Category: Spiritual Practices

The Lord’s Prayer – The Shattered Door

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. 

Our Father in heaven, where all the angels sing for joy. Christ Your Son has been resurrected from the dead! Can we hope, dear Abba, that this will be your will for us as well? That in the ushering in of the final kingdom – we will be made new – in body, soul and spirit? What incredible grace! What incredible joy! Nourish us, Father, with this bread of life, which is real bread and real food! And forgive us our sins, especially in this season, the sin of unbelief. Give us strength of will to forgive those who have sinned against us. We desire, Lord, that no one be exempt from Your grace! Keep far from us the power of temptation and deliver us from all evil. We wait Father, for the fulfillment of the Kingdom of Your Son – to whom with You and the Holy Spirit belong all the power, and all the glory, forever. Amen.

Confessional Prayer – Eastertide Week 5

“Reflecting on the week that has passed, Lord, show me where you were at work in my life. In what ways did I experience your goodness and when did I hear you speak.” * In what ways did I experience the power of your resurrection? In ways unique to my life, my relationships and/or my practices?

I have come to see that it is hard work to answer this question. It takes dedication and patience to see how and where God has been faithful and good. I think the same is true of confession of sin. We are not naturally attuned to either. One of the ways I’ve gotten a bit better at this is to try to start each day with asking the Holy Spirit to orient my attention through the day so that I can identify God’s goodness to me; or for that matter to help me identify sins I need to confess.

Begin 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 in as specific a way you can the sins that trouble 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 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)

Loving Lord Jesus, thank you for bearing my sins in Your body on the cross. By your wounds I am healed and by Your blood I am cleansed (1 Peter 2:24). I receive Your forgiveness now. *

And finally commit this confession to the Lord. As you rest in His forgiveness 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).

*Both these prayers are from the app lectio365.

Lectio Divina – Eastertide Week Five

1 Peter 1:3-5 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you, 5who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

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

[Regarding] divine hope: there is no gap, no space between the future and the present, because the kingdom of God is at hand and “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying ‘Abba! Father!’” (Gal 4:6). Our Christian hope is rooted in the possession of the substance to be revealed, not in the expectation of a substantial gift to come. If we “have been raised with Christ…seated at the right hand of God” (Col 3:1), we have all that we can ever hope for—even if we need immense patience to wait for its revelation. Ladislaw Orsy

Lectio Divina -The Gospel and the Resurrection

The following passage is a great entry into the gospel and Acts. If you read Acts through you will find that “resurrection” is found 10 times, and “raised” also ten times. And every time the apostles are gathered and they preach – it is the resurrection that they proclaim as the good news! This passage is a great Lectio passage in that you can put yourself right there with them in the weeks and months following Pentecost. This passage comes after Peter and John were arrested and jailed. They came before the religious leaders the next day and were told to not preach Jesus to the people. Acts 4 and the rest of Acts tells the story of what happened when they refused to stop witnessing about Christ and the Resurrection! Imagine yourself there in the excitement and drama of those early days.

Acts 4:29-35 – 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. (NIV)

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). Pay particular attention to verse 33.

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

To preach Christianity meant (to the Apostles) primarily to preach the Resurrection. … The Resurrection is the central theme in every Christian sermon reported in the Acts. The Resurrection, and its consequences, were the ‘gospel’ or good news which the Christians brought. (Miracles, chapter 16)

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 preparing for His return.

Thomas and the Lord’s Prayer

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.

Abba, Father,  who dwells in the highest places, even the heavens, Your name is so holy. I pray that Your kingdom would come in fullness – and that all my doubt would be cast off because of Your great love. I know that Your will is that all the world would come to know and believe in You. Today, Lord, I need the sweet nourishment that comes from Your holy presence. Even in my unbelief Lord, You are there, wooing me into Your goodness, and into the life You have given me through Your Son. Forgive me all my sins that have grown out of that unbelief – and give me grace, Lord, and power to forgive all my enemies. Keep from me the temptations of doubt, and deliver me from all that comes against You. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are due to You, all the days of my life, forever and forever. Amen.

Confessional Prayer – Eastertide Week Two

“Reflecting on the week that has passed, Lord, show me where you were at work in my life. In what ways did I experience your goodness and when did I hear you speak.” * In what ways did I experience the power of your resurrection? In ways unique to my life, my relationships and/or my practices?

*These words are from an app I mentioned in a previous post, called lectio365. I can’t recommend it enough – especially as you prepare to end your day. The idea that follows, comes from the post I wrote earlier: “He is alive, but where is He?” As we try to ground our understanding of resurrection life, we need practical ways to see that, and I hope that these three areas help us to do that.

It’s a small example, but I spent time with one of my grandsons last week, and my goal was simply to get him talking. I didn’t care what he talked about, but I wanted him to get excited and to look at me when he talked. And he did! I felt that it was a resurrection moment because he knew I was present to him, and that was the way Jesus was with Thomas, or even the other disciples, especially Peter in John 21:13-17.

I think we have to be intentional about moments like these. I know we want to experience a life that mirrors Christ’s – and we do that as we learn to abide in Him; to rest in Him, and to practice His presence with us and in us. The intentionality comes when we decide to look for that – whether in our own bodies, our relationships or our practices of prayer, worship, study…

So whether we are asking God to reveal the ways we experienced his goodness or we are asking Him to show us our sin – it’s all a part of the resurrection life He has invited us into.

