Brothers & Sisters,
This past Sunday, we heard the good news that amidst exhaustion and desolation Jesus is calling out to you and his command is to abide and eat – in your surrender he is sustaining you and drawing you into the very life of God.
Toward the end of the sermon, I mentioned a few ideas for how we could say “yes” to this good news, but since I usually find abiding more challenging than simply doing something I wanted to invite you to join me in praying Psalm 23 as a breath prayer this week.
This practice provides us with a way to move beyond simply giving mental ascent to an idea and to involve our bodies in our response. My hope is that it will open up the space for us to abide in Christ this week.
We will inhale on the first line of each refrain below in bold and exhale on the second line in italics. You may find it helpful to take a few deep breaths to settle your body, mind, and heart before beginning the prayer. Let’s pray together:
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff — they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.
May you walk in an awareness of the Lord’s presence with you this week and may the peace of Christ be always with you.
Fr. Spencer
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