How does your life glow with the gentleness of God’s presence? In my book Spiritual Direction and the Metamorphosis of Church, I write about a luminous life. Individuals and congregations may through consistent practice of the tools of spiritual direction become transfigured so that God’s presence shines out of our lives. Like a candescent light bulb, the love of God may radiate through our words, mannerism, and character.
The wonder today is how does my life, your life, our lives together through this historic season as war is launch in the Ukraine, pandemic ebbs and flow with infection rates around the world, and we lean more and more into a disposal throwaway society – how is Christ revealed to us and how do we live revealing Christ to others?
The Scripture
This coming Sunday is the last Sunday before the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday. The text is one that highlights for us the reality and potential of Christ’s illumination within humanity. In Luke 9:28-36 Jesus and three of his closest friends experience the luminous indwelling of God.
Eight days after Peter confesses Jesus as the Messiah, he discovers that faith is much more than just profession of belief. Loving God with our whole heart, mind, spirit, and soul (Matthew 22:36-30, the greatest commandment), is an inside job of opening self to be transfigured into even more Christlikeness.
Today’s Prayer Practice
When I prayed lectio divina this week with today’s text, the invitation that I heard from God for the transfiguration of my heart was to illuminate my life so that my granddaughter, who is moving 14 hours away from me, can be assured of God’s communion between us. The illumination of our heart with the tender and gentle presence of God may occur several ways. In fact, depending upon our personality and psychological nature God uniquely invites us to be transformed into Christlikeness in just the perfect manner for each one of us.
Today we consider the practice of dinner prayer to open space within for the transfiguring of our nature. It is no ordinary dinner prayer practice, but one that is based upon the fruits of the Spirit named in Galatians 5:22-26. You are invited to make slips of paper with the fruits of the spirit words. Each word will be on a separate piece of paper. I have created a grid for you if you would like to print this and cut the words apart.
| Love | Joy | Peace | Patience | Kindness |
| Generosity | Faithfulness | Gentleness | Self-control | A Christlike attribute of your choosing. |
After you cut the words apart, place them in a bowl on your dining table. Before a meal draw a word out of the center. Go around the table telling when you have shared the fruit word and when you have received the fruit this day. For example, if the word drawn for the family meal is “love,” when have your shared love this day, and when have your received love this day?
May this diner prayer increase Christlikeness within those around your table.
Enjoy praying.
