Yesterday, February 21, 2020 I used Psalm 80:3, 7, 19 for my centering prayer anchor. "Restore us, O Lord God of hosts, let your face shine that we may be saved.
It was a sunny afternoon and the sunlight shining through the bezel of the stained glass windows on our south wall, either side of the faux fireplace in our living room was casting oval rainbows about 2"X4" around the room and dining room - one of the delights of this space in our home. I am aware of them and how they move and change position through the day and through the seasons. But I wasn't connecting my awareness and appreciation of them with my centering prayer.
Then I noticed one of them moving across my glass icon (thanks Boyles of Central Christian Church in Dallas for bringing it back from a trip to Europe several years ago). As it crossed the face of Christ, I connected with the radiant shine of God's face mentioned in the Psalm. What a delight for today!
For my friends who are not familiar with (or even uncomfortable with) Eastern Orthodox icons, they are not intended to be pictures to look at but windows through which to look for deeper spiritual realities. That this icon is painted on the back side of a piece of glass emphasizes this. No, I do not pray to the icon. Rather in centering prayer, after having meditated on Scripture earlier in the day, the icon (and oil lamp with a flame to remind me how often fire is a sign of God's presence in Scripture) remind me that I am focusing on sitting silently in the presence of Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment