Jean – Page 7

Lectio Divina – Living Out Our Baptisms

A reminder about prayer and the Word of God: “All of a sudden we just know: prayer is a conversation in which God’s Word has the initiative and we, for the moment, can be nothing more than listeners. The essential thing is for us to hear God’s Word and discover how to respond to Him.” Hans von Balthasar

Romans 6:3-8 (ESV) ³ Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷ For one who has died has been set free from sin. ⁸ Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

Step One – Read the passage slowly, attentively. Allow yourself to be taken in by the words – pay attention to any word or phrase that strikes you in the passage. (If you haven’t studied this passage, you may find this first reading will stir observation questions in you – such as who, what when, where, how).

Step Two – Read it again. Meditate and reflect on the passage. What is it in your life that needs to hear that word or phrase? Sit in silence for a time, attending to the thoughts, images and impressions that begin to come to you. Turn that into prayer.

Step Three – What is God saying to you? What do you begin to feel called to?

Step Four – How does God want you to live this passage out? What are you resolved to do?

Lectio Quote

When we begin to understand that baptism does something to us now, and that that something is nothing short of incorporation into the divine life of God, then we can begin to experience the Trinity, not as some kind of mathematical puzzle – or a scientific experiment using water, ice, and steam showing that each of them is the same chemical but simply in a different form. Rather, we will know the doctrine of the Trinity as a lived reality. By our baptism we are invited not merely to understand, but to experience the Trinity. Brother James Koester

The Beginning of Our Lenten Journey

“A journey, a pilgrimage! Yet, as we begin it, as we make the first step into the “bright sadness” of Lent, we see – far away—the destination. It is the joy of Easter; it is the entrance into the glory of the kingdom. And it is this vision, the foretaste of Easter that makes Lent’s sadness bright and our Lenten effort a “spiritual spring.” The night may be long and dark, but all the way a mysterious and radiant dawn seems to shine on the horizon.” (Alexander Schmemann)

Just as Advent was a journey to the Incarnation of Christ, so is Lent a journey to Easter. When Schmemann talks about the “bright sadness” of Lent he speaks of the tension between the walk and the journey’s end. In the walk to Easter, we begin with the temptation of Christ in the desert, and it’s there we embark on our own journey as we contemplate our sins and moral failures. Yet there is a dawn! There on the horizon waits our Savior risen in His glory! I often think about how my daily life seems so myopic, so restricted to the cares and concerns of my daily life – with its struggles, with its pains and with its sins. Just a few days ago, my husband and I were driving through the West Virginia mountains. It was early morning, and the fog was dense. But as the sun rose, we caught glimpses of these magnificent mountains surrounding us on the road. I remember looking up and seeing those massive hills and the sun was just barely rising on the horizon. I found great peace in looking up and out at the beauty and just letting my eyes rest in their greatness. Lent is like that – It’s a somber journey as we follow Christ through the desert and through all the ways he endured suffering for us. Our journey is a return from the far countries of our sins and excesses.

“It’s the walk back from the pigsties of our personal ‘far countries,’ where we feed on mere food and pleasure, in diminishing returns, to the house of the Father, who always, always, seems to meet us more than halfway down the road.”
Touchstone Magazine

But to return to Schmemann’s language of “bright sadness” it’s the dawn on the horizon that makes that sadness bright! It’s the resurrection of our Lord, and the promise of our own resurrections that spur us on!

In many traditions of the Church both now and in the early church, new adult converts to the faith would spend the season of Lent preparing for their baptisms on Easter Sunday. This was a season of learning and discernment that they were ready to be fully initiated in the faith. As well, baptized Christians were given the exhortation to re-affirm their own baptisms. And that is what I propose for us to do this Lent. As we make our way to Easter, we look to our baptism promises and re-affirm them. What a season to turn our hearts back to the Lord, what a season to remember the journey home from the far country!

Father Schmemann refers to baptism as a “rule of life.” I suggest that we take up his exhortation here and do jut that for Lent – that we let our baptisms be the measure of our becoming as Christ would call us to. May it be the source and power of our lives!

“…to remain faithful to his baptism, living by it, making it always the source and power of his life, a constant judgment, criterion, inspiration, ‘rule of life’.”
Alexander Schmemann, Of Water and the Spirit

Our re-affirmation includes the following promises:

That we have renounced Satan and all his ways
That we have turned from our own ways and from sin
That my allegiance is to Christ and that I have chosen to walk in all his ways
That I will look to the Holy Spirit to empower me to continue to live out my baptism and to equip me for all good deeds to the glory of Christ’s kingdom.

