Category: Meditations

THE PASSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

O sacred Head now wounded,
With grief and shame weighed down
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns
Thine only crown

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered
Was all for sinners’ gain
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But Thine the deadly pain

What language shall I borrow
To thank Thee, dearest friend
For this, Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?

O make me Thine forever.
And should I fainting, be
Lord, let me never,
Never outlive my love for Thee. Amen.

 

There follows a reading of the Passion Story as recorded in the
            Gospel according to Luke.

                                    A Prayer To Follow

O Jesus,
Humbly, I kneel at Your wounded feet.
I am unable to lift my eyes higher than Your pierced feet. My horizontal gaze takes every attempt to look into Your eyes hostage. Everywhere, I see faces bearing signs of heart-wrenching grief, indications of failure and paralyzing defeat; I see the marginalized and the forgotten. Everywhere I look, I see people who lived with the hope of meeting You and experiencing Your transforming love, but, alas, they conclude that the way of Faith is too challenging to continue.
No, Lord, I am not living about 2000 years ago. I am in this present moment! I cannot bear to look into Your eyes now, so long after that first Good Friday, and see that our accomplishments for You seem to be so small. I am haunted by what You once said while here on earth “Inasmuch as you have not done it unto the least among these, you have not done it unto me.”
Then, reassuringly, the sounds of the world that diminish every human effort to do better, become lost in the sound of a voice gently speaking to me. ” The LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:17). Punctuated with whispers of gratitude, I request:’ O come to my heart, Lord Jesus. There is room in my heart for Thee. Together, we will make a difference in the world where we live. Amen.

Hymn:O Sacred Head Now Wounded

https://youtu.be/JwgM8R7akeU

 

INSIDE THE BARRED GATE

Extol the LORD, Jerusalem; praise your  LORD, praise your God, Zion. He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you. PSALM 147:12-13

Supplementary Reading: John 20:19-30

“A picture is worth a thousand words is an axiom in multiple languages that complex and sometimes numerous ideas can be conveyed by a single still image, conveying its meaning or essence more effectively than a mere verbal description”.
( Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)                      

 But, no still image can stir human emotions like the verbal expression of the same subject. Every other attempt is impoverished by avoiding the common human endowment of the written and spoken word. Words are the better conveyor of the human spirit. For instance, a personal experience of mine finds reflection in the descriptive words of the Psalm writer’s expression above. It stirs a memory from my childhood. Our home was a large three-storey house surrounded by fences and stone walls, making a large garden where I spent untold hours climbing and swinging in the branches of an old apple tree. In particular, one feature in the Psalm writer’s memory of Zion, the Home of faith for all Jewish people, is the mention of a seemingly insignificant detail, a Gate with strong bars designed to protect all who enter therein. The memory of my homestead forever stirred by the words of this Psalm is the big barred wooden Gate that provided access to the main roadway. The Psalmist’s mention of ‘the bars of your gates’ and the protection thus provided for those entering Zion, is catalyst enough to stir my memories and speak to my soul. Those words convey something of the love and concern that made that place of my childhood feel secure and safe while preparing us for whatever awaited us in life beyond the protecting Gate.

Some years later in life. I became acquainted with the
 ” Ode. Intimations Of Immortality from Recollections Of Early Childhood” by English Romantic poet William Wordsworth. As time passed, this ode further confirmed my childhood experience and aided me in developing my faith in God.
Wordsworth wrote:
” Not in entire forgetfulness,’ and not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
from God, who is our home: Heaven lies about us in our infancy!”

And the Psalmist wrote: ” Praise your God, O Zion, for He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you.”
 I cannot tell you how many times I have gone back in memory to that garden of my boyhood with its barred Gate, or how many times I have drawn inspiration from the reassurances offered in Psalm 147; for I have done both, against the powerful backdrop of Wordsworth’s poignant reminder as quoted above.

 In our faith journey, we all experience occasional challenges to consider whether our present faith is sufficient to deal with our situational complexities. Consequently, when earthly complexities are most severe is precisely the time for your private consultation with God in the privacy of your soul, where God waits to meet with you. The barred Gate stands to deter mental and physical distractions; You are, then, with the source of everything required to fulfil your life’s mission. Now there are but two, you and God, God and you!

It is noteworthy, above all else, that Psalm 147 portrays the sufficiency and the sheer beauty of faith in God. Although clad in the garb of Old Testament thought and imagery, it remains unrestricted in its powerful appeal and inspiring invitation. In reality, nothing is more important than for each person to preserve within themselves a secret space where at any moment, they can pass from time into eternity and be in company with the Divine, with God. It may be helpful to imagine that the Gate through which you enter into the presence of the Holy has bars shaped like The Cross, which reminds you of your relationship with Christ and your commitment to His ongoing Mission to the world.

