January 8, 2009

On the Journey

                            Every morning . . . . in the presence of God . . . for 10 minutes!

              I always approach the first Sunday of a New Year inspired by the possibilities of an opportunity to begin anew. Thus, as I prepare to preach on that day, I usually follow one of two paths. The first path involves offering a sermon that challenges and inspires God’s people to go boldly and hopefully into a new time. The second path leads to a sermon that seeks to comfort, console, and encourage those who approach the coming New Year with fear and uncertainty.

              As I prepared for the first Sunday of 2009, the Spirit led me down a new path. This new way did not involve challenge or comfort, encouragement or inspiration. It was rather a call to commitment—a commitment to dedicate 10 minutes every day to be still in the presence of God. The Spirit had convinced me that this was the path for us, as my heart was seized by the phrase, “Be still and know that I am God,” in Psalm 46.

              I confessed, on Sunday, that I followed this new path with some reservation. At the beginning of a New Year, I want to make plans and take action. I do not readily embrace stillness and silence. Yet, I could not escape the leading of God’s spirit.

              On Sunday, I asked you to commit to spending 10 minutes each day in the presence of God. I encouraged you to create time for this discipline every morning. Across the years, I have found it most helpful to dedicate this time when I first wake up each day. If you are like me, you have a morning routine. For years, I awakened each morning, stumbled to the kitchen, started a pot of coffee, and then wandered outside to get the newspaper. For the next 20 or 30 minutes, I read the paper, drank coffee, and swallowed breakfast all at the same time.

              Several years ago, I changed by routine a bit. I awakened, made coffee, retrieved the paper, read my Bible, prayed, and then scanned the paper. As I shared with you on Sunday, the last thing our Adversary, the Spirit of this world, wants us to do is pray. Thus, I found myself distracted by the presence of the newspaper. Quite often, I found myself drinking coffee, reading the paper, and munching on breakfast. The Adversary managed to keep me from my Bible reading and prayer.

After a time, I made an adjustment. I began to get up about 30 minutes earlier each morning. I continued to put the coffee on next, but then I went directly to read my Bible and to spend time in prayerful silence in the presence of God. I refused to go get the paper until my devotional time was finished. This very small adjustment assisted me in resisting the Adversary.

In the sermon on Sunday, I encouraged you to dedicate 10 minutes every morning to prayer. If you don’t have a place, create a place for prayer. I use our breakfast table. I have a Bible there, a book of devotional readings by Thomas Merton, and a journal. In my journal, I write down the verses that touched my heart that morning. When I pray, I visualize Jesus sharing the breakfast table with me. This visualization is powerful for me, for, when I was a child, I used to enjoy an early breakfast with my father before he went off to work. It was our time together alone. My mornings have become my time alone with Jesus.

I warned you about the Adversary, the Confuser, the Tempter, the Spirit of this world—this one goes by many different names. The Confuser will distract you with any means possible. While you pray, he will fill your mind with many good things or acts of kindness and mercy you could do in the coming day. This is his way of keeping you from Jesus. The Tempter may send very dark and shameful thoughts to your mind. Again, this is his scheme for keeping you from Jesus. Ignore all of these thoughts and ask Jesus to have mercy on you. As the desert fathers teach, get out of your mind and into your heart and stand in humility before Jesus.

            When you pray each morning, I encourage you to do four things as you sit quietly in the presence of God. First, offer thanks for the blessings you have received.  Prayer begins with gratitude. Second, ask Jesus to open your eyes to the wonder and mystery of your unique creation. Ask him to let you see yourself through his eyes of love. Remember he loved you enough to die for you, and, if you had been the only one in need of salvation, he would have gone to the cross for you. Third, ask Jesus to remind you of someone along the journey of life who has loved you, blessed you, and affirmed your unique creation. God’s people are often instruments of God’s love for us. Fourth, ask Jesus to open your eyes to someone you will meet in the coming day whom you may touch with kindness, understanding, love, and peace. We must bless others as we have been blessed.

              I hope you accepted my challenge on Sunday. By the time you read this, you will have experienced the joy of this discipline of spending 10 minutes in the presence of God. If I understand our Adversary, you have also known moments when he successfully distracted you, and pulled you into the responsibilities of your day without this time with Jesus. Do not give up! Some of you have asked me to pray for you while I pray each morning. I am seeking to be faithful every morning by calling your name while I am with Jesus at my breakfast table.

              Together, let’s embark upon this discipline of prayer. Let’s covenant to share with each other what we experience in prayer—our trials and our victories. Let’s remember that Jesus stands at the door of our hearts every day waiting for us to let him in. When he comes in, he loves, forgives, and restores our joy in living. Let us pray faithfully each morning!jamie