This promise to God sets us on the path toward Easter but it also sets us on the path to further maturity and formation in Christ. It might be reframed in a simple way by asking the question when we wake up every morning: “How shall I live out my baptism today?” Take a moment now and bring that question before the Lord. Ask the Holy Spirit to form in you truth that remains, truth that goes deep into your soul. Ask Him to reveal the Father, Son and Spirit to you this Lenten season. In Christ’s baptism we see the fullness of the Trinity – the voice of the Father, and the appearance of the Holy Spirit and of course the Son immersed in the waters of baptism. In our own baptisms we can also know and receive the fullness of God – in His revelation of the Himself as the Three in One. There are unlimited areas of grace that God can renew in us.

As we go through Lent there are certain practices we can take part in that will help us in practical ways. I’ll write more on that soon.

But this is where our journey begins. It begins with water – and the references in the Old Testament speak to the power of water. The Catholic catechism says this: “If water springing up from the earth symbolizes life, the water of the sea is a symbol of death and so can represent the mystery of the cross. By this symbolism Baptism signifies communion with Christ’s death.” So, we look to the crossing of the Red Sea as the beginning of the liberation of the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt, and thus our own liberation; we look to the Jordan river as the water of the promised land for Israel and eternal life for us given by the Father through the Son!

In Paul’s letters we see that he constantly speaks the language of baptism. (I urge you to read Paul looking for the language of death and life, and baptism. In every letter but two (1 Thessalonians and 1 Timothy) his writings declare that we who have faith in Christ have died to sin and have been raised with Christ. Paul has turned the experiences of the Christian life and made them theological truth. A language of sanctification emerges then which gives voice to how we are called to live our lives. Lent affords us the opportunity to study the Scriptures and be renewed and strengthened by them in this concrete way. Take Paul’s words here in Romans and write them on your hearts – “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:4

St Gregory of Nazianzus calls baptism “God’s most beautiful and magnificent gift. . .. We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift.

It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own;

Grace since it is given even to the guilty;
Baptism because sin is buried in the water;
Anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed;
Enlightenment because it radiates light;
Clothing since it veils our shame;
Bath because it washes; and
Seal as it is our guard and the sign of God’s Lordship.
(St. Gregory Of Nazianzus, Oratio 40,3-4:PG 36,361C.)

My invitation to you friends, is that we immerse ourselves (pun intended) in the beauty of the baptismal waters. If you have strayed, or simply forgotten, Lent affords us this opportunity – to remember the power of what Christ has done in and with us. May we encourage each other with this truth. In fact, I would encourage you to invite someone else into your Lenten journey. Share it, speak of it, live it, receive it. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer and The Far Country

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come; thy will be done.
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread,
And forgive us our sins,
As we forgive those who have sinned against us.
And lead us not into temptation.
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
And the glory, forever. Amen.

Abba, we are thankful that we have a Father who is holy, who sits on the throne of heaven, and who has done the unthinkable to call us from the far country. You sent Your Son – to be an outcast, that we would be drawn in; to be despised, that we would be cherished; to be spat on, that we would be cleansed in the waters of His baptism. We are eternally grateful for this bread of life that You have given us – the body and blood of Your Son. Lord, You have forgiven all our sins, and now we pray that we would be like You, and never withhold grace or mercy from those who have sinned against us. As we turn our faces toward our heavenly home, we pray that You would keep us from temptation and evil so that we can stand with all those who have gone before us, proclaiming that Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Magi – Confessional Prayer

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9.

When I reflect on this story of the wise men, I call to mind the ways I have neglected to come to worship prepared to lay it all down – my sin, my defenses, my pride and my selfishness. So often, I come to Christ with my own needs, my own preoccupations. Do you resonate with that at all? Use this confessional prayer to bring those self-centered distractions or sins or attitudes.

Start by centering your heart in God’s presence… Give thanks to Him that you do not need to hide anything from him. Affirm that He is faithful and good, and his mercy and grace are “new every morning.” The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23).

Now let Him begin the process of searching your heart. Are there ways you have not honored Christ this week? Where were your thoughts and desires not centered in Him? How have you failed in obedience to Christ?

Then, simply confess specifically what the Holy Spirit is showing you. Don’t rush through this process. Simply rest in God’s presence as He does this.

Now choose to let this go and receive the truth of this passage: “I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. Let him lead me to the banquet hall and let his banner over me be love”. If you have confessed a stronghold of fear or complacency receive Christ’s forgiveness for you. Remember – “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

And finally commit this confession to the Lord. As you rest in his grace and mercy ask Him how to walk this out. Ask for the supernatural power of His Spirit to give you what you need to move forward. Thank Him that you “have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer [you] who live, but Christ lives in [you]” (Gal. 2:20).

