Continuing our 25 days of Scripture Reflections for this Christmas Season with Day 2 on the subject of God's Promise.

Scripture:  "In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary" (Luke 1:26-27).

Reflection: God fulfills the promises He made throughout the Old Testament.  The long awaited Messiah is coming! Not in a way we thought He would, but in a way that would save us.  In His way and in His time.  He chose to come into the world in a way that would unite His Divinity to our humanity and our humanity to His Divinity, and it is through this union that we are made new.  Through Mary's obedience, God comes into the world. In the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, God becomes man.  He doesn't send any more prophets.  He doesn't send an angel to deliver us.  He instead sends an angel with a message, a wonderful message - that God Himself will deliver us!  The good news has arrived.  It's time!  God keeps His promises.  

Questions: What is it that I'm waiting for in my own life? Is there any situation going on in my life right now where I could be more obedient to God's will like Mary was?  What is God asking of me at this time? Is He giving me a message today?  Am I willing to see things differently than I expected?  

Prayer:  Dear Lord, you keep your word.  Almighty God, you mean what you say, and you have revealed that you love us.  Help me to grow in your love.  Help me to accept the promise you made to be with us forever and for always.  Please send my heart the message of your unconditional love for me, and prepare my heart for your coming this Christmas.  Jesus, make my life new, and give me the peace you promised your followers.  Amen.   

Join us again tomorrow for another spiritual reflection.  May God Bless you.

This Christmas season, New Way Today invites you to join us each day, for the next 25 days, for Scripture Reflections.  We will post a short scripture reflection on our blog every day, throughout  the season of Advent, which is a time of preparation for the coming of Christ.  It's the perfect time of year to grow spiritually, and this is one way to keep Christ in Christmas. 

At a time of year when the world is very "noisy" and busy with the externals of Christmas, I pray we will enter internally into a dialogue with God. I  hope these reflections will prompt a conversation of heart with God as we too "prepare the way for the Lord" to come into our hearts  (Mark 1:3). I pray we also will make a "straight path" for Him, removing the obstacles that get in the way of our relationship with Jesus, and create a space within our hearts for the Christ child to be born in us.

These daily reflections will be posted on our blog from December 1st to December 25th.  They do not follow any particular pattern and I hope to keep them short and simple.  These are simply my own spiritual thoughts about the true meaning of Christmas, something I pray we will all experience in a New Way this year.

I look forward to growing in my faith this advent season and I pray that you will too.  May God bless you, and everyone near and dear to you, and provide you the grace to know Him in a real, meaningful and New Way, Today.

Healing of Broken Dreams

"Dear Lord, I have always had an image in my mind of what my life would be like.  I had certain expectations and prayers.  I had a particular idea of how things would turn out.  I could picture it.  I could count on it.  It was familiar and comfortable.  I had hope.  I had a dream.  And now I think it’s time for a new one. 

Lord, you alone can move my heart in a new direction that will bring me the peace and happiness I have always longed for. It may look different than what I envisioned but your vision is greater than mine.  You see the whole picture, I only see part. You know what will make me happy.  I don’t.  You truly are the light that will shine in my darkness. Please shine brightly.  Please make my path clear and give me something to look forward to once again.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen."

This is a prayer from our new book, "Prayers For A New Way.  A Prayer Book For The Heart."

Today is the Feast day of "Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe." Today we reflect on the Victory of The Cross.

The Kingship of Jesus, which The Feast of Christ The King calls to mind, brings hope for Christians everywhere.  We share in the victory of the Cross, and through it we can have eternal life.   God Loves us, and He has proven it.

There is a beautiful irony in the Cross.  It looks like the end, when really it's the beginning.  This means something for us.  This day reminds us of the purpose of the Cross and the truth of our own lives ... there is more than what we see.

The world looks at the Cross and sees a defeated man.  We don't.   The world looks at Christ's broken and bloody body hanging on these two pieces of wood and says He was defeated.  We see that He was victorious! The world sees someone who has lost.  We see someone who has won.  The world sees Jesus as a failure up there, helplessly hanging from nails, a condemned man.  We see our Redeemer.  The world looks at Jesus' life ending in a death like that and says He didn't amount to anything after all.  We say Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

While we don't know what it's like to die on a cross, we do know what it's like to be misunderstood.  Maybe we feel unjustly judged by others, who only look at the surface of our lives.  When people judge us, that is exactly what they do - form a conclusion based only on what they see, on what they know, which is always limited. 

