Message of 12-23-09
Published: Sat, 12/19/09
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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Amazon.com gift cards - good for any occasion
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
For a man to argue, "I do not go to church; I pray alone," is no
wiser than if he should say, "I have no use for symphonies; I
believe only in solo music."
- George A. Buttrick
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Mal 3:1-4, 23-24; Ps. 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14; Lk 1:57-66
R. Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their instruction.
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SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
From "Daily Bread"
http://www.preacherexchange.com/daily_bread.htm
"What, then, will this child be?"
From his infancy it was clear that the hand of the Lord was with
John the Baptizer. Though it may not have been immediately clear to
those who knew him that he would be the one who would prepare the
way for the coming of the Savior, it was obvious to those present
at his circumcision that he had a great call. We, too, are called
not only during this last week of Advent, but each and every day,
to prepare for the coming of Jesus and to go before him to announce
his glory. Even if we've spent recent days consumed with the
trivialities of the season, it's not too late -- it is never too
late if we trust in the Lord. Certainly Elizabeth and Zechariah can
attest to that!
Let us profess with confidence and joy, "Yes, the Lord is coming."
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WHAT IS CHRISTIAN LOVE?
by Philip St. Romain©
Adapted from "Freedom from Codependency: A Christian Response"
http://shalomplace.com/view/codep.html
One way of pulling all this together is to realize that God has put
us here to grow. Love is pro-growth. We need love to grow as
plants need water and sunshine. We also need pruning; that is, we
need to learn from the consequences of our behavior. Because God
wants us to grow to become fully mature in Christ, God allows us to
suffer. Enabling behavior is different in that it prevents people
from growing and taking responsibility for their behavior by
removing their suffering.
What about the death of Christ? We say that he died for our sins.
Does this mean that he took responsibility for our behavior?
As these questions show, there is a co-dependent way of looking at
the death of Christ. The difference is this: enablers do for
others what they can and should do for themselves. It is not
enabling to do for others what they cannot do for themselves.
The Redemption does for us what we could not do for
ourselves--namely, enter the life of the Trinity. By taking on our
nature and living our life, God, in Christ, has opened the way for
the human race to experience the inner life of God. As any
practicing Christian knows, faith does not leave one free from sin;
the struggle with sin continues, and Christ does not take this
away. Rather, he gives us his Spirit to overcome sin. Without his
Spirit, we cannot live his life. Therefore, his incarnation,
death, resurrection, ascension, and gift of the Spirit are gifts,
not enablements.
(Part 12 of 12 part series)
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REVIEW OF DAY
- from, "Handbook for Spiritual Directees"
http://shalomplace.com/view/hndbk-lite.pdf
Here is a practice used by many at the end of the day to see what
lessons can be learned and how God was present and active through
the day. Set aside fifteen to twenty minutes at the end of the
day for prayer and review of your day. A suggested format is
described below:.
1. Take a few moments of quiet. Breathe deeply. Ask God to help you
see yourself as you truly were during the day.
2. Look back over your day - not to see what you did wrong but to
honestly acknowledge what was going on with you and others.
* What happened? What did I do today?
* How did I feel? Why did I feel that way?
* Were my expectations and beliefs reasonable?
3. Affirm the healthy things you recognize.
4. Admit to yourself and God the unhealthy things. Ask God's
forgiveness, believe it is yours, then decide if you need to
apologize or make amends.
5. Use creative visualization to grow stronger. Honestly
acknowledge the troubling situations of the day. See and feel
yourself acting honestly and lovingly in these situations. Ask God
for the grace to help you act in this new way.
6. Close with simple awareness of the sights and sounds around you,
grateful for the good things in your life.
This process can be undertaken as a daily journal exercise or by
prayerfully reviewing your day in your own mind. I like to take a
walk before bedtime for examen. The important thing is to do it. It
is a discipline, to be sure, but a very important one.
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Amazon.com gift cards - good for any occasion
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067L6TQ/?tag=christianspiritu
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SHALOM PLACE PREMIUM GROUPS
- Life-long learning and formation in Christian spirituality.
Groups now open include the following:
A. Psychological Types and Spirituality
B. The Way of Christian Spirituality
C. Freedom from Codependency
D. Christian Spirituality Resources
E. Wonderfully Made (Christian Metaphysics)
F. Growing in Christ
G. Spiral Dynamics®
H. Discerning God's Will
I. Dark Night of the Soul
J. Silence, Solitude and Sabbath
K. Alpha Group -- includes all the above and all to come.
- see http://shalomplace.org/groups.html
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