Jesus says: For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. (Matthew 13:15)
These words alone ought to prepare us to listen for God’s healing voice; and yet we resist. Let us take seven minutes of our busy day to listen to words from Julian Treasure delivered at a TED talk in Oxford, England in July of 2010. Find “Shh! Sound health in 8 steps” at the link below. When we listen to Julian, we find new readiness and new energy . . . to listen . . . and to pray . . .
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:26-27)
We crave to be heard and understood yet all the while God’s counsel is before us. As we continue our Lenten journey with the prophet Amos, let us listen for the wisdom sent to us on the wings of the Spirit.
First Word: Put away black-and-white thinking.May we learn to see both sides of every story, listen to both hearts in every argument. Holy Spirit, bring us your counsel.
Second Word: Step away from corruption and nepotism. May we have the courage grapple with dishonesty in ourselves and others. Holy Spirit, bring us your fortitude.
Third Word: Be open to transformation and redemption. May we be open to the healing presence of God. Holy Spirit, nurture in us a loving awe of the Lord.
First Woe:Be wary of the ease with which violence creeps into our lives. May we grow to understand how violence insinuates itself into our lives. Holy Spirit, send us deep and lasting wisdom.
Second Woe: Be prepared for deep mourning that threatens to drag us into darkness.May we grow in faithfulness and devotion to God. Holy Spirit, instill in us fidelity and piety.
Third Woe: Turn away from your worship of little gods and turn toward the Living God. May we grow in our awareness of false teachers and preachers. Holy Spirit, engender in us deep knowledge of God’s ways.
We crave to be heard and understood; let us listen for God’s Word . . . and let us ask for understandingof the world’s Woes. Let us give thanks to God’s prophet Amos who speaks to us today. As we continue our Lenten journey, let us pause to listen . . . to reflect . . . and to pray, in Jesus’s name, and in unity with the Holy Spirit. Amen.
For more information and images of the Holy Spirit, click on the images above.
Amos lived in the southern kingdom but prophesied in the north; his oracles began in the oral tradition and were recorded in written form much later. His harshest words are aimed at the cult worship in Bethel. Amos delivers “a broadside against all the festivals of Israel . . . His point is not that all ritual is bad, but that it is not of the essence of religion. For Amos, the essence of religion is social justice. If ritual furthers justice, well and good, but too often it does not . . . When the festival was over, they would go back to cheating in the market place . . . Amos insisted that all this was self-delusion. God would not overlook the injustice of the society because of the sound of the harps, and the Assyrians would rudely shatter the naïve belief that God would protect Israel no matter what”. (Senior RG 364-365)
As we complete three weeks of Lent and continue our journey through this season of quiet and reflection, we remember the familiar Gospel of the devil tempting Jesus, attempting to lure him with the promise of gifts he already possesses. (Matthew 4:1-11) We too, are tempted to turn over the gifts we already possess for the illusion of an offer that does not exist. In God’s kingdom, power lies in our readiness to be humble, life exists in our willingness to die for one another, and peace rests in our preparedness to act on the Word of God.
And so, at a time for introspection and honesty, together we pray.
That we might step up to the responsibility of discipleship: Lord, hear our prayer.
That we might share the Good News of God’s love for us: Christ, hear our prayer.
That we might act in mercy, kindness, goodness, and forgiveness: Holy Spirit, hear our prayer.
That we might embrace God’s gifts of freedom, transformation and redemption: Lord, hear our prayer.
We understand the importance of hearing God’s word, and so we ask all of this in Jesus’ name, together with the Holy Spirit. Amen.
We re-post this reflection written in 2014 in union with those who stand up for personal and communal freedom justice on every continent. The human race seems determined to create chaos rather than unity. Let us come together with all those who seek the common good. And let us pray not only for the oppressed but also for those who commit acts of oppression.
A Prayer to Nourish Us Here and Now
Matthew records the words Jesus speaks to those who gather round him when he describes the kingdom of God in the Beatitudes, the new Law of Love that supersedes the law of the Torahand Moses. We have spent much time this week reflecting on the Interior Law placed within each of us at our inception. This law flourishes in faith, grows in hope and acts in love. And so we pray, we look for strength as we build God’s kingdom.
BBC News: South Sudan in Crisis
You have heard it said, an eye for eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
Around the planet the peoples of the world constantly look for answers to difficult questions; they consistently yearn for security and peace; they continually hunger for the words that Jesus speaks in his Sermon on the Mount. And so we pray, we look for courage as we build God’s kingdom.
When someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other one as well.
