Appreciating Christ’s Empathy: Lectio Divina, Colossians 3:12-17
Good morning soul shepherds!
I am so honored to be with you here today, as we practice Lectio Divina together.
This is appreciating Christ’s empathy. It comes from Colossians 3:12 -17.
Remembering that God’s love is empathy for us.
That our Lord chooses to listen to us with tender hearted care, understanding our emotions, understanding our process, sitting with us providing that help, that forgiveness, that love, that care.
So, we are invited into listening today. We are invited into experiencing God’s love and empathy for us anew.
Before we begin, I want to remind you that whether you’re practicing with me or you’re practicing with a client, there are three opportunities to engage and listen to the Scripture.
The first time we’re going to ask ourselves what one word or phrase is Holy Spirit impressing upon you?
We’re going to take a few minutes to meditate on that.
We’re going to also ask, what do we feel the second time around? What situation might this be leading us to?
The third time is what is God’s personal invitation to you in this experience? What is God saying to you, inviting you into?
So we’re going to read this three times.
Before we begin, I wanted to show you I have this Eerdmans Book of Famous Prayers, I suspect (I should have looked when it was published), copyright 1983.
There are some beautiful prayers by Thomas à Kempis.
I’m going to read a prayer by John Calvin from France. So if you would like to join me, we’re going to pray before we begin our reading together.
Prayer
Oh, Lord, Heavenly Father, you are the fullness of light and wisdom.
Enlighten our minds by your Holy Spirit, and give us grace to receive your word today with reverence and humility, without which no one can understand your truth.
For Jesus’s sake, in Jesus’s name, Amen.
First Reading
So we will read Colossians 3:12 – 17.
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
Bear with one another.
Be present.
If anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the body, the one body. And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
Teach and admonish one another in all wisdom.
And with gratitude in your hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the Name of Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God, the Father through Him.
Reflection
So as we take some time and you meditate, I wonder what one word or phrase that the Holy Spirit is impressing upon you now?
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, mind, body. That’s so beautiful.
Second Reading
I’m going to read this again. And I want you to really feel the text — feel the new life in Christ.
I invite you to listen this time with that emotional awareness ever present, focusing on your heart’s experience of this passage.
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
Bear with one another.
And if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.
Above all else, clothe yourselves with love, which binds together in perfect harmony, and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
Teach and admonish one another in all wisdom.
And with gratitude in your heart, sing songs, hymns and spiritual songs to God.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the Name of Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Reflection
And so I want you to think and to feel — what do you feel right now?
What specific situation in your life today does this relate? You can write down a prayer or just pray quietly.
Third Reading
Now it’s time to read this for the last time.
I want you to ask God for the personal invitation to you from the Scripture.
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience.
Bear with one another.
And if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds together everything in perfect harmony.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
Teach and admonish one another in all wisdom.
And with gratitude in your heart, sing songs, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the Name of Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Reflection
What is God’s invitation to you?
You can write it down, you can type it out, or simply just rest quietly in the Spirit of Jesus’s presence.
Continue processing this.
I will invite you, throughout the day, to return to that invitation.
To return to God’s work in your life, in your ministry, in your heart, in your emotions — that you are being met and accepting Christ’s empathy.
That you are called into this holy invitation to experience anew Christ’s care and Christ’s love for you.
And so as you walk throughout your day, you are taking with you this invitation that you have heard, that you have asked for.
I can see and feel how this relates to the healing wounded heart classes I am helping with in the jail ministry, and with the wonderful but well wounded women there this week.
The peace of Christ is with you, is with each of you, as you love and as you care for and as you minister to these people.
I am so thankful that each of you submits and surrenders your will, your call, your ministry to Christ’s love, that you do everything in the name of Christ Jesus.
I am so honored, and so thankful for this opportunity to be part of this community of soul shepherds, and part of this work to love the body of Christ so well.
Prayer
I want to end with a prayer by Anslem, who was a religious scholar.
Born in Normandy. Apparently, I’m just sticking with the French here from my Eerdman’s Book of Famous Prayers.
But if you’d like to join me, I’d love to pray for us and pray for our day.
I want to read this special woman’s comment, “That the Lord is telling me now to go forth in his love with fresh gratitude and praise for His mercy and His love and His care, and to share that with others.”
I am overwhelmed.
Okay, let us pray.
Come now, my children. Turn aside from your daily employment, your daily work.
Lord, help us to escape for the short moments throughout the day, from the overwhelm of our thoughts.
From the pain of sometimes living here on Earth.
Help us to remember that on earth as it is in heaven, help us to put aside our weighty cares.
Let our burdensome distractions wait.
As we free ourselves for you, God and rest in you, enter the inner chambers of our soul and shut everything out.
Help us Lord. Help us to seek you.
Help us with our whole hearts, our whole minds, our whole souls, and all our strength to love you.
To say I seek your face.
Lord, it is your face that I seek.
Again and again, Lord, we turn our face to you.
You are our Protector.
You are our greatest empathizer, our greatest cure.
We love you and we praise You and we are so thankful.
In your name we pray. Amen.
I love you all. Thank you so much for taking this time with me today.
