Sarah Christmyer's Blog, page 4

WHEN THERE ISN’T ENOUGH

 

He did it twice. Fed thousands of hungry people with a few loaves, that is. Twice and still the disciples didn’t get it.

Forget the details? Read it in Mark 6:30–44 and 8:1–21

 

Comparing the two incidents when Jesus feeds the multitudes in the Gospel of Mark, here’s what I see:

Mark 6 (the first time):

Jesus calls the disciples away to rest.A crowd meets them and Jesus has compassion, teaches until it is late.Disciples: Send them away; it’s dinner time.Jesus: You give them food.Disciples: Are we supposed to find money to feed them all?Jesus: Give me what you have.

 

Mark 8 (the second time):

The crowd is hungry.Jesus calls the disciples and presents the dilemma: he can’t send them away.Disciples: Well, there’s nothing here in this desert.Jesus: How many loaves do you have? (7)After distributing those, he takes their fish, too.

 

Then after two breathtaking demonstrations of power and generosity, both times the disciples forget (see 8:14–21).

What’s up with that?

The disciples seem self-centered, blind, uncaring. In Mark 6, their rare time alone with the Lord is disrupted. Enough with these others, they seem to think. Send them away! I can imagine them thinking Come on, Jesus; you, yourself, told us to rest.

In Mark 8, it seems the disciples are part of the crowd. This time, Jesus doesn’t call them to rest, he calls them to himself to notice the needs around them. The disciples don’t share his compassion, though. They see only the desert around them; they see only the lack of food.

Am I the same?

I want to condemn their hardness of heart but instead, as I read I’m convicted:

How often do I jealously guard my expectation of rest, and banish the needs of others? What if the Lord wants to give to me so that others might receive?

How often do I zero in on the impossibility of a situation? On my dryness, or insufficiency? On the overwhelming needs?

When I’m flush with goods and time on my hands, I’m eager to give. But when I’m not: how often do I push the needs of others away, or ignore them? How often do I say to the Lord, “send them away” or “there’s no hope here”?

How often do I forget what he’s done in the past?

How often do I forget who he is?

There is another way

As I ponder these two passages, another comes to mind:

A wedding reception where it’s getting late and there’s nothing left to give.

A mother who notices the need. Who has compassion on the guests. Who simply takes it to her son: “They have no wine.” Then tells the others, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:3,5).

Lord, give me that kind of faith!

 

© 2022 Sarah Christmyer

What do you hear in this story? Come into the Word with me! Listen to Mark 8:1–8; ponder it and allow the Lord to speak to your heart in this lectio divina audio.

 

 

Photo by Kate Remmer on Unsplash.

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INTRODUCING MY NEW COLUMN FOR LIGUORIAN MAGAZINE

I’m pleased to announce my new column in Liguorian magazine, the flagship publication of the Redemptorist Liguori Publications. Every month, I’ll be taking a look at a place where “Faith Hits Home”—specifically, how we can bring Jesus into that space through the word of God.

 

 

In January, for example, in “Stay Connected to the Vine,” I look at the dull, gray start of “ordinary” time in light of the disciples’ experience as Jesus was leaving them. When you look at his “vine and branches” message in John 15 in light of the barren state of the vines they’d be seeing in late winter, you get a good picture of how they must have felt … and of the tremendous potential there is if we can “remain” in the Lord, abiding in him even when everything looks dead outside.

Liguorian magazine has been published for more than a century!  It’s full of  timely pastoral messages to Catholics on matters of the faith, practices, Christian living, and social justice in order to enhance their conversion to Christ. You can take a peek here at this link at the start of each article; to get the full benefit from the online edition, subscribe here.

 

 

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“COME TO JESUS!”—WHATEVER YOUR NEED

Ever since Advent began, I’ve been praying: Come, Lord Jesus!

And come he did, in a whirl of stars and shepherds and “Joy to the World” sung into the night.

But Christmas came and went, and although the baby Jesus took his place in the manger in our nativity set, I didn’t feel like Jesus himself was any closer. At Mass as the gospel was read Sunday, I heard “They have no wine” (Jn 2:3) and I thought, That’s me! I have run out of spirit. Lord, where are you? I need you! Come, Lord Jesus!

