Sacramental Living

This is part of my morning prayer that I’ve repeated each morning this month. The repetition of this liturgy is doing something for me that is difficult to express. As part of my thanks to the Trinity, I share it with you, praying it might make your path a bit brighter:

Christ, as a light
illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield
overshadow me.
Christ under me;
Christ over me;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak;
in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light;
Christ as a shield;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

AMEN.

I was reminded recently by a blogging friend, Scott Savage, of John Wesley’s response to this question. The question itself seems condemning enough if it comes from a “Christian.” Wesley’s response is plain, simple, and beautiful.

“John Wesley recognized the ambiguities of Matthew 25:31-46 but did not allow them to deter him from responding to persons in need. To those who wondered ‘what does it avail to feed or clothe men’s bodies, if they are just dropping into everlasting fire?’ Wesley responded, ‘whether they will finally be lost or saved, you are expressly commanded to feed the hungry, and clothe the naked. If you can, and do not, whatever becomes of them, you shall go away into everlasting fire.’ He strongly resisted any attempts to narrow the scope of responsibility or to dull the intensity of the passage.”

From Christine D. Pohl, Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition

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Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
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Recently, I friend mentioned a blog post I wrote about 14 months ago.

Here’s an excerpt:

God is weaving something beautiful, even when all seems lost. God is faithful to love us and care for us, even when we feel abandoned. God is relentless in his activity to create wonder and hope, even when we feel like he has nothing to work with.

This is the God I worship. This is the God I serve. This is the God I’m anticipating will surprise me again soon in wonderful ways.

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