being there.......

Is 55. 1-5

Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labour for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.

In the gospel assigned for today in the Revised Common Lectionary: Matthew 14: 13-21, Jesus feeds the 5000. Most of you have heard the story many times, but if you want a refresher look see, click on the chapter and verse link. While many have expounded on every aspect of this story, I want to focus on the light shed by the above passage from Isaiah. Just as in Isaiah, all that is required to be fed with the loaves and fishes is "to be present". No money needed, just be there and receive.

Now those who know me will tell you I'm definitely not talking about going to church. Nothing wrong with congregating if you like, but I'm talking about attention to our spiritual growth. As a person of faith, I have to "be there" in my relationship with the divine if I want to receive what's being given out. We have to "listen, so that you (we) may live". All well and good Mr. Blogger, but just how is that accomplished?

I'm glad you asked! I think the way we make ourselves present to the divine is by simply "being there". Make some time each day, get quiet (try to turn off the noises in your head as well as the TV) and just "be there" with God. One of my favorite stories about the nature of prayer is the one about the woman who goes to church every day. One day, a friend who had observed her behavior asked her what she did when she was in church. The woman said, "I look at God and God looks at me". There are thousands of other ways to feed our spiritual hunger, but we have to make whichever we find most meaningful a regular (preferably daily) habit.

I can't tell you the best way for you to pray, but with time and persistence you may be surprised to find yourself collecting twelve baskets of left-overs as in the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. In my experience, the rewards of spiritual discipline are abundant. No, not a new BMW, but peace of heart is no small gift. My advice: "be there"!