A Prayer To Follow This Meditation

Father,
The breakthrough of memories is like the sun dispersing the smothering clouds to bring joy to weary travellers. So likewise, when yesteryear’s memories climb back into consciousness to enrich our present, we rejoice and praise Your Wisdom.
With confidence and joy, may memory bring us to look to the Rock from whence we were hewn and then seek from You the grace to continue to build an ever better tomorrow.

 Save us, O Father, from the lukewarmness of spirit that treats faith as an add-on of respectability. Instead, grant unto us a fresh memory of disciples waiting in an upper room behind barred doors for the living Spirit of Christ to resurrect them, and define the Mission still intended for them and us.
“Life’s tumult we must meet again;
We cannot at the shrine remain;
But in the spirit’s secret cell
May hymn and prayer forever dwell.”
(Samuel Longfellow)
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, we offer our prayer. Amen.

HYMN: Go To The World (click on the link below)

https://youtu.be/N7_AU9Fg0gA

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The photo is of Brigus United Church of Canada before renovations completely changed the appearance of the building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         GOD’S SPACIOUS PLACE

Psalm 18:17 – 19. (NIV)
 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.
 He brought me out into a spacious place.

Supplementary Reading: Mark 4: 35 – 41

Psalm 18 is a saga that dramatically captures the sound and fury of one man’s frightening experiences having possible lethal occurrences, but instead, it concludes as a story of inspiring hope. Essentially, this is the image of a vicious storm approaching one fragile piece of humanity, awaiting its destructive blow. In addition, David, the chosen king of Israel, is stealthily outmanoeuvring the deadly pursuit of Saul, his predecessor. Saul’s jealous rage is as lethal as the ominous storm clouds overhead. That which is spawned in the dark recesses of a human soul ought to be feared as much as any atmospheric disturbances. But where does one find comforting relief when all possible escape routes appear impassible? 

God’s way of providing for His children when they experience impossible situations is to provide for them the Spacious Place. Herein, personal reflection on the ultimate meaning of victory proceeds in the Presence of the Divine.

The most urgent need looming in the dawning of this New Year for us is to discover, as David did, God’s  Spacious Place. Events that demand one’s immediate action are forbidden entry into God’s Spacious Place. Consequently, Personal faith is either born for the first time or becomes unbound from restricting doubts because, in this Place God is, and acts.

As usual, within the shadows of each new day, legions of unknown or ill-defined experiences demand our readiness. “Sound and fury” most often breeds thoughts of helplessness and hopelessness. Our littleness is magnified when considering the howling wind in a night of storm, the shattering blasts of a senseless war, or the sounds of weeping in the wake of a deadly pandemic.

In this Psalm, David witnessed the storm’s destruction and celebrated the wonder of his escape from it before God. But still lurking in the soaked surroundings, close by, Saul and his maundering crew, bent on their destructive mission to murder David, slink forward. And at that moment, David lets us in on the secret of his truly admirable life:

Psalm 18:17 – 19. (NIV)
 “He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.
 He brought me out into a spacious place;.”

Faith is to cease all assertion of the self and to make room for the divine initiative. It is an act which is the negation of all activity. A moment of passivity out of which the strength for action comes because, in it, God acts. (2)
For us, The Word that inspired David’s heroic venture,
 ” became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth”. ( John 1:14)

“We must not permit fears and the suggestions of impossibility from the world’s cynics to hem us in and limit our mobility for Christ’s mission. There is much work to be done. Therefore once more, Jesus Christ invites us to join with Him in God’s Spacious Place to see anew the picture of this world becoming the Kingdom Of God.

         A PRAYER TO FOLLOW THIS MEDITATION

Father, in mercy, behold us now, residents of a place easily overcome by timidity and the overzealous conclusion of impossibility.

Please grant us the courage to stand firm for the hard right against the easy wrong. Grant us to be more scrupulous of the source of that perceived right. The right as inspired within Your Spacious Place will often differ from what lies within the people’s will. May the necessary actions be inspired by Your justice, undertaken in Your love, fortified by Your grace, and for the honour and glory of Your Name. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen. 

Hymn: Be Still My Soul

https://youtu.be/hqgC1tqifV8

 

N‎OTES

1. Scripture quotations are from the NIV translation.
2. See C.H. DODD’s EpistleOf Paul to the Romans
3. The photo was taken at our summer cottage in Michael’s Harbour, Newfoundland

 

 

 O Come, Let Us Adore Him

Into the astonishing splendour of this scene, we come, O God. Unworthy though we are to be here, we respond to the magnetic pull of Your unconditional love that will not let us go. We now offer the only gift we possess, the gift of self. We know that none who offer that gift will turn away, fearful of unacceptance. Thank You, Father, Amen.

