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5.11.09

Opening Prayer

Almighty God, whose glory the heavens are telling, the earth his power, and the sea his might, and whose greatness all feeling and thinking creatures everywhere herald; to you belongs glory, honor, might, greatness and magnificence now and forever, to the ages of ages, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. —The Divine Liturgy of St. James

 

Isaiah 12

In that day you will say:
“I will praise you, Lord.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.

Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.”

With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.

In that day you will say:
“Give praise to the Lord, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.

Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the
Holy One of Israel among you.” ^TNIV

 

 

If God is our strength and our salvation, then so, too, He should be our song, our life-song.

From the wells of Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit, we are strengthened. And through the blood of Christ, and the working out of our salvation in the Holy Spirit, we are given a song to sing. Our life-song is to be an unending praise-song for the great things God has done so that all will know and that He will be known to all… May our life-songs be a symphony of praise to Thee, our Lord and our Redeemer.  ^CC

 

“You made me for yourself, O Lord, so that I might rejoice forever in the immensity of your glory. When shall I be worthy of that glory? When shall I praise you as I ought? I offer you, my Creator, all my desires and hopes; give me your blessings so that I may put them into practice, through Jesus Christ your Son who shed his blood for me on the cross. —Francis de Sales, 1567-1622

 

practicing the story

At some point today (or right now if you are able) go outside for no other purpose than to meet with God. Take some deep breaths of the air he has given. Smell something, touch a leaf, rub the bark of a tree or caress a new spring blossom. Taste the goodness of His creation.  God has given us life to enjoy, so take some time to watch the miracle of growing things. Our opening prayer for today asserts that the heavens tell of his glory, the earth tells of his power and the sea his might. From what you experience in creation today, what is he telling you?

5.10.09

Sabbath Keeping

“First keep yourself at peace, then you can make peace among others. A peaceable person does more good than one very well educated… Peaceable persons do not cultivate a critical attitude about others. But a good, peaceable person interprets everything to the good.”  —Thomas á Kempis

 

Opening Prayer from Psalm 24

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;

 for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.

 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?

 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.

 He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God his Savior.

 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
 who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
Selah

 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.

 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

 Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
he is the King of glory.
Selah.

 

Prayer of Response

O love, I can no longer be silent, and yet I cannot speak as I desire of thy sweet and gentle operation, for I am filled with love which inspires me with the wish to speak but deprives me of the power. Within myself I speak with the heart and with the mind, but when I would pronounce the words, something checks me, and I find myself betrayed by this poor tongue. I would be silent but I cannot, for still the instinct for speech urges me on. If I could utter that love of which my heart is full, I think that every other heart would be inflamed, however remote from love it might be. —St. Catherine of Genoa, 1447-1510

 

5.9.09

As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. But he told them, “Do you see all these buildings?  I assure you, they will be so completely demolished that not one stone will be left on top of another!”

Later, Jesus sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and asked, “When will all this take place?  And will there be any sign ahead of time to signal your return and the end of the world?”

Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah.’  They will lead many astray. And wars will break out near and far, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won’t follow immediately. The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come.

“Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because of your allegiance to me. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will lead many people astray. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But those who endure to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will come.NLT

Do we hear his warnings? Or do we just assume he’s speaking to someone else? Perhaps we need to listen again; Kingdoms do not come painlessly.BR

 

For they assumed they were being told of vengeance falling on others, hearing of what was to be brought upon Jerusalem, as if they were to be free from this tribulation; they were dreaming only of good things for themselves, and looking for these to come upon them right away. Because of this, He again foretells to them calamitous things, making them earnest, and commanding them to keep watch for two reasons:  that they not be seduced by the lies of those who would deceive them, nor to be overcome by the violent catastrophes that should overtake them.

—St. John Chrysostom (347-407), from Homily 75 on Matthew

5.8.09

1 John 4:7-16a

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten 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 propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides 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. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.

God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. NASB

 

 

O love eternal,

my soul needs and chooses you eternally!

Ah, come Holy Spirit,

and inflame our hearts with your love!

To love-—or to die!

To die—and to love!

To die to all other love

in order to live in Jesus’ love,

so that we may not die eternally.

But that we may live in your eternal love,

O Savior of our souls,

we eternally sing,

“Live, Jesus!

Jesus, I love!

