Note: If you are not familiar with the meditative style of lectio divina please take 20 minutes and listen to the audio rather than just reading the script.
Today we are going on a journey, a journey of the heart and soul using your mind, your thinking and imagination, to go on a a journey to meet with Jesus.
In order to do this you need to take a position which is comfortable for you, sitting if you can or if you are a person that needs to move place yourself in some space where you are free to move without running into things or disturbing others. If you can, it may be useful to have some paper and a pen handy in case you want to write things down. Pause the recording here till you are all organized.
Before we go on this journey I want you to make a list of all the things that are on your mind right now. Make it mentally in words or images, or on your paper. A list of the things that have happened or might happen that are concerning or worrying you. Pause the recording here till you have done that.
When you have finished either just fold your paper up and put it to one side, or imagine yourself putting those things beside where you will see them when you come back from your journey. You will not be gone that long and they will be there to remind you if needed when you come back.
Now you are ready to travel. Close your eyes, and imagine you are beginning your journey at the entrance to a subway train station. You will enter the station building by going down a long escalator. As you enter the building you step onto the escalator and ride down, down, down into the depths of the building. And as you go down further, and further, instead of becoming darker the light gradually brightens and, ahead of you, you see your favourite place to relax or holiday, any place you would really like to be in and enjoy. And as the escalator ends, you step off it into that place. A place that is warm and light, a place you want to be. Walk around that place. Find a favourite spot. Enjoy it!
Hear the voice of Jesus saying, “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt. 20:28)
Jesus is here, here with you.
Jesus is here, now, with you.
Jesus is here.
Think what he would be like if you could actually see him.
Picture Jesus if you can,
Look at his hands and feet.............. the marks of love are there.
Jesus is here. Jesus is here. Jesus is here, with you.
Welcome him
Worship him.
And (from Eph. 1:1-14; Ps. 139:13,15-16) Jesus says to you:
Blessed be God, my Father;
let us praise God my Father;
let us celebrate God my Father with praises for his goodness
For in me, Jesus Christ, God has blessed you;
in my very person, God has caused you to prosper;
in the gift of me to you, God has given you happiness.
In the gift of me to you God has blessed you with every Spiritual blessing.
In the gift of me to you God has blessed you every good thing that His Spirit can give.
In the gift of me to you God has blessed you with all of the wonder of the fullness of His Holy Spirit, all the Spiritual blessings of the heavenly places.
As He is in heaven now He is also in you.
Before the foundations of this world were made;
before we even began to make this world that you live in;
before time as you know it began,
God the Father, God the Holy Spirit and I, God’s Son, chose YOU;
chose specifically you, to be born.
Out of all the children your parents could have had, we caused you to be born:
for I formed your inmost being,
I knit you together in your mother’s womb.
Your frame wasn’t hidden from me, when you were made in secret,
woven together in the depths of the earth, my eyes saw your body.
In my book were written all the days that were ordained for you
before even one of them came to be.
And God chose you,
specifically you,
so that in me you would be dead to sin through the power of my death on the cross.
With me as your Saviour you would be cleansed and purified by my blood.
And with me as your Lord, you would be alive to God with my gift of eternal life;
united with me through the Holy Spirit.
God chose you so that in me you would be Holy;
pure;
completely free of sin;
set apart for the service of God,
And God chose you so that in me you would be blameless;
faultless;
truly good.
And God chose you so that in me you would be before God in love;
always living in God’s constant love:
always in God the Father’s love,
always in the Holy Spirit’s love,
and always in my love.
God marked you out beforehand for adoption as his child through me:
a complete child of God, just like me;
a holy child,
a good child,
a child living in God’s constant love,
my sibling, my sister, my brother
God’s beloved child.
All this is given freely to you
according to the good pleasure of God’s desire.
It is God’s desire and pleasure that you be His child
For when you are living as His child
your life will bring praise and glory to God,
praise and glory for his free gift of salvation
As God’s child your life will reveal the totally unmerited favour of God which is yours;
God’s free gift to you in me, His Beloved Son.
For in me you have your redemption
the full and completed payment for your rejection of God
In my blood
you have the forgiveness of your sins,
freedom from death and sin
and full restoration of your relationship with God
Theses are the riches of God’s grace that he has lavished upon you.
With all wisdom and insight,
with all the knowledge and understanding you could ever need,
God has made the mystery of his will known to you.
God has made you part of his plans.
It was God’s good pleasure to involved you personally in his purposes;
the future that he set forth in me, Jesus Christ,
For God has a plan for the fullness of time,
to gather up all things in me,
all things in heaven and all things on earth.
In me you have also obtained an inheritance,
in me you are an heir of God,
so that we, as you set your hope in me,
might live for the praise of God’s glory.
This is your destiny according to the purpose of God;
the God who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will.
When you had heard the word of truth,
the good news of your salvation,
and had believed in me as your Saviour,
then in me you were marked with the seal
the sign
the proof of your new status
Marked with the seal which is the promised Holy Spirit;
my Holy Spirit dwelling in you
the indwelling of Holy Spirit God had promised through his prophets
God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in you is the pledge of your inheritance
the sign you are a child and heir of God
the seal of your redemption as God’s own child.
My Holy Spirit dwelling and active in you is the sign which will reveal God’s glory to all:
God’s own Holy Spirit giving you eternal life!
Beloved of God
Child of God
Heir of God
Holy one of God
One with God
This is you, now and forever.
Play the song Heart of God (Amanda Wilson, Gladius Music, SibeliusMusic.com and Lulu.com)
Beloved of God
Child of God
Heir of God
Holy one of God
One with God
This is you, now and forever.
Lord Jesus
thank you for being with me, for saving me, for loving me, and for all that you have given me. I worship you I adore you. Now and forever.
Our journey has finished. When you are ready, open your eyes. You may wish to take time now to write down what you saw and heard to remember and possibly share it with others.