Hymn: Silent Night

https://youtu.be/CPhQcoSktkE

 

May the Eternal Glory of This Event shine brightly within your home and through you into your community this day and always. Amen.

 

                       

“SURPRISED BY JOY”

Scripture Emphasis: Deuteronomy 34:3-4

“Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho.4 Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross into it.”

John 14:1 – 31

The title ” Surprised By Joy.” derives from a sonnet of that name by poet William Wordsworth. The poem honours the memory of Wordsworth’s daughter, Catherine, who died at three. His grief was so profound he concluded that never again could he experience joy. Then, years later, the unexpected happened. The sights and sounds of nature overwhelmed his spirit. In that exhilarating moment, his beloved child was sharing his unspeakable joy. 

 A stirring drama unfolds in the Book of Deuteronomy. Moses. God’s fearless longtime warrior, now with his hair as white as snow and his cloak billowing in the wind like a ship in full sail, mounts one more mountain at God’s command.

Of all the mountains, physical, psychological, and spiritual, that Moses has scaled, none will ever be more critical than this one.

Here, on Pisgah’s summit, he will stand with God to review his readiness to undertake the next leg of the journey.

 Many people have sought and found exhilarating mountaintop experiences. When life was weary and days grew grey with monotony, mountain peaks often inspired renewed strength and a more splendid view of what might be. So, many dreams come to fruition for people who have dared to view their disappointments from some virtual mountaintops. 

But it is different to review life from a virtual mountaintop at God’s insistence. To observe the earth in God’s presence is to realize our view of things is but a mere shadow of their more perfect form found in God alone.

Every day for forty years, Moses’ reason d’ ^etre  was to feast his eyes upon ” the Promise Land,” the future appointed location of their earthly home.

“Moses, the man of God,” according to the Deuteronomic historian, finally climbs Mount Pisgah’s lofty summit to keep God’s appointment. Tense with anticipated excitement, Moses lifts his eyes to celebrate the marvels before him. But gripped, as he is by the intensity of the moment, Moses is barely conscious of the words God is speaking.

 “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.”

Virtual sighs are still heard today when reading this account of Moses’s experience of Pisgah’s height; there are also questions concerning God’s benevolence in His treatment of Moses. For doubtless, were we to hear such a response to our endeavours to advance some living hope, the entire mountain would vibrate with the thunderous chorus,” that is unfair.”

But never a word and not the slightest sigh from Moses is recorded!
And herein, the one most essential truth related to our appointed destiny is concealed.

Essentially, Moses’ presence here on  Mount Pisgah hides his secret anticipation of seeing his life’s dream fulfilled. He is conditioned for a more earthly experience than anything spiritual. After all, he lives daily with the promise of a homeland that ‘flows with milk and honey. But taking stock of life in the Presence of God, as Moses does, adds a new and vital perspective. Here on earth, humans see all things only in part. “We see in part, and we understand in part. We see as through a glass, darkly” But now, in the Divine Presence, that which is whole
replaces what only is in part. Were he alone, Moses would see in part and understand in part! But, in the presence of God, that which is in part disappears, and he comes to know even as he is known. ( see 1 Corinthians 13).

 Moses from Mount Pisgah should engage the vox Humana in celebrating the beautiful sight of ‘The Promise Land ‘ in the distance.
But his more breathless experience is his Spirit’s triumph in seeing beyond ” the land flowing with milk and honey to the city not built with human hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

Does not this Old Testament narrative reach its summit in the New Testament? The heartbroken disciples struggle to understand the news that Jesus, their beloved friend, will soon leave them. In preparing for that event, Jesus shows them the all-innclusive mystery of what it means to be His disciple. He informs them that each one of them must seek God to fill each of them with His Spirit so that the work God sent Him to do may continue through succeeding generations to recreate this world.” Thus fulfilling the promise, ” I will remain with you to the end of time.”

 Finally, Jesus permits them to see the picture complete. He envisions with them the unspeakable joy that awaits everyone who faithfully discharges a disciples commission, ‘ In my Father’s House there are many mansions! I go and prepare a place for you so that where I am, there you will also be.”  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15: 11)

                

          A Prayer To Follow This Meditation

Father,
  We praise You as the author and the finisher of faith.
 ” I see Thy light; I feel Thy wind; The world, it is Thy word. Whatever wakes my heart and soul, Thy Spirit is my Lord.” (2)

At night to a child of the earth, a mountain appears foreboding. It stands stark and black against the azure sky, exuding an eerie loneliness. And yet, caught in the golden rays of Your morning sun, the mountain peaks inspire new hopes and the promises of conquests for another day. Consequently, we celebrate this truth; along with the earthly suggestions concerning reality, the alternative reality and the divine enlightenment of Your presence always arrive.