In this season then, let’s be intentional about both – which is all about living out our baptisms – we take our place in His death, and we take our place in His rising – through confession, through dying to the old man, to being present to those around us.

…we cannot talk about sin for very long without being drawn into doxology. Were it not for the mercy of God surrounding us, we would have no perspective from which to view sin, for we would be entirely subject to it. That is the reason for affirming that wherever sin is unmasked and confessed, God’s redemptive power is already present and acting. Fleming Rutledge

Begin 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 in as specific a way you can the sins that trouble 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 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)

Receive His assurance of pardon.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ .

Ephesians 1:7-9 (ESV)

And finally commit this confession to the Lord. As you rest in His forgiveness 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).

Some of you may be aware of the African Anglican liturgy for confession of sin during Communion. It paints such an incredible picture and so I want to leave that with you as you close this time of confession.

AN AFRICAN BENEDICTION

All our problems,
We send to the cross of Christ!
All our difficulties,
We send to the cross of Christ!
All the devil’s works,
We send to the cross of Christ!
All our hopes,
We set on the risen Christ!

Lectio Divina – Eastertide Week Two

John 20:24-29 24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (ESV)

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

‘[But] I often think about why Thomas did not believe his companions when they proclaimed to him, “We have seen the Lord.” Perhaps, we might easily say that such belief  asks a great deal of someone, especially without his being present during Christ’s appearance. But perhaps… it was because the disciples were still huddling in the upper room, as John tells us, with the doors locked. Perhaps Thomas thought about what they proclaimed, looked around at the fear that kept the doors locked, and concluded simply, “I don’t believe you.”

After all, to believe in the risen Christ is to believe that God can take the brokenness, vulnerabilities, and losses of our lives and redeem them. It is to believe that all other standards of judgment, all other criteria of value, and all other measures of success must be rooted first in the faithfulness to the one who says, “Whatever you do for the least, you do for me.” It is, finally, to live in relentless and courageous love, in faith that love has conquered even death.’

Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz, puts it sharply when he observes*:

“’Christ is risen.” Whoever believes that
Should not behave as we do.”

 by Andrew Staron

For the whole quote go to: <https://dailytheology.org/2015/04/12/why-did-doubting-thomas-doubt/>

Confessional Prayer – Eastertide Week One

Remember to take some time to ask the Holy Spirit where He revealed God’s goodness to you this week. Where did you experience the power of the resurrection? (I am working on another post that will help make this more practical).

Almighty, eternal God! Forgive us our sin and lead us to eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Ulrich Zwingli

Begin 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 in as specific a way you can the sins that trouble 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 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)

Receive His assurance of pardon –  7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ . (Eph 1:7-9 ESV)

And finally commit this confession to the Lord. As you rest in His forgiveness 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).

Who is like a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression For the remnant of his inheritance He does not retain his anger forever, Because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers From the days of old.  Micah 7:18-20

Lectio Divina: Eastertide – A Heritage of Glory

Below you will find the lectio passage for this week; but I would encourage you to not only read this reflectively but take time to look at the context of this passage and then look for other passages in Paul that sound the same note. I’ve said this before (probably too many times!), Paul has taken the events of Christ’s death and resurrection, and made theology out of them! And then he makes that theology the language of our sanctification, our becoming in Christ. We can follow him in this as we read the Scriptures, identity the theological truths, and then let the Spirit form Christ in us through them. What a gift Paul was!

This is a fairly lengthy passage but it’s so good! It is probably a translation you might not be familiar with. May God “bring us to full knowledge of him!”

Ephesians 1:17–23 – May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him. May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, how rich is the glory of the heritage that he offers among his holy people, and how extraordinarily great is the power that he has exercised for us believers; this accords with the strength of his power at work in Christ, the power which he exercised in raising him from the dead and enthroning him at his right hand, in heaven, far above every principality, ruling force, power or sovereignty, or any other name that can be named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. He has put all things under his feet, and made him, as he is above all things, the head of the Church; which is his Body, the fullness of him who is filled, all in all. 

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?

I hope you are remembering to pause during the week or during each day to reflect on where you experienced God’s goodness and his resurrection power!

The Lord’s Prayer – Gethsamane

I’ve chosen to do something different with this Lord’s Prayer. Since Jesus taught us this prayer, I can imagine his teaching rose out of his personal relationship with the Father. I see this prayer unfolding in the way I think he might have prayed in the garden on the eve of his crucifixion.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed by 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.

My heavenly Father, to whom I yield my greatest praise, you indeed are holy. More than all, I desire to see your kingdom to come in full – and you know I want your will to be done – as hard and painful as it is for me in this place, on this night. If you could spare me this… yet my being craves one thing only – Your will. In this garden Lord, I confess my great need for the strength to face what is to come tomorrow. Forgive my enemies, Father – for they don’t even know what they are doing. I have pleaded that you spare me this trial, this testing, but again, I choose You. Deliver not only me, but the whole of creation from the evil one – whose being is set only on annihilation. I will do this which You have asked of me and so bring fully into your kingdom those you have given me. “I glorified you on earth, and now I pray that you would glorify me in your own presence with the glory I had with you before the world existed. (John 17:4) May all that you have given to me receive the gift of eternal life.  Amen.