 

Fresco in the Cathedral of Tsalenika, from the Church of Saint Saviour, in Georgia (Wikimedia Commons)

 

And he spoke into my emptiness: Sarah: I’m here. Come to me.

Jesus answers our longing

Advent is meant to increase our longing for Jesus, not just for his coming at Christmas, but for his coming again in glory. We cry to him, like it says in Revelation: Come, Lord Jesus! And he answers: Yes – I’m coming soon (22:17, 20).

Whatever the Lord means by “soon,” it doesn’t always feel soon enough. Fortunately, in the meantime, he calls us: “Come to ME.”

Come away by yourself (Mark 6:31).Come and see (John 1:39–41).Come feast on my Word (Matt 4:4).Come eat my Body and drink my Blood (John 6:52–58).Come follow me (Matt 4:19).Come stay with me (Matt 26:40).

If you long to feel the Lord’s presence in a new way, start by hearing his call. He’s waiting in his word and in the sacraments. Look up some of the passages above and pray with them. What do you hear? How will you respond?

Spend time with him in the Word

Maybe one of the following questions resonates with your need. Take a moment to read what Jesus has to say about it. Meditate on the Scripture, “chew” on it and let it become a word for you … in you … transforming you. Speak to the Lord about what you hear. He wants to talk to you! And he wants to come alongside you in your need.

—Are you thirsty with longing?

Come, and I’ll flood you with my living water. (John 7:37–38; Revelation 22:17)

—Are you sick at heart, because you did something wrong?

Come! and I will forgive you and heal you. (Luke 5:31–2; Mark 2:1–12)

—Are you sad? Are you mourning a loss?

Come! and I’ll comfort you. (Matthew 5:4)

—Are you anxious about the future?

Come! and I’ll care for you. (Matthew 6:25–34)

—Are you troubled or afraid?

Come! and I’ll give you peace. (John 14:27)

—Are you over-burdened? Bone-weary with life?

Come! and I’ll give you rest. (Matthew 11:28–30)

 

https://comeintotheword.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Come-to-me-all-who-labor-and-are-heavy-laden-and-I-will-give-you-rest..mp4

 

Jesus is calling you.

Let me give myself to you, he says. Eat and drink; find strength for the journey ahead.

Even in the chaos and the depths I am with you, he says.

Come to me! … and I’ll strengthen and bless you and fill you with joy.

 

© 2022 Sarah Christmyer. All rights reserved.

 

 

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ADVENT: WAITING FOR JOY

“Behold, I am coming soon.” He says it twice in one chapter (Revelation 22:7,12).

Really, Lord? I have to ask. Two thousand years and counting … “soon”?

And he repeats it: “Surely I am coming soon” (vs 20).

Come, Lord Jesus! my heart cries out. Come! Please!

It’s not easy to wait, especially in our need. But Advent plunges us into the waiting, reminds us that there’s something at the end to make it all worthwhile. We are waiting for joy and blessing so great that if we would only fix our eyes on it, like Jesus we’d be able to endure even our daily crosses: the dying loved one. The rumors and false accusations. The unfaithful spouse. The insufficient funds. The discrimination. The attempted “cancellation” of our faith.

This final week of Advent, the Liturgy of the Hours reminds us that we’re not just waiting for something to happen, to save us; we’re waiting for someONE. Every evening it holds up a particular title of our Lord, giving us another bright reason to wait and leading us, step by step, to Christmas:

O Wisdom of God Most High:

Fill us with your truth!

O Lord, giver of the Law:

Guide and strengthen us in doing right!

O Root of Jesse, who revived that Messianic line:

Bring us new life!

O Key of David:

Unlock the bars and free us from sin!

O Radiant Dawn, Sun of justice:

Bring us to a new day; make wrong things right!

O King of the Nations:

End our divisions; rule us in peace!

O Emmanuel, “God with us”:

Come quickly. Be with us in power and love!

In my longing, I ask again: But when? How soon is “soon”?

He for whom a day is as a thousand years must have anticipated that we’d have trouble with the wait. So in Revelation 22, where the Lord is telling John he’ll be here soon, he invites us to come to him even as we beg for his presence:

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. […] (Rev 22:17)

Did you get that? While we’re waiting for him to come again in glory, he says “Come to ME.”

Come if you’re thirsty, and I’ll fill you with living water until you overflow. (John 4:14)Come if you’re weary, and I’ll give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)Come with your sins and I will forgive you. (1 John 1:9)Come with your hurts, and I’ll comfort you. (2 Corinthians 1:3–5)Come with your anxiety and I’ll give you peace. (Philippians 4:4–7)Come and even in the chaos, I’ll be with you and give you my peace. (John 14:27)

Wait for me … and in the meantime, I’ll fill you with joy. (1 Peter 1:8–9)

Jesus may have come and gone once and we may be waiting for him to come again, but he also is with us in real ways during this already-but-not-yet, in-between time of tension and longing for glory.

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen” (Revelation 20:20–21).

God bless you and yours. And may your waiting be met with JOY!

© 2021 Sarah Christmyer

For further reflection:

Any of the passages noted above are worth pondering and praying with as you wait.To pray with the O Antiphons themselves, see Is He Here Yet? Calling for Jesus with the O AntiphonsFor more about the O Antiphons: Celebrating Light: O Come, O Come, EmmanuelIn 2 Peter 3, Peter addresses the pain of waiting directly, encouraging people who are beginning to doubt that Jesus will ever come and explaining how to live in the meantime.

 

Invite Sarah to speak at your next Advent retreat or day or evening of reflection. Inquire here.

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COME, LORD JESUS! — 1st Sunday of Advent

Advent is not a simple season.

Its four weeks are full of festive preparation, yet it’s a penitential time as well. Along the way, it asks us to hold in balance three separate “comings”:

The coming long ago of Jesus to earth, born as a child in BethlehemHis coming at the end of time in joy and glory, preceded by terrifying signs that both anticipate and call for judgmentAnd stretched between these poles and marking our days, his coming in and to and through his Body that is here: the Church and you and me.

 

Fortunately, that first event tells us all we need to know if we are to wait for the second and live the in-between. The secret lies in seeing it through the prism of pregnancy and Mary, who as his human mother is also a sign of the Church as well as mother and model of all believers. Like her, we are to be:

1. Humble

Aware we can do nothing without him (“how can this be?” – Lk 1:34)

2. Receptive

Listening to hear his word and open to receive it (“let it be to me according to your word” – Lk 1:38)

3. Trusting

Knowing in faith that God will make good on his promises (“Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” – Lk 1:45)

4. Preparing

Making space in our lives for him, however ill-suited our situation may seem (she “wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger.” – Lk 2:7)

5. Pondering

Holding what we don’t understand in our hearts, waiting in patient trust for God to reveal it in his time (“All who heard it wondered … But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.” – Lk 2:18–19)

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Like an expectant mother, we can live each moment in readiness, allowing God’s life to germinate in us and be born into the world in his time. He wants to be born in us through our words and actions as we wait for his final coming. That day will mark the end of sorrow and hardship, grief and pain. But until then, his coming daily into our lives brings strength and comfort and joy—for us and overflowing to others.

God will dwell with (us), and (we) shall be his people; and God himself will be with (us); he will wipe away every tear from (our) eyes, death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain nay more, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:3b–4)

‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)

May the grace of the Lord be with you this Advent.

© 2021 Sarah Christmyer

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Solemn Blessing of the First Sunday of Advent

May the almighty and merciful God,
by whose grace you have placed your faith
in the First Coming of his Only Begotten Son
and yearn for his coming again,
sanctify you by the radiance of Christ’s Advent
and enrich you with his blessing.
R. Amen.

As you run the race of this present life,
may he make you firm in faith,
joyful in hope and active in charity.
R. Amen.

So that, rejoicing now with devotion
at the Redeemer’s coming in the flesh,
you may be endowed with the rich reward of eternal life
when he comes again in majesty.
R. Amen.

And may the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, † and the Holy Spirit,
come down on you and remain with you for ever.
R. Amen.

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GRATITUDE MATTERS

You can’t blame them, really. The men who raced toward the Temple were only following instructions. Just moments before, they were lepers: living on the fringes of society, forced to keep a distance from other people, shouting “unclean, unclean!” to everyone they saw. But now—they are healed!

