Practice Resurrection: Look forward to a resurrected body!

Photographer Takes A Boy With Muscular Dystrophy On An Imaginary Adventure
Matej Peljhan
source

The body, glorified

To see Christ as God and man is probably no more difficult today than it has always been, even if today there seem to be more reasons to doubt. For you it may be a matter of not being able to accept what you call a suspension of the laws of the flesh and the physical, but for my part I think that when I know what the laws of the flesh and the physical really are, then I will know what God is. We know them as we see them, not as God sees them. For me it is the virgin birth, the Incarnation, the resurrection which are the true laws of the flesh and the physical. Death, decay, destruction are the suspension of these laws. I am always astonished at the emphasis the Church puts on the body. It is not the soul she says that will rise but the body, glorified. I have always thought that purity was the most mysterious of the virtues, but it occurs to me that it would never have entered the human consciousness to conceive of purity if we were not to look forward to a resurrection of the body, which will be flesh and spirit united in peace, in the way they were in Christ. The resurrection of Christ seems the high point in the law of nature.

Flannery O’Connor"Letter to 'A' (Sep. 6, 1955)" in The Habit of Being

via Topology magazine

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What are YOU looking forward to when you think of a resurrected body (for you or for someone else)?

Practice Resurrection: Take heart!

Za'atari Syrican Refugee Camp, swimming hole
source

We take heart

And yet, and yet, the times are inexhaustibly good, solaced by the courage and hope of many. The truth rules, Christ is not forsaken. In a time of death, some men and women--the resisters, those who work hardily for social change, those who preach and embrace the unpalatable truth--such men and women overcome death, their lives are bathed in the light of the resurrection, the truth has set them free. In the jaws of death, of contumely, of good and ill report, they proclaim their love of the people. We think of such men and women in the world, in our nation, in the churches, and the stone in our breast is dissolved. We take heart once more.

Daniel Berrigan

"Our Apologies, Good Friends" in Essential Writings 

via Topology magazine

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What people do you think of when you read Berrigan's description of men and women "bathed in light of resurrection"? What stories from their lives cause you to take heart?

Lent daybook, 30: when you walk through the fire

My Lent daybook for these 40 days of prayer. Join me, won't you? (see previous Lent daybook 2016 posts here)

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look

Clearlake, CA 2015

source

A firefighter was silhouetted by his headlamp as he battled the Rocky Fire, a wildfire that spread over three counties and burned over 60,000 acres.

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read

Isaiah 43:1-7

But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
    he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine.
 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you.
 For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
    Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
 Because you are precious in my eyes,
    and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
    peoples in exchange for your life.
 Fear not, for I am with you;
    I will bring your offspring from the east,
    and from the west I will gather you.
 I will say to the north, Give up,
    and to the south, Do not withhold;
bring my sons from afar
    and my daughters from the end of the earth,

everyone who is called by my name,
    whom I created for my glory,
    whom I formed and made.”

all readings for the day: Psalm 126; Isaiah 43:1-7; Philippians 2:19-24

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pray

God of the covenant,

in the glory of the cross

your Son embraced the power of death

and broke its hold over your people.

In this time of repentance,

draw all people to yourself,

that we who confess Jesus as Lord

may put aside the deeds of death 

and accept the life of your kingdom. Amen. (source)

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listen

Sovereign Over Us by Aaron Keyes

( I invite you to listen with me to my ever-evolving Lent playlist & Lent Spirituals playlist )

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do

This week, ask God to boldly work in your life so that you might be a blessing to someone else. Ask him specifically in a way that will stretch you beyond your own limits and abilities. Trust that God will put someone in mind from work, school, or your family that is in need of the compassion and love of God through your words and actions. (source)

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(see all Lent daybook posts from 2015 here)

Lent daybook, 25: when all hell breaks loose

My Lent daybook for these 40 days of prayer. Join me, won't you? (see previous Lent daybook 2016 posts here)

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look

A refugee prepares to hand over a toddler to a volunteer lifeguard as a half-sunken catamaran carrying around 150 refugees arrives after crossing part of the Aegean Sea last year. There were no casualties among the refugees who were travelling on the catamaran. source

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read

Psalm 32:6-11

Therefore let everyone who is godly
    offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
    they shall not reach him.
 You are a hiding place for me;
    you preserve me from trouble;
    you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
    which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
    or it will not stay near you.

 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
    but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
    and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

all readings for the day: Psalm 32; Exodus 32:7-14; Luke 15:1-10

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pray

Faithful God of love, you blessed us with your servant Son so that we might know how to serve your people with justice and with mercy.  

We gather the needs of ourselves and others, and offer them to you in faith and love, seeking to be strengthened to meet them.

Include prayers here for your family, friends, neighborhood and the world.  

Shape us and transform us by your grace, that we may grow in wisdom and in confidence, never faltering until we have done all that you desire to bring your realm of shalom to fulfillment. Amen. (source)

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listen

You Have Redeemed My Soul by Page CXVI

( I invite you to listen with me to my ever-evolving Lent playlist & Lent Spirituals playlist )

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do

last Lent when Brian and I prayed at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert, NM

Find a local church with a chapel open for prayer.  Sit in quiet, bring your requests, fears, anxieties, doubts, and grief to Christ in prayer.  Do not worry if your prayers seem weak or simple.  Do not worry if you can't even come up with words.  

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(see all Lent daybook posts from 2015 here)

Lent Daybook, 21: man as a shadow

My Lent daybook for these 40 days of prayer. Join me, won't you? (see previous Lent daybook 2016 posts here)

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look

 A photograph of a soldier’s shadow left as a trace on a wooden wall in Nagasaki after the atomic bomb hit. Tate Modern exhibit: Conflict, Time, Photography (2014)  source

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read

Psalm 39:1-6

I said, “I will guard my ways,
    that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle,
    so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
 I was mute and silent;
    I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse.
     My heart became hot within me.
As I mused, the fire burned;
    then I spoke with my tongue:

 “O Lord, make me know my end
    and what is the measure of my days;
    let me know how fleeting I am!
 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
    and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah
     Surely a man goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!

all readings for the day: Psalm 39; Ezekiel 17:1-10; Romans 2:12-16

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pray

Pray this Confession of Sin, and accept the loving forgiveness God provides us through Christ and by His Spirit.

Almighty and most merciful Father, we are thankful that your mercy is higher than the heavens, wider than our wanderings, deeper than all our sin. Forgive our careless attitudes toward your purposes, our refusal to relieve the suffering of others, our envy of those who have more than we have, our obsession with creating a life of constant pleasure, our indifference to the treasures of heaven, our neglect of your wise and gracious law. Help us to change our way of life so that we may desire what is good, love what you love and do what you command, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (source)

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listen

And Am I Born To Die by Bela Fleck

( I invite you to listen with me to my ever-evolving Lent playlist & Lent Spirituals playlist )

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do

Using the guide below, take time today to examine your heart and look for meaningful ways to put your faith into practice. 

#1 Prayer of Self Examination

Search me, O God, and know my heart!Try me and know my thoughts!And see if there be any grievous way in me,and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23-24)

Take a moment to quiet your heart and reflect upon the past week. Look especially for ways to express gratitude and thanksgiving to God for his goodness and love, as well as genuine sorrow over your own sin and brokenness. Close this time of prayer by expressing your hope in the power of the Holy Spirit who is faithful to forgive, cleanse, and transform you into his likeness (2 Cor. 3:18). source

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(see all Lent daybook posts from 2015 here)