Hello friends,
Welcome to the 21st episode of Christian Meditation with me,
Anita Mathias.
Let's detach for a few minutes from our beloved but distracting world that is too much with us,
And from all our getting and spending,
All our worries and obsessions.
Whatever has happened in our day or in our life,
Up to this blessed minute,
We plant it in God's hands.
Dear creative God,
Bring good out of the blackest seeds we plant in your hands.
With your creative magic,
Turn them to sunflowers and rambling roses.
Whatever is to come,
We plant it in your hands.
We know your love and your power will bless and sustain us.
Let's continue calming down by focusing on our God-given breath.
Exhale deeply,
And now take the deepest inhale you have taken all day.
Exhale fully,
Breathe in slowly and deeply.
Again,
Let's pray with our breath as we breathe through the prayer Jesus taught his disciples,
The way he taught us to pray.
Breathe in our Father in heaven.
Breathe out the fear which makes us so often forget this simple,
Radiant fact.
Breathe in,
Holy be your name,
Your kingdom come.
Breathe out,
Naming one area of your life in which you would love Christ to be your king.
Breathe in,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Exhale,
Name one area in which you struggle to do what you know is God's will.
Ask him for his help in this.
Breathe in,
Give us today our daily bread.
As we breathe out,
Ask God's blessing on any one area of financial or emotional need and necessity.
Breathe in,
And forgive us our sins.
Breathe out,
Wash us clean,
O Lord,
And name a specific action or habit you are burdened by and ashamed of.
Ask for his help in breaking this habit.
Breathe in,
Forgive us as we forgive those who sin against us.
Breathe out,
Let go of an offence against you as you would like God to let go of the awful things you've done.
Breathe in,
And lead us not into temptation.
Breathe out,
Name one temptation you struggle with,
Excessive food perhaps,
Giving yourself permission to get cranky when tired,
The i-dill of your iPhone perhaps.
Lord,
Protect us from this temptation.
Breathe in,
But deliver us from evil.
Breathe out,
And thank you,
Lord,
That you have taught us to ask for this.
Thank you that it is possible to be delivered from evil,
Since that is what you have taught us to pray for.
Protect us from enemies,
Accidents,
Fire,
Burglaries,
And violence,
From painful illness and broken bones,
From lies and slander.
Protect our families,
Our houses,
Our finances,
And our businesses.
Deliver us from evil.
Breathe in and out,
For thine is the kingdom,
The power,
And the glory.
Amen.
And now to segue to the Gospel of Matthew,
Chapter 19.
Just then,
A man came up to Jesus and asked,
Teacher,
What good thing must I do to get eternal life?
Why do you ask me about what is good?
Jesus replied,
There's only one who is good.
If you want to enter life,
Keep the commandments.
Which ones?
He inquired.
Jesus replied,
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give false testimony.
Honor your father and your mother.
And love your neighbor as yourself.
All these I have kept,
The young man said.
What do I still lack?
Jesus answered,
If you want to be perfect,
Go,
Sell your possessions,
And give the money to the poor,
And you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come,
Follow me.
When the young man heard this,
He went away,
Grieving,
Because he had great wealth.
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
Truly I tell you,
It is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Again I tell you,
It is easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.
When the disciples heard this,
They were greatly astonished and asked,
Who then can be saved?
Jesus looked at them and said,
With man this is impossible,
But with God,
All things are possible.
Don't walk away from Jesus,
But if you do,
He still looks at you and loves you.
It's a beautiful offer.
Come,
Follow Jesus on a life of divine guidance,
On faith-challenging and exciting adventures.
Chasing ambitions,
Strutting our stuff,
Exhausts us.
But the excitement of knowing the ever-fresh,
Surprising Jesus,
Those are inexhaustible.
That's the magic part.
Success,
Making money,
The slog of it,
Is actually the boring part.
There is a cost to following Jesus.
Of course,
Of course,
We have to move in the direction he moves and do what he tells us to.
While he was on earth,
Christ was active,
Energetic,
Roaming through Israel,
Lebanon,
Syria,
And Jordan.
Following him will mean movement and challenge.
But we can't walk behind him,
Laden with suitcases and backpacks stuffed with our treasures.
What would you reject Jesus' micro-calls on your life for?
That is the idol which currently grips and possesses you.
I hear him tell me to become fitter and to declutter my house and then move,
And when I neglect these things,
An idol has taken priority.
My podcast and my writing,
Alas.
So,
I have to daily surrender,
Balancing Jesus' call to health and peaceful housekeeping with the call to write.
What do you hear him calling you to sacrifice to follow him?
Do it.
Don't go away grieving.
Nothing is worth the sadness,
The second-bestness of not choosing Jesus.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
But I waver.
But for us who struggle to relinquish our idols of glory,
Achievement,
Whatever,
But still yearn for the peace of Jesus,
Of Jesus,
There is yet mercy.
Jesus says a camel can more easily squeeze through a needle's eye than the treasure-burdened experience God's peaceable kingdom.
But he adds that,
With God,
All things are possible.
So,
Even we,
Conditioned from our youth to strive to achieve and succeed,
Can still,
In fits and snatches,
Find our spirits singing on a walk or during worship in church,
Or find our hearts strangely warmed by scripture,
And sometimes even see Christ stand in front of us.
For Christ looks at us.
Christ loves us.
And he says,
With God,
With God,
All things are possible.
Even we,
The flawed,
Entering his beautiful kingdom.
Thank you,
Jesus.
Amen.
