Being with Jesus as Friend: seek Union with His Heart

This week is the most beautiful and the most important of the Church’s year. It is the drama of our salvation and our life and also a week of profound renewal. We renew our baptismal life because we see again the battle that God in Christ wins against all the powers of darkness and destruction in our world and in our lives. We know that our baptism makes us participators in his victory and so we have the courage to follow him on his journey and to contemplate the mystery of his love for us.  Through this week, and especially as it breaks into the new life and light of Easter, we also renew our faith in Christ. We see that God’s way is not our way or the ways of our world. His power is not exercised through force or coercion or through ‘shock and awe’. His way is entirely different; it refuses to get caught up in all our traps and illusions. God’s way of saving us was the way we least expected; a shocking way – the way of weakness and humility; the way of powerlessness and foolishness; the way that is least comprehensible for us. The best way of praying this week is simply to follow it. All we have to do in our prayer is be open and receptive, content to follow and to receive what God chooses to give us. In this way our prayer enters into the way Christ lives it. He allows himself to be taken on a journey by the Father – ‘thy will be done.’ So, let scripture take you on this road. Be attentive to it; notice its details, entrust yourself to it. Don’t fill up your prayer with too many words or thoughts or petitions, ‘For your heavenly Father knows all that you need.’ Let each period of prayer begin simply by asking for the grace of this week: to be close to Christ as he does the will of the Father; to touch something of the mystery of his life and love. Try and get some sense of that as we hear this weekend’s Gospel Reading from Mark.

“Contemplation”

On Palm Sunday the crowd clamored for David’s Son, Messiah, to save them from Roman oppression and restore their kingdom. Place yourself in the story. Would you be caught up in the way the world thinks? Would you identify with self-righteous religious experts of the law but who lacked union with God’s heart? Or would you be seeking simply to be with Him-to know Him-to surrender all to Him-to love Him and follow Him?

What question would you ask him if alone? How does He answer?

Plan silent moments to give Him-be with Him-receive His love:

His last hours with friends: John chapters 12-17; Mt 26:47-68; Mt 27:32-50

Helps and Hindrances:
 

Helps: Give thanks daily and ask the grace to be with Him.

• You might meditate on Hymns like “Were You There” or “O Sacred Head Now Wounded,” When I Survey Wondrous Cross”…
• Watch one of the “Jesus Movies,” attend a special service, write a poem or contemplation to give Him; 
• Offer to Him weakness and disappointments… 
• Pray in the Spirit and spend time in wordless prayer of the heart.      
  

Hindrances: Examine, identify and exchange at the cross

• Exchange offenses at God or others with forgiveness
• Exchange busyness with quiet stillness
• Exchange anxiety and hurry with His peace and perspective
• Exchange unbelief or hard hearts and heads with a new heart.

FEEDBACK: Has there been any profit for you who did these meditations or groups to some degree?  Write down what you feel or experience. Share with others (and me). If you have received some help through the last six weeks of prayer meditations please let me know.

If there is anything you will carry forward-any new or renewed habit, or any fresh desire to know and love and be united in likeness to Christ…

If there is a new desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit and be His witness with love and the power of the Holy Spirit…

If there is a growing compassion and mercy to minister to those who are the most forgotten or neglected (instead of “blessing the blessed and serving the saved or just praying for the privileged)…

Please let me know how Christ is helping you become “joyful for a change.”

Small groups will not meet on Resurrection morning but come early for donuts and coffee fellowship. You are invited to meet at Dwight and Barbara’s  Wednesday evening, 7 PM. 


-PD



 

Week Five for March 22-28 leads us toward the final week of Lent - Holy Week

Preparation to be with Christ in his suffering  

Daily Prayer: I ask God that You open my mind and heart to know and to feel a deeply felt knowledge of the Lord Jesus made human for me. Help me move beyond my familiarity with the stories and be present with Jesus. Help me feel what He felt that I might know, love and follow Him more closely. Help me to see more clearly what is important to Him and observe his habits and the way He relates to others in humility, mercy, courage, trust and obedience to God.

Day One: A prophet without honor Read these passages and try to be present with Jesus-how did he feel? What was it like?

John 1:10-11 Jesus came into the very world He created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.

John 6:66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”

Mt 16:13-17:13 Jesus asked his closest followers, “Who do men say that I am?” then he asked them, “Who do you say that am?” Could Jesus have been looking for support from them? Following Peter’s pronouncement that He was Messiah, God’s Son, Jesus told them that He was about to suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders leading priests and teachers and that He would be killed but rise on the third day. Peter rebuked him and the disciples did not understand what Jesus was talking about.

DAY TWO

Reread whichever verses stand out to you in these passages and try to be present with Jesus but this time ask yourself how you feel? What action or response will you have?

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DAY THREE

The crowds mostly follow him because he multiplies food, heals them, works miracles, casts out demons, teaches them in stories they can relate to and authority that is different than the Pharisees, treats them with mercy, and He walks and lives among them just like them-poor, meek, lowly in heart.

All of us have felt rejection or loneliness. Some of us have been abused or feared for our lives. Jesus not only experienced all our temptations but also our human weakness and pain.

