A Life Shaped and Re-shaped by Prayer

Monday, Week 1 - Philippians 1:1-2: Identity

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The letter begins with a standard form of greeting that identifies who it is from and who it is being addressed to, along with words of blessing.  Note that everyone is identified in relationship to Christ.  Paul and his aid Timothy are named as servants (or slaves) of Christ Jesus.  The members of the church community are called saints (literally ‘holy ones’), a term that Paul uses for all who have been baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and who therefore have been claimed, washed, forgiven, reborn into a new life, and identified as God’s beloved children.

Think for a moment of the labels and titles that identify you.  These may be shaped by your work (lawyer, musician, student, retired, etc.), by your family relationships (son, mother, wife, single-adult, etc.), and by other interests and relationships (runner, cook, friend, etc.).  Perhaps write a list.  Which of these identifiers will most give shape to your day, today?  Along with all those other identifiers, remember that you are also God’s beloved. This identifier is not something you have earned, it has been given to you as a gift from God.
  

One way of attending to prayer, is to set aside time each day, to pay attention to that grounding identity. Here’s an exercise you might try.  For a set period of time, perhaps 60 seconds to begin with, sit quietly, breathe deeply, and focus on your breath.  The word for breath in many languages is related to the word for Spirit; for example, in English spirit is at the root of ‘respiration’ and ‘inspire’.  Imagine as you breathe in, that you are breathing in God’s Spirit of belovedness; perhaps think the word ‘Beloved’ with each inhale.  Then with each exhale, imagine that you are exhaling not only CO2, but other toxins in your system like anxiety, fear, and hatred.  Breathe in belovedness,  breath out anxiety; breathe in belovedness, breathe out fear.  Try it at home, in the car, at work; and let this part of your identity give shape to your engagement with the world.

Thank you, O God, for breathing your Spirit into us, and for naming us your beloved.  Inspire us to live our lives ever more grounded in this blessed part of our identity. Amen.