Jesus before Pilate ~ Teach me to pray

Ah man…

Listen to this…

Hear the questions...note the type of questions...do they foster conversation or are they closed ~ yes or no answers...questions asked with an agenda...questions asked with only ONE acceptable answer expected by the interrogator...

Pilate said to Jesus,
"Are you the King of the Jews?" 

Jesus answered, 

"Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about me?" 

Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I?
Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.
What have you done?"

Jesus answered, 

"My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting
to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
But as it is, my kingdom is not here." 

So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" 

Jesus answered,

 "You say I am a king.
For this I was born 

and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

~ John 18: 33-37

All right now.  Check this out! Again, the questions…yeah, one question is actually a demand...

The interrogators brought an agenda.

I struggle to find ‘prayer’ here.  Jesus, sadly to me says, “If I question, you will not respond.”

They said, 

"If you are the Messiah, tell us," 

but he replied to them, 

"If I tell you, you will not believe.

  

If I question, you will not respond.”

~ Luke 22:  67 - 68

Ah man…

I cry.

I pray I will pray free of any agenda always.

I pray Jesus will never have to say to me, “If I question, you will not respond.”

I pray I will invite others to pray with me free of an agenda always.

I pray I will hear another's prayer always.

I pray I will live God is Love always. 

I pray I will feel God's Love through another person always. 

I pray (my soul) will leap in (my) womb, and be filled with the Holy Spirit when I am greeted by another always.

I pray (others' souls) will leap in (their) wombs, and be filled with the Holy Spirit when I greet them always.

Teach me to pray ~ Lectio Divina ~ St. Paul's Conversion Story and Mark's Gospel 13

Lectio Divina is Latin for divine reading, spiritual reading, or "holy reading," and represents a traditional Christian practice of prayer and scriptural reading intended to promote communion with God and to increase in the knowledge of God’s Word. It is a way of praying with scripture that calls one to study, ponder, listen and, finally, pray and even sing and rejoice from God's Word, within the soul.

I am kinda envious of the definition you just read because I didn’t write it!  I love the final line, “Pray and even sing & rejoice from God’s Word within the soul.”  

Ah man…

I pray I will sing and rejoice from God’s Word within my soul always.

Alright...alrightalright.

Lots of Scripture in this post!  Pray Lectio Divina and meet me at the end.  I see so many similarities in Saul’s conversion story and Mark’s Gospel.  


Here's my approach to Scripture in my prayer.  It starts the minute I hear the 'subject,' if you will, of the passage:


I bring to mind God is Love & Teach me to pray. 
I introduced this on September 6th as "Teach me to Pray."


How do I remember the passage?
Again, "Teach me to Pray" under one of the many tangents!


How am I feeling right now?
Just this week when I brought The Zebedee Boys to prayer.


I hold onto Jesus' encouraging words, 

"The kingdom of heaven is among you"

within you...

RIGHT NOW...

Emmanuel.

Are there questions asked in the passage? 
Remember the prayer "Teach me to pray ~ exodus prep?"


Alright...alrightalright.  Let's go!

Sit back.

Feel our hearts beat.

Be aware of our breath.

As (Saul) neared Damascus on his journey, 

suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 

He fell to the ground and 

heard a voice say to him, 

"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. 

"Now get up and go into the city, 

and you will be told what you must do."

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; 

they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 

Saul got up from the ground, 

but when he open ed his eyes he could see nothing. 

So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 

For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. 

The Lord called to him in a vision, 

"Ananias!"

"Yes, Lord," he answered.

The Lord told him, 

"Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street 

and ask for a man from 

Tarsus named Saul, 

for he is praying. 

In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come

 and place his hands on him to restore his sight."

"Lord," Ananias answered, 

"I have heard many reports about this man

 and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 

And he has come here with authority

 from the chief priests to arrest 

all who call on your name."

But the Lord said to Ananias, 

"Go! 

