Matthew under the arm 119
Yesterday afternoon, we couldn't find any inn with a bunk because the whole town was full of wedding guests. However, we were invited to attend the wedding. Outside the church, in the square there was wonderful food and dancing. Eventually, the bride came across Columba and I sitting on the wall surrounding the village fountain. She saw Columba's 'Gospel of Matthew' sticking out of his coat pocket. "What do you carry that for?" she asked almost cheekily. "Well, for the same reason as you might carry it with you everywhere. Christ is summoning you to live like him in your marriage. He loved weddings, remember. In marriage, you can learn to be a servant and to suffer on behalf of the one you love. This will lead you to be a servant and to carry the suffering of many."
Matthew 25:1-12….
In the Old Testament, the prophets guided the Hebrews to see that God’s judgement and his love were behind even the catastrophic events of their history. Messiah – a servant 'leader' - would lead the people to a new way of being in faith to God – through suffering and service. Jesus was the realisation of that hope. And so, with Jesus there would always be endings, which would be part of God’s creation and recreation history. Hence in Matthew the importance of readiness for the presence of Christ. The story about the wedding attendant locked into a tradition that living in union with God would be like a wedding banquet: the intensification of loving, serving relationships in the context of delight.
Let the Hope of bringing you into Union with Me, enrich your heart for serving Me in each moment
Despite the fact that many marriages do not work out, nevertheless the hope that they will be symbols of eternity and the delight of union is still strong in the imagination of some. The spirituality of Christianity summons you to be attentive to the potential for union in each moment. The tragedy is that the more awake you are the more you realise how many opportunities you have missed for delight and realising God’s presence. So empathise with the foolish wedding attendants! As you move into silence look at the last 24 hours and become aware of the opportunities that you have used in the most insignificant circumstances. With the sentence, move into the detail and allow God to intensify his Union within you.
+Martin
Argyll and The Isles
Matthew 25:1-12….
In the Old Testament, the prophets guided the Hebrews to see that God’s judgement and his love were behind even the catastrophic events of their history. Messiah – a servant 'leader' - would lead the people to a new way of being in faith to God – through suffering and service. Jesus was the realisation of that hope. And so, with Jesus there would always be endings, which would be part of God’s creation and recreation history. Hence in Matthew the importance of readiness for the presence of Christ. The story about the wedding attendant locked into a tradition that living in union with God would be like a wedding banquet: the intensification of loving, serving relationships in the context of delight.
Let the Hope of bringing you into Union with Me, enrich your heart for serving Me in each moment
Despite the fact that many marriages do not work out, nevertheless the hope that they will be symbols of eternity and the delight of union is still strong in the imagination of some. The spirituality of Christianity summons you to be attentive to the potential for union in each moment. The tragedy is that the more awake you are the more you realise how many opportunities you have missed for delight and realising God’s presence. So empathise with the foolish wedding attendants! As you move into silence look at the last 24 hours and become aware of the opportunities that you have used in the most insignificant circumstances. With the sentence, move into the detail and allow God to intensify his Union within you.
+Martin
Argyll and The Isles
Labels: Delight Opportunity
posted by Martin at 7:46 pm
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