One of the
professional hazards of being a preacher is needing to fill fifteen minutes
every Sunday with words. That is almost
eight hundred minutes a year. Over
twenty-three years of ministry, that means, I have filled almost 18,000 minutes
or twelve days. So, it is good to
slow down and savor just a few words, rather than drone on and on and
on with more words trying to fill space and time, offer just one phrase for you
to sit with each syllable. This is an
ancient prayer practice called, “antiphons”.
These are short sentences, usually taken from scripture. Today, I invite you to sit with this one
verse from Psalm 7:1
“O Lord, my God,
in you I take refuge.”
What do those nine
words initially evoke and provoke for you?
What are the images that come to mind?
What, where, and
from whom do you need to take refuge?
Maybe from a chaotic situation that feels like it is spinning out of
control. Or maybe from feeling like you
have to save everyone from everything right now. Maybe from a relationship, politics, family,
friends, volunteering, or running/racing around. What, where, and from whom do you need
refuge?
What would it feel
like to take refuge? What would you do in
that space? How would you feel? How long would you stay?
You may want to
get out a piece of paper to draw the refuge or describe/define through
words.
What would it mean
today, in this imperfect and grace-filled moment, to be in the refuge of God’s
sheltering love? To breathe and be with
God right now.
You may want to
close your eyes and repeat this sentence several times. You may want to pause on each word letting
that word sink and sing and settled into your soul ~ pay attention to what that
word awakens in your awareness. You may
want to pray this sentence slowly like this:
O
Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
O Lord, my God, in
you.
O Lord, my God.
O Lord.
I pray you take
this sentence with you out into the world today and these words would be for
you a holy structure of stability in such a time as this. Amen.
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