Lenten Writing Project Reboot 2020! Writers' Reflections in the Wilderness of Lent
Friday, February 26, 2016
#15 Wearing the Clothes of Christ
Lenten Writing Prompt #15 “As many of you as were
baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." ~ Galatians 3:27 When you “Put on the clothes of Christ”, what
does your “outfit” look like? You can
write about this literally or figuratively, of course.
She knits as she prays for her friends and family and neighbors. And perhaps because of her prayers their lives come together a little. one loop at a time
He walks as he prays for people he knows who are struggling. And perhaps the ground under their feet is a bit more firm and their journey more clear.
She lights a candle as she prays for the conflicts in the world. And perhaps the light of grace finds its way here and there among the violence.
He cooks as he prays for those in need. And perhaps the bread of life fills one more soul.
She watches the sunset as she prays for those who alone. And perhaps their eyes are surprised by the beauty that has been there all along.
And the prayers of God’s people find their ways into and through our lives and our passions. And perhaps that is how it was supposed to be. Pray on.
The Clothes of Christ Doug Millar I think of the vestments I used t wear during Sunday morning services. I suspect few people understand how special they are from the occupant’s point of view. As you get dressed with each layer, you become one with a history of pastoral service that stretches back 2,000 years. As you take on symbols of cross and stole, you are not yourself. You are a living presence of what is spoken about. In the final transition to the chancel you are no longer yourself but a vehicle, yet uniquely yourself. You get to take all that you know about the past and make it appear in the present. In these present times, my vestments are stored away and many of my crosses are currently being worn by others who pursue their own types of ministry. I guess I can’t get away from it, though. As I teach and interact in an ostensibly secular environment, there always seems to be some aspect in what I do that brings some of my old presence back. I know that it isn’t just me that is helping another person or group. I know and feel that i represent more than myself. It is true in multiple ways. I was helping a group of kids understand aspects of radio communications. I realized that at one time I was in their place and others, now gone, helped me in the same way. We all stand on the shoulders of those who showed us the way. There are also the others in the present who support our efforts. They are a cloud of witnesses who whisper in our ears. They can be parents, friends, and associates in the same interest group, or family. We rarely do anything truly alone. We are surrounded by those who accompany us unseen, but felt. As I find my way in the present time, I feel well clothed by the past and my present cloud of supporters. All of this is an internal presence, and fits me closely and comfortably, with little external to show. Maybe that is what we are supposed to do.
Pray On
ReplyDeleteShe knits
as she prays
for her friends and family and neighbors.
And perhaps because of her prayers
their lives come together a little.
one loop at a time
He walks
as he prays
for people he knows who are struggling.
And perhaps
the ground under their feet is a bit more firm
and their journey more clear.
She lights a candle
as she prays
for the conflicts in the world.
And perhaps the light of grace
finds its way here and there among the violence.
He cooks
as he prays
for those in need.
And perhaps the bread of life
fills one more soul.
She watches the sunset
as she prays
for those who alone.
And perhaps their eyes are surprised
by the beauty that has been there all along.
And the prayers of God’s people
find their ways into and through our lives and our passions.
And perhaps
that is how it was supposed to be.
Pray on.
The Clothes of Christ
ReplyDeleteDoug Millar
I think of the vestments I used t wear during Sunday morning services. I suspect few people understand how special they are from the occupant’s point of view. As you get dressed with each layer, you become one with a history of pastoral service that stretches back 2,000 years. As you take on symbols of cross and stole, you are not yourself. You are a living presence of what is spoken about. In the final transition to the chancel you are no longer yourself but a vehicle, yet uniquely yourself. You get to take all that you know about the past and make it appear in the present.
In these present times, my vestments are stored away and many of my crosses are currently being worn by others who pursue their own types of ministry. I guess I can’t get away from it, though. As I teach and interact in an ostensibly secular environment, there always seems to be some aspect in what I do that brings some of my old presence back. I know that it isn’t just me that is helping another person or group. I know and feel that i represent more than myself. It is true in multiple ways. I was helping a group of kids understand aspects of radio communications. I realized that at one time I was in their place and others, now gone, helped me in the same way. We all stand on the shoulders of those who showed us the way. There are also the others in the present who support our efforts. They are a cloud of witnesses who whisper in our ears. They can be parents, friends, and associates in the same interest group, or family. We rarely do anything truly alone. We are surrounded by those who accompany us unseen, but felt.
As I find my way in the present time, I feel well clothed by the past and my present cloud of supporters. All of this is an internal presence, and fits me closely and comfortably, with little external to show.
Maybe that is what we are supposed to do.