In Ukrainethe people struggle to find leadership that is free of corruption. And so we pray, we look for integrity as we build God’s kingdom.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand over your cloak as well.
In South Sudanthe people struggle to live a life without fear. And so we pray, we look for justice as we build God’s kingdom.
Reuters: Thai Protestors Target Ministries and Threaten Stock Exchange
Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go for two.
In Thailandthe people fight over who will bring them into the light. And so we pray, we look for truth as we build God’s kingdom.
Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on the one who wants to borrow.
In Venezuelathe people fight over how they will share the power of leadership. And so we pray, we look for peace as we build God’s kingdom.
You have heard it said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Swiss Broadcasting: Activists Injured by Gunshots
In West Virginia, USAthe people ask for answers to dark questions. And so we pray, we look for compassion as we build God’s kingdom.
If you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
In our own home town the people ask for honesty and justice. And so we pray, we look for love as we build God’s kingdom.
We are not much different from those people who listened to Jesus two thousand years ago; we too, hunger for security, healing, truth, forgiveness and redemption.
Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. And so we pray, we look for endurance as we build God’s kingdom.
National Geographic News: West Virginia’s Chemical Valley
The perfection God asks of us lies not in our living a life without mishap; rather, it lies in our persistence to return to the Law of Love no matter how far we stray. The kingdom Jesus describes is not in some distant future when all God’s children have suddenly seen and corrected the errors in their lives. The kingdom of God is here and it is now. God’s forgiveness and mercy are here and now. God’s healing and presence are here and now. God’s compassion and love are here and now. Let us take strength from the one who created us, take heart from the one who accompanies us, and peace from the one who dwells within us. Amen.
We remember that Yahweh led the Hebrews out of the desert, guiding them through the presence of a cloud, feeding them on manna, bringing them to a land and a legacy promised long ago.
Whether in an ocean, lake, river, stream or cloud, every drop of moisture is a treasure and just so are we, God’s children. It is in the desert that we understand this most clearly and directly. It is on the plain of dry bones that we learn this lesson most fully and well.
The hand of the Lord came upon me . . .
Although we may not feel it, the Lord is with us always.
And led me out in the spirit of the Lord . . .
Although we may not see it, God is always guiding us.
And set me in the center of the plain . . .
Although we may not sense it, the Spirit is always consoling us.
Which was now filled with bones . . .
Although we may not trust it, the desert is where we find solace.
These flowers are called Scorpion Weed and bloom only once in several years . . . to bring new life to the desert.
How dry they were!
Although we may not accept it, there is life where we see only death.
The Lord asks: “Can these bones come to life?
Although we may not believe it, serenity comes through suffering.
I answer: “You alone know that”.
Although we may not be certain of it, God brings good out of harm.
Thus says the Lord God to these bones: See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life.
Although we may not want to admit it . . . we must not run away from the desert . . . for it is the desert that we understand the miracle of dry bones rising to new life. It is in the desert that we are surprised with new gifts. It is in the desert that we experience the awesome power and love of God.
Come, let us go out to the desert so that we might meet the Lord. Amen.
In today’s Noontimewe ponder Daniels’s famous penitential prayer on behalf of the community. On the Eve of the first Sunday in Lent, we might reflect on three passages that complement today’s from Daniel. Ezra 9:6-15 and Nehemiah 1:5-11 and 9:6-37. In this story, both priest and administrator rebuild the Jerusalem temple after Cyrus allows the Jewish people to return from exile. They have been told that their exile will last not 70 weeks or 70 years as was foretold by the prophet Jeremiah. No, they receive word that their captivity will end in seven times seventy or in 490 years. This is gloomy news until we begin to understand that this is precisely the amount of time until the arrival of Jesus.
The HARPER COLLINS COMMENTARY tells us that this prayer we read today is not seen so much as a petition from the people which God obeys but rather as an appropriate act of piety from a people who have erred and disobeyed. It is for this reason that it is best to find others who will pray this together with us as an admission of our collective willfulness, waywardness and disobedience. (Mays 631)
And let us pray Daniel’s prayer much as the Jewish community prayed with Ezra and Nehemiah when they returned to their ruined city.
God of Heaven, God of Earth, Spirit Dwelling Among Us,
Guide us . . . and grant us the faith to follow,
Be glad in us . . . and grant us the hope to rejoice in you,
Love us . . . and grant us the grace to grow in you.
We wish to turn . . . we wish to return to you.
For you are the beginning, the end, the all.
We are your servants.
May we serve you well.
Amen.
