How do you see God?
When you think about Him...what image do you have?
Is he...
watching you to catch your mistakes...
chasing after you...
a blur that you can't quite comprehend...
a lap that you can crawl into and rest...
a task master...
like your parents...
Who is he to you?
When Jesus said "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." - it was a new idea for his disciples at the time. But for us today - even using the image of father has negative connotations for many people.
I used to think what Jesus said in John 14: 6-7...was that you could GET to the Father unless you get to him through Jesus. I now believe more and more that when Jesus said:
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would knowa]">[a] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.
...he really is trying to help us understand that he, Jesus, is the best image of our God that we can see here on earth.
That God is...
a servant
loving
really sees people
cares about everyone
despises deceit
is reaching out to us
weeps with us
willing to touch us - even when everyone else thinks we are untouchable
isn't afraid to speak the truth even if it isn't what we want to hear
loves us enough to die for us
isn't going to be what we expect AT ALL.
Showing posts with label lent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lent. Show all posts
Monday, March 09, 2009
Monday, March 02, 2009
...a more reckless Trust
O God, I seek you , but my heart is fickle.
I believe; please help my unbelief.
When all I can do is want to want You,
take my crumb of faith and break it like bread to feed thousands,
beginning, by Your mercy, with me.
You reject no desperate, sinful seeking child.
You say only and always, Come!
I come to You, God.
Pour out Your Spirit on me.
Speak Your words of life to this child.
I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
I believe; please help my unbelief.
When all I can do is want to want You,
take my crumb of faith and break it like bread to feed thousands,
beginning, by Your mercy, with me.
You reject no desperate, sinful seeking child.
You say only and always, Come!
I come to You, God.
Pour out Your Spirit on me.
Speak Your words of life to this child.
I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Prayer from Manning's 19 Mercies: A Spiritual Retreat
"When all I can do is want to want You."
I do believe that there is a Holy Spirit in my life that prompts me, guides me, speaks for me, intercedes for me, speaks through me...
But I spend a lot of my time trying to make sense of God. Jesus. The Holy spirit. And when I try to make them make sense - I forget...the mystery.
Which eventually brings back to only being able to want to want Christ in my life.
Why is it that we as humans have to explain and understand things.
The funny thing is that the more we think we understand...just reveals more that we don't.
I want to be a child that yearns for the Spirit to pour down on me. Every single moment. That I don't miss what God is doing...
"When all I can do is want to want You."
I do believe that there is a Holy Spirit in my life that prompts me, guides me, speaks for me, intercedes for me, speaks through me...
But I spend a lot of my time trying to make sense of God. Jesus. The Holy spirit. And when I try to make them make sense - I forget...the mystery.
Which eventually brings back to only being able to want to want Christ in my life.
Why is it that we as humans have to explain and understand things.
The funny thing is that the more we think we understand...just reveals more that we don't.
I want to be a child that yearns for the Spirit to pour down on me. Every single moment. That I don't miss what God is doing...
Saturday, February 28, 2009
thoughts during Lent...
Mercy #3
Jesus wants to enter into a friendship with you.
Luke 19:1-10
Jesus actually invites himself into the house of a man that most people despise. Zacchaeus was the head tax collector in Jericho and he constantly took extra money from people for himself - nobody liked him. When Jesus said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” Zacchaeus was very excited...most people didn't want to spend time with him.
According to Manning, in the Jewish Tradition, to say "I want to have dinner with you" means "I want to enter into a friendship with you". Even today, this is the custom with the Orthodox Jews...they won't invite you over for dinner unless they want to begin or deepen a friendship with you. Interesting when you consider that we are invited to the communion table with Christ.
(I did just spend some time looking up Jewish Traditions but didn't find any info about dinner and friendship - except that to invite someone to your table is a sign of welcome...fyi).
What I am getting most out of the 19 Mercies so far this week - is that Jesus wants to spend time with me. He wants me as I am and today. And He will celebrates when we are able to change our ways...like Zacchaeus giving half of his possessions to the poor and paying back 4x what he had taken from people. I love the last line of what Jesus says about Zacchaeus... 10“Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
"...he too is a son of Abraham..." We are all part of the family - no matter what we do. No matter who we think we are and who others think we are.