May the sun shine warm upon your face. May the wind always be at your back. May your living always reflect the glory of God, Who dwells within your soul, now and evermore. Amen.

 

https://youtu.be/oW7lizMCyHI

Additional Notes

1. Biblical quotes are from the NIV  translation.
2. Quote from a poem by poet George MacDonald.

              LIVING AT THE SOURCE

Scripture Reading:  John 1: 1 – 14
Scripture Emphasis:
John 1:1 & 14 – “In the beginning, the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” ” And The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (1)

In the Prelude to the Gospel that bears his name, John searches for the most authentic expression of the Divine mystery. To this day, all searches break through every human effort to capture it, leaving but a faint glimmer to entice every inquiring mind.

A Word is the first indication of an existing thought. Accordingly, John introduces the Creator, thinking of a world that would be the habitation of the species of HOMO SAPIENTS (humankind). Unlike all other things created, this species would be Blessed with the unique capacity to emulate the perfect example of their kind, destined to dwell among them. Consequently, they would create a second Heaven like the one from which they came. 

“Imago Dei is a theological term meaning ‘the Image Of God.’ Fundamentally, it means two things: first, God’s self-actualization through humankind, and second, God’s care for humanity. To say that humans are in the image of God is to recognize the unique qualities of human nature that allow God to manifest in humans. In other words, for humans to have the conscious recognition of their being in the image of God means that they are the creature through whom God’s plans and purposes can be made known and actualized; humans, in this way, can be seen as co-creators with God.” (2)

The phrase mentioned above,’ Source of life,’ does not convey the ending of a mere physical creation. Instead, in the case of the human species, they are destined to remain in God’s Workshop, where a continuous creative force is ever present to inspire the building of a new Heaven here on earth. 

Essentially, humans are citizens of two distinct domains. In the sense of sharing a physical presence, they are citizens of this world. But additionally, having been created by God and for God, they are citizens of Heaven in a nonmaterial, spiritual sense. Some say that the greatest miracles performed by Jesus were not those affecting the human body; instead, His emphasis is on the spiritual, by rightly placing the body under the Spirit’s control.

Faith is God’s initiative, meant to solicit a willful response from every human, to own their true identity as children and co-workers in Him and with Him. Faith then is a return to the Source.

 What difference would result if today we consciously turned in faith, to ‘The Source of our being’  before hastening, without a thought, to pick up the entrenched routines of yesterday?
I invite you to meet that challenge now with some fictitious images.

• In retrospect, every effort James made to fulfil his dreams and to become a better person failed, resulting in bitterness, hopelessness and shame. But, now, In the presence of ‘THE SOURCE,’  he sees in God’s Face a look of sheer pity mingled with a conveyance of hope and assurance. God’s loving Hand is reaching out to welcome him. Immediately he feels an unfamiliar strength. In the silence, he resolves to begin each new day from here on with The Source of his life, where victory in the place of defeat promises to reign.
• There is a long distance from his present state to what Mark wants to be.
  Now, if it came at all, sleep brought images of what Mark could be, if only; If only, What? Mark desperately tries to answer that elusive question for the rest of the night. But, then, suddenly, one night, God carries him in loving arms across that great divide. Consequently, a new beginning greets Mark. Now, any night when sleep won’t come, Mark calls it ” God’s Calling time”. Therein, he discovers unimagined opportunities to bring light anywhere there is darkness, hope where there is fear, and love that helps to create that new world.  

In righteousness, God welcomes each one who deliberately returns to ‘ The Source’ of their being‘. While examining each person as He did on the day of their creation, God breathed into each the breath of life, and we became living souls. Now, by God’s specific design and purpose, the Creator plans tasks for each person for as long as he dwells on earth.’ God saw that everything was good!’

So may it remain until the earthly journey ends. Then on that day, God will apply the key to unlock the casket of our souls to reveal just how many times He remained closer to us than breathing, nearer than hands and feet! Thereby, may we all be equipped with expressions of love and thanksgiving as our Hymn throughout Eternity.

                    Prayer To Follow This Meditation

Precious Lord,
In Your Hands, we are instruments for building Your desired new world where Your will, as done in Heaven, may also be done here. Therefore, in your mercy, keep within us the vision of Your purpose for our creation and the wherewith all for its fulfilment. 