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CodexAureus, Cleansing of the ten lepers. Public domain.

It was all due to Jesus, the rabbi everyone was talking about. When the ten men saw him coming that day, they kept at a distance. They called out, but not to warn him. “Master, have mercy on us,” they cried. He didn’t recoil or rebuke them. In fact, he didn’t do anything at all. Just a simple command: “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” There was only one reason to do that, and that was to be declared clean if you had been healed.

Read the story in Luke 17:11-19

They still had leprosy, but off they went. Because of that faith, they were cleansed on the way. Imagine their joy! Did they notice it first on their own bodies? A lack of itching maybe, or a burst of tingling after being numb? Or did they see the change first in the others? Imagine it! I see ten men stare at each other… then sprint for the hills. Jerusalem, here we come! Each trying to get to the priests first, to show the miracle of resurrected health, to get their ticket back into society and home.

One turned back

All but one, that is. One man didn’t go. The non-Jew among them ran back to Jesus “glorifying God in a loud voice.” The loud leper-cry of warning became a shout of praise. Gratitude refocused his attention and turned him around.

Up to now, all is as it should be. The Jews go to the priests as instructed. The Samaritan (who is not welcome in Jewish society in any condition) returns to the one who healed him. Jesus sends him on his way too, declared well by virtue of his faith. But first, he says something surprising: Where are the others? Weren’t there ten of you? Could no one return and give praise to God except a foreigner?

There’s more to faith than believing

Nine men did exactly as he told them to. Presumably they could offer thanks at the temple. By drawing attention to the Samaritan, Jesus shows us that there’s more to faith than believing something’s true and obeying the rules. Jesus healed their bodies to show them what he longed to do for their souls: not just restore them to the community, but ignite heart-felt worship and a new relationship with himself. Their physical healing was meant to turn them toward the healer.

“Faith is first of all a personal adherence of man to God,” it says in the Catechism, 150. Faith begins in relationship, and it overflows in worship.

How do you give thanks?

I think of how often I fall to my knees and cry out like those lepers to God. I’m in a mess of trouble or the bank account’s empty or my child has wandered away. Sometimes grief or shame isolates me from the community. Turning to God for help is itself an acknowledgement of relationship. But when God answers my prayer: how often do I jump up joyfully like the nine and re-enter life without a nod in his direction? Do I treat him like a cosmic vending machine, or like a Father?

It’s not always convenient to thank. Maybe that’s why Psalm 116 calls thanksgiving a “sacrifice.” Think about this: the “thanks” the Samaritan leper gave to Jesus is, in Greek, eucharisteo. It’s an offering of ourselves in response to the greatest offering of all. It binds us together as one.

Sin (including the sins of pride, selfishness, and pre-occupation) separates us from a close relationship with God the way leprosy barred the Israelites from community and worship. Yes, Jesus wants to heal you. But he longs more than anything to turn your attention to him, to where you can enter back into his love.

What has Jesus done for you lately? Have you thanked him? For what are you approaching him, begging him? When he heals – how will you respond?

 

© 2019 Sarah Christmyer. Previously published on the WINE: Women In the New Evangelization blog.

 

You might also like:

A Psalm for Giving ThanksGive Thanks in Good Times and in Bad

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The REALLY True Meaning of Christmas

There are lots of good books on the meaning of Christmas, and it’s not often I come across something new. But here at the heart of Michael Patrick Barber’s new book, The True Meaning of Christmas, is a gem we all should keep in mind as we approach our celebration of the birth of our Lord:

Just as we shouldn’t take “Christ” out of “Christmas,” we should be wary of removing the “Mass.”

After taking a deep look at what many others have noted—that Jesus was born in Bethlehem (“house of bread”) in a “manger,” or feeding trough, and noting that Jesus is bread for the world—Barber goes a simple and breathtaking step further:

The central meaning of the Christmas story is that heaven has touched down to earth in Christ. This message is not simply about a past event. Christ continues to come to us when we receive him in the Church’s liturgy. Christmas is incomplete without entering into the mystery that continues to be made present in the eucharistic worship of the Church. There the peace announced by the angels can be found” (page 98).