The question I have for myself is what do I need to change - What have I taken from others. How do I give back. Do I already give back? I spend a lot of time helping others. But honestly that sometimes more about me than about the other people...I have learned that in the past couple of years. I am still working out the balance for that.
I haven't spent this much time studying different stories from the Bible just for myself in a long time...it's been good to listen to Jesus' words just for me. I spend a lot of time with him in prayer - especially when I run - but I don't know if when I am praying...if I am listening very well.
I have a place.
Jesus wants to enter into a friendship with you.
Luke 19:1-10
Jesus actually invites himself into the house of a man that most people despise. Zacchaeus was the head tax collector in Jericho and he constantly took extra money from people for himself - nobody liked him. When Jesus said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” Zacchaeus was very excited...most people didn't want to spend time with him.
According to Manning, in the Jewish Tradition, to say "I want to have dinner with you" means "I want to enter into a friendship with you". Even today, this is the custom with the Orthodox Jews...they won't invite you over for dinner unless they want to begin or deepen a friendship with you. Interesting when you consider that we are invited to the communion table with Christ.
(I did just spend some time looking up Jewish Traditions but didn't find any info about dinner and friendship - except that to invite someone to your table is a sign of welcome...fyi).
What I am getting most out of the 19 Mercies so far this week - is that Jesus wants to spend time with me. He wants me as I am and today. And He will celebrates when we are able to change our ways...like Zacchaeus giving half of his possessions to the poor and paying back 4x what he had taken from people. I love the last line of what Jesus says about Zacchaeus... 10“Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
"...he too is a son of Abraham..." We are all part of the family - no matter what we do. No matter who we think we are and who others think we are.
The question I have for myself is what do I need to change - What have I taken from others. How do I give back. Do I already give back? I spend a lot of time helping others. But honestly that sometimes more about me than about the other people...I have learned that in the past couple of years. I am still working out the balance for that.
I haven't spent this much time studying different stories from the Bible just for myself in a long time...it's been good to listen to Jesus' words just for me. I spend a lot of time with him in prayer - especially when I run - but I don't know if when I am praying...if I am listening very well.
I have a place.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thoughts during Lent...
I don't write as much as I have in the past. On here. Or in my journal. I don't really know why...I know on here - I struggle with the fact that others might read it and I always want it to be good and real and a learning experience...blah, blah, blah. I tend to be a people pleaser so I want to please in these venues as well. But I have to say that I love reading what some other people write and it always makes me miss writing.
So here I am.
For lent I am using Brennan Manning's "19 Mercies: Spiritual Retreat" which is a new section in the back of his book Ragamuffin Gospel.
The first mercy is "Come". Which I read yesterday along with Psalm 139. I might come back and write my thoughts/struggles about that later.
The second mercy is "Don't Wait"
My reading for today was from Mark 7:36-50
Which is honestly one of the stories that I struggle with a bit. How absolutely disgusting would it be to cry some tears on a mans dirty feet and then wipe them with your hair...and then cover the feet with scented oil and kiss them? But if I don't allow myself to get distracted by those details - I can picture the other people there watching and judging her for her previous actions, as well as judging Jesus for allowing her to touch him. What a beautiful sacrifice she gave.
I love what Manning says about this:
"What drew Mary forward to perform her lovely act of adoration? I think she was simply overcome by the beauty and compassion of this magnetic man, Jesus! And I imagine that His eyes called out to her: Mary, come to Me. Come now. Don’t wait until you get your act cleaned up and your head on straight. Don’t delay until you rescue your reputation, until you’re free of pride and lust, of jealousy and self-hatred. Come to Me now in your brokenness and sinfullness. Come now, with all your fears and insecurities. I will love you just the way you are–just the way you are, not the way you think you should be. "
Her sacrifice - her willingness to be judged by others didn't matter because she wanted to give something to Christ. NOW. And because of her gift - he gave her peace and grace and forgiveness. Jesus says in vs. 47 "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." She sacrificed and received much and will continue to love much.
I wonder sometimes if the reason why I (and many of us) take Jesus' love and grace for granted is because we don't sacrifice much. OR don't think the sacrifices that we have made amount to much.