We confess that obedience to the Heavenly vision is not always easy. Sadly, often it becomes lost in the maze of earthly things. Therefore, brighten each day at its birth with the Light of Your Presence, which the darkness of uncertainty can never extinguish. Until at the last, living wholly and simply and continually at the Source of our being, we will advance the Kingdom, the power and the glory of God. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Hymn: I See A New Heaven

https://youtu.be/T5MdBVJ-Sos

 

 Editorial Notes
1. Biblical quotations are from the NIV translation.

2.What Does “Imago Dei” Mean in the Bible? What is the Image of God? (christianity.com)

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/image-of-god-meaning-imago-dei-in-the-bible.html

3, Hymn: I See A New Heaven – (YouTube)

John 3: 16- 21:  (Supplementary Reading)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

Isaiah 3: 1-4 ( Scripture Emphasis)
“See now, the Lord,
the Lord Almighty,
is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah
both supply and support:
all supplies of food and all supplies of water,
the hero and the warrior,
the judge and the Prophet
the diviner and the elder,
3 the captain of fifty and the man of rank,
the counsellor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter.
4 “I will make mere youths their officials;
children will rule over them.”
5 People will oppress each other—
man against man, neighbour against neighbour.
The young will rise against the old,
the nobody against the honoured”.

                       WHY BELONG TO A CHURCH?

There is a haunting message in the Old Testament’s book of Isaiah pertinent to the unfolding of present world history.

Isaiah, who began his ministry in 740 B.C., spent most of his life in Jerusalem. He wrote during the turbulent period marking the Assyrian empire’s expansion and Israel’s phenomenal decline. In response to this decline, the Prophet concludes that Israel’s lacklustre performance of their religious observances is the reason for their present historical crises. Consequently, he announces God’s judgement ( Isaiah 3: 1-4). Isaiah warns that shrinking one’s dependency upon God will result in catastrophic deprivations.

The covenant relationship between God and Israel was the making of a sacred promise to each other and to God to honour, love and cherish each other forever. They are to be God’s chosen people; He is to be their God. 

However, changes in situations and circumstances are prominent features of life in this world. One day announces a conviction of an unseen Presence; the next may demand a show of human prowess. Consequently, change dressed in a garb of normalcy quickly gains dominion over human lives. But, then, experiences once valued as life-changing lose their empowering influence when their recall becomes neglected and soon becomes relegated to the zone of lost memories. Life in this world is rich in the elixir, which induces the state of forgetfulness of those very experiences meant to enhance human fulfilment.

 Relationships and experiences become even more essential when it dawns upon us that they are no longer present. It is true that ” sometimes you don’t know what you have until it’s gone”.The mere thought of such deprivation induces such excruciating pain, as George Bernard Shaw’s tragedy, Saint Joan”, expresses.
The judges had sentenced Joan to perpetual imprisonment. Shaken with disbelief, she responds:
  “Send me to the stake rather than that,” she cries.
      To shut me from the light of the sky, and the sight of
        the fields and the flowers to chain my feet so that I
        can no longer climb the hills – that is worse than
          the furnace seven times heated. Without these
      things I cannot live, and by your wishing to take them
       away from me; I know your counsel is of the devil
        and that mine is from God”.
Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the people of Israel is equally devastating in the wake of their relationship with God. Accordingly, Isaiah warns his fellow citizens that losing a right relationship with God is but the beginning of deprivations to follow.

The Church in modern society is the custodian of the mystery of a New Covenant between God and the New Israel, the Church. Effectively, in the Spirit of the Risen Christ, the New Covenant will recreate the world according to the vision of God’s Love for His world.

But are we ready to ask, ” How different are we from the keepers of the First Covenant relationship?”

 The sad fact, evident even to the least observant of such matters, is that the fire that once characterized the Church seems now to be little more than smouldering embers. The warm glow of that living, vibrant Faith designed to unite strangers in a fellowship of love and Mission is becoming little more than another social club. Churches commissioned to be the ‘Keepers and Protectors of the faith’ are witnessing the closing of the doors to the faithful and would- be- seekers, not because, like our Saviour. His Mission is declared finished; ours is always beginning anew. The time is now for the Church to rediscover its Mission and Purpose in the Spirit of its Founder and its Lord. The Church cannot be a cold-storage facility for the preservation of the saints; it must be a loving and caring fellowship that ministers to the lost, the least, the loveless and the lonely.

