186 I Am The Resurrection and The Life A Guided Christian Meditation on John 11:22-26

186 I Am The Resurrection and The Life A Guided Christian Meditation on John 11:22-26

I'm Chaplain Jared and I work as a hospice chaplain and an ICU chaplain, my purpose in making this podcast is to help you find more peace in your life and to be more open for your heart to be changed by the Spirit of God. By using centuries old form of Christian Meditation named Lectio Divina:

Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization.

Get into a place where you can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or anything tensing or unrelaxing. If you feel comfortable to do so, I invite you to close your eyes.

Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation:

Breathe and direct your thoughts to contacting God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate, deflate.

Bible verses for Meditation:

John 11:22-26

KJV
22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

ESV
22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Meditation on Scripture:

With such a great season of rejoicing and celebration our memories are created with great strength. Many times these memories are good, other times they are not. Between the months of November and December people connect tragic events to this season for the better part of 20 percent of the year. This may be from death or any other type of separation. As Christians our goal should be to remember the Christmas season as an opportunity to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The tender scene at the manger is so meaningful because of who that baby was and what he would do. Many people I have met have lost people around the holidays. Their loss is felt more intently at this time of year. As an example, when I worked in the ICU in the hospital I attended to the families of 4 patients who were removed from life support. I am keenly aware that Thanksgiving will be forever changed for those families. My heart goes out to people who have lost someone during the Christmas season, including some who have written me messages.

In this same moment we reflect on the words of Jesus. He is the resurrection and the life. We can trust and rely on the word of God. We shall live again with Him. Any loss we currently experience will not be forever. According to the sovereignty and mercy of God we can trust that our common faith will reunite us. We can trust in the mercy of God. Despite this I don’t feel that our normal human feelings should be anything to fear. Earlier in this same passage, Jesus himself wept over the death of Lazarus even though he knew he was going to raise him. All things combine for the good of those who love God. As we follow the example of Jesus Christ we can emulate the way He loved and trusted in the Father. May we continually prepare our hearts this Christmas season to rejoice in the glory of God while dealing with our human feelings. God loves us and loves every person we have known. Even death cannot separate us from His love.
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Meditation of Prayer:

Pray as directed by the Spirit.

Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him.

Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm:

I invite you to sit in silence feeling being patient for your own faults and trials.
Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation and meditate and visualize positive change in your life:
This is a listener funded podcast at patreon.com/christianmeditationpodcast

Updates:

Final Question: How has suffering built endurance and character in you?

Final Thought: This week I was out in the field. I was in the northern US in Massachusetts and it was very cold. I was sleeping in a tent and performing a lot of very challenging physical events such as hiking with fully loaded packs of gear, obstacle courses, and a wide variety of strength tests. When it was over I arrived back at my lodging here at the schoolhouse the day before Thanksgiving. I was sore and bruised all over. I was missing my wife and kids who are across the country. It was an antithetical way of realizing my blessings. My life is so overwhelmingly blesse d. Suffering and blessing are integrally connected. It is because of our challenges that we realize our blessings. Our blessings help support us through our challenges. The greatest blessing of all is the love and grace of God. God loves you.

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