"Sent... through Jesus Christ."

I ask for the grace to pray and meditate faithfully.  I ask for patience, tolerance, compassion, and empathy.  I ask to abstain from anger, anxiety, compulsive behaviour, discouragement, self-importance.  May the season of hope, peace, joy, and love open my heart to transformation and new life.  May my thoughts, words, and actions proclaim justice, kindness, and humility.


Galatians 1:1-5

1Paul an apostle—sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ²and all the members of God’s family who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1) "...churches of Galatian;" "...Grace to you;" "...gave himself for our sins;" "...set us free;" "...evil age;" "...to whom be the glory for ever and ever;" "...sent;"


2) What is our sense of being sent on behalf on another?  How often are we working according to human commission, from human authorities, or our own authority?  How could we deepen our sense of being sent "through Jesus Christ and  God the Father who raised him from the dead"?  How deep is our sense that "the Lord Jesus Christ... gave himself for our sins to set us free"?  How "free" do we feel?  Some days, I can't say I feel terribly free.  I witness some very compulsive behaviour in my community, sometimes an utter lack of freedom to be compassionate.  But, I also see many extreme acts of affection, generosity, and empathy, as well as great joy.  I gather an intellectual acknowledgement that "Christ died for our sins," but do we have a felt sense of the grace freely offered?  How so we live out that sense?  The story seems abstract and distant most of the time.  How do we bring a felt sense of God grace into our daily lives?  I do it through daily prayer and mediation.


3) What is the invitation in all this?  To invite a "felt sense" of the grace freely offered in the story of Christ's death and resurrection.  to let our work be motivated by that "felt sense" rather than driven by our own egos.


"Holy One, make your presence known, daily."


Breathprayer: "Sent... through Jesus Christ."