There are many other reasons to read this book, starting with the lovely way each chapter takes its focus from a well-loved Christmas carol and moves on to unpack the Scripture. Barber’s scholarship is first-rate, his style is accessible, and his content never disappoints.

Michael Barber’s book, The True Meaning of Christmas, lives up to its name. I highly recommend it.

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C.R.O.S.S.—the 2nd “S” is for “Salvation”

“Cross” is a short word of only five letters, but break it apart and it contains the whole story of the Bible. C.R.O.S.S.—Creation, Redemption, One nation, Separation, Salvation. The story of the Bible is our story, too, and each of these stages helps us get the “big picture” of our life in Christ. The series begins here.

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A young girl and boy stood at the microphone, talking as though they didn’t see all the children in front of them.

“Are you serious?” the girl asked. “He just came up and shot him? In the back?”

This is not your usual Christmas pageant, I thought. Where they are going with it?

“It’s terrible,” said the boy. “I just don’t know how God could let that happen. Doesn’t he love us? Why doesn’t he do something?”

“Dude, he already did.”

“What? When?”

“I guess I’m going to have to tell you the real story of Christmas.”

And the familiar story began. Children dressed in sheets and robes acted out the angel’s message to Mary, the journey to Bethlehem, the birth of the Christ Child. The shepherds and kings—and even Santa Claus, in this version—sought Jesus out and knelt before the manger. The entire cast broke into a hip-hop Gloria of praise.

A king in a cattle shed. Who would believe it? More to the point, I couldn’t help thinking as the nativity play ended, how does this story answer the boy’s questions? Doesn’t God love us? Why doesn’t he do something?

Gentile da Fabriano, Adoration of the Magi

 

The girl was right. God already did. In the final stage of the story of the CROSS, the author enters the story. The second “S” in “CROSS” stands for Salvation.

What God did—through Jesus

The Jews of first-century Palestine expected God to come save them by raising a powerful king to defeat their enemies and establish peace by the sword. Instead, God came himself—in the person of Jesus. He was a defenseless baby boy, born to poor parents. He grew to be a respected teacher but was crucified like a common criminal in the prime of life. How does that help? Let’s look at what God did through the incarnation of Jesus:

Jesus came as a man.

No matter how hard we look, we can’t see God or touch him or even know who he is without his help. But God “sent his son”—he was born like us, as a human being—so we could relate to God and know him as a loving Father who would rather die than let us self-destruct.

Jesus destroyed death and the power of the devil.

God became a human so he could enter into our suffering, take the burden of sin to the grave, and bury it there. But death was not the end of Jesus. He rose from death, and in the process destroyed death’s power by turning it into the door to eternal life: anyone who is baptized into his death is filled with the new life of his Spirit to live in the hope of everlasting life with God.

Jesus established a kingdom.

During his earthly life, Jesus established a kingdom that transcends nationality and every kind of earthly division. That kingdom is heavenly and eternal but at the same time has “boots on the ground” here on earth. The Church is Jesus’s hands and feet, carrying out his mission of healing and feeding and reconciling people to each other and their heavenly Father.

Jesus remains with us still.

Having once come to earth, Jesus—“God with us”—did not leave us. “I am with you always,” he promised. And sure enough: after rising from the dead and appearing to many people, he ascended into heaven to rule his kingdom in glory. At the same time, he stays close to us: through his Word; by his Spirit living within us; in his Body, the Church; and in his Body and Blood offered to us in the Eucharist.

Mosaic, Institution of the Eucharist, Medjugorje

God doesn’t force anyone into his kingdom. As long as time lasts, there will be those who refuse him and his ways. Sin and suffering will continue to plague the world. But we don’t have to escape the world or our humanity to reach God. We hunger and thirst and cry out in our brokenness, and to each of us he comes as food and drink, as healing and rest and salvation. He walks beside us in our abandonment and pain and says, I’ve been there. Come to me and rest and be satisfied. Get to know me and the hope of my kingdom.

Where are you in the Story?

