Lenten Devotion 2012
St. Matthias Episcopal Church
www.saint-matthias.org		 Lent : 2012
These daily devotions are written by Episcopalians throughout the Diocese of Colorado. An archive of prior devotions can be found on the Diocese of Colorado's Website, here. You can also get to St. Matthias' homepage here.

The Voice from Heaven

by The Reverend Canon Lou Blanchard

For Your Reading: Mark 1: 9 - 15 
 
At Jesus' baptism, he heard the Voice from Heaven - the Voice which called all  into existence.  The Voice immersing him in incomprehensible love was stirring throughout his being telling him that he is the Beloved and by his very existence was bringing pure delight to the One speaking.  Soaked in love with the word of Belovedness resonating throughout, his Spirit was ignited and he embodied the Belovedness of the Voice.  Being the Beloved became his identity, his purpose, and his mission.
 
Immediately he was hurled into the wilderness by the Spirit of the Voice to be tested by other voices. In this isolated and lonely place, Satan, the accusing and condemning voice, wild and beastly voices of fear and survival, and angelic God-messenger voices swirled inwardly and outwardly for a season.  Exposed to the elements and the myriad of voices, which voice would he believe? Would he remember the Voice naming him as the Beloved or would he begin to believe the louder voices of the moment pulling him from the Voice of his true identity?
 
Rob Bell in his book, Love Wins, defines Hell as the refusal to believe the story God tells about us.  It is the refusal to believe the Voice naming us as the Beloved and allowing the other voices to shape and define us.  Jesus, in his wilderness experience, discerned and believed the Voice who told him who he truly was and is: the Beloved Son.  The time of testing integrated the truth of his Belovedness into all his words and actions so that when he emerged from the wilderness it became not only his identity, but his mission.  He called others to listen and be immersed into the Voice of love, turning to God, and recognizing the Voice even in their wilderness experiences.
 
For Your Prayer: Be quiet and pray with Psalm 25. 
For Your Reflection: What voices swirl around us today? Can we discern the Voice naming us as the Beloved? Do we believe the story God is telling about us? Who do we need to tell about the Voice?
 
The Rev. Canon Lou Blanchard serves as the Canon Missioner for The Diocese of Colorado.

 

 

Lent call us to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word.

 

 

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