Abide - Luke 12

Podcast Transcript

Welcome to Abide - a time for us all to pull away together into quiet and into some stillness – a time for us to return home, to return to our source and to our God. And so, if you haven't already, find a place where you can pull away and to be quiet, whether that's sitting in a chair upright, or if it's lying down, or maybe you're even taking a gentle walk. You might want to light a candle - bring a blanket or a shawl to cover you – but begin to settle your body into this moment.

Let's take a nice deep breath in through the nose, and exhale out, just beginning to soften the face. And take another deep breath in through the nose, and exhale out. And you might even lift the corners of your mouth into a gentle smile, knowing that Christ is here with you and I'm here with you.

Let's take one more deep breath in, and exhale out, just relaxing the shoulders, the back and down, quieting herself in this space. Half the battle is over, it's just hard to sit and be quiet and press play, but you've done this and so just trust your choice. Trust the choice to spend these 30 minutes with God and with His Word. And just be open – open to what you might receive here.

For our gratitude practice today, it'll be a little different, as we'll have a little bit of a back and forth with God. In this practice, we're going to use our breath, so we're going to inhale through the nose and exhale out. And as you inhale through the nose, I want you to say in your mind, “I love you”, as if God were saying I love you and you are breathing that love in. And as you exhale out, this is for you to tell God, “Well, I love you”. And then you inhale in, and God says, “I love you”. Then you exhale out, “I love you, God.”

And so, we're going to practice this for two minutes. And it probably will get long and maybe a bit uncomfortable, but we're going to practice sitting in the love of God. And He's actually so grateful and delighted to be with you and tell you that. And so, we'll practice this together, and I'll guide you through it, ok? So, our two minutes starts now.

Let's inhale in, as God says, “I love you.” And as you exhale out, “I love you.” And you take it from here.

As you're noticing your breath; as you're noticing your inhales and your exhales, and you're slowing it down, you might notice that you're bored. Or maybe you're thinking, “I could do something else with my time right now.” And that's ok, because God is saying, “I love you when you're bored. I love you when you'd rather do something else.” So just allow those thoughts to come, and for God to say, “I love you, right here, right now.”

And maybe you notice your thoughts are full of just sorrow or anger, frustration or disappointment right now with God. And that's OK. That's good to bring to the surface. And once again, God says, “I love you in the midst of those thoughts.” And you can love God back in the midst of those thoughts.

Here's your final 30 seconds in this I love you breath practice.

Today's passage is from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 12 verse 22 to 34. Hear these words now:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens. They do not sow or reap; they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”

“Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin, yet I tell you not even Solomon, in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will He clothe you? Oh, you of little faith.”

“And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink. Do not worry about it. For the Pagan world runs after all such things and your father knows that you need them. But seek his Kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out - a treasure in Heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Listen for the leading of the Spirit.

As we read through a second time, we'll pause after a few sentences to sit a little longer with the passage. But I want you to imagine you're sitting with the disciples and the crowd. You're listening to Him speak to you. I want you to notice how gentle and how kind and compassionate his words are. Words like, ‘do not worry’, or ‘consider what's around you’, or ‘you have great value’. Or ‘oh little ones’, ‘little flock’, or ‘don't be afraid’, or ‘the Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom’.

So, I want you to hear his gentle words for us today.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food and the body more than clothes.”

Life is more than...

I wonder what your worry or anxiety is today. It's interesting to spend time in this passage because I've had worry and anxiety about putting this passage together, putting this podcast out. So, worries, concerns, anxieties, they are very much a part of our human experience. And God knows this. And so, let's just take a few minutes to talk to God about what our concerns are. Maybe this semester or our job or relationship within our family? Maybe we're worried about doing a good job with our friends or in our roles? Maybe we're just concerned about the world and all that's going on.

Just take a moment now to breathe, and share with Jesus where your concerns lie, today.

Here Jesus reminds us that life is more than these worries. It's been said that our worries reveal the object of our worship. So, whatever we worship, whatever we treasure, we worry about it, we think about it, we focus on it.

