“The Scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame” – Romans 10:11

I wrote in the previous meditation on Paul’s affirmation of the way in which Christ opens up for us a path to understanding just how near God is to us and spoke of the practice of Centering Prayer as a way I’ve been taught to receive this nearness.

I wrote of this practice as “inviting God to inhabit us.”

Now, of course, God already inhabits us. As Paul told the Athenians during his visit there, “in [God] we live and move and have our being.” The practice of silence has the effect of bringing this truth home to me. As I quiet down and am aware of my breath, the beating of my heart, I am aware that these functions are involuntary. They just are. What Paul said to the Athenians is true.

The invitation to God to indwell us, then, is a way of consenting to God’s presence and activity in us, and a way of welcoming God into those depths of ourselves that we are so good at suppressing because consciousness of those depths goes along with shame. Who hasn’t felt unworthy because of family or social pressures to be someone we don’t perceive ourselves to be, or because we are aware of things we’ve done or left undone because of our own fault? Without the possibility of being deeply known and given what we deeply need; either deep affirmation of our worth or deep forgiveness for our faults, what joy can there be in our life?

Paul, echoing the prophet Isaiah, assures us that those who entrust themselves fully to God will not be ashamed. The practice of Centering Prayer, or some other form of invitation to God to live within us, goes along with an increasing awareness that God already knows us intimately, and this knowledge embraces the depths of us, depths where shame lurks. As Fr. Keating told us, the practice of contemplative prayer is a way of letting God love us, and in loving us, heal us. And in healing us, leave us more available to bring a healing presence into the world. It is, as he said, “Divine Therapy.”

This practice has sustained me and continues to sustain me through difficulties.

O God, unto whom all hearts lie open, unto whom desire is eloquent and from whom no secret thing is hidden; purify the thoughts of my heart by the outpouring of your Spirit that I may love you with a perfect love and praise you as you deserve. Amen. (from the prologue of The Cloud of Unknowing, anonymous)
-Fr. Jonathan Weldon

“The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart.” – Romans 10:8b

When you’re down and troubled
And you need some lovin’ care
And nothin’, nothin’ is goin’ right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night.

You may recognize these lyrics from Carole King’s song “You’ve Got a Friend,” which hit the charts in 1971 when I was a junior in high school. The song was recorded that same year by James Taylor, whose version may be as well-known as Ms. King’s is.

Years later James Taylor told Rolling Stone magazine that King had told him that the song was a response to a line in Taylor’s earlier song “Fire and Rain.” That line was “I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend.” King’s response to that line is repeated in the song’s refrain:

You just call out my name
And you know, wherever I am
I’ll come runnin’
to see you again.

Paul writes to these Roman believers calling their attention to what he’s learned after his encounter with the risen Christ, which is that the living God is the God of Jew and Gentile alike. Rescued from a life of religious bigotry, Paul knows this God as near, as utterly gracious. God is as near as our impulse to cry “Help!” Paul invites his readers to trust the risen Christ and, invoking the name of Christ, make their own appeal directly and intimately to God.

Some years back I took time for a silent retreat to practice Centering Prayer, which is a way of silent sitting in the presence of God, inviting God to inhabit us. During that retreat, we had an hour with Fr. Thomas Keating. He assured us that this practice was not about achieving anything, or about performing something to impress God. It was simply a practice in which we try to let go of preoccupations and allow God to love us.

As I practice this prayer I can’t say that I always feel a strong sense of God’s presence. But the more I practice, the more I realize that typically it’s my distractedness that keeps me from this sense of the nearness of God. So I keep on, growing in trust that my distractedness does not negate the nearness of God.

God of the Silence: Calm and quiet my soul at the fount of your loving presence. In your silence, replenish me with a force for love, especially for those who are most demanding. When there is nowhere else to go, inspire me to drop into my heart and find your life-giving grace there, weaving the fabric of human reality into a tapestry of love. Amen.
-Fr. Jonathan Weldon

(Peter Traben Haas, Centering Prayers: A One-Year Daily Companion for Going Deeper into the Love of God.)

“…because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. “– Romans 10:9

As many of you know, I am a convert to Christianity, and I converted in high school through the Episcopal Church in Almaden (ECA). my local Episcopal church in San Jose, California. My path to salvation was windier than a mountain road, and one of the things that made things hard regarding the act of joining a church was that I thought I would be criticized for my non-Christian parents and how I had not managed to convert them. My friend Kyle finally told me to come to church with him, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the people at the ECA were much more concerned with loving me because I was “Jen” than they were with my ability to “win” my parents’ souls. My knowledge of the liturgy by heart comes from Winnie, the soprano I stood next to in the choir, and Fr. Nolan made sure I knew I could ask him *ANY* question. If he didn’t know the answer, he would find it for me. The church shared a building, Sunday school, and a music director with a UCC congregation, so I learned to play nicely with others through their example. By the time I left for college 18 months later, I could “confess with [my] lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in [my] heart that God raised him from the dead” because of their love and their example.

