May 2

Intimacy with God gave Jesus the awareness of living in relation to all of creation. He described this experience of himself as a vine through which life-giving grace flowed outward into his disciples, into the world. Jesus wanted his disciples to be aware that life-giving grace, that the Holy Spirit, dwelt within them, flowed through them, as well.

Some translations of this passage in John’s Gospel read "Abide in me, as I abide in you." The Greek word that is translated as remain or abide connotes the sense of dwelling in a home, living in sustained relationship with someone. This word suggests a human response to the flow of grace. We abide together as guests in the house of God, creation. We remain connected to God and to each other in sustaining relationships that are a source of grace, grace that can flow into us as well as through us.

There are many practices that serve as a doorway into deeper awareness of our dwelling in God’s abode, into living in a sustained relationship with the Divine. Sitting in silence is one way I have found of stepping across a threshold into a deeper consciousness of God’s abiding presence. Walking in the wood or by a lake sustains in me an awareness of the interconnected-ness all of life. I find in these experiences a sense of being at home - and an urge to invite others to know that they are at home as well.