Live, Jesus, whom I love!

Jesus, I love,

Jesus who lives and reigns

forever and ever. Amen

—Francis de Sales, 1567-1622, Treatise on the Love of God

5.7.09

“Ah me! You cause them to cry in order to hear their voices! Your truth told us to cry out, and we should be answered; to knock, and it would be opened to us; to beg, and it would be given to us. Oh! Eternal Father, Your servants do cry out to Your mercy; do You then reply. -—St. Catherine of Genoa, 1447-1510, Treatise of Prayer

 

1 John 4:1-6

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. NASB

 

Hildegard wrote to the laity as well as to clerics and religious. In the early 1150s she tells a countess that simply thinking about doing good was not enough:

“The person who does good works sees God, but the one who has a mere thought about good works is like a mirror in which an image is reflected, but the image is not really there. So rise up and begin good works and bring them to perfection, and God will receive you.

But you will respond: “I have a husband, and I am of the secular world. What is this you are calling me to?”

But in response I say that you should have mercy and benevolence and virtue (which tramples pride underfoot). And, also, you should stretch out your hand to the weak and to those prostrated with troubles, and you should be lenient to those who sin against you…, and you should not slay God in the face, that is, begrudge the happiness God gave to others, lest you fall because of envy.

Then, you will live.

—Hildegard of Bingen, 1098-1179, The letters of Hildegard of Bingen, Trans. Joseph L. Baird & Rodd K. Ehrman (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994)

 

5.6.09

Prayer of Illumination

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.

Body of Christ, save me.

Blood of Christ, inebriate me.

Water from the side of Christ, wash me.

Passion of Christ, strengthen me.

O good Jesus, hear me.

Within Thy wounds hide me.

Separated from Thee let me never be.

From the malignant enemy, defend me.

At the hour of death, call me.

And close to Thee bid me.

That with Thy saints I may be

Praising Thee, forever and ever. Amen.

—Ignatius of Loyola, 1491-1556, Soul of Christ (Anima Christi)

Psalm 22:22-31

Here’s the story I’ll tell my friends when they come to worship, and punctuate it with Hallelujahs:

 Shout Hallelujah, you God-worshipers;
give glory, you sons of Jacob;
adore him, you daughters of Israel.

He has never let you down, 
never looked the other way
when you were being kicked around.

    He has never wandered off to do his own thing;
he has been right there, listening.

 

Here in this great gathering for worship
I have discovered this praise-life.

And I’ll do what I promised right here
in front of the God-worshipers.

Down-and-outers sit at GOD’s table
and eat their fill.

Everyone on the hunt for God
is here, praising him.

“Live it up, from head to toe.
Don’t ever quit!”

 

From the four corners of the earth
people are coming to their senses,
are running back to GOD.

Long-lost families
are falling on their faces before him.

GOD has taken charge;
from now on he has the last word.

 

All the power-mongers are before him
—worshiping!

All the poor and powerless, too
—worshiping!

Along with those who never got it together
—worshiping!

 

Our children and their children
will get in on this

As the word is passed along
from parent to child.

Babies not yet conceived
will hear the good news—
that God does what he says. The Message

 

May we worship God this day in such a way, in what we do, in what we say, in the little ways and the big, that the imprint of our praise will be felt throughout all generations, until every knee is bowed and every tongue is confessing our Lord Jesus Christ, He who is worthy to be praised!

5.5.09

John 21:1-14

After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.

But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.”

And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.

Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish. So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread.

Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.”

Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to question Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead. NASB

 

Come and have breakfast, come dine with me. Come… come… come…

 

Come then, thou Prophet of the Lord,

Thou great Interpreter Divine,

Explain thine own Transmitted Word;

To Teach, and to Inspire is Thine,

Thou only canst Thyself reveal,

Open the Book, and loose the Seal.

 

Whate’er the ancient Prophets spoke

Concerning Thee, O Christ, make known,

Sole Subject of the Sacred Book,

Thou fillest all, and Thou alone;

Yet there our Lord we cannot see,

Unless thy Spirit lends the Key.

 

Now, Jesu, now the Veil remove,

The Folly of our Darken’d Heart,

Unfold the Wonders of thy Love,

The Knowledge of Thyself impart;

Our Ear, our inmost Soul we bow;

Speak, Lord; thy Servants hearken now.