This man is my chosen instrument

 to carry my name before 

the Gentiles and their kings 

and before the people of Israel. 

I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. 

Placing his hands on Saul, 

he said, 

"Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, 

who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—

has sent me so that you may see again

 and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, 

and he could see again. 

He got up and was baptized, 

and after taking some food, 

he regained his strength.

~ Acts of the Apostles 9:3-19

whoa...

Let's take a minute to let this rest with us...

The next part might prove to be a challenge...


I already brought to you the passage:  Mark's Gospel 13.  It's about The Son of Man's second coming.

Bring to mind God is Love & Teach me to pray. 

How do I remember the passage? 

How am I feeling right now? 

I hold onto Jesus' encouraging words, "The kingdom of heaven is among you...within you...RIGHT NOW...

Are there questions asked in the passage? 

Take a walk and come back...

Alright...alrightalright.

Sit back.

Let's feel our hearts beat.

Become more aware of our breathing...

Marry our heart beats with our breath...

Jesus said to his disciples:
"In those days after that tribulation
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will be falling from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

"And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds'
with great power and glory,
and then he will send out the angels
and gather his elect from the four winds,
from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.

"Learn a lesson from the fig tree.
When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves,
you know that summer is near.
In the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that he is near, at the gates.
Amen, I say to you,
this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.

"But of that day or hour, no one knows,
neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

~ Mark 13: 24-32

What do you think?  How are you hearing these passages?  How are you feeling right now?  Is the similarities between these passages as strong for you as for me?  Ready to talk about it?  


Let's pray...

In Emmanuel...Have I experienced "The Second Coming of Man?"


Quite frankly...YES!  a resounding YES!  

   ...e v e r y   t i m e   I   p r a y...
      

  alright.

  THAT is a little dramatic, wouldn't you say?  ah man...

  to qualify: every time I feel Emmanuel when I pray

  every time Emmanuel helps my attitude

       evolve more into God is Love.

  every time my behavior reflects God is Love.

I cry.

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...

Mark 10: 35-38 presents the Sons of Zebedee ~ in my heart, "Can I sit at your right hand?"

I ask myself the same question Jesus asked the law Scholar, "How do you read it?"  We prayed with that earlier ~ Teach me to pray ~ Encouragement before we share Exodus and the Canaanite Woman.  Remember that earlier post?


Scripture is read to me everyday.  I read Scripture everyday.  

I hear Scripture differently everyday because I am a different person everyday.

       Somedays I feel inexplicably happy.

       Somedays I feel melancholy.

       Somedays i feel boisterous.

       Somedays I feel quiet.

       Somedays I feel content.

       Somedays I feel mad as hell.
       Somedays I feel hurt.
       Somedays I feel I've hurt another.






I must remember Scripture was written in a different time.

I must remember those hearing Scripture in those different times had a very different world view:

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said to him, 

"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."

He replied, 

"What do you wish (me) to do for you?"

They answered him,

 "Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left."

Jesus said to them, 

"You do not know what you are asking.

~ Mark 10: 35-38

We must remember the folks around God while The Word Was Made Flesh did not have an appreciation...an understanding...a concept... for being in Heaven.  It was not part of their tradition.  "In your glory" RIGHT NOW...IN THIS TIME...WHILE YOU ARE FLESH...very likely means when you're sitting on the throne of our nation as king.

Today, I do have an appreciation for being in Heaven.  It is part of my tradition.  Since I get it, if you will, I casually read Mark as "In your glory in Pure Love in Heaven with God and all the saints."  I can easily chuckle at James' and John's naivete,  "You silly boys..."  and leave the Scripture alone.

BUT, to bring it home...to make it relevant to me NOW...to hear a pertinent lesson...

What are James and John actually asking?  How ‘bout…

“Jesus, when you become King...when you drive out the Romans with the armies you raise and train...Can I be, say...you’re Secretary of State or your Prime Minister.”

