Welcome into Lectio Divina.
Our reading today is found in Luke 6,
20-26.
I am reading from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.
I will lead you through the passage four times.
After each reading I will give you time to reflect on the reading with a different focus each time.
So before we begin,
Find a comfortable place to sit.
Prepare yourself to receive the Holy Spirit.
Sit upright in a comfortable chair with your feet on the floor and your hands resting comfortably on your lap,
Palms up.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath from your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth.
Focus on your breath and relax your body.
Invite God to be with you in your thoughts.
Imagine yourself sitting in the presence of God.
Remember,
This is a meditation.
It is a time for you to reflect on the text.
If you find your mind wandering,
Gently bring your thoughts back to the reading.
Continue taking deep breaths from your nose and exhaling slowly through the mouth.
As I read this passage through the first time,
Listen for patterns,
Images and ideas.
Listen as if you were listening to someone read a personal letter addressed just to you.
Listen for words or phrases that speak to you.
Then Jesus looked up at his disciples and said,
Blessed are you who are poor,
For yours is a kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who are hungry now,
For you will be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now,
For you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
And when they exclude you,
Revile you,
And defame you on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice in that day,
And leap for joy,
For surely your reward is great in heaven,
For that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
But woe to you who are rich,
For you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are full now,
For you will be hungry.
Woe to you who are laughing now,
For you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
For that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
As you continue to breathe deeply from your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth,
I will read through this passage again.
I invite you to recall anything that stood out to you during the first reading.
Is this something that you can connect to your life?
Use your imagination to paint a mental picture of the text.
Place yourself in the text and engage all your senses.
What do you experience as you sit in this passage?
Then Jesus looked up at his disciples and said,
Blessed are you who are poor,
For yours is a kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who are hungry now,
For you will be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now,
For you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
And when they exclude you,
Revile you,
And defame you on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice in that day,
And leap for joy,
For surely your reward is great in heaven,
For that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
But woe to you who are rich,
For you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are full now,
For you will be hungry.
Woe to you who are laughing now,
For you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
For that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
Continue breathing slowly through your nose,
And exhaling from your mouth.
As I read this passage the third time,
Reflect on all the thoughts,
Feelings,
Actions,
Fears,
Convictions and questions you have experienced up to this point.
Refer these to God in prayer.
Praise God for who God is.
Then Jesus looked up at his disciples and said,
Blessed are you who are poor,
For yours is a kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who are hungry now,
For you will be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now,
For you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
And when they exclude you,
Revile you,
And defame you on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice in that day,
And leap for joy,
For surely your reward is great in heaven,
For that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
But woe to you who are rich,
For you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are full now,
For you will be hungry.
Woe to you who are laughing now,
For you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
For that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
As you continue your slow,
Deep breathing,
I will read this passage through the fourth and final time.
Sit in silence in the presence of God.
Be still and know that God is God.
Simply sit and allow yourself to feel God's presence and tender love that wraps around you and embraces you.
Then Jesus looked up at his disciples and said,
Blessed are you who are poor,
For yours is a kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who are hungry now,
For you will be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now,
For you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
And when they exclude you,
Revile you,
And defame you on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice in that day,
And leap for joy,
For surely your reward is great in heaven,
For that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
But woe to you who are rich,
For you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are full now,
For you will be hungry.
Woe to you who are laughing now,
For you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
For that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
As you continue to breathe slowly,
I invite you to think about your experience with God during this exercise.
Ask yourself four questions.
What did you learn from or about God?
What did you learn about what God thinks of you?
What does God want from you?
What action steps,
If any,
Can you take out of conviction from this lesson?
May you feel the presence of God throughout your day today.
Amen.