Loneliness, depression and defeat are found worldwide due to the absence of human dignity, respect, and genuine caring for one another. When presented to Church members as a mission big enough to demand an absolute surrender of their being, that challenge shall fulfil God’s vision of expressed love, thus fulfilling the Church’s purpose for which it came to be. The only viable reason for belonging to a church is not to believe in some Creed or adhere to dogmas to satisfy one’s taste. Instead, the Church is TO BE THE BODY OF CHRIST in this world.

The community church with shuttered windows and leaning steeple may not impact you until it becomes your experience. Yet, many such churches hauntingly recall the memory of the congregants whose sacrifices made the edifice that grace the skyline possible. Even more importantly, these Churches preserve the fact of a crucial dependency upon FAITH in the Eternal. Therefore, the determination to weave such belief into the social fabric of their community’s life was but one more indication of their Covenant Relationship with their God.
Still, Let the trumpet of Hope resound throughout the world yet again. Since the day of Isaiah’s Prophecy, the WORD became FLESH and dwelt among us, and through His Resurrected Presence, abides powerfully still today.
Perhaps in this present, we each need to review those things that give meaning and purpose to our lives. Then, unabashedly, face those experiences that lent meaning and purpose to our very being; activities you used to do, people who inspired you, places you used to attend, etc. Does the truth, ” some things are never missed until they are no longer available to you,” dawn painfully upon you now? So now, with brave determination, examine those things that may be on the threshold of fading memory!

 May the sound of that trumpet announcing His triumph over death awaken you from your reverie. Consequently, may you be blessed with a renewed vision to see the fulfilment of the Prayer Jesus taught us to pray always, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” 

           A Prayer To Follow This Meditation

Father, I hear Your gentle tapping upon my soul’s door. And I cannot wait a moment longer to throw wide the door to welcome You!

I didn’t take the time to clear away the clutter within. I needed so badly to receive You, talk with You, and hear You speak to me!
In tones that quieten my trembling, embarrassed soul, You put me at perfect ease. You remind me again that beasts of burden shared Your Son’s place of birth in this world; His first cradle was a manger borrowed from one of them. Yet, Heaven’s effulgent light transformed that so ill-prepared place into something fit for a king.
After all these years, I still have so little to offer You.
The world’s voice is so loud, and I am still learning to teach my soul to listen above the din for Your still small voice of calm. But, the world is always so there, always in my face, while love, truth, and goodness are elusive. These are not always evident here. Please open my eyes to see You, my heart to love you, my soul to live for You and my spirit to reflect the Presence of Jesus. You alone possess the power to make this world through its inhabitants to be a home resembling Heaven.

In silence, You listen as I prepare to enumerate my
shortcomings. Then with such tenderness and, O, such love, You intercept my flow! “It is not that which you have failed to do and the mistakes that you have made that decide your future and that of the world; instead, it is your willingness to allow that effervescent light to shine on your whole offering, your perceived defeats, as well as your victoriesyour victories! Together we shall weave them into a mantle of Hope and love to wrap around the hurting shoulders of the world. Always remember, He continued, how the light from Heaven transformed even a stable setting into a royal palace, fit for a King!”
Such is the Faith that will save the world and revive the Church. In the Name of the Baby born in a manger and for His sake, we offer our Prayer. Amen

 

Hymn: Go To The World

https://youtu.be/uD5dv4VD4HU

 

Editorial Notes
1. Scripture references are taken from the
NIV translation.
2. From George Bernard Shaw’s Play, SAINT JOAN.
St Joan By George Bernard Shaw [PDF] [24f85jnqc9jg] (vdoc.pub)

3. The photographer is unknown to me, but I express my deep and sincere appreciation for this beautiful photo of Brigus.

(KJV Matthew 19:16-22)
“And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, “Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”. The young man saith unto him, “All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? ” Jesus said unto him, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.”

Additional Scripture : 1 Corinthians 4: 1 – 7

Scripture Emphases, The young man saith unto him, “All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?” (Matthew 19:20)( KJV)

1 Corinthians 4:7 “For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it”? (KJV)

Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians deals with problems of the Christian faith and the long-standing behaviours affecting the church Paul had established in Corinth. Consequently, he urges the adherents to take an inventory of their life’s possessions in light of their newfound faith. Paul’s suggestion that Christians undertake a list of their possessions reflects the challenge that Jesus suggests to a Rich Young Ruler who inquires of Him, “What lack I yet? to enter into this NEW life? But a subsequent dilemma arises from the inquiry that Paul proposes; “What does one include in that list that will satisfy Paul’s question, “What do you have that you have not received?” Is there anything any mortal can label theirs? What memorial will stand to identify you as the sole Creator of anything? Will the world’s fabric show evidence of your genius, resulting in a world distinctively more beautiful than that which you inherited? What, bearing the signature of your ownership, do you bring daily to the experience you call living?
While it remains true that the product of an ingenious mind may bear some reference to an individual’s name, the works enlightening wisdom and its creative source are not the individual’s whose name is associated with it.