 

Make not as Thou wou’dst farther go,

Our Friend, and Counselor, and Guide,

But stay, the Path of Life to shew,

Still with our Souls vouchsafe t’ abide,

Constrain’d by thy own Mercy stay,

Nor leave us at our Close of Day.

 

Come in, with thy Disciples sit,

Nor suffer us to ask in vain,

Nourish us, Lord, with Living Meat,

Our Souls with Heavenly Bread sustain;

Break to us now the Mystic Bread,

And bid us on thy Body feed.

 

Honor the Means Ordain’d by Thee,

The great Unbloody Sacrifice,

The deep Tremendous Mystery;

Thyself in our inlighten’d Eyes

Now in the Broken Bread make known,

And shew us Thou art all our own.

—Charles Wesley, 1707-1788, Hymns for our Lord’s Resurrection, #6

 

5.4.09

Opening Prayer

Gentle Shepherd, lead us, guide us to drink the living water of your word, to sit in the stillness of your presence, and to find rest for our weary souls in the nourishment of your banqueting table, O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer. Amen.

 

Psalm 23

GOD, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.

   

Even when the way goes through Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
makes me feel secure.

 

You serve me a six-course dinner
right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
my cup brims with blessing.

   

Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of GOD
for the rest of my life. The Message

 

 

“O my God, Trinity whom I adore; help me to forget myself entirely that I may be established in You as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing trouble my peace or make me leave You, O my Unchanging One, but may each minute carry me further into the depths of Your mystery. Give peace to my soul; make it Your heaven, Your beloved dwelling and Your resting place. May I never leave You there alone but be wholly present, my faith wholly vigilant, wholly adoring, and wholly surrendered to Your creative Action.
— Elizabeth of the Trinity, 1880-1906, Prayer to the Trinity

 

5.3.09

Sabbath Keeping

“Want to know happiness? Sense the pulses of the divine whisper; refuse the many whisperings of the world.”  —Thomas á Kempis 

 

Lord, the rhythm of my days changes today as I break the routine of daily life to sense your divine whisper. You are so good. Thank you for the ways you speak to my spirit.

 

Opening Prayer

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP 225)

 

John 10:11-18

“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.

“I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father. NASB

 

 

Other sheep of other flocks… who are they? The outsiders, the outcast, the forgotten? Could they be the ones lost to violence, poverty and oppression at the hands of the powerful and secure? Might they be those who worship God by some other name? Are they those who if they came to our church on Sunday would be condemned by our judgments? Who are they? Only the Shepherd knows. He knows them by name, calls to them and promises they will hear His voice. They are His sheep and we, together, will be one flock. Have we made room in our sheep pen for all of God’s sheep?

 

5.2.09

Opening Prayer

Lord of power and might, who art the author of all good things; graft in our hearts the love of thy name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (GS, 5th Century)

 

1 John 3:18-24

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who keep his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. TNIV

 

Prayer of Commitment

O my God, let me walk in the way of love, which knoweth not how to seek self in anything whatsoever. Let me love thee for thyself, and nothing else but in and for thee. Let me love nothing instead of thee, for to give all for love is a most sweet bargain. Let thy love work in me and by me, and let me love thee as thou wouldst be loved by me. —Dame Gertrude More, 1606-1633 from ‘The Inner Life and Writings of Dame Gertrude More’

 

story immersion practice

Love is a common word to us. We know that to be loving we must be like Christ. We know that the greatest commandments are to love God and love others. And often it is our love for God that enables us to love others, but our love for others must be a love that moves out into the meanness of the world. It should not be accompanied by agendas and requirements.  Love that moves out into the world is freely given and it is unending. It means loving people who disagree with us, loving people who sit in that other section of the church sanctuary, and loving people when we feel offended, belittled, mistreated, disregarded or forgotten.  Love that moves out into the world recognizes the similarities of humankind, the fact that we are of a same kind, and God sees us all as His children.

This week you’ll notice several opportunities to practice the story by praying for and making peace with those who are different or difficult to love

 

practicing the story

Sometimes, who we choose to act lovingly toward reveals more about our motives than we realize. “Let us do good to all people,” reminds us who to love, and “let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth,” tells us how to love. Today, choose someone you would be least likely to love, and find a way to show him or her kindness. Commit your act of kindness in secret.