Today’s reading
1 John 2:7-8
“Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word that you have heard. Yet, I am writing you a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.” (1 John 2:7-8).
Prayer
Your desire is ancient and enduring, Eternal One. You have inscribed the everlasting yearning, the beating ache of your holy heart in the depths of all that has being—and in us. Thank you. There are days that ache is hard to bear, but in gratitude I know: It is your eternal hunger that keeps me alive, hope-filled and human, as much as I can be.
The primeval command you have placed in our souls is the beating heart of a dawning age, an era of grace when all that you are transfuses all that you have made, and all that is glistens with the loving beauty shining in the face of our brother Jesus.
In him, Loving Mystery, you reveal the brilliance of eternity, the desire of the ages. He walked the tired earth in a faraway, long ago space and lit the world forever. Your uncreated radiance gleams in every step he took, every word he spoke, every movement of his hands to bless, to heal, to make whole. In him you reveal the enlightenment of mind and heart that most matters.
Just for today, help me abide in the ancient desire of your heart that I may be alive with the light of your tomorrow. Amen.
-- Pr. David L. Miller
http://prayingthemystery.blogspot.com/
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Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Today’s reading
1 John 2:5-6
“[B]ut whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says, ‘I abide in him,’ ought to walk just as he walked” (1 John 2:5-6).
Prayer
There is no choice, is there, Inescapable One? We each abide in something, either in you or in that which is not you. In either case, we become that in which our heart seeks solace, joy and fulfillment. We are transformed into the image of our abiding, walking according to the music we hear there.
And in either case, you continue to abide, refusing to turn away. You remain as near as our breath, inviting us to find our home in you, eager to teach us how to walk as you walk, to see as you see, to be as you are. And you? You are love, and your love pervades all time and space, holding life and being together, inviting us to abide in you, there to find the home for which our hearts are made.
Today, you privilege me. For today I have abided in relationships where I am accepted and corrected, where I sin and find forgiveness, where I give and receive gifts of grace, welcome, laughter, knowledge and hope. Today, you have made me more human than I was only hours ago. And I have done so little. I simply abide, dwelling in these relationships that I have only because I belong to you.
Now, I finish my day, abiding in gratitude for having stumbled into those abiding places you intend for me where, again, I learn to walk. Thank you. Someday I just may get it right. Amen.
--Pr. David L. Miller
1 John 2:5-6
“[B]ut whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says, ‘I abide in him,’ ought to walk just as he walked” (1 John 2:5-6).
Prayer
There is no choice, is there, Inescapable One? We each abide in something, either in you or in that which is not you. In either case, we become that in which our heart seeks solace, joy and fulfillment. We are transformed into the image of our abiding, walking according to the music we hear there.
And in either case, you continue to abide, refusing to turn away. You remain as near as our breath, inviting us to find our home in you, eager to teach us how to walk as you walk, to see as you see, to be as you are. And you? You are love, and your love pervades all time and space, holding life and being together, inviting us to abide in you, there to find the home for which our hearts are made.
Today, you privilege me. For today I have abided in relationships where I am accepted and corrected, where I sin and find forgiveness, where I give and receive gifts of grace, welcome, laughter, knowledge and hope. Today, you have made me more human than I was only hours ago. And I have done so little. I simply abide, dwelling in these relationships that I have only because I belong to you.
Now, I finish my day, abiding in gratitude for having stumbled into those abiding places you intend for me where, again, I learn to walk. Thank you. Someday I just may get it right. Amen.
--Pr. David L. Miller
Monday, February 26, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
Today’s reading
1 John 2:5-6
“[B]ut whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says, ‘I abide in him,’ ought to walk just as he walked” (1 John 2:5-6).
Prayer
My soul is not simple, pure and perfect. I am complex, divided and in pain. This day I thank you for the pain, for it is purest evidence of your presence, your love within this messy soul so far from the perfection of love you intend.
Walk as you walked. I see your walk, my Jesus: blessing children, healing human brokenness with a word and touch, showering compassion on hungry crowds who seek you for much more than bread, suffering rejection for the sake of a world you so completely and irrationally love. A parade of exquisite images runs through my mind. Each brings tears, for you shimmer with an eternal beauty for which my heart has ached since I was small and had no words to speak my hidden hunger.
