Lent 2023 – Post Resurrection – Luke 24 v 13-53
Welcome to our Daily reflections for Lent.
We have provided a number of ways of using these reflections.
- You can listen to it in podcast style by clicking on the first audio file. (approx 18 minutes);
- You can listen to the reflection and the prayers with a shortened length for personal prayer (approx 6 minutes);
- You can read your own version of the Bible and then listen to the reflection, play the hymn in the embedded YouTube clip and then listen to the prayer section;
- You can choose to just read through it and ignore the audio files; or
- any combination of the above.
Full Audio of today’s reflection.
Read Luke Chapter Luke 24 v 13-53. In your own preferred version. The audio uses the NIV.Audio of reflection
“until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
I was delighted to attend the Circuit quiet day shortly before Lent. I commend it to you as something you might like to think about joining for any future ones. It is a time to be still and reflect ahead of the season. The seeds of some of the thoughts I have shared in this set of reflections came to me on that day as I made space to concentrate on God.
As we draw our journey together to an end we take this opportunity to also be silent and reflect on the whole of the journey we have taken with Jesus.
I am blessed to have had many experiences of feeling God holding or encouraging me over the years. As I prepared today’s reflection one especially vivid one came to mind. Many years ago, I attended a house group leaders quiet day. During that day, at a point where we were “scattered” to have a time of quiet on our own, I had a real experience of feeling Jesus present with me. I felt him lifting my head so that we looked eye to eye.
I am not prone to these sorts of vivid experiences and it stills sends warmth up my spine when I think of it. However, despite having cajoled you over the last 40 days to speak boldly about our experiences of Jesus, it is an encounter I rarely talk about. It was both intensely personal and perhaps I fear the potential disbelief and dismissal of it by those I speak of it to. I may speak of it more now that I have spoken of it again and pondered my reluctance to speak of it.
I hope, that as we have traveled through this journey together, we have all made those small spaces in our busy lives to allow Jesus to stand among us and to place his hand upon our lives and lift each of our heads so that we can truly see him. Like the disciples on the road I suspect we often travel with Jesus unawares and then suddenly recognise him by a word or gesture.
As we also read, the disciples had their eyes opened so that they could understand the scriptures. May we be diligent in reading our bibles and making time to spend time in study and prayer so that we too may have the deep and wonderful Gospel truths revealed to us.
I pray we will also be clothed with power from on high as we respond to that great commission to make disciples in all the world. Amen
Hymn: Singing the Faith – 452 “Show me the way of the cross”
Contemplation Words
“ until you have been clothed with power from on high.”Let us pray together.
Contemplative Prayer
Think of the words in order to understand context and meaning, Feel the meaning of the words with and in your heart, Pray, using the words, for yourself or others. With only a name and without explaining the reasons or pre-defining any answers. Listen for God’s voice in the quiet of your prayers. Pray using your own prayers or one of those which have been prepared below.Twitter Prayer
Lord, I thank you for the journey we share together. You are always with me showing me the way as you reveal yourself to the world. AmenFull Prayer
You invite us to travel with you; to have our lives filled with your presence. We thank you that you travel with us in our joys and our concerns.
Amen.
Copyright Notices
Reflections and Prayers
By Chris HancockHymns
Hymn words where displayed are in the Public Domain. Hymn organ recordings where used are from Small Church Music. Copyright notice: Rev. Clyde McLennan, performer in this collection, has assigned his performer rights in this collection to Hymnary.org. Non-commercial use of these recordings is permitted. Other hymns are from YouTube and covered by YouTube copyright processes.Bible Readings
Bible readings are from the New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.Images
Images where used are from pixabay.com and free for commercial use no attribution required.Background Music
The background music in today’s recordings is: Music from Pixabay Relaxing Music Vol.12 – Relaxing Time slightly edited by Chris Hancock as permitted by the Pixabay licence.
