A Breath of Fresh Air

I have a prayer place at home. It's in my old IKEA chair by the window overlooking the neighbor's big oak tree. These days I aim to spend about 15 minutes there every morning. Lately, that's been most days, gazing in silence at the sky and oak tree, then reading a few entries from Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander by Thomas Merton.

Merton was a monk in Kentucky in the 1950s and 60s. And this book of his is a collection of entries from his notebook: fragments of thoughts. One is sticking with me. It's a warning about the monastery that "turns in on itself." The warning is as vital for congregations, and for each of us in our own faith and lives. But Merton also warns about opening indiscriminately to the world.

"Yet the air of the outside world is not fresh air. Just to break out and walk down the boulevards is no solution. The fresh air we need is the clean breath of the Holy Spirit, coming like the wind, blowing as He pleases. Hence the window must open, or be able to open, in any direction. The error is to lock the windows and doors in order to keep the Holy Spirit in the monastery. The very action of locking the doors and windows, in that sense, may be fatal."

The practice of daily devotions heeds this warning. It can be a way of opening the windows of the heart to the Holy Spirit, taking a walk in the Spirit's fresh air. Whenever we pray for others, we are turning out from ourselves. Even more so when we pray that God's will, not ours, be done in their lives. Devotions that involve reading scripture or the words of other trustworthy witnesses can do the same. But they can't always be affirming. I also need to be stretched, challenged, or made uncomfortable. My oak tree window must be able to open in any direction.

I often find Merton convicting, a spur to do, be, or change in a way I hadn't previously imagined. The quote above is a perfect example. I find myself weeks later still considering the difference between the fresh air of the Spirit and the world's news cycle, scrolling feed, etcetera.

But when you're first starting, establishing the habit may be the most important part. How exactly you pray or what exactly you read is less important. Many Zion people read Christ in Our Home, the daily devotion booklet that Zion provides for free each quarter. Starting in December and continuing through the winter, confirmation students will be invited to read the whole Gospel of Mark aloud with their families, in bite-sized portions. Each sitting includes the reading, a bit of conversation, and the Lord’s Prayer.

Devotional reading of the gospels changed me. It opened the window and, with a rush of a violent wind, rearranged the furniture of my life. It took about a year, and along the way I had to learn that devotions aren't about earning God's favor. They're about showing up to receive daily bread from Jesus.

You can find the confirmation reading plan on the website, and copies of Christ in Our Home in the front entryway. Advent starts November 29. Try 15 minutes a day through Advent.

Thanks be to God.