And this time in prayer, this time of meditation is a time to say again, I'm anxious God. Again, I'm here. Again, I surrender. Again, I need your healing in my thoughts, and I need your perspective in my life, in the world.

Life is more than these concerns.

“Consider the ravens. They do not sow or reap; they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”

“Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin, yet I tell you not even Solomon, in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will He clothe you? Oh, you of little faith. Do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink. Do not worry about it.”

Consider... consider how things grow; consider how God provides. Notice...

I'm wondering if we can take a little bit of time to consider, to look a second time or a third time on how God provides for us. Take some time now to think about God's provisions for you - the food that has come to your table; the structure of the building that you're sitting in, possibly in the warmth of the heat; the provision of your organs and your body at work. The Great Provider.

Consider these very small yet very big provisions. You know life is a temporary arrangement, as we see here with the lilies in the grass, and the conditions of life - the conditions of our mind in our heart - they're not dependent on God's goodness. These things change and ebb and flow and nothing can stop the deathless love of God, even with all the ebb and flow.

Consider the provision that God daily attends to you.

Reading on, “Your Father knows what you need. But seek his Kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”

Seek his Kingdom. Or as the Message says, “Steep in the things of God.”

You know God has great compassion for us, and He longs to hear our voice. He longs to hear us speak of our anxieties and our concerns. But He doesn't want us to reside there or make our home in our concerns and anxieties. He wants us to make our home and reside in Him – Him who never changes.

I've heard it said that where your focus goes, energy flows. So, if our focus is with our concerns and anxieties for too long, much energy goes there. But if we can shift and bring our focus into the things of God - touch into the taproot of our heart, the depth of our hearth where home with God is - energy can flow there. Love in abundance. His Kingdom.

Reading on, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourself that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Do not be afraid, little flock. God is so aware of the many concerns you have today, and I have. Many of us say God I’ll not be afraid when this relationship is healed, or when health is restored around the world, or tragedies won't happen anymore, or I'll know my future. And if we wait for our circumstances, if we wait for the conditions of our lives to have ease and to be all straightened out, well, we'll be waiting a very, very long time. For in this world, we will encounter many concerns and worries.

And yet there's a place where we can go. There's a treasure and a Kingdom of God that endures forever, beyond circumstances, beyond shifting emotions. And that's the place we want to invest in God today.

God, we long for our hearts to focus on You. And though many of these concerns are still there and all around us, there is a place that we can be and go and live, where there is peace in the midst of all of these unknowns. We want to go there, lead us there, God. And as we go there each day and surrender our many concerns, and as you clothe us with your peace, may we be your light in the world.

We're not naive to the challenges or the sorrows - the deep, deep grief and unknowns of the human experience - but we do know that life is more than these things. And we worship a God that cares- that speaks to us like we are his little flock, and invites us into a place that will never be taken, will never rot, will never be destroyed.

So, I'm going to read the passage one more time. Let it wash over you and me, and we'll just invite the Spirit once again, to touch us with a word or phrase or a thought that we can carry into the rest of our day.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens. They do not sow or reap; they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

“Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin, yet I tell you not even Solomon, in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will He clothe you? Oh, you of little faith.”

“And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink. Do not worry about it. For the Pagan world runs after all such things and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his Kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out - a treasure in Heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Thank you for your guidance. Would you be our guide into this new year? May your words and voice be our guide. So many other things are guiding us, and taking us in directions that aren't helpful. Will you be our guide? And under your guidance, thank you that you are compassionate and listen, and that you will listen to our thoughts and our concerns and our worries over and over and over again. And in your loving arms, you will guide us to not reside in those worries. But take us to a place, to the deepest part of ourselves where we are connected with you. Take us to a place and into a security and a treasure that will never leave us.

Help us, Jesus, to notice your provisions daily, hourly, moment by moment, providing, sustaining not only us but our families, our friends, the world.

May we steep in you, God, and the things of you. And help us not to be afraid to live confidently in your love in this world in this time. Thank you that you show us the way in full compassion, love and care, and yet strength and guidance to the source of all peace.

So, we close this time saying, “Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Spirit, as it was in the beginning, as it is now and ever shall be, world without end.”

Go in peace my friends.

— End of transcript —