I have known your walk in my own flesh. There are moments when you, O Blessed Beauty, glisten in words of blessing and healing bubbling from depths of soul where you and I are not two but one. Only then, being perfected in love, is my heart pure, my soul filled with the joy of simplicity, which filled your own soul, my brother. Until then, we are both in pain.
For your joy, my Jesus, is to walk your walk with my feet, my arms and legs, bringing in me the perfection of your love. Grant today, that I may dwell in awareness of your unspeakable love for me that I may learn to walk, as if for the first time. Amen.
--Pastor David L. Miller
1 John 2:5-6
“[B]ut whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says, ‘I abide in him,’ ought to walk just as he walked” (1 John 2:5-6).
Prayer
My soul is not simple, pure and perfect. I am complex, divided and in pain. This day I thank you for the pain, for it is purest evidence of your presence, your love within this messy soul so far from the perfection of love you intend.
Walk as you walked. I see your walk, my Jesus: blessing children, healing human brokenness with a word and touch, showering compassion on hungry crowds who seek you for much more than bread, suffering rejection for the sake of a world you so completely and irrationally love. A parade of exquisite images runs through my mind. Each brings tears, for you shimmer with an eternal beauty for which my heart has ached since I was small and had no words to speak my hidden hunger.
I have known your walk in my own flesh. There are moments when you, O Blessed Beauty, glisten in words of blessing and healing bubbling from depths of soul where you and I are not two but one. Only then, being perfected in love, is my heart pure, my soul filled with the joy of simplicity, which filled your own soul, my brother. Until then, we are both in pain.
For your joy, my Jesus, is to walk your walk with my feet, my arms and legs, bringing in me the perfection of your love. Grant today, that I may dwell in awareness of your unspeakable love for me that I may learn to walk, as if for the first time. Amen.
--Pastor David L. Miller
Friday, February 23, 2007
Today’s reading
1 John 2:3-5
“Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. Whoever says, ‘I have come to know him,’ but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection” (1 John 2:3-5).
Prayer
You render me a liar, great and constant. For I know you, and I know you are love. I know your command is that which you are and which you give. For you are love, and you give the love you are, bathing and soaking me to the soul, sometimes so fully I wonder if ever again I will speak a cross word, or allow impatience to overwhelm me, or surrender to disordered impulses, or awake in the wee hours filled with anxiety about my life.
But all too soon, the moment of truth fades. Too soon, I live the lie again. I turn from the drenching awareness of your unspeakable goodness to the petty concerns and desires of my pusillanimous heart. Mine is not a great heart, vast and expansive like yours. I am cramped and crowded, leaving little room for anything but me. And it gets lonely here.
So enlarge my heart, Spacious One. Make room in me for all that you love and all you would have me love. Soak my soul in the ceaseless flow of your divine affection. Only this releases my heart’s constriction and grows my soul to truly human proportions. Only this can make me less a liar. Only this enables me keep your commandment to receive and be the love you are.
Whatever else you might share of your goodness, Great Heart, grant me this, for I long to be human. Amen.
--Pastor David L. Miller
1 John 2:3-5
“Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. Whoever says, ‘I have come to know him,’ but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection” (1 John 2:3-5).
Prayer
You render me a liar, great and constant. For I know you, and I know you are love. I know your command is that which you are and which you give. For you are love, and you give the love you are, bathing and soaking me to the soul, sometimes so fully I wonder if ever again I will speak a cross word, or allow impatience to overwhelm me, or surrender to disordered impulses, or awake in the wee hours filled with anxiety about my life.
But all too soon, the moment of truth fades. Too soon, I live the lie again. I turn from the drenching awareness of your unspeakable goodness to the petty concerns and desires of my pusillanimous heart. Mine is not a great heart, vast and expansive like yours. I am cramped and crowded, leaving little room for anything but me. And it gets lonely here.
So enlarge my heart, Spacious One. Make room in me for all that you love and all you would have me love. Soak my soul in the ceaseless flow of your divine affection. Only this releases my heart’s constriction and grows my soul to truly human proportions. Only this can make me less a liar. Only this enables me keep your commandment to receive and be the love you are.
Whatever else you might share of your goodness, Great Heart, grant me this, for I long to be human. Amen.
--Pastor David L. Miller
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