February 01, 2005
I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.
Brother Lawrence is one of my dearest friends. I am convinced of this. The stories of him cooking in his monastery have always upheld me. When I was "Assisstant Director of Hospitality" (read: kitchen lackey) at Richmond Hill, I read some of his stuff. He amazes me to this day. I have The Practice of the Presense of God on my hard drive. Some day I may actually own the book. For now, binary will have to do.
Pray remember what I have recommended to you, which is, to think often of God, by day, by night, in your business, and even in your diversions. He is always near you and ith you; leave Him not alone. You would think it rude to leave a friend alone who came to visit you: why then must God be neglected? Do not then forget Him, but think of Him often, adore Him continually, live and die with Him; this is the glorious employment of a Christian; if we do not know it we must learn it. - Brother Lawrence
In the morning, when I rise, I have been trying to spend a little time with the scriptures. I know that it really isn't enough, but it is what I have right now. I pray that I will be able to make it all fit. I am slowly kicking off the extra stuff that is keeping me away from Trish, my thesis and praying the scriptures.
Fortunately I do have Bro. Lawrence to help out from time to time. When I think of making time, I am thinking of passages like this one. I am thinking of how I can pay more attention to God. The good Brother's logic is helpful. Though God is a bit more self-sufficient than my friends are, the point of having a relationship with God is to have relationship with God. This involves making time for God as if I were making time for an old friend from college.
How do I do this? I pray the scriptures. And, ideally, I endeavor to make this prayer and not simple intelectual reflection. That there is the trick. O, I do so love that intelectual stuff. Nothing wrong with it, but it is only the tip of the iceburg when it comes to reading scripture. I recall people I have known and others about whom I have read and am reminded that reading scripture, the whole of it, is to encounter Christ.
I recall reading through the entirety of a gospel out loud with other seminarians in our little chapel. This was prayer. I recall Bonhoeffer's words about encountering Christ in the Psalms if for no other reason than Christ would have also prayed the psalms. I recall St. Ignatious and the lectio exercises that I learned at Richmond Hill and were retooled for me in seminary.
There are so many ways to read scripture that do not involve a lexicon and the aid of Strong's concordance. "In the beginning was the Word." The Law itself, the written word of God will become flesh. He will dwell with us showing love and mercy. This is God's promise. It has come to pass.
Listen! I am standing at the door knocking; If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. - Revelation 3:20I wonder if I have the courage to open the door. When you give a mouse a cookie , he is likely to eat you out of house and home. If you invite God in, what havok will God cause? This is not a new question for me. I have invited God in. The still small voice deafens me. The gentle light blinds me. My world is always happily turned upside down when God comes to stay and eat.
And in another tangential thought, this is why Trish and I have the table. Our friends are revelations to us, they are the angels of God. This is why we so love to have people over. This is why we so desired that big table. It seats twelve. We can get a goodly sized group arouind it. Perhaps God too will dine with us from time to time.
Well, brothers and sisters, those are my rambling prayers and thoughts for the morning. Several of my firends have posted their sermons from the weekend. Poke around and see what you can see.
Posted by tripp at February 1, 2005 06:20 AM