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Fullness of timeWednesday, January 1, 2014
Galatians 4:4 Henri Nouwen says, that "all of us, whether learned or uneducated, rich or poor, visible or hidden - can receive the grace of seeing God in the fullness of time. This mystical experience is not reserved for a few exceptional people. "God wants to offer that gift in one way or another to all God's children. But we must desire it. We must be attentive." Because it may not come with drama. Jesus came to a quiet stable in a tiny village. Elijah did not find God in earthquake or hurricane, but in a nearly silent murmur, a gentle breeze blowing across his face. This morning the new year invites me in. I want to stop repeating the old game in which I say I'm seeking God but instead internally nurture my yearning for self-recognition and self-satisfaction. I have demanded that God let me hold my life in my own hands, but that control has always been illusory. My life is in the hands of the Lord. Jesus leads the way as he says on his cross, "Into your hands I commit myself." God's response? It's expressed so well in Aaron's prayer from Numbers, which in the Lutheran church we grew up with: The Lord bless you, and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. And may the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. When time is full, there is no room for anything more. When I experience God's fullness of time, I experience the God that is. Nothing more is called for, nothing more is needed. This is what we live for. Lord, I want to stop repeating and repent. Stop repeating and repent. There are only so many days in my life, and you are in them all. When I turn around and catch even just a glimpse of you, I don't want or need to control the future anymore. You are beautiful, and your eyes are deep. |
At our centering prayer meeting we talked about the fullness of time.