Paul’s challenge to the Corinthians drips like molten lead on a naked brain. What do you possess that you have not received”? “Though I speak with the tongue of men and angels and have not LOVE, I become as sounding brass or tinkling cymbal.”
(1 Corinthians 13:1) I am after all, merely the vessel, the container.
But, the suggestion of dependency upon some source other than self is anathema to many. It is unthinkable for some to consider themselves the recipient of anything from outside themselves. 

As suggested, the Rich Young Ruler’s answer to Jesus’ council concerning his quest to enter into the fuller life mirrors Paul’s concern for the Corinthians.” All the good things required of me to enter into this life,” the rich young ruler replies confidently to Jesus, “I have kept from my youth up. What lack I yet?” What more extraordinary things can I accomplish in addition to those I have already achieved?” He asks in doubting wonder.

On the other hand, the infant Christian faith emerging  in the Corinthian community appears far more rewarding than the the treatment that those advocating a deeper dependency upon God are receiving. “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.”
( 1 Corinthians 4:10)

 But, can there not exist a suitable mixture of a small portion of  “faith in God” and a healthier dose of personal ingenuity and skill? “All the good things required to enter into this life fully,” the rich young ruler replied to Jesus, “I have kept from my youth up. What lack I yet?” Coyly, Paul’s primary question to the Corinthians;’ What do you have that you have not received?” remains unanswered by the Corinthians, the young advocate standing before Jesus, and by extension, by us. If I must deduct from inventory all that indicates some other creator, what is left that is mine?
In truth, what is lacking in all instances is the cultivation of a healthy mindedness which puts the body in proper subordination to the Spirit. To Realize that all things you treasure, even most likely those qualities that identify you from your fellow humans, are never your own to make your boast. In truth, they are entrusted to you by the hand of your Creator. And this discovery is the gateway to more abundant living. 

We bear the image of God. From God, we come, and to God we at last return! Our being here is by God’s plan and purpose to fulfill His mission. We are not creatures of instinct like certain other species. Within each of us humans,  God’s work is never final. We remain forever in His workshop, constantly receiving His guidance and the necessary equipment to complete our appointed mission. 

Paul, empowered by the living Spirit of the Risen Christ, yearns unceasingly for the Corinthian Christians to realize, as he, himself came to know, the unspeakable gift of manifesting the power of this new way of living as God wills it. 

St. Paul knew that his new Church in Corinth needed something more than their traditional version of the truth professed. And, still, reaching the doors of the modern church, the haunting question echoes, ” What is lacking Still?” In this very hour, the evidence is clear that something is lacking in current efforts to fulfill our mission for the glory of God.
What is required is a fresh understanding of a supernatural intervention of God’s power to do what our shrunken faith timidly disallows us. God withholds nothing from those who faithfully work in the Spirit of Jesus Christ to bring His Kingdom of love and unity on earth. 

           PRAYER TO FOLLOW THIS MEDITATION

Father, I praise You that Your love for me sends my mini-sized faith leaping over fences, and all kinds of barriers to explore and discover new experiences which I had never dreamed possible.

 “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11, 

I am deeply sorry, Father, that I imprisoned You behind cold prison walls of half-beliefs and restraining human expectations. In time, I came to think the word supernatural belonged to spooky things like “ghosties and goblins, and long-legged beasties and things that go ‘bump’ in the night.” (2)’. Thank You, Lord, for rescuing me and making me a man whose belief in supernatural realities brings me face to face with You. Now I know that the door to Your eternal Presence is never closed to me. And it is this fact alone that equips me to continue as Christ’s ambassador for Your glory. In mercy, Father, May the love of God, the Grace and the Truth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Fellowship and Communion of the Holy Spirit be upon us all evermore.
Amen.
Hymn: Go To The World
https://youtu.be/fmQDeSWdFrQ

 

Editorial Notes

1. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version
     of Scriptures.

2. https://allpoetry.com › poem › 2234822-Ghosties-and-Ghoulies-by-Broad-and-Fair

 

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Additional Scripture Reading: Romans 1: 14-17

Scripture Emphasis:

Psalm 31: 1 O Lord, deliver me in your righteousness.

Psalm 17:15 KJV: As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. (1)

 ” Prayer is the Soul of religion. Consequently, when human effort is over, lots of adventure still unfolds because God is waiting in solitude to meet you, and He acts.

