Experiencing Jesus with Bishop Mariann

It’s been said that there is more to life than increasing its speed. We are more in God’s eyes than what we feel we must do. To realize that for God rest is a priority for us surely has the power to shift our perspective even a little bit. Perhaps we can trust what the Book of Common Prayer encourages us to pray is actually true: that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be our strength. May that be true for you, for all of us.

However we sense God’s call to go--to places that frighten or inspire us; to places we would choose gladly or do anything to avoid; to travel across boundaries or to stay put, physically and to deepen where we are--the greatest truth is this: we do not go alone. I hope you know that. I hope you know that Jesus is always with you. And that God doesn’t expect us to get it right all the time, or even to say yes the first time, or the second, or third. But getting to yes, when we sense God is calling us to go somewhere, is, in fact, better than no. Even if where God’s calling us is right where we are, trying to determine the next faithful step.

Bishop Mariann explores three ways that the practice of blessing can draw us closer to God and help us grow in our capacity to love.

Bishop Mariann takes us back to the days after the Ressurection and helps us experience Jesus on our own "roads to Emmaus" in our times of worship and in the celebration of the Eucharist.

Prayer is a vital component of the Way of Love. Prayer does not have to be complex, long, or anxious. Prayer is a time in which we are able to bring our full selves to God trusting that God, with the help of the Holy Spirit, will hear our longings and concerns. So let me give you a bit of my personal testimony: how God spoke to my life in a time of prayer.

Reflecting on Jesus’ life and teaching can shed spiritual light on your life. Jesus says in the Gospel of John that we can only speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen. So let me give you a bit of my personal testimony: how God spoke to my life through a particular story from gospels that hat has become part of my spiritual narrative

Turning is but one of seven practices in the Jesus-focused life. It’s the starting point when we first make the decision to turn toward the one who has come to us. We turn to him in need of forgiveness and strength. It’s a choice we make every day, to turn toward him and then to follow where he leads. But remember, as you turn, that he turns to you, first, and to me, in love.

So often we think of the Christian faith as an obligation, or as a set of beliefs that we must hold. There are obligations and beliefs, but if we get stuck there, we can lose sight of, or never experience at all, what is most important. At its heart, Christianity offers an invitation to experience a loving, personal relationship with God. It’s a relationship we can trust, where we can find refuge and solid ground upon which to stand.

The Way of Love is the journey of a lifetime. It’s a way of knowing God, receiving and sharing Jesus’ love, and being a blessing to the world.