Posts
John 1:10-13
He was in
the world that had come into being through him, and the world did not recognize
him. He came to his own and his own people did not accept him. But to those who
did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believed
in his name who were born not from human stock or human desire or human will
but from God himself
Reflection
We step into a new year, hoping it will bring a new
beginning, fresh and free from the encumbrances that weighed us down for the
past 12 months … or longer.
We hope to be new, changed, better, happier. “Pray for me,”
a man said as he knelt before me at a prayer station on a recent Sunday. “I
want to be a better man.”
Such is our hope and desire though we often want this to
come with as little pain or effort as possible. But this is not a day to carp
about our weakness or the resistance to growth that hinders our efforts
This is a day to step into a new space, and the space that
awaits today and each new day is that gracious circle around Jesus. It is a
space of welcome and peace where what you have done or not doesn’t matter
today.
All that matters is his unqualified invitation to come and be
near him. The prayer of the young man at the prayer station finds its answer there.
Newness comes through a bit of cooperation. We need to step into
the gracious circle around Jesus and let his nearness work its ways in us.
Newness comes in ways and at a time we do not control but
only receive. It starts with getting near the heart of Jesus, feeling the
atmosphere of total welcome that surrounds him, the hunger of the love that pours
from hidden depths of his soul.
It is there … in this space … that newness of heart and life
come. It is not magic, although it feels that way sometimes. It happens for us
the same way it happened at the beginning of Jesus ministry.
Curious souls, hurting hearts, people who wanted to be new--who
wanted the whole world to be made new--came to Jesus to listen and to see what
was in him. They were welcomed into a circle of watching and seeing, listening
and learning, loving and failing but never being cast aside.
They were welcomed in the fullness of their humanity, and as
they were with Jesus their hearts were changed and minds reshaped.
Their hearts opened like flowers in springtime as they began
to feel and know within themselves the Loving Mystery who filled him. They discovered
that they, too, carried that Holy One, within.
The kingdom
of God was within them,
but they didn’t know it until they had dwelt a time with Jesus.
But knowing, their hearts changed, their convictions and
commitments shifted, their hungers and passions were reshaped so that they
wanted nothing more than to live from this indwelling of God, which appeared within
them as they lived in the circle around Jesus.
Now we step into a new year, perhaps with a resolution or
two, but also with the invitation to step into the space around Jesus. We enter
as we read his words and let them jangle around in us, praying and offering to
God whatever random thoughts and feelings appear.
We quiet ourselves on walks or in a private space hoping to
hear that Voice that is his speaking in our depths, telling us what our hearts
need to know
We find ways to receive the sacraments of his presence,
entering those places and talking to those people that awaken our hearts to the
love he is. As we do, this love flowers within us bringing peace and a more
spacious open way of living.
And newness comes, as gift and grace.
Pr. David L. Miller
No comments:
Post a Comment