Mays, James L., ed. HARPERCOLLINS BIBLE COMMENTARY. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1988. 631. Print.
Let me thank you, Lord, for bringing me the strength to re-think my words before I said something foolish.
The works of God are all of them good.
Let me thank you, God, for sending me wisdom to avoid offending someone with my opinion.
The works of God are all of them good.
Let me thank you, Jesus, for encouraging me when I received terrible news the other day.
The works of God are all of them good.
Let me thank you, Holy Spirit, for pulling me up when I was at the end of my resources.
The works of God are all of them good.
Let me thank you, Mary, Mother of God, for your gentle, nurturing presence in my life.
The works of God are all of them good.
Let me thank you, Lord, for world in which I find myself, for the people in my life, and for the many times you have protected and lead me on my journey.
The works of God are all of them good.
Let me thank you for your gifts of salvation and redemption, for your Word of promise that I treasure and share.
Let me put down roots, let me open up my petals, let me praise you, let me bless you . . . let me thank you, Lord.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead . . . but they are in peace . . . They shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble . . . they shall judge nations and rule over peoples . . . and the Lord shall be their King forever . . . because grace and mercy and care are with God’s holy ones.
We near the end of our journey through Psalm 119, and today we pause to reflect and consider the insights and wisdom God reveals to us through the written word. We have come to understand that God is too great and too good to describe and therefore we dart about, looking for a time and place to ignite the smallest bit of kindling so that our small spark of life might not be extinguished. In the coming week, we move through the ending stanzas of this psalm and a certain simplicity and intelligence settles over us. As we find new understanding, we pray.
Knowing that we are always in God’s hands although we may not feel God’s presence we pray: Providential God, speak to us in a way that we might hear you.
Knowing that God’s Word lives in and around us although we may not comprehend it, we pray: Consoling God, reveal yourself to us in a way that we might see you.
Knowing that God’s fidelity saves us although we may not believe it, we pray: Faithful God, abide with us in a way that we might sense you.
Knowing that God’s love redeems us although we may not trust it, we pray: Redemptive God, hold and rescue us in a way that we might feel you.
Knowing that God’s grace and mercy are present to and in us although we may not believe it, we pray: Gracious God, continue to wrap us in your kindness and beauty although we may not thank you.
Knowing that we are fallen sparks, little life forces that dart to and fro, seeking origin and end, looking for wisdom and security, we pray: Loving God, although we may not believe that you sacrifice all in order to transform us, bring us insight and serenity so that we might rest eternally in you. Amen.
Tomorrow, we near the end of Psalm 119 . . . Qoph.
The arrogant have dug pits for me; defying your teaching . . . They have almost ended my life on earth, but I do not forsake your precepts.
Others speak of hearing God’s voice and we too, have a strong sense of this guiding Spirit within.
Others speak of hearing God’s voice and we realize that we have never felt this strong, protective companion.
Others speak of hearing God’s voice and remembering the time in our lives when we too, felt accompanied by this loving presence, we wait for this comforting experience to return.
No matter our circumstance, no matter the moment in our life’s journey, Christ is present toand ineach of us, even when we may not feel his presence. The psalmist tells us that when we do not experience a sense of God in our lives we are always welcome to ask God to touch us in a tangible way; and when we dofeel God’s presence, we must turn to help those who do not. And we must celebrate.
Good and far-seeing God, you have given each of us the power to actualize our own potential. Help us to see you in our lives and to bring you to others who need to see your hand in their own lives.
Good and loving God, you encourage us to read your word, to practice your law and to aspire to the potential for divinity we each possess. Help us to find you in scripture and to open scripture for others so that they also find you in your Law of Love.
Good and insightful God, you are a fountain of wisdom. Nourish us with your truth and bring us your understanding, counsel and guidance. Remind us of your promise to always be present to and in us.
Good and saving God, you come to us as a child, as a light in the overpowering night. Help us to act as the Messiah does, reading your word, growing in wisdom, listening for your voice, and sacrificing self to bring light to the unforgiving darkness.
Good and eternal God, you are beginning and end, Alpha and Omega, source and summit for all. Speak to each of us in such a way that we might clearly hear your message, that we might eagerly believe in your promise, and that we might joyfully reply to your call.
We ask this in Jesus’ name, in unity with your sacred Spirit. Amen.
Tomorrow, Ayin.
If you are looking for an open and easy way to begin a daily dedication to scripture, choose any psalm and read it in segments prayerfully, pausing for reflection. Or turn to The Acts of the Apostles and begin to read the story of the Spirit among us.
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