Maybe you're feeling defeated.  Maybe, according to the world's standards, it looks like you will never get out of the situation you're in, that your life will never change, that it's too late to have the life you want.  Maybe it appears there is no way out.   Maybe something looks hopeless to you.  Maybe it looks like you lost the battle.  Set your eyes on the Cross and hear Jesus say to you today "it just looks that way."

Death did not crush Jesus.  Jesus crushed death.  His pain and suffering brings life everlasting.  Let's not get discouraged.  Jesus has overcome, and through His death, He opens up a way for us too.  Good things are on the way.  A new life is possible.  God loves you.  There is reason to hope.

If I could speak to Jesus on the Cross this day I would simply say "Thank you."  Thank you for this sacrifice you made for me, thank you for your obedience to The Father's Will and for making all things new in my life.  I would ask Him to help me to let go of the opinions of the world and to focus my attention on Him.  To help me not to worry about what other people think, only what He thinks. To help me not to judge by appearances and to love those who judge me.  Only Jesus Christ The King has the power to help us love one another as He loves us, and I pray He will grant us all this grace in a new way, today.

May God Bless you and everyone near and dear to you.  In Jesus' most powerful name.

 From the Gospel of Mark ...

"Then they came to Jericho.  As Jesus and His disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging.  When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!'  Jesus stopped and said, 'Call him.'  So they called to the blind man, 'Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.' Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.  'What do you want me to do for you?' Jesus asked him.  The blind man said, 'Rabbi, I want to see.'  'Go,' said Jesus, 'your faith has healed you.' Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road"  (Mark 10:46-52).  

In this scripture, Bartimaeus recognizes Jesus.  He may be blind but He has the spiritual insight to know that Jesus is The One he should turn to.  He begs The Lord, "have mercy on me."  He places his hope in Jesus.  He trusts Him.  He doesn't care what the other people think, He just wants The Lord.  He calls out to Him, with humility and great faith.  Even amidst a noisy crowd, Jesus hears him and responds to his faith.   

Jesus asks a simple yet profound question of Bartimaeus, a question He still asks us today.  "What do you want me to do for you?"   

In prayer today, let's reflect deeply on the answer to this question in our own lives.  Yes, I'm sure there are many things we could say.  I myself have a laundry list of things I would love Jesus to do for me, but maybe deep in our hearts we may simply want to "see" Him also.  To get to know Him, to believe He is real, and present with us throughout life.  We may simply want to know that, like in the case of Bartimaeus, Jesus hears our prayers and will answer them.  Or maybe we will have our eyes opened too, and recognize all that Jesus has already done for us.  There is no wrong answer here.  God knows your heart, and He already loves you, no matter what you say.  

Imagine Jesus in front of you, looking at you with love, calling you gently by your name, and saying "What do you want me to do for you?"  When we really give this meditation a chance and open our hearts to God, we may be surprised to learn what it is that we really want.  Perhaps even our answer will be the same, "Lord, I want to see."  

In our own spiritual blindness we have all asked Jesus the question at some point in our lives, "Where are you Lord?" Or perhaps, "Where were you Lord, when I needed you?"  There are plenty of moments in our lives when we don't "see" Jesus the way we want to, when we want to.  But through the eyes of faith, we can still believe He is there, that He is here now, working in us, and on us.  He is shaping us and preparing us.  Just as the crowd told Bartimaeus ... "He's calling you." Jesus will also open our eyes to recognize Him and the new life He offers us.   

With confidence in God's goodness, let's call out to The Lord in our heart of hearts.  With a new spiritual vision let's recognize Jesus as The Light of the world within us.  God has a wonderful plan for our lives, and we don't need to see what it is as much as we need to "see" Jesus who will guide us to it.  Like Bartimaeus, who after receiving his sight, "followed Jesus along the road", may we also follow Jesus in our own daily walk and allow The Light of Christ to guide our steps, in a new way today.

A powerful and practical scripture from Colossians Chapter Three ...

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another.  As the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. 

And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.  And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. 

And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him"  (Colossians 3:12-17).

May God grant us the grace to love and serve Him in this manner, and may He bless you, and everyone near and dear to you, in a new way, today!

"Be Still and Know that I am God."  (Psalm 46:10)

God knows who we are and wants us to know who He is.  This small scripture has a big message.  It
reveals that first of all God wants us to know Him, that it's possible to know Him, and finally tells us how we can come to know Him. In a new way, let's revisit our prayer life and explore what it means to
"Be Still" in silent prayer. 

Silent prayer - What is it?