Do you sometimes wonder where God is in your life? He is with us! Jesus can be born in you spiritually, just as he was born physically in Mary more than 2,000 years ago. Seek him in the Eucharist. Adore him in the Blessed Sacrament. Hear him speak to you through his Word. Share your heart with him in prayer. When sin turns you away, seek his forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Find him in others, and be his hands and feet to help them.

Ponder these promises:

“Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

“For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39)

 

© 2016, 2021 Sarah Christmyer. This series on finding the “big picture” of the appeared originally on the American Bible Society’s leadership blog. Some editorial changes have been made.

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Enter into God’s Story with the Advent tradition of the Jesse Tree, using this free downloadable reading checklist. It gives you one Scripture reading a day for every day of December, starting with Creation and Adam and Eve and tracing through key people and events in God’s plan until it culminates with Jesus at Christmas.

You may also like this series on God’s plan in Scripture, which starts here: God Has a Plan!

Get the “big picture” before you study the Bible with The Great Adventure Catholic Bible Study program. You can read the story of Scripture and journal as you go with The Bible Timeline Guided Journal.

 

 

 

 

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C.R.O.S.S.—the 1st “S” is for “Separation”

How did Israel end up scattered in exile? What happened to the promises of God? And what difference does this make to me?

“Cross” is a short word of only five letters, but break it apart and it contains the whole story of the Bible. C.R.O.S.S.—Creation, Redemption, One nation, Separation, Salvation. The story of the Bible is our story, too, and each of these stages helps us get the “big picture” of our life in Christ. The series begins here.

Jared met Heather at the shelter where he volunteered: abandoned, abused, without a friend in the world. He spent time with Heather, helped her heal, and eventually he married her. Tina blossomed in his love.

It wasn’t long, though, before Tina took Jared’s love for granted. She started seducing other men. “I still love you!” he cried. Have you forgotten what it was, to live that other life? Come back!” In the end it was no use. Tina returned to the streets, where soon she was lost and alone again.

The Old Testament prophets used stories like this to warn Israel that she was cheating on God — and to beg her to return. The history of Israel was a time of progressive alienation from the one who had freed them from slavery and committed himself to them like a spouse. In the story of the CROSS, this is the first S: Separation.

The break-up began in the brief golden age of King David and his son Solomon. David wasn’t perfect. Among other things, he committed adultery and sent an innocent man to his death to cover it up. But his heart was set on God and he humbly sought forgiveness (see Psalm 51). Solomon wasn’t perfect either. He took hundreds of foreign wives and concubines, who turned his heart away from God. The Lord had promised that David’s royal line would last forever. But now he promised to tear the kingdom away from Solomon’s heir, preserving only a remnant for David’s sake.

The kingdom splits

After Solomon’s death, the kingdom split in two. The northern tribes, which kept the name Israel, set up idols to worship and discarded God’s law. Injustice prevailed for two hundred years. God sent warnings through prophets like Hosea, who married a prostitute in a living portrayal of Israel’s relationship with God. In spite of Hosea’s love and faithfulness, his wife ran after other men. Eventually he let her go to them. She ended up abandoned in the desert: a warning to Israel of exile to come.

Those northern tribes did not listen. In 722 BC, Assyria conquered and scattered the people. These are the “lost tribes of Israel.” They never return to their land.

The tribes remaining in the South, now called the kingdom of Judah, do better for a while. But over time they also fall away. They aren’t blatant about their rebellion the way Israel was, and they can’t imagine they’ll suffer the same fate. In spite of their disobedience, God will never leave us, they think. We’re God’s people!

Ezekiel tells a story to wake them up to the truth (see Ezekiel 16): God found them “cast out on the open field” in their infancy. He freed them from slavery and promised to make them his people and be their God.  He blessed them lavishly but like a “brazen harlot” they gave their love to other gods and other nations. Now God will give them up to those “lovers” they sought instead of him.

Like Israel, Judah ignores God’s plea. In 587 BC, God allows Babylon to destroy Jerusalem and take the people into exile for 70 years.

Everything is lost—and yet …

Jerusalem is destroyed, the people are in exile, and it looks as though all the promises of God have come to nothing. But here shines the mercy of God. In spite of their unfaithfulness, God says through Jeremiah:

“I know the plans I have for you…, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Those plans “for good” include exile. When Jerusalem is destroyed, the exiles are preserved in Babylon. Over time they rediscover their heart for God and lose their hankering for the false gods of their neighbors (see Psalm 137).

