Move it!

You are always a student, never a master. You have to keep moving forward. –Conrad Hall

Move it!

It can be easy to get comfortable where we are. We gravitate to the familiar: we order our favorite entrée at Applebee’s; we cling to our favorite shirt or shoes like Linus to his blanket. On Sunday morning, we sit in the same pew week after week. (And admit it: you get just a little tweaked if someone else gets there first, don’t you? Me, too.)

My church family made a big move several years ago, choosing to follow where Christ led and becoming this fresh, lively family known as Church in the Circle. Now, I wonder: are we getting too comfy again?

Jesus seldom stayed in one place very long. From Cana to Capernaum, Jerusalem to Galilee, it seems he was always on the move, from the time he was a young boy escaping a mad King Herod. He didn’t hold “office hours” and wait for the sick, the poor and the broken to come to him to be healed. Rather, he went to where they were. He listened. They believed. Lives changed.

By the grace of God, we have been given this day. We have choices before us. We can treat this day like the one before, and the one before . . . or we can step out, recognize the rare beauty in this day, and go! Remember Jesus declared himself to be the Way to be followed, a living, moving way of prayer and living life to the fullest.

This week, let’s think about what “the Way” might look like.

Monday Jesus asked more questions than he answered.  How comfortable are you with uncertainty? Matthew 5:43-44

Tuesday Jesus was unafraid to name injustice when he saw it, or to speak truth to the teachers of the Law when he saw things differently. Meditate on this. Matthew 6:19-21

Wednesday Jesus often went away by himself and spent time in solitude and silence. He realized his spirit needed rest and refueling. Find time today to be alone and quiet. Mark 1:35-39

Thursday Jesus was the master of acceptance, never setting conditions for “belonging,” except to have faith and believe. How deep is your faith—right this minute? John 5:1-15

Friday Jesus was always teachable, always listening to God and to those with whom he associated. Today, focus on listening—without preparing your next reply. Just listen in love. Matthew 15:21-28

Saturday When he prayed, Jesus began with himself. How often do you pray for yourself? John 17:1-5

Sunday Jesus was often on the move. I challenge you to sit in a different section of the Sanctuary this morning during worship! Greet your new seat mates. Jeremiah 7:2-6


Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing. –William James

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stepping back. . . .

Image
Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and with a calm spirit.  Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever,  even if your whole world seems upset.  –St. Francis de Sales This week, I invite you to simply sit in a quiet space with words of hope and promise, and to remember, as Julian of Norwich knew, that all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well . It has been a long, difficult season. Advent and the coming of the Christ is just around the corner. Peace and comfort to your spirit. Monday   “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” Matthew 11:28-30 Tuesday  “Is this not the kind of fast I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6-9 Wednesday  “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the
Read more

It's that time again. . . .

When the seasons shift, even the subtle beginning, the scent of a promised changed, I feel something stir inside me. Hopefulness? Gratitude? Openness?  Whatever it is,  it’s welcome. –Kristin Armstrong No matter what part of the world you call home, this time of year brings big changes. While my friends Down Under are watching sings of new growth emerge from the earth as temperatures rise, here in Ohio, the leaves are turning from green to gold and orange, red and brown. The winds have taken on a chill; clouds hang heavy, like soggy cotton, reminding us that soon and very soon, we are going to see the snow . Always different, yet somehow, the same. We depend on God’s eternal ways, and trust that again this year, winter will follow autumn, just like it should. So why is it, as we anticipate and appreciate changes like these, when it comes to so many things in life we pull up short, wrinkle our noses and say No! No change! I like things just the way they are! It’s t
Read more

Starting again

“This, then, is how you should pray:" --Matthew 6:9a I have been really sensing lately that there is another blog inside me, one focused on prayer.  Oh, I know-- those elephants are all about prayer. Heck, they  are  prayer. And I will continue there, as well. But what I've been feeling is that people-- maybe you--  have always been told, "You should pray," or "Pray about that." But maybe you feel your prayers aren't "good enough," or that it's just too hard, too embarrassing, too [fill in the blank] to pray. Maybe it feels like no one really talks about how  to pray-- except, of course, for Jesus, in Matthew 6 and a couple parallel passages where we are given what's come to be known as The Lord's Prayer. And it is a great prayer. And there are other great prayers, and other ways to pray that do not involve rote. So "my plan" here is to share, hopefully on a weekly or semi-regular basis, a lot of
Read more