Hebrews 4:15 he faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. Heb 5:7 While on earth, He offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud voice cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death… 8 though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.

Are you drawn to him in his loneliness as He prepares for his passion and realize you share in his suffering? Can you realize he has shared your pain your whole life long. What is it like for you to identify with his humanity and suffering?

Day Four: HELPS AND HINDRANCES

Over the past five weeks we have listed both helps and hindrances to meditating on our union with Christ.

If you have a list review hindrances (too busy, lack of desire, anger at God or unbelief that God will speak to you or work in you as you meditate, unconfessed sin or holding onto resentment or unforgiveness, etc)

Have you asked God for grace to help recognize when your heart is not responding to God?

What helps have you employed (like praying in the spirit, asking for help, starting a new holy habit of set time/place each morning and/or evening)?

Finish your week looking at these eleven times Jesus tried to prepare his friends for his coming passion (suffering). Remember that this coming Sunday is Palm Sunday (March 29 Holy Week).

Mt 16:21-23; Mk 8:31-33; Lk 9:22

Mt 17:22-23; Mk 9:30-32; Lk 9:44-45

Mark 10:32-34; Mt 20:17-19; Lk 18:31-34

Jn 3:13-17 (The Son of Man must be lifted up… God so loved the world… 

Looking ahead to Palm Sunday Jn 12:12-19;

Jn:23-33 Whoever loses their life for my sake shall find it…Now My soul is deeply troubled… when I am lifted up I will draw all men to myself.

How did the disciples respond? Imagine how you might have felt and responded?

Peter told Jesus, “No, Lord!” What question might you ask Jesus if you had been there? What response do you imagine He would have?

Lent has one more week after this week. The more grace we receive to know and love Jesus them more we will be impacted by his love as we approach Good Friday.

And the greater will be our celebration on Resurrection Day. The more we identify with his death the more we will share in his Life.

Consider these ways to know him better and identify with him this week and Holy Week:

• Pray with fasting of food and or media or other earthly comfort.
• Give to the poor by sharing your resources of time, talent or treasure.
• Repent of hindrances to his love, his word and his heart being in union with yours.
• Meditation in his word (and contemplation if God will give you this gift of your mind and heart being joined to his even for a brief time

What have you done that has helped you respond to Jesus? What will you do?

-PD

 

For week four of Lent March 16-23 (only two weeks until Holy Week)

Ask God to make a daily prayer to be a “kingdom carrier” and show the love of Jesus wherever and to whomever you might be with during the day. “Our Father in heaven, your name holy. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. We ask You each day for things that we need to do your will. We thank You each day for daily bread for us and others through us. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into Satan’s power but by your authority deliver us deliver us and them from evil, for Thine is the kingdom, power and the glory, forever.

Saint Nino

 Day One and Two:

I cannot imagine what it would be like to be captured as a child and be made a slave (like St Patrick was) but God uses you to bring the Gospel and save an entire group or nation? Read this story of the slave girl Nino who was used in this way to bring the Good News to the present day Georgia.

Spend some time thinking of present day Christian children made slaves and suffering for their faith in Middle East (ISIS); North Africa (Boku Haram).

Lord, we pray for the persecuted and suffering, especially children, for your comfort, strength of faith and deliverance and that through their suffering and martyrdoms You will save nations and peoples.

Ask God’s grace to use you in witness with miraculous faith and spiritual gifts like Nino and St Patrick for your neighbors or people around you in work/school/or and as you go.

  Mt 5: God blesses the poor who realize their need for him for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…Blessed are those who mourn… the humble… who… who hunger and thirst for righteousness… who are merciful… whose hearts are pure…who work for peace…Blessed are you when men persecute you and say all manner of evil falsely against you because of me. Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven.

Day Thee Meditate again on Jesus invitation to follow him with holy detachment from earthly things, pride, self-protection and even relationships in comparison to love for Him 

Mark 1: 16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”[e] 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

Mark 10:27-30 …with God all things are possible.”

28 Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.”

29 So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, 30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.

      What stands out to you from these Scriptures? What effect or action is 

      stirring in   you?

Day four and five

Colossians 1:24-29I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ for his body, the church. God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message [of the Gospel of the kingdom] to you… Christ in you so you… So we tell everyone..; which why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power working in me.

 Bill Livingston (friend and former missionary to China) once struggled with knowing that the young Chinese man he was discipling would pay a price which he probably would not for his faith. The call to follow Jesus and embrace the cross is a call to share in his suffering and sacrifice so that others may be saved seems illogical enough to us but to ask others into pain and trial even more so.

Yet, if we believe the Good News of the Gospel and know and love Christ, we are filled with love for Him and a desire to share in his suffering. We seek and ask and knock for Father to fill us with Holy Spirit so we may be in union with Him by becoming like him (fruit of the spirit Galatians 5:22-23) and be his witnesses in the power of the spirit (Acts 1:7-11).

Romans 5 Faith Triumphs in Trouble because we are filled with the love of God

5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Write: Do you need to believe more in God’s love in your trials-that you share Christ’s suffering? And that by his love and spirit working through you others will also know his love and his life?