The relationship that the adults at ECA forged with me served as an example for when I became a pastor’s wife. Jon (my former husband) and I *ALWAYS* made an effort to foster good relations with our church kids, and that meant that I got to be a part of them figuring out what they believed and how that fit into the grand scheme of things. One of the most powerful moments for me was sitting with one of my more “inquisitive” Confirmation kids on Good Friday when everything “became real” for her. Many of my church kids are now very involved in their parishes as adults, and I am incredibly thankful to have been part of the process of forming their faiths.

Gracious God, thank you for those who help us along the way in forming our faith. Amen.
-Jen McCabe

“For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.” – Romans 10:10

“For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.” Well, that sure puts things into perspective as far as my faith is concerned. There is an emphasis on proclamation in this passage that is somewhat foreign to my spiritual leaning. I won’t, however, say that it is foreign to my experience. For many years Carol and I lived and traveled in the Islamic world, where the word is always “on your lips and in your heart.” Five times a day, to be exact. I suppose Paul’s linkage of confession with your lips as well as belief in your heart may have come from an Abrahamic tradition of chant and praise — the tradition of the Psalms. Because while I’m not personally inclined to bust out in worship at the drop of a hymnal, going to church and vocally praising the Lord with my fellow worshippers is good for my soul.

Lord, it is well with my soul to know that the word is always near me and that the word is you. Help me overcome my self-consciousness in connecting my heart to my lips in seeking the salvation you offer. Amen.
-Michael Boss

“The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart.” – Romans 10:8b

A couple of years ago, I started the practice of reciting a portion of the ancient Jewish prayer, the Shema. Traditionally, it is said every morning and evening, with the right hand covering the eyes to help concentrate on the message of the Shema, conscious of God’s unity and the unity that underlies all existence. I learned the first few words in Hebrew, trying to hear how Jesus might have sounded as he said the prayer. Allowing the words to sink into my being, I say, “Shema Yisrael, Adonai eloheinu, Adonai echad. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.” I can imagine Jesus offering this prayer, knowing its truth, and drawing strength from it. Starting and ending almost every day with these words has been a comfort and blessing to me in these crazy times.

In his letter, Paul affirms that in the Lord there is neither Jew nor Greek. For those of us who share this belief, we are called to be together in his name in good times and bad. This call across the centuries seems so important these days when Christian stands against Christian in heart-breaking division, all in the name of the Lord of all.

Keeping the Word of God within has given me unimagined peace and afforded a deeper and broader perspective on life than what I get from the words slung around by politicians and fanatics. It has also given me the strength to speak about my faith, a difficult thing for me in the past.

The Word of God is not only within, but also without—“the word is near you.” Knowing that I do not live in a vacuum but rather in a world filled with divine presence has been transformative. Feeling the love of God flowing through me and everyone (whether they recognize it or not) and everything around me fills me with hope, and it is well with my soul.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.” Keep us ever mindful of whose we really are, blessed Lord, and hear us when we call your name. Amen.
-Carol Treston

“We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” – 2 Corinthians 6:2

When I was a child, new to church (having been raised in no church at all), I didn’t know what to make of it. I didn’t know who Jesus was, except that he seemed to like children (“… suffer the children to come unto me”) and sheep (“I am the good shepherd”). While I was sure the Sunday school teachers and ministers were telling me the truth, I didn’t really believe them. I examined my life, and although I can’t imagine for the life of me (at that tender age of eight or nine) what I might have considered all my trespasses to have been, I was sure I was going to hell, regardless of what the Bible, pastor, or teachers told me. It wasn’t my deeds that concerned me; it was my soul. I was convinced I would approach the Pearly Gates a minute late and a dollar short.

Somewhere, somehow, and in some way, over the past fifty-five years since my baptism, confirmation, and ordinations (Deacon, then Priest) I came to let go of the part of my ego that told me my sins and brokenness were too much for God to handle. Personally, I believe thinking I am (or we are) too bad for God gives God a fit of the giggles. I mean, there are a few sins left in my bucket list, if I’m going to be completely honest. So it is in light of that I find Paul’s admonition to his friends quite helpful. “We BEG you on behalf of Christ, be R-E-C-O-N-C-I-L-E-D to God.” In other words, get over yourself. It is well with my soul because we are new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), and God has balanced the books in our favor.

God, I admit I often worry too much about me, and not nearly enough about thee, but you are One whose property is always to have mercy. Have mercy on me, then, and help me know it is well with my soul because you have said so; that settles it. Amen.
– Fr. Keith Axberg