Thursday, October 18, 2007

Today’s text

Luke 17:11-19

Now it happened that on the way to Jerusalem Jesus was traveling in the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee. As he entered one of the villages, ten men suffering from a virulent skin disease came to meet him. They stood some way off and called to him, “Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.” When he saw them he said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” Now as they were going away they were cleansed. Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself prostrate at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. This led Jesus to say, “Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.” And he said to the man, “Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.”

Prayer

Salvation happens when our desire and yours meet, Dearest Friend. You want all to return to give thanks, to know you, to hear your blessing. Your heart is not complete, not at rest, until the missing nine appear. Only then is the primal connection of life complete, the divine intention fulfilled.

Your desire for us and our desire for you meet and dwell together in mutual harmony, completing the divine circle into which you draw all creation. Until then creation remains unfinished, human hearts unfilled.

So your heart rises as a bird, circling upon currents of Spirit, whispering to every heart, “Come close. Come close. Stand not far off. Fly to the heart of the universe. Love Itself eagerly awaits your return, ever watching for the other nine.”

You hunger for our nearness, and we die without yours. Your desire and ours, not two, but the voice of a single Spirit.

And the faith that saves? Is it not following the desire that brings us to you?

Pr. David L. Miller