Posted on July 9, 2014
LDP#1 Lectio Divina with John 1:35-39
Thank you so much to the 55 people who went and listened to the podcast introduction on PodOmatic last week!! How amazing is that. Unless it was just five of you who each hit play eleven times. Also entirely possible.
But thank you again, so much, for being here with me.
I realize that listening to on PodOmatic is not the most straightforward format, and I’d really hoped to get it into a much simpler play-format over the weekend. But the technicalities are still winning the battle despite (too) much time and effort on my part to sort it out.
I’m going to hang on in this temporary arrangement for the summer, and use the time to learn and pray about how to make things a bit smoother down the line.
For now, thank you for bearing with me.
This week we’re diving in to the actual prayer experience. The text is John 1:35-39, when John the Baptist points Jesus out to his disciples, and they follow Jesus.
I will always remember Dale Bruner teaching this passage in his course on John’s Gospel at Whitworth College (as it was called back in the day). He stepped out of the lecture room and then popped his hand around the door, with his finger pointing straight ahead. He must have held it there for a while because I vividly remember that hand, and the pointing finger. This was all to illustrate the point of John 1:36. John the Baptist’s purpose in life was to point towards Jesus.
Do you want to give 30 minutes of your week to pray contemplatively with this passage? Might God have something to say to you through this text?
I invite you to set aside the time, find a comfortable, fairly distraction-free spot, hit play and be guided through the prayer time.
If you do the prayer, I’d love to hear how you find it.
You can also leave a comment below about which word or phrase stood out for you, and, if you like, why it was significant for you.
Because this isn’t widely available yet, I feel it is still something of a ‘trial run’. If you have any constructive criticism on anything about the podcast (other than the fact that its awkward to play), I’d love to hear it.
Ideally I will post a podcast every Wednesday over the summer, but I’m not going to kill myself to make it happen. I feel more called to spend my time listening and waiting in God’s presence for insight into the way this project should go.
For now, follow this link to listen to LDP#1
Thanks for being here friends.
The phrase that stood out for me was “he watched Jesus walk by”… I want to have the eyes to see Jesus walking through my life!
Loved sharing this prayer time with Nick last night. (family Lectio is an awesome prospect for the future)!
The phrase that stood out for me was “and they followed Jesus”. I was really drawn to the position of John in this passage, watching them go. Torn between I imagine some melancholy and also joy that it was just the right thing to happen – the best possible outcome. He had been discipling Andrew and the other disciple for just such a moment. It seemed representative too of our role as parents…we disciple our children….and watch for the moment when they choose to start following Jesus directly and first-hand rather than through us.
Bittersweet!
So true Victoria! Thank you for sharing your insight!! Xx
The phrases that stood out for me was ‘standing with’ and ‘they followed Jesus’.
Prayerfully lifting a couple of specific people up who I am standing with and who I long that they too will follow Jesus…..
Thanks for your reflections and encouragement RJB! Xx
Hi Lissy, I loved going all the way back to a post I’d never heard before, because it was almost 10 years, 2014. Wow. What I particularly loved is that so much of your ‘process’ is the same. Holy ground, grounded in love … I love that.
This is just a significant series of verses. Interestingly, the NIVUK version uses “what do you want?” which is perhaps a little more direct … but I was taken by the disciples ‘remaining’ with Jesus. He was what they wanted. His constant presence. Distraction is such a nuisance, isn’t it, in our seeking to ‘remain’ with Jesus.
Thank you, Lissy.
Grace and peace.