Thursday August 25, 2022

Today is Thursday, August 25 and this week we begin praying through the teachings of Jesus found in the Sermon on the Mount.

I catch my breath as first light awakens the tranquil sky. Early in the morning, I turn to Jesus my Lord and yield myself to his purposes and plans for the upcoming day.

Pause and Pray

Holy Lord God, I have come to this quiet place to listen for your voice and learn your truth. Speak to my soul and guide every step to accomplish your will and glorify your name. Amen.

I rejoice in God’s loving kindness and praise him with the ancient words of Psalm 30.

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever. Psalm 30:11-12

Pause and Pray

Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount with eight Beatitudes. The first two are “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:3-4) Christians mourn for the absence of God and long for the joy of his presence. John Wesley, the eighteenth century founder of Methodism, compares this blessed mourning to another statement of Jesus Christ. (Upon Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount: Discourse One, John Wesley) This understanding of mourning for the absence of God is echoed in what Jesus said to his disciples the night before he gave himself up on the cross of Calvary.

Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” John 16:19-20

Once a person has experienced the indwelling presence of God’s Holy Spirit and discovered the unspeakable joy, perfect love and unimaginable peace that enters the soul, there is understandably grief when the Spirit is absent. After the Last Supper, Jesus warns the disciples that he will be going away and they will weep and mourn his loss. The disciples have no idea that a mere twenty-four hours later the unthinkable will have happened and their blessed friend and teacher will be tortured by crucifixion, dead and laid in a tomb. He encourages them that after this painful time, they will see him again. He will be resurrected and their grief will turn to joy.

Ask: When do I grieve the absence of God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit? When has God turned my mourning into joy?

Pause and Pray

Blessed Lord Jesus, as you observed the questions of your disciples, please see my questions as well. Show me what it means to weep for the poverty of my spirit and emptiness of my soul, even though the world around me rejoices with earthly pleasures and creature comforts. Come quickly and do not tarry, remove my grief for the joy of your presence. I read the words from John again and listen for the message you have for me.

Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” John 16:19-20

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

What is God speaking to me through the words of my Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel of John and the Sermon on the Mount? Perhaps God wants me to recognize the places in my spirit that weep and discover the root cause of my sadness. Maybe God wants to remind me that the source of true joy is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ and nothing else will ever satisfy the needs of my soul. Perhaps God is waiting for me to turn my grief over to him so that he can turn it into joy.

Pause and Pray

Come, Holy Spirit, bring your love, peace and joy. Fill me full with your presence and vanquish the negative emotions and vague sadness of an empty heart. I invite you into the deep spaces of sorrow and grief and ask you to teach me the true meaning of rejoicing. Amen.

(He has sent me) to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. Isaiah 61:1-3 (selected verses)

I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. Jeremiah 31:13b

I leave this time of prayer to experience the joy of the Lord and go to share that joy with everyone I meet.

Amen