected to the branch in a symbiotic relationship. Others see this not as symbiotic but connected.  Whichever it is, without the Branch, fruit cannot be born, for it is in the Branch the lifeblood flows.  Abide? Me? How do I do that? Cleave myself to Jesus.  Continue in His Word daily, musing over the wisdom and knowledge and precepts.  Follow the teachings and much fruit will be born.  The fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Let myself be the vine that wraps itself around the Branch, so much so, that without the Branch, I wither and die.  Glue myself so much to His Word, that to rip the Word out of me, would rip out my very heart. And if I don’t abide, what then?  Then it becomes spiritual suicide. Those who are not Christ-followers don’t understand this, for they don’t know what it is to have an abundant life, filled with joy amidst sorrow and hardships.  For those of us who follow after and love Jesus our Messiah, it is essential to our well-being and that of everyone we come in contact with, for our “vine” to remain in the Branch. Oh, sure, we can fake it, but after a time, people will know; you will know.  Then what? You either wither and die or come crawling back to the foot of the Cross, to the One Who washed you clean and ask Him to “wash your feet.” Confession and repentance is not just a one-time deal. The “one-time” confession gives us eternal life, the ongoing confession and repentance is the sanctification of my life.  It’s the journey, leaving my old ways and cleaving to the ways of Jesus. It’s becoming a vine growing because of the Living Water, on the Living Branch that overshadows the Cross on which my Savior died.  It’s continually being washed by the water of the Word. To abide is to continually confess to Jesus that I can’t live my life without Him.  He knows that. He told His disciples that.  He told me that, and you, and anyone else who will read His Word.

PRAYER:

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

Grant us, O Lord, not to mind earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away , to cleave to those that shall abide; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Wil Pounds, a contemporary writer and director of missions at Abide in Christ.

The secret to fellowship and fruitfulness in the Christian life is abiding in Christ. “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.” This is not salvation; it is communion. We are to live such lives that Christ will continue to abide in us. This is our responsibility. You cannot separate these two abidings because it is necessary for this vital union in Christ. We abide by being available to Him and obedient to His Word. We can never be kept from sin and in intimate fellowship with Him except by careful attention to God’s Word. The Holy Spirit applies His word to our daily lives and the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse us of all sin. This is the Father’s pruning effort upon our daily lives. Without Christ the most eloquent preaching and Bible discussion will be like a bottle of mist that quickly evaporates into thin air. Without Him we can do nothing. Let those words penetrate to the depths of your soul. I am nothing; Christ is everything.

To “abide in Christ” is a conscious experience. The fact that our lives are producing the fruit of the Spirit demonstrates that we are “in” Christ and abiding in Him. The fruit of Christ’s character in us is expressed in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When we look into the face of Jesus that is what we see. When our Lord says: Abide in Me He is talking about the will, about the choices and the decisions we make. It is a volitional choice we make whereby we decide to do that which exposes us to Him and keeps us in contact with Him. We have been placed into Christ by the Holy Spirit. Now we must choose to maintain that fellowship by the decisions we make. We choose to expose ourselves to His Word in order to learn about Him and to relate to Him. To remain in union with Christ, to abide in Christ, to dwell or continue in Him means you are already in Him. To “abide in Christ” is for those who are “in Christ.”

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.  Developed during Visigoth (Arian Christian) rule of the Iberian Peninsula in the 500s AD.

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

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MEDITATION:

This devotion is from Worthy Devotions ministry, which provides an online daily devotional.

In the modern world, the work ethic is “achieve and produce by working longer and harder!” The focus is on getting results through human effort — we’ve become product-oriented and the bottom line is……the bottom line! But God’s way runs contrary to this approach — His way is much more oriented toward process and relationship rather than performance and production. He IS interested in results which He calls “fruit”; but not by pushing or egging us on to work harder or longer.

The Lord’s way is to work with and through us so that every result or product comes out of our abiding in Him, since without Him we can do nothing. This is opposed to of the culture we live in today, and to human nature in general. Think about it — we’re constantly bombarded with self-help books promoting self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-control — our society is all about self! But God’s way of success produces the results which He values; results which are not produced by self-effort, but which grow out of an intimate relationship with Him, in which we seek to constantly abide.  The only way we can become abundantly fruitful is to understand the Lord’s fruit-bearing process. As we lay down self-effort, our natural human independence, and seek communion with Him, abiding in the Vine, then His power, His will, and His desires will be realized in our lives, which then, will bear fruit that remains throughout eternity!

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.  Developed during Visigoth (Arian Christian) rule of the Iberian Peninsula in the 500s AD.

O Lord,

let your mercy be upon us,

and let the brightness of your Spirit

illumine our inward souls,

that he may kindle our cold hearts

and enlighten our dark minds;

who abides with you in glory forever.

Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Lloyd John Ogilvie (1930-2019), a Presbyterian minister who served as Chaplain of the US Senate.  This is an excerpt from his book “Radiance of the Inner Splendor.”

When Dante appeared at the Franciscan monastery door, a monk opened the door and asked him what he wanted. “Peace!” was Dante’s one word answer. That eventually became the Lord’s gift to him when he learned to wait, pray, and listen. Later, in The Divine Comedy, he wrote hisoft quoted line, “In His will is our peace.” The refreshment of Christ is peace to replace our impatience. Christ is peace. Christ is patience. We could never produce these graces in our own strength in the quantities they are needed in our families and our world. But we do have access to an unlimited stockpile of patience because the same spirit that enabled Christ is in us.

PRAYER:

Written by Ausin Fleming, a contemporary priest and author.

