naked, tuesday

Tuesday, October 7

Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God.

Opening Prayer: O Lord my God, how I long to recapture the purity and joy of the Garden—when I was able to stand before you (and others) naked and unashamed.  That, indeed, is what I was made for.  But this side of heaven that is not my reality.  My reality is filled with fear and shame; hiding and covering—terrified that I will be exposed, found out, not enough.  How I genuinely long for true communion with you; total vulnerability; deep trust—to be fully known and fully loved.  Have mercy on me!  Amen.

         

Scripture Reading for the Day: 2 Corinthians 5:2-5

Reading for Reflection:

 

I’m too alone in the world, yet not alone enough

to make each hour holy.

I’m too small in the world, yet not small enough

to be simply in your presence, like a thing—

just as it is.

I want to know my own will

and move with it.

And I want, in the hushed moments

when the nameless draws near,

to be among the wise ones—

or alone.

I want to mirror your immensity.

I want never to be too weak or too old

to bear the heavy, lurching image of you.

I want to unfold.

Let no place in me hold itself closed,

for where I am closed, I am false

I want to stay clear in your sight.

I would describe myself

like a landscape I’ve studied

at length, in detail;

like a word I’m coming to understand;

like a pitcher I pour from at mealtime;

like my mother’s face;

like a ship that carried me

when the waters raged.

(The Book of Hours by Rainer Maria Rilke)

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself

                                 

Closing Prayer: O Lord, our God, how we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling.  Because when we are clothed with you we will not be found naked.  Have mercy on us, O Lord, and deliver us from this life of groaning.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.

naked, monday

Monday, October 6

Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God.

         

Opening Prayer: O Lord my God, how I long to recapture the purity and joy of the Garden—when I was able to stand before you (and others) naked and unashamed.  That, indeed, is what I was made for.  But this side of heaven that is not my reality.  My reality is filled with fear and shame; hiding and covering—terrified that I will be exposed, found out, not enough.  How I genuinely long for true communion with you; total vulnerability; deep trust—to be fully known and fully loved.  Have mercy on me!  Amen.

         

Scripture Reading for the Day: Genesis 3:6-13

Reading for Reflection:

 

     In the presence of God one is vividly aware that he is not what he should be, has not what he needs in order to become a real man, knows not what he must know about himself and life.  He feels like a pauper as far as true wealth is concerned.  He has no boast to make—rather does he bewail his state of soul.  He is not morbid about it.  But he is real.  There is no pretense, no face-saving.  How can there be?  He is dealing with God now—and God knows all about him.  His own concern is to see in himself what God sees.  He does perceive in part—and so is very humble.  He wants a fuller perception—and so is very teachable.  No matter how good he is, he knows that he is not good enough.  No matter how bad he is, he knows there is mercy.  God is so much wiser, holier, more loving than he is that it is foolish to try to make a case for himself.  His folly is as evident to God as a wrong answer on an examination paper.  His sins are as apparent to God as an ink stain upon a wall.  His unlovingness is as visible to God as a broken bone in an x-ray photograph.  “All things are naked and open to the eye of Him with whom we have to do.”  All he can do is fling himself upon God’s mercy.  His need is his only defense and his only argument. (An Autobiography of Prayer by Albert E. Day)

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself

                                 
Closing Prayer: O Lord, our God, how far we have fallen!  How far from the beauty of the Garden we have wandered!  How wide is the chasm between being naked and unashamed to being afraid because I was naked so I hid!  Lord, we now live a life filled with hiding and covering—and it is so lonely.  It is so far from the beauty and the intimacy we were created for.  Thank you that you did not allow the story to end there, but that you made a way that we might return to the innocence and purity we were created for. In Christ.  Amen.

naked, sunday

Sunday, October 5

Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God.

         

Opening Prayer: O Lord my God, how I long to recapture the purity and joy of the Garden—when I was able to stand before you (and others) naked and unashamed.  That, indeed, is what I was made for.  But this side of heaven that is not my reality.  My reality is filled with fear and shame; hiding and covering—terrified that I will be exposed, found out, not enough.  How I genuinely long for true communion with you; total vulnerability; deep trust—to be fully known and fully loved.  Have mercy on me!  Amen.

                       

Scripture Reading for the Day: Genesis 2:18-25

Reading for Reflection:

 

     Naked.  How does that word make you feel?  What is the first response that comes up from within you as you hear it?  Terror?  Embarrassment?  Anxiety?  Shame?  Or does it bring about more positive feelings?  Freedom?  Intimacy?  Delight?  I have to admit that my first response is closer to terror than anything else.  Even the mention of the word makes me want to grab for cover.  Because at my fearful core being naked means being exposed and uncovered—which seems so unsafe.  It means being seen for who and what I really am, not just who I project myself to be.  And surely if anyone were ever to see me completely naked it would most certainly lead to rejection.  Thus the very idea of being naked leads to overwhelming amounts of fear and insecurity.

     But there is another side to this story.  Because somewhere deep within me (and really within all of us I believe) there is a longing for nakedness—a nakedness that we were created both in and for.  It is the kind of nakedness mentioned in Genesis where we are told that the man and woman were both naked and unashamed.  They were totally known and yet totally loved.  What a beautiful picture of our deepest hopes and wildest dreams: total vulnerability and total acceptance.  This is the kind of nakedness we were made for.  This is the kind of nakedness that gives us a hint of the type of relationship God longs for with each of us and the type of relationship God longs for each of us to offer one another.

