A Meditation from Robert
Come To The Table
Revelation 2 (The Message)
To Ephesus
Write this to Ephesus, to the Angel of the church. The One with Seven Stars in his right-fist grip, striding through the golden seven-lights' circle, speaks:"I see what you've done, your hard, hard work, your refusal to quit. I know you can't stomach evil, that you weed out apostolic pretenders. I know your persistence, your courage in my cause, that you never wear out.
"But you walked away from your first love—why? What's going on with you, anyway? Do you have any idea how far you've fallen?
"Turn back! Recover your dear early love. No time to waste, for I'm well on my way to removing your light from the golden circle.”
From September 16-29, 2007 the Christ Church focused on the theme of repentance using the letters to the churches in the book of Revelation as a reference. The Elders asked Diane Coggan to develop a way in which the church could be invited to reflect on the theme. With the help of Don Zeyl and Jeff Olson this team offered a devotional, written by Don Zeyl, as a means of prayerfully considering repentance in their own lives. On Saturday, September 29th the church gathered to prayerfully look back on God’s activity during the this week of prayer. As I was sitting there during the prayer service Saturday evening another Scripture came to mind, Hebrews 12:26-28
At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,”
I smiled as I thought how this focus of repentance brought me to an image of myself that I do not usually have, one of me kicking and screaming as God shakes my little world. I would like to think that I would willingly and courageously follow God. I would like to think that when my world is shaken I calmly express some valiant statement like, “It doesn’t matter what happens to me, I trust God.” Instead, when my world was shaken I felt like the young man in Mark’s Gospel who was with Jesus in Gethsemane. This person when someone from the crowd tried to seize him, and arrest him along with Jesus, he ran away naked.
I thank God that Jesus came and called me back to Himself during that week and had me rest my head on His breast, once again.
Although my world may be shaken again, I have a renewed faithfulness in Jesus' love for me. It is because He loves me that He will always invite me back to Himself. This invitation is the true meaning of repentance.
Revelation 2 (The Message)
To Ephesus
Write this to Ephesus, to the Angel of the church. The One with Seven Stars in his right-fist grip, striding through the golden seven-lights' circle, speaks:"I see what you've done, your hard, hard work, your refusal to quit. I know you can't stomach evil, that you weed out apostolic pretenders. I know your persistence, your courage in my cause, that you never wear out.
"But you walked away from your first love—why? What's going on with you, anyway? Do you have any idea how far you've fallen?
"Turn back! Recover your dear early love. No time to waste, for I'm well on my way to removing your light from the golden circle.”
From September 16-29, 2007 the Christ Church focused on the theme of repentance using the letters to the churches in the book of Revelation as a reference. The Elders asked Diane Coggan to develop a way in which the church could be invited to reflect on the theme. With the help of Don Zeyl and Jeff Olson this team offered a devotional, written by Don Zeyl, as a means of prayerfully considering repentance in their own lives. On Saturday, September 29th the church gathered to prayerfully look back on God’s activity during the this week of prayer. As I was sitting there during the prayer service Saturday evening another Scripture came to mind, Hebrews 12:26-28
At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,”
I smiled as I thought how this focus of repentance brought me to an image of myself that I do not usually have, one of me kicking and screaming as God shakes my little world. I would like to think that I would willingly and courageously follow God. I would like to think that when my world is shaken I calmly express some valiant statement like, “It doesn’t matter what happens to me, I trust God.” Instead, when my world was shaken I felt like the young man in Mark’s Gospel who was with Jesus in Gethsemane. This person when someone from the crowd tried to seize him, and arrest him along with Jesus, he ran away naked.
I thank God that Jesus came and called me back to Himself during that week and had me rest my head on His breast, once again.
Although my world may be shaken again, I have a renewed faithfulness in Jesus' love for me. It is because He loves me that He will always invite me back to Himself. This invitation is the true meaning of repentance.
posted by Pat | 11:08 AM
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