genuine encounter

Opening Prayer: Forgive us, O Lord, when we allow knowledge of you to be a substitute for encounter with you.  You want so much more for us than that.

Scripture: Job 42:1-6

Journal: Where and how have you allowed hearing of God to be a substitute for encounter with God?  Where and how have you encountered him recently?

Reflection: “My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.” Job 42:6

All too often, hearing of God is used as a cheap substitute for encounter with God.  And there is no substitute for genuine encounter with God, just ask Job.  Once he actually encountered God, everything changed.  It is not information about God that transforms us, but direct encounter with God.  It is a deeper, more intimate kind of knowing that brings about real and lasting change.

Prayer

Closing Prayer: O Lord, help my eyes to truly see you today.

turning

Opening Prayer: O Lord, how I long to be different.  How I long to turn from my twisted and dysfunctional patterns and habits, in order to be more whole and holy.  I long to be set free from my own self-consumed ways of being and seeing, and to become more and more like you.  I long to be more loving instead of self-centered, I long to be more compassionate rather than competitive, and I long to care more about your will and your work than I do about my own.  Continue, O God, to transform my heart.  Grow your grace in me and let it flow freely and effortlessly from my heart and life.  Change me from deep within. Give me more peace and less frustration.  Make me more rooted and less reactive.  Help me to be more caring and less annoyed.  O Jesus, fill me so full of your love that there will be no room in me for anything else.

Scripture: Mark 1:14-15

Journal: What does “repent and believe the good news” look like for you these days?  What do you need to turn away from?  How do you need to turn toward God?

Reflection: “The time has come.  The kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15) Repentance always involves a two-part movement: a turning away and a turning toward.  Turning away from autonomy and turning toward obedience, turning away from control and turning toward surrender, turning away from independence and turning toward dependence.  Ultimately, repentance is about turning away from my kingdom and turning toward God’s.

Prayer

Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to repent and believe the good news.  Today.

a place of abundance

Opening Prayer: Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praises be heard; he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. (Psalm 66:8-9)

Scripture: Psalm 66:10-12

Journal: Listen to the words of this ancient prayer, and listen for the prayer of God that rises in your heart.  What is it?  What is stirring in you?  How has God used the hard things in your life to bring you to a place of abundance?  How is he?

Reflection: “You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.” (Psalm 66:12)

To reach the land of abundance, it seems, we must go through the fire and the water.  There is no way around it.  To get to the place called resurrection, we must go through the doorway of death.  In the words of C. S. Lewis, “Only that which has died will be resurrected.”  So, struggle is a prerequisite for growth and death is the prerequisite for resurrection.

That being the case, it seems like we would stop getting so offended and hurt and surprised when we have to go through hard things.  God told us that it would be this way.  It was that way for Jesus, so why would we expect it to be any different for us?  Why should we get an exemption?  Hard things should just be a sign to us that we are on the right path, and the final destination is oh so good.

Prayer

Closing Prayer: For you, O God, tested and tried us; you refined us like silver.  You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.  You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. (Psalm 66:10-12)

 

on the road

Opening Prayer: Risen Jesus, you are liable to show up any place at any time.  Help me keep my eyes peeled and my heart attentive for your coming.  Amen.

Scripture: Luke 24:13-35

Journal:  How will you pay attention for the coming of the Risen Jesus in the days and weeks ahead?  Where and how have you seen him so far?  What did that do in your heart?

Reflection: They couldn’t understand it on their own, nor could they explain it. (Luke 24:15-32)   They were at a loss to try and figure it all out, teeming with doubts and fears and uncertainties.  Having so many more questions than answers.  How were they supposed to make sense of what had happened over the last few days, much less the last few years?  And yet there they were, walking along the road, lost in a mass of chaos and grief and confusion. 

That is, until he showed up.  He seemingly came out of nowhere, joining them on their journey, just walking alongside them.  He joined in the conversation, not hijacking it, but asking questions and letting them talk about what was on their minds and hearts.  They were so consumed and perplexed that they didn’t even recognize him, which was exactly the way he wanted it.

And finally, when he did speak, they were mesmerized.  His words started a fire deep in their hearts.  It wasn’t until he broke the bread that their eyes were finally opened and saw that it was their beloved Jesus.  The one who had shared this same meal with them in the upper room, was back from the dead.  He was alive!

We have much to learn about the Risen Jesus as well.  We cannot be sure when or where or how me might show up.  We cannot control or determine or manipulate his comings and goings.  We are totally dependent on him.  We cannot see on our own, we cannot understand on our own, we cannot recognize him on our own.  We cannot figure it out on our own, we cannot make sense of it on our own, and we cannot make our own hearts burn within us.  All of this must be done for us by Jesus.  Life with Jesus is about absolute dependence and complete surrender.  His job is to come; our job is to wait.  For unless he comes and walks along with us, our eyes will never be opened.

Prayer

Closing Prayer: Come, Risen Lord!  Make our hearts burn within us this day.

the easter shift

Opening Prayer: Thanks you, Lord Jesus, that not only did you rise from the dead, but you invite us into your resurrection life.  Be risen in us today.

Scripture: Galatians 2:20

Journal: How are you experiencing the risenness of Jesus these days?  What wants to be, or is being, born in you?

Reflection: One of the many things we celebrate on Easter Sunday is our invitation into the risen life of Jesus.  This invitation involves a beautiful shift from constantly thinking about what must die in us, to the freedom to think about, and dream about, what wants to be (and is already being) born in us.  And after forty-plus days of Lent, it is a welcome relief.

Prayer

Closing Prayer: Help me, Lord Jesus, to make the shift from death to life—from constantly considering what must die, to constantly dreaming about what wants to be born.  That is what your resurrection life is all about.

holy satruday 2023

Opening Prayer: We wait for you, O Lord, for that’s all we can do.  We cannot bring about resurrection ourselves, only you can do that.  So give us the courage and the strength and the grace to wait for you, because you are the only one who can bring life out of death.  Amen.

Scripture: Luke 23:55-56

Journal: Where in your life do you find yourself standing between death and resurrection?  Will you wait for the Lord, rather than trying to take matters into your own hands?

Reflection: There’s a certain powerlessness to Holy Saturday that is really good for us.  We can’t produce or manufacture resurrection; we can’t hasten it, hurry it, or control it.  All we can do is wait for it.

Prayer

Closing Prayer: “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.” (Psalm 130:5)