"Jesus, when you become supreme priest...when you really put the Sanhedrin and it's Scribes...the Pharisees and the Sadducees in their place...Can I be, say...on the Supreme Court?"

Concrete   measurable   places   of   honor.

Everyone   will  know   I   am   important.

Ah man.  Now this Scriptural Passage presents a lesson to me today.  Because I do this today.  I bring an agenda to the table when I am with someone.  It is human nature.  It is exercising Free Will.  It is extremely human.  I don’t believe we can help it;  BUT, we can be aware of it. But, we can make an adjustment to our attitude.  Like Jesus did with the Canaanite Woman.

Jesus challenges us to be aware of it, “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

Here’s a parable:

I plan to join the new organization at my church called, THE BEST SERVICE and SOCIAL ORGANIZATION EVER ~ BSSOE.  EVERYONE who is ANYONE at my church is is signing up with BSSOE.  I can make a ton of contacts for work.  And, I will be invited to the best parties.  And, I will be well on my way to being elected to the Church Council.

However, I missed the whole meaning of the word "SERVICE" in the title.  It means volunteering a lot of time serving at a soup kitchen.  It means volunteering a lot of time stuffing envelops.  It means going to a lot of meetings.  It means answering a call to drive another member to a doctor’s appointment.  It means…

Pray with me.

What do you think?  What is your take?  How do you apply this Scripture Passage to your life?  

Jesus tells the  Zebedee boys   like   it   is:

“Can you drink the cup that I drink or 

be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"

Jesus tells me   like   it   is:

NOT ONE MEMBER became my client.

I went to two parties:  one played music i didn't like all night and 
the other served food I didn't like.

I did not get elected to the Church Council.

I get called every month to serve at the soup kitchen.  UGH...every month!

I had to bring that guy to his doctor's appointment.  I hope I don't catch what he's got.

That paper cut still hasn't healed.
Those meetings are scheduled during CSI: Miami.  I haven't seen one episode in months.

Here's a question: Is there an advantage, then, knowing we have the reality of Heaven?

Heaven is a given, for me.  Remember our earlier prayer in The Garden?  

God comes to us asking, "Where are you?" Even knowing what we did.  

Jesus waits for us at the tomb asking us by name, 

"Mary, who are you looking for?"  

Even after we humiliated him, denied knowing him, scourged him, nailed him to a tree.

My challenge to knowing the reality of Heaven is I can chuckle at others naive interactions to Jesus and leave it at that.  I can sail through Scripture without listening to my heart...without reading Scripture with God is Love...without listening to Scripture with Emmanuel.


So, I believe another attitude affecting how I read...listen...to Scripture is in the questions, "Do I live to get into Heaven?", and, "Am I accepting Jesus' challenge, 'The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand...within you...right now? in other words, "Do I live to bring Heaven at hand...within me and you...right now?", "Am I living Emmanuel ~ God Is With Us, or I will be with God after I am dead?".

As I shared in an earlier post, I wear an I Minus knotted and tied around my left wrist.  One of those knots symbolizes Chastity, if you will:  I pray I will greet another agenda free.  Does that vow work for me?  Ah man...

Exodus 11 and 12 ~ I am a coward moving forward

I don't know.

Posting a public prayer journal is proving to be too much for me in some arena's.

Exodus 11 continuing through 12  is one of 'em...

I am sorry.

I don't know.  The plagues dominate my Head, if you will; and have for most of my life with God. What's different about this prayer for me is the questions stay in my head.  I struggle bringing the listening through my heart...

A few friends with whom I pray regularly over dinner are coming to the house later.  Maybe I will bring this conflict I have to them.  Maybe we can work through this together...

Maybe some of you can help me out, too.  Email me.

I know exactly what I want to say.  I am not confident I want to commit myself in writing.  It is interesting to me that I talk on this subject candidly in public pretty regularly...

Peace...