Emmanuel: God with Us
in this Present Moment
Brennan Manning (The Ragamuffin’ Gospel) wrote explaining that in the Hebrew, to remember means to be present again, or to re-present. The Israeli father would retell the story of Passover while the family ate the same traditional meal, year after year—it was a command of God to do this.
The early church believed Jesus to be present when they would worship and share the last supper together (holy communion, Eucharist). The risen, Lamb of God, participating by the power of his blood and broken body, is a present Person and Power to unite us, to cleanse and heal us, and to commission us.
Our traditional decorations, meals, songs and certain actions with families and friends at Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, etc…, make real again in our present experience the joy, the love, the truth, the Reality of our “connectedness.” We belong. We are one, in life with God and with one another. We have “story” and it is also His-Story. This is why God commanded Israel to keep the Feasts of the Lord.
Contemplate the story anew as if this is YOUR STORY too
Contemplation is a form of prayer in which we become present with the characters in the story—sight, sound, smell, taste, feelings and imagining beneath what is written or known—so that we experience our own encounter with Jesus and He becomes more real to us. We may end the prayer time by writing down our experience and even asking Jesus a question about it.
How do we feel at the end?
What are we motivated to do now?
“Ordinary set time of regular prayer became the first manifestation of God’s prophetic word to the Jewish people in 400 years."
Zechariah tended the holy altar of God’s presence at his appointed turn and God’s set time of daily morning prayer. But it become one of God’s “suddenlies” - a kairos moment of opportunity and breakthrough not only for him and for the people but for God. It was the first manifestation of God’s prophetic word to the Jewish people in 400 years. At the hour of prayer God’s messenger brought his word to him, after he and Elizabeth had been faithful for many, many years, without seeing their prayer, as well as Israel’s cry answered.
How is God going to come to you in this present moment?
How is he present as you contemplate what has been?
Be wise men and women like the Magi who studied, prepared gifts, made pilgrimage, came, humbled themselves to bow, gave worship, then returned to their homes and work—forever changed. Consecrate, dedicate, set aside, surrender, sacrifice... Attend the Sat. evening vision banquet.
Some suggestions for Monday through Saturday:
Abstain from something or things specific: certain foods or meals, specific media like TV or Facebook, perhaps unnecessary speech or even give up some sleep. Devote time to God in prayer.
Begin each day or time of prayer: I ask the grace to see Jesus more clearly, love God more dearly and follow Holy Spirit more clearly.
Close each time or prayer period with some repetition signaling you are now entering your work which is also holy to the Lord: Lord’s prayer, Aaronic blessing, Doxology or Gloria Patri: Glory be to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen, Amen.
Day one: meditate on Isaiah 53 about the suffering Messiah went through for you. Seek personal repentance.
Day two: ask God to speak to you through Isaiah 58—what is the true motive for fasting if not love? Seek repentance on behalf of the church.
Day three: read Ephesians 1:1-22. Personalize Paul’s prayer in verse 18: Lord, I ask that the eyes of my heart be enlightened to know the hope you have called us into, according to your incomparable power; and Eph 3:10 now through the church the manifold wisdom of God be known. And Eph 3:18-21 that we grasp God’s love and be filled with His fullness to be able to ask for that which will bring him the most glory.
Day four: Contemplate the Jesus story as if you are a character in one of the scenes or an angel watching the whole thing. Consider his annunciation to Mary, his birth, his presentation on the eighth day, the prophecies by Simeon and Anna, the Magi’s gifts and worship… what do you feel, what are you motivated to do as a result… Rather than make petition today simply be with Christ and experience His presence.
Day five: do a repetition of any of the above or choose some other Scripture and close by interceding for our vision banquet and theme as well as intercede for our nation.
Day six: journal and share with others how God is present to you this week.
A Prayer:
Lord, I humble myself, I worship, and I ask You to help me stir up hunger and thirst for God as well as indignation toward evil. I ask You to say to my heart, “Seek My face,” and I ask the grace to seek You with repentance, and love. Lord have mercy on me, on my loved ones, on our congregation, on your church and on this nation and world.
Holy, Holy, Holy, the earth is full of your glory. Forgive us the sins we have committed knowingly or unknowingly, things we ought not to have done, things we have left undone which we ought to have done, the hidden and the manifest. You are merciful and gracious through your Son, now cleanse us from iniquity, and visit and heal our infirmities for your names’ sake.
We fast what our body and soul want in order to get what our spirit needs. Jesus said, “Pray that you enter not into temptation because the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” So choose to weaken your flesh through self-denial. Take up your cross. Meditate in God’s word. Do good for others.
A Personal Declaration:
This coming week, I dedicate myself, with God’s grace, to be in humility and unity with my congregation, to fast and pray in some manner, with the belief that God who is able to do more than we can ask or imagine, will draw near to make himself present to us and to show us his ways and wisdom for the year to come. Even so, Lord, come, and your kingdom come, and your will be done in us.
-PD
