Teach me to pray ~ "Jesus appears before God on our behalf" Hebrews 9: 24

Christ did not enter into a sanctuary 

made by hands,

a copy of the true one, 

but heaven itself,

that he might now appear before God

on our behalf.

Hebrews 9:  24

Oh wow...Praise God, huh?

‘made by hands’

Our hands?

‘a copy of the true one’

How do I view ‘the true one’?

How do I hope ‘the true one’ is...might be...should be?

How do I work my hands to build a copy of God’s ‘true one’?

Why do I work to build a copy of God’s ‘true one’?

‘on our behalf’

THAT’S it!

‘on   our   behalf’

Oh wow...Praise God, huh?

‘on

our

behalf’

Read that again.

Please pray with me.

I raise Prayer Questions.

I find it is very easy 

  for these Prayer Questions 

                 to enter my mind

                 to enter my heart:

You really didn’t see me until now, God?

You really were not with me until now, God?

You really didn’t hear me until now, God?

You really didn’t understand me until now, God?

I anticipate Prayer Questions God raises:

You really didn’t see Me until now, My child?

You really were not with Me until now, My child?

You really didn’t hear Me until now, My child?

You really didn’t understand Me until now, My child?

Ah man…

I’m going somewhere some may challenge…

   That’s alright.

I’ve been challenged by others before.

   I hope I challenge my own thoughts and feelings 

   with as much vigor…

or simplicity…

   as another challenges me.

With that said…

Pray with me.

What is it like to interact with another in unconditional love?

Is unconditional love forgiveness?

My prayer explores these questions.  

I am kinda lost here.  

        Do I quote myself here or invite you to read earlier posts?

Garden of Eden

Triumph of the Cross

Transfiguration
  Canaanite Woman

Curing the Bethsaida Man

See, I feel with my whole being that God 'learned' as much about us while Emmanuel...

See, I hope with my whole being that I learned with my whole being about God while Emmanuel...

I think I’ll leave this here.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Peace.

Jars of Clay lyrics "There Might Be A Light" and Song of Songs ~ in my heart, on my mind, in my life

The Second Chapter in Song of Songs

starting with the 8th line...

Hark! my lover-here (my lover) comes

springing across the mountains,

leaping across the hills.

My lover is like a gazelle

or a young stag.

Here (my lover) stands behind our wall,

gazing through the windows,

peering through the lattices.

My lover speaks; (and) says to me,

"Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,

and come!

"For see, the winter is past,

the rains are over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth,

the time of pruning the vines has come,

and the song of the dove is heard in our land.

The fig tree puts forth its figs,

and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.

Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,

and come!

"O my dove in the clefts of the rock,

in the secret recesses of the cliff,

Let me see you,

let me hear your voice,

For your voice is sweet,

and you are lovely."

Catch us the foxes, the little foxes

that damage the vineyards; for our vineyards are in bloom!

My lover belongs to me and I to (my lover);

(My lover) browses among the lilies.

Until the day breathes cool and the shadows lengthen,

roam, my lover,

Like a gazelle or a young stag

upon the mountains of Bether.

Ah man.

I cry.

I AM... Love

Pray with me.

I imagine our Triune God as the Gazelle when I hear Song of Songs with my heart.

I wonder why I love God sometimes from

behind my wall,

gazing through the windows,

peering through the lattices.

Pray with me.

I wonder why I sometimes hide from God

behind a wall...in the Garden's Trees...

I wonder why I sometimes choose to forget God

 comes looking for me

in The Garden...

"Where are you?  Why are you hiding?"

I wonder why I sometimes don't recognize God

when God waits for me outside the tomb

calling out to me by name...

"Mary, who are you looking for?"

Why am I afraid to be with

Emmanuel...

I pray I will always invite our Triune God into all I do.

I pray I will always seek our Triune God into all I feel.

I pray I will always feel our Triune God’s presence while I pray.

Pray with me.

I imagine I am the Gazelle when I hear Song of Songs with my heart.

I wonder why I keep God

behind a wall,

gazing through the windows,

peering through the lattices.

Ah man.

I cry.

Pray with me.

Remember The Transfiguration prayer I brought to the front so long ago...

Label:  transfiguration…

Peter, John and James wanted to build three tents for Jesus, Elijah and Moses.  

Pray with me.

I wonder why I sometimes place God

behind a wall...inside a tent...

I wonder why I sometimes keep God to myself...

box God in...

I wonder why I sometimes believe my wall built through my custom...

my culture...

my tradition...

my institution...
is the one true tent, box, walled courtyard.

I wonder why I sometimes choose to forget

the Canaanite Woman...

Why am I afraid of

Emmanuel...

I pray I will keep our Triune God free to express unconditional forgiveness.

I pray I will keep our Triune God’s creation alive.

I pray I will climb the wall, open the windows, clear the lattices.

Jars of Clay presented a concert in my town Halloween Weekend.  When I heard There Might be a Light I felt transported to my daily prayer in the second chapter of Song of Songs starting with the 8th line...

Jars of Clay ~  There Might be a Light

I wait outside your house

And sing below your window

And I look for the light to show, I know

I know that it will come on, come on, come on

Come on soon

There might be a light

Somewhere in your mind

When you think of you and I

I wait for it to shine

I know it will come on, come on, come on

Come on soon

It will come on, come on soon

And it's just the way things go

When you love someone and they don't know

Sparks and hearts, they have to glow

They just glow, they just glow

You know they just come on, 

come on, come on, come on

They just come on, come on, come on

There is no delusion, to you I don't exist

I am only shadow

Only a ghost can wait as

long as I have for this

And I, I can't wait much longer

'Cause there might be a light

Somewhere in your mind

When you think of you and I

I know there will be a light

It might not burn very strong

But I know it's coming on

It will come on, come on, come on

I sit back.  Breathe and feel my heart sigh...

The Transfiguration

I am changing my mind. This blog is my daily journey through scripture. However I want to begin that format with a significant Church Calendar date. Until then, hear about significant scripture to me. Please engage me with your experiences. Otherwise this blog is for naught. Each passage I will share in the next few days brought me to "God is Love" and "teach me to pray."

I start with "teach me to pray." I find Contemplative Prayer, Meditation, and Prayer in Action, prayer in work ~ ora et labora ~ throughout God's Word. I start with The transfiguration.

I am struck by how often people in Jesus’ company asked him to teach them to pray. I imagine Jesus’ confusion ~ perhaps astonishment is the better term ~ when he realized that his companions perceived barriers when simply trying to pray. I hope that, today, I can simply pray.

Jesus invited a few of his closest friends to join him in prayer. “While (Jesus began) praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah…(Luke 9: 28-36)” One part important to me continues with Luke’s 33^rd line, “Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and, one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them ~ all of them including Peter, John and James ~ and they became frightened as they entered the cloud.”

They were praying when “they entered the cloud” but, perhaps, too frightened to notice; too busy “making three tents” to Be Still in full contemplative prayer with Jesus.

I imagine that every time Jesus prayed, he transfigured. Jesus’ contemplative prayer experience was so different than his friends’ experience upon “entering the cloud” that he must’ve realized 1) his true uniqueness and 2) the depth of “teach us to pray.”

I feel this could be one of the loneliest times for the Man Jesus. I can only imagine how alone the Divine Jesus may still feel when those of us spending so much time walking with Him are intimidated by intimate prayer.

Jesus’ mission is even clearer to him at this time: teach all to pray without fear, to talk with God without fear, to love God and each other so completely without fear. Be prepared to pray “to death, even to death on a cross.”

my heart beats and i sigh