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow;
though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. Isaiah 1:18

The Magi – Lectio Divina & Quote

Mat. 2:1-11 – Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” ³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ⁶ “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'” ⁷ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” ⁹ After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹ And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

This is a great opportunity to read this as a story (which it is of course!) Put yourself there, imagine being with the Magi on their journey; their meeting with Herod and then their final arrival at the stable. What do you think or feel about Herod’s trickery? (This is not the same Herod who in the time of Christ beheaded John the Baptist and sent Christ to be crucified, but of the same line. The first Herod reigned over all of Judea, but the Herod of Christ’s time only ruled over Galilee).

The Magi quote Micah 5:2 as they describe to Herod why they’ve come to Judea. Yet they were not Jews. They were Gentiles, pagans who had a deep hunger for a Messiah. They traveled far, and the first thing they do in arriving in Bethlehem – was to bow down in worship.

“They rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Why is that? What did they find of meaning to them? Stay a moment in that joy – give thanks for the Epiphany that opened your eyes to see Christ, your Savior – and let that joy wash over you once again.

Read the rest of the story in Matthew 2. The Magi were warned in a dream not to go back the way they came, and then Joseph was also warned to leave as soon as possible. Are we that attentive to listening to God?

There are so many ways God revealed Himself in this story! a Star, a king, a Scripture, a Babe, even a dream!

Lectio Quote

Stars cross the sky, wise men journey from pagan lands, earth receives its savior in a cave. Let there be no one without a gift to offer, no one without gratitude as we celebrate the salvation of the world, the birthday of the human race, Now it is no longer, “dust you are and to dust you shall return,” but “you are joined to heaven and into heaven shall you be taken up. Basil the Great (AD 330-379)

You can go through the same steps that we use for Lectio Divina for Scripture, or simply take some time and read this quote slowly and seek The Spirit’s help to discern how this passage might bring new understanding to how God reveals Himself to us.

The Journey of the Magi

“A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.”
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires gong out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty, and charging high prices.:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying

That this was all folly.
Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we lead all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I have seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

T.S. Eliot

The Far Country

When this time of year comes around and I start reading the early gospel accounts of Christ’s birth and early ministry I am taken aback by the incredible cast of characters there are in all four gospels. Note here, I am not referring to characters as if they were actors in a play because they obviously were real people! But if you were introducing these people to friends unfamiliar with them, don’t you think they would sound and look quirky?

A couple well advanced in age having children, the virgin who finds herself pregnant too, not to mention her betrothed who hasn’t a clue what’s going on until an angel comes to him in a dream. That’s a conversation for a cocktail party is it not? Then, there’s another old couple standing guard in their temple – praying and looking for the “Consolation” and “Redemption” of their people, and let’s not forget the wild looking prophet who ate bugs and wore camel hair. Then the angel appears to the least likely people (but really aren’t they all?) – shepherds who were outliers to their neighbors; and then we come to the story I want to explore this week: The Magi, the wise men, the men from the East.

It seems odd that Matthew of all people would have included a story about pagan travelers. Matthew’s gospel is the most Jewish of the gospels, written primarily to a Jewish audience. This is unlike Mark’s gospel which was primarily written to Gentiles most probably in Rome; or Luke’s gospel which was written to Theophilus, or again John’s gospel also most probably written for a Gentile audience.

Matthew’s birth narrative is pretty brief, and it follows a genealogy which was designed to show the full lineage of Christ – all the way back to David and Abraham. This is more thorough than what you might find through ancestry.com!

And now the story begins! (Mat. 2:1-12). I have to admit, my appreciation for this story in part comes from a poem T. S. Eliot wrote – the first poem published after his conversion to Christ. It’s called The Journey of the Magi, and I am including it in this post.

In the story that we read in Matthew there is no mention of how many of these wise men were who traveled to Judea. We know only that they went expecting to find royalty. So they went to the present king, Herod, and asked him for directions to the birthplace of the newborn King of the Jews. (Now mind you, they had been following a star, but nevertheless they went to Herod as soon as they entered Jerusalem!) This obviously freaked Herod out and as a result, the whole city of Jerusalem was also in uproar. Herod questioned them about their source, and they quoted to him from his own scriptures, Micah 5:2 – “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” Herod then summons them, pretending he wants the child’s location so that he too might go and worship him. They leave him, and continue on their journey, arriving by the light of the star to the place where Jesus lay – and I love this –

They rejoiced exceedingly with great joy!
Matthew 2:10

Can’t get much more joy there.

All good stories have a purpose and a meaning that crosses lines – generational, cultural, and time. And the story of these pagan philosophers reveals just how far the kingdom of God will reach. Matthew, our devout Jewish storyteller, tells the world that the Messiah will open his arms not only to his people, but to the rest of the world as well. I’m reminded of the compline prayer, known as the Nunc Dimittis, which is the prayer of Simeon after his blessing of Jesus. “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the sight of all people, to be a light to enlighten the Gentiles (nations) and to be the glory of your people, Israel.”

