Abide

"They do not belong to the world."

This is a quote from the Pray as you Go app this morning from the gospel of John.  The words of Jesus spoken about his disciples then and now.  We do not belong to the world.

It is so tempting to want to belong.  There is that loneliness that encourages us to try to fit in to the values and the lifestyle of "the world."  For me, it is basing my sense of self worth on the externals - appearance, accumulation, achievement.  Measuring myself against others and being acceptable according to cultural standards. I am aware that those three things - appearance, accumulation and achievement are not bad in and of themselves.  For example, I know I am in trouble when I really stop caring about my appearance or my surroundings.   They just cannot be the source of identity.  It is sometimes tricky to discern what is really motivating any of us.

I guess where I land this morning is not on rejecting the values of "the world" but on leaning into the life of the follower of Jesus.  That is to say - a life of contemplation and service and openness and - here we go again - vulnerability. It is loving in a radical way - the outsider, the insider, the broken, the prosperous, the enemy.  It is being willing to have our hearts broken and being misunderstood in our actions and our choices.  Which means sometimes being rejected..

The good news of this text this morning is understanding that Jesus is praying for us.  Always.

 Holy Father, protect them in your name that they may be one as we are one...........may they also be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.

I begin this day with God and pray for the spirit to guide me so that I may be living "in Christ".

A prayer by Maxine Shonk

May the God of CONTEMPLATION bless you,

calling you into the still point of Divine Presence.

Out of the silent center of your being may you bring serenity and peace to every circumstance and to each person.

May your contemplation bear fruit in the words that you speak and the work that you do.

May the God of CONTEMPLATION bless you.