Psalm 7, and Psalm 31, contain the introductory remark “A Prayer of David.” The autobiography that follows that introduction creates an immediate and stark contrast. David’s scars from engagement in life’s front-line battles are evident to all. Therefore, he exercises no economy of words in remembering his enemies. This response is too often the distinguishing mark of our humanity. Yet, the fact that David appears before God, scarred and wounded, makes God a more profound reality in the grip of personal anguish.

The meaning of human existence is incomplete when considering empirical evidence alone. Chance happenings, skilled manoeuvring, and even noble engagements lack the complete unfolding of the human story. Whether or not they know it, humans always aspire for something beyond themselves. Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to say that a world beyond apprehends them. Therefore, consider David’s theological understanding of the word righteousness used in both Scriptural references.

Recall the scene! David stands before the God of his creation. He bears in his body the marks of worldly conflicts. But more important than all else is David’s consciousness of being shut in God, as if in some impregnable fortress.” In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge.” Finding the Fortress Door open suggests that David might be an expected visitor by God.

Consequently, the Place exudes friendship and goodwill, such as when a father welcomes home his prodigal son. At that moment, David reiterates his request, “Deliver me in Your righteousness.” The expectation of an answer to his prayer depends upon David’s understanding of God’s righteousness being always available.

 Persuasively, David’s faith in God stands revealed from early childhood. “One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” (Psa. 27:4)Yet, David’s faith is that attitude in which, acknowledging one’s complete insufficiency for life’s most pre-ordained goals, we rely utterly on the sufficiency of God.

 God’s righteousness is an act originating beyond our present environment, designed to undertake and safeguard the purpose of our creation. In reality, it is God’s righteousness which creates David. And as with David, so it is with humankind. The intended product a person is to become never results from human initiative and skill; instead, one remains in God’s workshop for the entirety of his lifespan. No one expresses the possibility of that truth more fluently than the poet William Wordsworth in his poem Intimations Of Immortality.

“Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home: ” (2)

Every quality, every gift, and guidance required to complete his appointed task are already in reserve, awaiting David’s request. Everything David will need to fulfil God’s plan the day He commanded, ” Let us make man in our image ( Genesis 1:26)” is now being revealed as David petitions God, ” Deliver me in Your righteousness.”

The New Testament confirms the universality of this essential truth through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In his New Testament letter to the Romans, St Paul states,” The Gospel reveals a righteousness from God, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last.” (Romans 1: 17 )
When Paul says, therefore, God’s righteousness is revealed, he means that a divine act or activity is manifesting within the field of human experience-. In contrast, much of His operation is inscrutable and mysterious.” (3)

Thus, not for David alone does the abiding Presence of God fashion his earthly sojourn, but for all of us. Therefore, when that morning finally dawns, and we stand in His righteousness, may we, like David, be satisfied that He, looking upon us, shall see the likeness of Jesus Christ, God’s righteousness revealed from Heaven.
 ( Psalm 17:15)

A Prayer To Follow This Meditation

Thank You, Father, for leaving the door to Your dwelling place ajar for me. You were expecting me to drop in because I have finally realized that without You, I cannot live, nor dare I die!
Father, I believe that “The Best Me”  is hidden in You.
Therefore, You know me better than I know myself. And You understand better than I do the pressures of living in this world. Almost everyone ensnares themselves in a web of pretence, self-seeking ambitions and alternate facts. Neither am I unscathed by these harsh realities. It is altogether futile for me in Your presence to pretend otherwise. That confession is another burden You have lifted from my Soul while in this mysterious solitude, where You are in complete control, ‘Spirit with Spirit doth meet. Closer are You than breathing, nearer than hands and feet.’
I know that in numerous ways, I have not fulfilled the mission You had in mind on the day You said, ” I will make him in My Image to be my ambassador in the world. But, Father, does that mean lost opportunities and abandoned hopes? So, Father, in Your righteousness, deliver me now. Show me what You initially desired to accomplish in me. And what I have not yet attained, equip me now with all that’s needed to reveal Your likeness at the meeting on that final morning.
I pray in the Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

Hymn: I Feel The Winds Of God

 

https://youtu.be/kaQoC_VW8YE

Editorial Notes

1. Biblical references are from the NIV translation of Scripture except when indicated in the text.
2. The quotation is from the poem  Intimations of Immortality written by William Wordsworth.
3. Reference C.H. Dodd in The Epistle of Paul to the Romans.
   
4. Hymn “I Feel the  Winds Of God”  as performed on YouTube
5. Painting is from open stock on the internet.