Lord, it’s likely that sometime today

someone will push my buttons

challenge my good will

misread my intentions

tick me off

try my patience

rattle my cage

judge me in haste

test my kindness

or do all of the above…

Give me the grace I’ll need at such times

to respond with patience

to trust and accept

to listen carefully

to reach out in peace

to be fair and just

to anctipate goodness

in all my words and deeds…

I know this is a lot to ask, Lord,

but I need your help

to do for others

as I’d have them do for me…

Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Edward J. Ferrell, a contemporary pastor and author. This is an excerpt from his book “Gathering the Fragments.”

When was the last time you spent a week with Jesus? Imagine a week – seven sunrises and seven sunsets—resting with Jesus, perhaps wrestling with him a bit, becoming reacquainted with him, with yourself. Like Eucharist, a retreat is a time of remembrance, a time to experience unity and continuity.

PRAYER:

Written by Emilie Griffin, a contemporary American author who writes about religious experience and spiritual life.

Lord Jesus, I want to feel your presence in my life. Teach me to set aside agendas and objectives so that I may spend time extravagantly with you. Let me seek the peace of going nowhere in particular, doing nothing in particular, but resting in your love. And may I know also the love that is reflected in concrete ways, in fellowship and community. Help me to put love at the center of everything. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by James C. Fenhagen  (1929-2012), an Episcopal rector, author, theological educator, seminary president, and lecturer. This is an excerpt from his book “Invitation to Holiness.”

When I think of wholeness in my own life, I think of a finely tuned orchestra in which each instrument, guided by the conductor, contributes its part toward a magnificent symphony of sound. There are times – in recent years, increasing times – when I have heard this sound that I know that I am in tune with the Spirit of God who moves within me. Sometimes the sound is discordant, even harsh, but it is nonetheless one sound. This is wholeness. It can include themes of joy and themes of pain, but there is still one sound. This is very different from what happens when the instruments that represent the many-faceted aspects of my personality are playing in opposition to each other. When this happens, I experience inner chaos and confusion – the very opposite of wholeness. The answer is not to play louder, not to pretend we do not hear, but rather to take time to listen to the many sounds so that the message they contain can be brought to light. The inner freedom the Gospel promises is experienced when our identity in Christ is honored and trusted and nourished. It is experienced when our inner lives are in tune, not in the sense of having arrived, but rather in the sense of being able to hear and respond to the themes and rhythms that the Spirit offers in calling us out of ourselves. The journey in Christ is a journey shaped by the biblical story of salvation in which is embodied a will to holiness. Wholeness, when open to the Spirit of God, is a seedbed for holiness. When our center has been reformed in Christ, an environment is created that opens us to the promptings of the Kingdom. In biblical terms.

PRAYER:

Written by Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109), a Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher and Christian theologian. He served as the archbishop of Canterbury from 1093-1109.

Lord, because you have made me, I owe you the whole of my love; because you have redeemed me, I owe you the whole of myself; because you have promised so much, I owe you my whole being. Moreover, I owe you as much more love than myself as you are greater than I, for whom you gave yourself and to whom you promised yourself. I pray you, Lord, make me taste by love what I taste by knowledge; let me know by love what I know by understanding. I owe you more than my whole self, but I have no more, and by myself I cannot render the whole of it to you. Draw me to you, Lord, in the fullness of your love. I am wholly yours by creation; make me all yours, too, in love. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Henri J. M. Nouwen (1932-1996), a Dutch priest, professor, writer, and theologian.  This is an excerpt from his book “Lifesigns.”

Jesus is a very patient teacher. He never stops telling us where to find our true home, what to look for, and how to live. When we are distracted, we focus upon all the dangers and forget what we have heard. But Jesus says over and over again: “Make your home in me, as I make mine in you. Whoever remains in me, with me in them, bears fruit in plenty … I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete” (John 15:4, 5, 11). Thus Jesus invites us to an intimate, fruitful and ecstatic life in his home, which is ours too.

PRAYER:

Written by Eugene Peterson (1932-2018), an American Presbyterian minister, scholar, theologian, author, and poet.  He is well know for his Bible translation  “The Message.”

May this day bring rest to my heart and my home.  May God’s image in me be restored and my imagination in God be re-storied.  May the gravity of material things be lightened and the relativity of time slow down. May I know grace to embrace my own finite smallness in the arms of God’s infintite greatness. May God’s Word feed me and His Spirit lead me into the week and into the life to come. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Martha Graybeal Rowlett, a contemporary Methodist clergywomen and author.  This is an excerpt from her book “In Spirit and in Truth.”

One of the influences on our lives is the presence and call of God. God is with us, exerting an influence on us whether we choose to pay attention or not. When we choose to respond to God’s offer of open communication, we choose to give power or weight to that relationship. We make an intentional move to give attention to the ideal possibilities that God offers to us. Without relinquishing our free will, we can freely choose to be Christian disciples. We can choose to live authentically in dialogue with God. Such open communion with God can creatively transform our lives… In a human friendship, communication and interaction are necessary if the relationship is to survive and grow. I need to know you in order to trust you. The only way we can get acquainted is by trusting each other enough to reveal ourselves. A little trust makes possible the first steps of friendship. So it is with prayer and faith. Faith expressed in prayer opens the way for the Spirit to nurture new faith, which in turn makes possible new adventures in prayer.

PRAYER:

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

Jesus, I lay everything before you. I fix my eyes on You and You alone. You are both the author and perfecter of faith — I yield to the story that You are writing in and through my life. Amen.

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