Eucharist-O
I have lots of fun bantering with my kids and grandkids about our favorite sports teams. Right now their teams are doing great, while my teams—not so much. I’m working hard to keep the faith! This morning I was listening to a podcast by someone who had just lost his job in the sports industry. A spoken word in that podcast caught my attention:
In these hard, jolting moments, either you decommit or recommit.
It’s a good word. When life tumbles in on itself, there are only a few options: either you give in and give up, or you dig deep, reinvent yourself and recommit to what makes your heart sing. There are no other options.
As I thought about what was being said by a person living through a challenging existential moment, I was reminded of a line from my mentor, Elton Trueblood, who said the same thing this way:
In life, there are only two options: retreat or advance.
After letting that word settle in, he would set his jaw, look you in the eye, and say, “For us (followers of Jesus), advance is the only way.”
An Invitation to Give Thanks to God Amid a Difficult Time
I’m offering you a practice that can become a habit, a way of life, a lifestyle, as your connection with Jesus grows deeper. For myself, I call the habit Eucharist-O. The name is a playful adaptation of the Greek word eucharisteo, used by the gospel writer Luke to describe what Jesus did during the last supper with his companions. Before he made the ultimate sacrifice for our spiritual freedom, he took bread and eucharisteo — he expressed his thanks.
Giving thanks is a powerful action. When it becomes a habit, it has the chance to deeply alter everything about you and around you. It’s that powerful! I am more convinced in my own experience that this is the indispensable discipline. Lose this, and the rehabilitative, renovating work of the Holy Spirit grinds to a halt. Lose this, and we become grasping. Lose this, and our hearts fill with fear and distrust. Lose this, we become impatient with God and take matters into our own hands. This is why I’m inviting you to join me in retrieving this old discipline that I am playfully calling Eucharist-O.
The rhythm of this practice is simple:
First, a centering word about thankfulness and gratefulness
Second, a centering scripture
Third, an invitation to be still for a few moments before returning to the day’s activities.
Thank you for reading! If you read Compass, you likely are on a journey to a richer, life-altering connection with Jesus. I appreciate all who support, subscribe, and share this independent endeavor with friends and family. If you haven’t already — please consider subscribing and gifting a subscription to someone who would enjoy it.
The Eucharist-O for Friday, November 15, 2024
First: A Centering Word
What to do: read the words from a lecture by John Koessler at the C. W. Lewis Institute three or four times. Pause and breath between each reading. Pay attention to what draws your attention. What are you seeing? What are you believing? What are you doubting?
Next: Read Matthew 11:28-30
What to do: Read the scripture words three or four times. If you have time, perhaps read Acts 27 to see that Paul is on a ship in the middle of a deadly storm in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship is going down. They are in trouble. Read slowly. Pause between reading. Pay attention to what is stirring inside of you. What are you seeing? What are you believing? What are you doubting? What are you feeling? What questions are being raised?
Next: Be Still
What to do: Before returning to your full day, sit in stillness for a few moments. Your soul and imagination were possibly drawn to a word by a person whose life has suddenly tumbled in on itself or by Paul. Perhaps you were drawn to a moment in your life where you regret not being thankful. Maybe you were drawn to a situation that seemed too hard for you. Wherever you were drawn, be there for a few moments. Pay attention to the stirrings deep within, the questions that are forming, or the words that want to be spoken. Give your soul the gift of a few moments of stillness to let memories, questions, words, and prayers form.
Before returning to your day, let what is stirring inside become a conversation with God. The conversation, whatever its mood, is a form of prayer and communication with God who has been waiting for this moment all day.