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself

                                  

Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me the grace, the strength, and the courage to take off all that I use to cover myself and to clothe myself only and always in you alone.  Amen.

holiness, saturday

Saturday, October 4

Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God.

        

Opening Prayer: Gracious and loving God, you know the deep inner patterns of my life that keep me from being totally yours.  You know the misformed structures of my being that hold me in bondage to something less than your high purpose for my life.  You also know my reluctance to let you have your way with me in these areas.  Hear the deeper cry of my heart for wholeness and by your grace enable me to open to your transforming presence in this time.  Lord, have mercy. (Invitation to a Journey by Robert Mulholland Jr.)

         

Scripture Reading for the Day: Revelation 4:1-11

Reading for Reflection:

 

We must hide our unholiness in the wounds of Christ as Moses hid himself in the cleft of the rock while the glory of God passed by (Exodus 33:21-23).  We must take refuge from God in God.  Above all we must believe that God sees us as perfect in His Son while He disciplines and chastens and purges us that we may be partakers of His holiness. (Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer)

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself

                                  

Closing Prayer: Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.  You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. (Revelation 4:8, 11)

holiness, friday

Friday, October 3

Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God.

         

Opening Prayer: Gracious and loving God, you know the deep inner patterns of my life that keep me from being totally yours.  You know the misformed structures of my being that hold me in bondage to something less than your high purpose for my life.  You also know my reluctance to let you have your way with me in these areas.  Hear the deeper cry of my heart for wholeness and by your grace enable me to open to your transforming presence in this time.  Lord, have mercy. (Invitation to a Journey by Robert Mulholland Jr.)

                                                  

Scripture Reading for the Day: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-9

Reading for Reflection:

 

So be open to the ministry of Jesus, and allow Him to strip self-love of every adornment, until it stands barren and exposed.  Then you may renounce self and receive the robe whitened by the blood of the Lamb, which is the purity of Jesus.  And happy is the soul that no longer possesses anything of its own, not even anything borrowed, and abandons itself to Jesus, desiring no glory but His.  A soul, purified in this manner, is like a bride about to be married.  How beautiful she is when she lays everything aside, and comes to the marriage alter bringing nothing but herself.  And, oh, Holy Bride, how beautiful are you when you come to Jesus with nothing of your own.  The Bridegroom will be more than pleased with you when he sees you clothed in His beauty.  There will be no limit to His love for you, because you are clothed in His holiness. (Let Go—The Spiritual Letters by Francois Fenelon)

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself

                                  

Closing Prayer: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty; heaven and earth are full of Thy glory; glory be to Thee, O Lord most high. (A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie)

holiness, thursday

Thursday, October 2

Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God.

Opening Prayer: Gracious and loving God, you know the deep inner patterns of my life that keep me from being totally yours.  You know the misformed structures of my being that hold me in bondage to something less than your high purpose for my life.  You also know my reluctance to let you have your way with me in these areas.  Hear the deeper cry of my heart for wholeness and by your grace enable me to open to your transforming presence in this time.  Lord, have mercy. (Invitation to a Journey by Robert Mulholland Jr.)

Scripture Reading for the Day: Hebrews 12:14

Reading for Reflection:

 

For the Christian, therefore, holiness is the fruit of our association with Jesus.  It seems to set us apart, not in the sense of being other-worldly, but rather in the sense of being grasped by the Kingdom vision that formed the center of Jesus’ life and message.  The call to holiness is a call to live in this world, but not of it—meaning that as we open ourselves to the relationship Jesus offers, we are more and more able to live from a perspective and a vision that transcends what we normally experience. (Invitation to Holiness by James Fenhagen)

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself

                                  

Closing Prayer:

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.  Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.  Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love only what is holy.  Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.  Guard me so, O Holy Spirit, that I may always be holy.  Amen. (Catholic Online)

holiness, wednesday

Wednesday, October 1

Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God.

         

Opening Prayer: Gracious and loving God, you know the deep inner patterns of my life that keep me from being totally yours.  You know the misformed structures of my being that hold me in bondage to something less than your high purpose for my life.  You also know my reluctance to let you have your way with me in these areas.  Hear the deeper cry of my heart for wholeness and by your grace enable me to open to your transforming presence in this time.  Lord, have mercy. (Invitation to a Journey by Robert Mulholland Jr.)

Scripture Reading for the Day: 1 Peter 1:13-16

Reading for Reflection:

 

So when God says, “You shall be holy, for I am holy,” (1 Peter 1:16) he is not giving us an imperative.  He is making us a promise.  In Jesus Christ, we shall be holy.  We do not become holy by trying to obey Jesus’ teachings.  Instead, we are made holy by allowing the Holy Spirit to draw us so close to Jesus that his love begins to flow through our veins, changing our hearts, renewing our minds, and making us holy in every aspect of life. (Sacred Thirst by Craig Barnes)

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself

                                  

Closing Prayer: Make us holy, O Holy God, for you alone have the power to do such a thing.  Left to our own will, our own strength, and our own devices we are without hope.  We cannot make ourselves holy.  Give us your holiness, Lord God.  Give us the holiness of your son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Make us holy, as he is holy.  Amen.