Week 3 Christmas Challenge: Lectio Liminal.Sample

 'Making Room for the Marginalized' 

Here’s the Infinitum Christmas Plan take on the old discipline of ‘divine reading’. 

First Movement: Peruse. Peruse means ‘read (something), typically in a thorough or careful way’; Before you start, ask the Lord to open the eyes of your heart for this exercise and then read slowly, curiously, and aggressively. Here is the story (NLT):

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.”

38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Second Movement: Weigh. Here are contextual synonyms: ‘consider · contemplate · think about · give thought to · entertain the idea of · deliberate about · turn over in one's mind · mull over · chew over · reflect on · ruminate about · muse on · assess · appraise’). Don’t rush this movement.

Third Movement: Ask. Ask God to confirm or clarify bits you’ve been chewing on and to enlighten you on things you missed that He as for you. In this movement, you might profitably ask about lessons and tips God has from this reading for you in the realm of surrender, generosity, and mission.

Fourth Movement: Muse. Muse—‘be absorbed in thought… gaze thoughtfully at’—is a verb synonym of the Latin word ‘contempatio’. From Google, “The word contemplation is derived from the Latin word contemplatio, ultimately from the Latin word templum, a piece of ground consecrated for the taking of auspices, or a building for worship.” So, in a sense, we are to recognize that we are on holy ground in this exercise (note further that ‘auspices’ means ‘a divine or prophetic token’).

Fifth Movement: Activate. Apply what you have picked up (this might take the rest of the day… or the rest of your life).