"Holy One, I ask for the desire to pray and meditate regularly on behalf of me community of faith. May we learn patience, tolerance, humility, compassion, empathy, and gentleness. May we abstain from anger, anxiety, compulsive behaviour, discouragement, shame, self-centeredness and ignorance. May we know and follow Jesus more closely, seeking justice, loving kindness and walking humbly."
Colossians 3:1-4
3So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ who is your* life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
1) "...raised with Christ;" "...seek the things that are above;" "...set your mind on things that are above;" "...you have died;" "...your life is hidden with Christ in God;" "...Christ... is your life;" "...you... will be revealed with [Christ] in glory;:" "you life is hidden with Christ in God;"
2) I am so terribly conscious just how many times Paul says something to the effect of "set your mind on things that are above/on spiritual things/on spirit/in Christ." You'd think this was a recurring issue or something... It is so very easy to let our minds wander astray to "things that are on earth." Ego sneaks back in, self-centeredness, anxiety, fear, animosity, resentment, obsession, stubbornness, self-interest, greed, distrust, frustration, ignorance. Ignorance. IGNORANCE. Something happens in the world, the world changes and suddenly we are ignorant again, having to learn 1) that there is something we don't know, 2) what we actually don't know 3) that we need to go outside our own small selves to learn how to respond to the new world. What a trap we get into when we believe that we need to earn our way to Christ. If we have to "earn" our way to Christ, the ignorance is something to be deeply ashamed of because ignorance is an obstacle. But our life is already "hidden with Christ in God." We don't need to earn it. There is no shame in being incomplete, that's how we are made, our completion is in God.
3) What is the invitation in all this? To accept that Paul needs to continually beseech us to return to setting our minds on spiritual things because it is simply our nature to want to set our minds on earthly things. Then to set our minds "on the things that are above" again. Over and over, once course correction after the other.
"Holy One, help us seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at your right hand. Set our minds on things that are above."
Breathprayer: "Your life... hidden with Christ in God."
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