All prayer is Good! Prayer is the means by which we communicate with God. Through prayer we acknowledge God as our Creator, and appreciate and honor His Goodness.  In Jesus' name, we thank The Father for all that He has given us, we ask for help for our loved ones and we also ask for ourselves ... and it's ok to ask for ourselves!  But then there is this intimate prayer, a unique form of prayer that doesn't take the place of vocal prayer, but only adds to it.  In this type of meditative or contemplative prayer, we unite ourselves more closely with God and are more receptive to listening rather than speaking. We are not only seeking His voice in our hearts but longing to hear His voice in our lives, showing us the way as He provides us the graces we need to follow our path and carry out His plan.

How do we pray this way?

In silent prayer, we simply present ourselves to God.  We come as we are.  No matter what is  going on in our lives, no matter what mood we are in, no matter what's on our mind, no matter how little time we have to spare - we just come.  We respond to the invitation of Christ,  "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  (Matthew 11:28)  Fully and completely, leaving our false self behind, we approach our Creator who loves us unconditionally, just as we are in this moment now. 
 
By setting aside a certain amount of prayer time each day devoted exclusively to God, we are telling Him that He is important to us, that we are interested in getting to know Him better.  Imagine trying to develop a friendship or relationship with someone but never speaking to them or spending any time together.  You wouldn't get to know them very well.  
 
We make time for what is important to us.  So the very act of putting aside five minutes of quiet time to spend with the Lord every day shows Him that He is important to us.  And that's all we do, sit quietly and listen, acknowledging that God is present, and opening up our hearts and minds to Him.  Sounds simple but it takes time to get used to it.  There will be a lot of distractions at first but when we let go of the noise we can hear the Lord better.  No T.V., computer, games or cell phones to interrupt us but instead just a few minutes of silence with The Lord.  God lives within us but His is a voice we drown out too frequently.  In the stillness of our souls, we find rest, because that's where God is.  Silent prayer is the way we get there.  

Why do it?
 
Every human heart has a longing to be loved unconditionally. This longing can only be filled by the one who made the human heart.  When we pray, we seek out the one who is Love.  The One who accepts us, who understands us, who knows us, who cares about us, who doesn't put limits or deadlines or conditions upon us.  The one who just "is" and loves us just the way we are.  We don't have to do anything to earn this Love and we can never pay Him back.  It's a love no other human being can give us.  And it's supposed to be that way.
 
We practice silent prayer to uncover who God is and by doing so come to discover who we are also.  When we acknowledge God as our center, we can discern His plan for our life more easily. The ultimate goal of meditation in prayer is to uncover God's perfect Will and purpose for our lives and unite ourselves with the Love that made heaven and earth.  
 
God doesn't force Himself on us.  We must approach Him, freely.   We have nothing to fear.   God is a Loving Father and by making a habit of practicing silent prayer daily we can come to know His Love in a new way, today.


                                              Reflection Questions we can ask ourselves
 
                                                             Is God important to us?

                                      Are we willing to make time for the One who made time?

                            When we pray, do we do all the talking?  Are we open to listening?

             Do we believe that God is Good and Loving, or do we have some unresolved dispute with Him?

                        Let's re-open the doors of communication and take a few minutes to talk to God, 
                                                                        with or without words.


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"There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for everything under the heavens. A time to be born, and a time to die.  A time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.  A time to kill, and a time to heal.  A time to tear down, and a time to build.  A time to weep, and a time to laugh.  A time to mourn, and a time to dance.  A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them.  A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.  A time to seek, and a time to lose.  A time to keep, and a time to cast away.  A time to rend, and a time to sew.  A time to be silent, and a time to speak.  A time to love, and a time to hate.  A time of war, and a time of peace. What advantage has the worker from his toil? I have considered the task that God has appointed for the sons of men to be busied about.  He has made everything appropriate to its time, and has put the timeless into their hearts, without man’s ever discovering, from beginning to end, the work which God has done"  (Eccl 3:1-11).

What season of your life is happening now?  What "time" is it for you?  Let's meditate on this scripture and what the Lord may be saying to us through it. God is the author, defender and giver of life and life has its twists and turns.  Are you at a turn now?  Are you standing still? Is God calling you to wait or calling you to act?  Everything God asks of us is for our own good, so let's be patient and listen for His voice in our hearts and in the situations of our lives as He guides us on the right path.

God's timing is perfect.  He's never late.  No matter what is happening or not happening, it is always a time for healing and spiritual growth.  This scripture is an encouraging one.  We are called to have hope.  We may need to re-build ourselves but God will help us and heal us and hold us as we walk through these various times of our lives.  He will be with us at every step.  Let's come to Him in prayer now, just as we are, at this time in our lives, and open our hearts to the presence of His Love. 

Let's Trust God with our lives, in a New Way, Today.