Last week (Sunday Sept. 15th) we met again. I was back & after gathering & opening in prayer we opened the space to share. It turns out that an invitation to meditate on any of the scriptures we had considered already in #love was challenging for most. And it sounded like the challenges included not knowing how much time was needed to meditate, or needing to focus just on that which we were meditating on. And some of that insight was shared also naming that when we focus exclusively on #love (on LOVE, choosing LOVE, seeing in LOVE, thinking of GOD as LOVE — when we focus on LOVE) — all that distracts us quits distracting us. One of the wise voices gathered at the table shared when they are completely focused on love then distractions (like say, fear, jealousy, frustration…etc.) pass away — as though if we have our focus on love we cannot be distracted, just because we don’t have time.
It seems getting to that focus — that #love focus is hard though. It was named that — we need practice, and with practice we can get better at the focus. (Help us Jesus!) And perhaps — perhaps that is part of why we study the Bible in community — perhaps that is part of why we #love (together).
And we moved into scripture, looking at Ephesians 3:14-21, with an emphasis on verse 18-19:
18 I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
And after hearing the selection read three times we listened to each other, hearing the highlights God emphasized to each of us. One person named the collective nature of this scripture — how collectively we have power, how collectively we can know just how much God loves us. Another person shared how the word “power” in the scripture kept sticking out to them — and considered what that word means here though.
The conversation wanted to go further and there were some questions (IMPORTANT questions!) like is it enough if we are just grateful — do we need to move from gratefulness to love — at the end as we were about to pray. The questions were heard though not answered — though these are questions that shape us as we strive to follow Jesus and to #love in our lives.
And before prayer we did get the homework — and yes — there is still time! Considering verses 18-19 we are invited to try and think about just how much God loves us. To know the breadth and length and height and depth of God’s love for us — to be able to name & measure that love. And so the homework was:
- Thinking of Eph. 3:18-19 — think about & JOURNAL (pen to paper — or fingers to keyboard!) how much God loves you. The specific ways — how much does God love you?
- And (as always) there is the invitation to sit in your belovedness! And this week though, because we also heard a story that had been shared in a Daily Bread devotional — we had an image of a niece almost crying & refusing to take a nap because her Aunt had not yet held her that day — she required 5 minutes of holding to be ready for nap time — so, the invitation is to ask God — please hold me!
Blessings & prayerfully see y’all Sunday!
~ Rev. Sabrina Slater