Daily Bread by Jill Carattini

Take approximately 5 minutes to read this shortened version of yesterday's 'A Slice of Infinity'. Post comments to the blog for spiritual collaboration. Please email your prayer requests too.

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:

“Father, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
Give us each day the food we need,
and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation.” Luke 11:1-4 NLT

Slice of Infinity Snippets:
The Lord’s Prayer, which is familiar to many, comes out of this context, out of the praying of Jesus himself. It is not just good advice about praying; it is his praying. Giving his followers this prayer, Jesus, like John, was following a common rabbinic pattern. When a rabbi taught a prayer, he would use it to teach his disciples the most distinctive, concise, essential elements of his teachings. Furthermore, disciples would learn to pray as their teacher prayed. From then on, when a disciple’s prayer would be heard, it would sound like that of his teacher’s prayers, bearing his mark and posture before the Father. Thus, when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we sound like Jesus, we belong to him, and we pronounce the lessons he wanted us most to learn.

Comments:
I am often taken by surprise when my relationship to my daughter teaches me something about my relationship to God. Today's message was one of these moments.

In Exodus 3 when Moses finds God speaking out of a burning bush, God essentially tells him, “I have heard the cries of my people, I have seen their oppression, and I am sending you.” God cares deeply about human need, the world we live in, and the brokenness all around us--so much so that God sends his own children to respond.

When we pray the words Christ told us to pray, we pray out of the same paradox in which he prayed himself. He was both the Son who knew he would need the Father’s provision to get through the days before him and the Son who poured out his life for the crowds and individuals that needed him.

My Flickering Mind by Jill Carattini

Take about 5 minutes to read this snippets version of The previous day's 'A Slice of Infinity'. Follow up by reading TODAY'S SLICE and forward any comments on your faith journey.

But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate.

"Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.

A Slice of Infinity Snippets:
The parable of the prodigal son is typically understood as a story that speaks to us when we have wandered away from God in belief or obedience. It is a story we often apply to a specific time in our lives--a momentous return to faith, a homecoming back to the church, a particular event that caused us to remember God's grace personally and powerfully. It is a parable that at one time or another describes many of us. Perhaps it is also a parable that describes us daily. In the daily struggle to see, the constant battle to be present and conscious of the presence of God in this place, we come and go like prodigals.

The parable tells us that the wayward child had a plan for returning to his father's house: he would confess his sin against heaven and against his father, and then he would ask to be treated as one of the hired servants. He would work his way back into his father's life. But the father doesn't even give him a chance to fully present the offer... With every symbol of restoration, the father who was waiting embraces the son who was lost.

Gripped by the intensity of the massive painting before him, Henri Nouwen found himself becoming "more and more part of the story that Jesus once told and Rembrandt once painted." Yet in Rembrandt's painting we do not find the father eagerly rushing out to greet his wayward son as it is described in the Gospel of Luke. Rather, we find stillness; we find the parable's characters at rest. Rembrandt slows our flickering minds to the scene that captures a thousand words for our daily walk in faith: "Lord, not you, it is I who am absent." In this scene, the son has returned, and he is kneeling before his father in his ragged shoes and torn clothes exactly as he is: the one who insisted upon defining himself apart from his father, the one who was absent. In pursuit of life beyond his father, the child lost sight of life itself.

In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus bids us to slow down and be present, to taste and see, to be still and know: the Father is near. He is here, though we are absent. He waits, though we put off Him off. He grieves over our wandering hearts and minds, moving in grace to embrace those who long to see. He is the God who runs to greet his wavering child, and it is a sight to behold.

Comments:
Let us outstretch our arms to our Father who is waiting for us. May we not be absent.

Henri Nouwen (Mentioned above) is one of my favorite authors. A Catholic priest, now moved from this life to the next, he devoted much of his earthly time to caring for those whom society may deem as less fortunate, retarded or sick. The book eluded to is called, The Return of the Prodigal; it comes highly recommended from yours truly.

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Cougars Daily Weedend Rewind

This weekend rewind is available at
http://www.rzim.org/slice/slicetran.php?sliceid=1589

Welcome God every morning: Read 'A Slice of Infinity' (~5 minutes) The email you're receiving is a 'snippets' version containing a quick synopsis of the 5 minute reading. This synopsis is posted to the COUGARS Daily blog and the blog generates the email to your inbox. I encourage you to read the 'A Slice of Infinity Article AND these daily snippets. Then, consider sharing your gift of faith by posting a comment on the COUGARS Daily blog.

Verses Pertinent to todays reading: "Then your children will ask, ‘What does this ceremony mean?’ And you will reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt. And though he struck the Egyptians, he spared our families.’” When Moses had finished speaking, all the people bowed down to the ground and worshiped." (Exodus 12:26-27).

A Slice of Infinity snippets: "...I often wonder if, in the spirit of the information age, we boast in the promise of endless and instant answers, all the while failing to notice that we are too soon interrupting questions with explanation. Perhaps an abundance of answers has stifled our teens' ability to probe deeply the truths and mysteries of faith. We seldom look for opportunities to practice talking about the things we cease to wonder at. Our children will ask; in our answers may we not interrupt their inquisitive sense of awe."

Chad's Comments: I have a good friend, Dr. Castle, who teaches Chemistry at the Air Force Academy. In sharing time with his colleagues, who are often very materialistic/naturalistic in their world view, Pat will ask a question regarding a chart of human physiology or some like sort; "are you really telling me that you understand how this all works?" To which, if they are honest, Pat will inevitably get the response, 'no-we don't really understand it'. I think all too often we loose our sense of wonder by offering up an answer that, while it may contain facts, is inadequate in expounding on the awe and wonder of the work of God.

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