Through separation and exile, God’s plan still holds: to make them fruitful, to make them a blessing to the earth, and to give them an everlasting king so all people can live under Gods dominion. They will return to the Promised Land. And in the fullness of time, God will accomplish God’s plan in a new way that solves the problem that lingers in their hearts.

FIND YOURSELF IN THE STORY

Where is your heart? Even if you have turned away, God is faithful. It’s never too late to turn back. God loves you and has a plan for good that encompasses even the hard times.

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and … bring you back” (Jeremiah 29:13—14).

Spend a few minutes in  God’s word, meditating on these passages about seeking God only. How do they speak to you?

Hebrews 11:6 (how to draw near to God)Psalm 63 (a beautiful Psalm about seeking God)Isa 55:6 (don’t delay in seeking him)Matthew 7:7–8 (those who seek will find)Psalm 9:10 (God does not betray us)Lam 3:25 (the benefit of waiting for him)

 

© 2016, 2021 Sarah Christmyer. This series on finding the “big picture” of the appeared originally on the American Bible Society’s leadership blog. Some editorial changes have been made.

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Coming next: C.R.O.S.S.—the 2nd “S” is for “Salvation”

You may also like this series on God’s plan in Scripture, which starts here: God Has a Plan!

 

Get the “big picture” before you study the Bible with The Great Adventure Catholic Bible Study program. You can read the story of Scripture and journal as you go with The Bible Timeline Guided Journal.

Filed Under: Bible Reading, Study, Scripture Reflection

 

The post C.R.O.S.S.—the 1st “S” is for “Separation” appeared first on Come Into The Word with Sarah Christmyer | Bible Study | Lectio Divina | Journals | Retreat.

10 WAYS TO KEEP THE WORD IN YOUR HEART

“Blessed indeed is the man …
Whose delight is the law of the LORD,
And who ponders his law day and night” (Psalm 1:1,2)

In other words: You will be truly happy, and you will flourish even when times get tough, if you spend 24/7 filling yourself with God’s word, thinking about what it means, and letting it inform and form you. (Read the rest of the Psalm to see where I get all of that).

Seriously? 24/7? How?

Here are some things I find helpful:

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Ten ways to keep the Word in your heart1. Build a habit of daily reading.

Just like you make time for meals or your daily workout: make it a priority. Feed your soul daily with God’s word.

2. Pray before you read and after.

Work Scripture into your own prayer, make it your own. Let it become part of a conversation with the Lord so he speaks through it to you. It will become more “real” and a part of your life.

3. Read out loud.

Not all of it, necessarily, but the things that strike you. It will help you make them your own.

4. Keep a journal.

Use it first to copy out the Word itself. Choose something you want to remember, write it down with the reference, then write it in your own words. Underline what stands out. Circle key words. The act of writing will help you concentrate and penetrate the meaning and will help it stick in your mind.

5. Learn it by heart.

Memorizing Scripture plants it within us so we can call it up when we need it. Use note cards. Repetition. Sing it! Whatever it takes.

6. Put it where you can see it.

God told the Israelites to write his word on the doorposts of their homes and on their gates, to bind it on their hands and between their eyes (Deut 6:8-9). Out of sight, out of mind!

7. Choose a “verse of the week”…

…or a verse of the day or the year. Work it into your goals or a new year’s resolution.

8. Do what it says.

As Jesus said — blessed are those who hear the word and keep it! (Luke 11:28)

9. Don’t keep it to yourself.

The more you share it, the more it will be yours.

10. Read the Bible before bed.

Let God’s word be the last thing on your mind before sleep, so it can work within you.

Finally, in the words of St. Paul: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).

God bless you as you read his word!

 

© 2021 Sarah Christmyer.

 

You may also like:

God’s Word is Forever! 12 Reasons that Matters3 Steps to a Bible Reading HabitWhich Catholic Bible Should I Read?

The post 10 WAYS TO KEEP THE WORD IN YOUR HEART appeared first on Come Into The Word with Sarah Christmyer | Bible Study | Lectio Divina | Journals | Retreat.