I have 2 friends who are similar and they seem to get bogged down by feeling like they don't ever get enough done. They don't like to receive from others because they don't feel like they do for others. These are two people who give constantly to others. But they don't recognize it. They sacrifice and love and extend grace and hope often! But they can't receive Jesus' sacrifice, love and grace because they don't realize their own sacrifice. And feel like they have to do more before they can receive anything from Christ. But he is saying to them...to us all...come. NOW. Don't wait. Don't spend time trying to look better, getting your house in order, working out, getting distracted by all the things that distract us...come NOW.
My prayer for myself and others this lenten season is that we learn to echo Jesus' journey into the Wilderness for 40 days. To learn more about sacrifice. To recognize that we are forgiven just as we are. NOW.
So here I am.
For lent I am using Brennan Manning's "19 Mercies: Spiritual Retreat" which is a new section in the back of his book Ragamuffin Gospel.
The first mercy is "Come". Which I read yesterday along with Psalm 139. I might come back and write my thoughts/struggles about that later.
The second mercy is "Don't Wait"
My reading for today was from Mark 7:36-50
Which is honestly one of the stories that I struggle with a bit. How absolutely disgusting would it be to cry some tears on a mans dirty feet and then wipe them with your hair...and then cover the feet with scented oil and kiss them? But if I don't allow myself to get distracted by those details - I can picture the other people there watching and judging her for her previous actions, as well as judging Jesus for allowing her to touch him. What a beautiful sacrifice she gave.
I love what Manning says about this:
"What drew Mary forward to perform her lovely act of adoration? I think she was simply overcome by the beauty and compassion of this magnetic man, Jesus! And I imagine that His eyes called out to her: Mary, come to Me. Come now. Don’t wait until you get your act cleaned up and your head on straight. Don’t delay until you rescue your reputation, until you’re free of pride and lust, of jealousy and self-hatred. Come to Me now in your brokenness and sinfullness. Come now, with all your fears and insecurities. I will love you just the way you are–just the way you are, not the way you think you should be. "
Her sacrifice - her willingness to be judged by others didn't matter because she wanted to give something to Christ. NOW. And because of her gift - he gave her peace and grace and forgiveness. Jesus says in vs. 47 "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." She sacrificed and received much and will continue to love much.
I wonder sometimes if the reason why I (and many of us) take Jesus' love and grace for granted is because we don't sacrifice much. OR don't think the sacrifices that we have made amount to much.
I have 2 friends who are similar and they seem to get bogged down by feeling like they don't ever get enough done. They don't like to receive from others because they don't feel like they do for others. These are two people who give constantly to others. But they don't recognize it. They sacrifice and love and extend grace and hope often! But they can't receive Jesus' sacrifice, love and grace because they don't realize their own sacrifice. And feel like they have to do more before they can receive anything from Christ. But he is saying to them...to us all...come. NOW. Don't wait. Don't spend time trying to look better, getting your house in order, working out, getting distracted by all the things that distract us...come NOW.
My prayer for myself and others this lenten season is that we learn to echo Jesus' journey into the Wilderness for 40 days. To learn more about sacrifice. To recognize that we are forgiven just as we are. NOW.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
giving something up...from myspace
Lent. 40 Days.
I always give something up or add something to my life during lent. When I say always - I started as a kid. I used to save all my coins during lent and then would give them to the church on Easter.
Some years, the practice of giving something up has been life changing. to challenge myself to give something up that I really like and then to realize that it isn't even close to what Jesus gave up on the cross for me. As a United Methodist - I don't have to give anything up - but I can...
What's interesting is that a lot of my friends do it now too. We(people in general) want to experience a suffering, in a sense, so that we can relate to others and hopefully feel something of the pain that Jesus went through.
So here's the kicker...what am I going to give up this year? From March 1st till Easter? My myspace page.
Ick. I was talking with a couple of my youth at lunch today and we were talking about Lent and what we could give up that really takes up a lot of our time...and one of them said, "I should give up myspace". And as soon as she said it - I knew that was what I was going to do. What is sad - is that it will be harder for me to do than it should be. But so it goes. So my page should say February 28th as the last day - it was visited...for 40 days.
And in the mornings, instead of logging on to myspace when I get to my office, I am going to pray. Pray. Cause - now I will have more time. And I can always spend more time than I do to pray.
I challenged my youth tonight - to think of something that they could give up for lent as well. It starts this Wednesday! So let me know how it is going!
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