He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation.
For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;
all things were created through him and for him.
He is before all things,
and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he himself might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile all things for him,
making peace by the blood of his cross
[through him], whether those on earth or those in heaven.
In the middle of the passage, this line casually slides by almost unnoticed: He is before all things and in all things hold together. When we think of a circle, we think of it is as existing only on one plane but our existence is not confined to one level as if we were stand in the middle of a circle painted on the ground.
Imagine, if you will, a ball. There are 360 circles that comprise that ball so the center of the ball is completely surrounded. No matter which direction you travel, you will always intersect the outer limit of the circle. There is no escape, everything is within the circle of circles. Christ is the force that holds the circle together for we read that in him all things hold together.
What is outside the circle? He is. He is before all things so he is in the circle and outside it as well. He is, we know every where. Said another way, there is no where he is not.
Encircling prayer is prayer that calls on God to surround to us in protection and support. This is an ancient idea of the Pre-christian Celts who say themselves as totally enveloped in creation. When they converted to Christianity, the concept of being encircled came right along with them. There is, of course, a prayer we all know from the tradition of St. Patrick.
An abridged version prays like this:
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when stand.
Christ when I arise
I arise today
Through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.
We learn from this prayer that we are not just surrounded by Christ, we are engulfed in him and he is above, below and beside is in all directions at all times. We are wrapped up in him, completely sheltered from harm. These view lines are just a short list of all of the thing from which we are protected. The whole prayer runs about 75 lines. Even just praying these lines gives someone like me who wakes each day on the Serengeti surround by hungry lions wondering if I should be running or hiding, this prayer is very comforting.
We live today in a totally alien time. Our daily lives have been flipped upside down and former patterns have been shattered. I never dreamed that the person I pass by on the way to the pharmacy might have just sneezed and in so doing volatilized a million burr shaped ghouls that might just sneak into my nose or mouth putting me on a collision course with a potentially moral illnesses. How about this for another pleasant thought. After I have been exposed but before I showed symptoms, I push open a door at the gas station and the person right behind me puts their hand on the exact some spot? Ugh.
The imagery of being totally surrounded by God's love and protection is beyond comforting. It is soul sustaining. We know that no matter what happens, we will be protected from the virus and even if we contract it and the worst comes to pass, Christ is there to save us from eternal death because of his death and resurrection for our very souls. Christ is everywhere and there is no nowhere. If things are not alright, they will still end up alright. No matter what.
- I arise every day through his mighty strength. We all do.
- Your assignment this week? Share this prayer with one other person.
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