In Eliot’s poem the first lines are so compelling to me, – “a cold coming we had of it, just the worst time of the year for a journey, and such a long journey.” They’ve left the far country – albeit it their home – but they’ve set out to find the One, the only One who can truly reign as God meant for rulers to reign. As the journey continues, they find themselves in a temperate place, warm, smelling of vegetation. And they pass “three trees on the low sky.” The far country from which they came, cold and bitter, has been left behind, and has become a path of new life and fertile growth.

We know someone else who left the far country. Remember the son in the story about riches and waste, family, and pigs? He left home, to find a home (where he fit in, where he was free!) but found himself cold, hungry, and lonely. He, like our pagans, left that far country and started his journey home. In Eliot’s poem, at the end, he writes that the wise men returned to their kingdoms, but now without peace or ease – only wishing for death – but what kind of death? Eliot hints that the death they now seek is a death to their extravagances, their impoverished riches. And who was the prodigal in the son’s story? Who was reckless and immeasurably generous? It was of course, the Father, as it was the Christ in our story from Matthew. God is always the extravagant lover. He is always the one seeking, leaving the safety of his heavenly kingdom to bring to us “great tidings of comfort and joy.

The words of the writer of Hebrews comes to mind here – chapter 11 – the hall of fame for those of faith. All the writer speaks about here are those who left the safety of “home” but who did not receive their full inheritance. But that didn’t matter – for

If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
Hebrews 11:13-16

So, in our own travels from the far country – the place of exile, or dis-location, what have we left behind? and what do we bring to the One who welcomes us with lavish goodness? I find that so many times I cling to that far country because it’s familiar, it’s known. But is it? I know that as I press forward turning homeward, the anxieties, or fears, or bitterness or scorn have no hold on me. And how could I not, how could we not – leave that far country and turn our faces toward the only real home we will ever hold onto?

One more thought – and it’s a quote from a novel written by one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Goudge. – “The love of God is with man…That Nicolas knew suddenly, is the news of the far country, the mystery like a nugget of gold that men travel so far to seek, the fact that is stated but not explained by all the pictures that have been painted and by all the music and poetry that has been written since the dawn of the world. It was as easy as that and as difficult.” In this quote, the far country for Nicolas was the journey home to God.

While our story stops here – Herod’s story does not. Read Mat. 2:16-18 to see what Herod’s terror leads him to do. Grapple with this account. Pray about it, take it in. It’s a far cry from, “the poor baby wakes, no crying he makes.” This is the kind of crucible that can shape our Christian formation.

Lead Kindly Light

Audrey Assad – a great song for Epiphany!

The Lord’s Prayer in Epiphany: The Baptism of Christ

Our Father in heaven, we hallow Your name. On this day we celebrate that Christ, Your son, began that identification with us that would take him to the Cross. We pray for the completion of Your kingdom, that all that needs to happen here for Your will to be done would be accomplished in your time. Each day, Lord, give us spiritual nourishment to strengthen us for the days to come. Forgive us for all the ways we have sinned against You and others and give us immeasurable grace to forgive others. Keep us, Father from all that would draw us away from our baptism, all evil and temptation, that we may, with all the company of saints, worship You and give You all the glory and honor due Your name.

Epiphany Two – Confessional Prayer

Repentance is thus the return of our love, of our life, to God, and this return is possible in Christ because He reveals to us true Life and makes us aware of our exile and condemnation. To believe in Christ is to repent – to change radically the very “mind” of our life, to see it as sin and death. And to believe in Him, is to accept the joyful reconciliation that in Him forgiveness and reconciliation have been given. In baptism both repentance and forgiveness find their fulfillment. In baptism man wants to die as a sinful man and be given that death and in baptism man wants the newness of life as forgiveness, and he is given it. A. Schmemann

As we contemplate the power of Christ’s identification with us in His baptism, may the Spirit show us any way that we have not honored His baptism; any way that our reluctance to let go of sin has had a hold on us.

Start by centering your heart in God’s presence… Give thanks to Him that He through His baptism began the process of fully identifying with us so that He could offer his life for ours. Affirm that He is faithful and good, and his mercy and grace are “new every morning.” The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23).

Then, simply confess specifically what the Holy Spirit is showing you. Don’t rush through this process. Simply rest in God’s presence as He does this.

Then I finally admitted to you all my sins, refusing to hide them any longer. I said, “My life-giving God, I will openly acknowledge my evil actions. And you forgave me! All at once the guilt of my sin washed away and all my pain disappeared!”

Psalm 32 – The Passion Translation