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 A collective reflection on God’s grace and our chances for renewal Friday, March 7, 2025 |
| I need reminding Psalm 23:1-6 There’s a creek in the Canadian canoe wilderness, North of the Minnesota Border. It’s a narrow passage between “highways” of lake chains carved out by the glaciers years ago. Despite being a vacation spot, much of the paddling up there is hard work. You’re either fighting the wind, trying to go further or bemoaning the lack of current that you’re used to in the rivers back home. But not in this creek. It’s nearly choked with moose maples and lily pads. The winding course is only as wide as the canoe in some places, and none of it is straight enough to build up momentum. Your only option is to glide and push your way along. If you are fortunate enough to navigate it early in the morning, you are almost guaranteed to see a moose eating vegetation at the water’s edge. Every time I come through; it’s like my soul exhales in relief. This is the place I picture when I read that “he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength.” I know this location doesn’t fit the shepherding metaphor, but the feeling is there. That feeling of resting in his grace, if only because he’s brought you to a place where you can’t do anything else. The kind of peace that isn’t a lack of conflict, or some escape from the daily grind. It’s being known and invited into comfort and rest and forgiveness. It’s being shown a better pace, reminded of a deeper purpose, refueled for the work ahead. I need reminding that I don’t have to drive 12 hours and paddle for 3 days to come to this place. I also need reminding that we all find communion and rest with God differently. By Ryan Heckman PRAYER FOR TODAY God help me to follow you when you lead me into places of comfort and renewal. Help me to learn better how you’ve made me to do that with you. Show me peaceful streams in my ordinary, every day world. Renew my strength that I might rise each day to follow your lead well. When have you felt nearest to God? How can you create opportunities to experience that more? Is there a way you see a friend connect with God that you’d like to try? The reflections in this collection are offered as a guide to deepen our understanding of God’s grace, to consider the places Jesus walked in his day, and to renew our commitment to our spiritual journey. We begin at the river (March 5 – 8), a theme that echoes throughout the Bible and speaks directly to our path of reflection and renewal. Rivers, in their varied forms, represent life, cleansing, and transformative passage. They can be seen as sources of divine provision or instruments of judgment and chaos. During this season of Lent, we are invited to contemplate the flowing currents of our lives, to examine where we find life-giving sustenance, where we need purification, and what transitions God calls us to make. May these readings guide us toward a deeper understanding of and connection with Jesus. Sincerely, The Journey Team |
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