Immanuel, God with Us

It is the last Monday in January.
It has been a week since the US inaugurated a new president.

I wonder, how do these two statements find you today?

As we wrap up the first month of the new year, it seems like a good time to pause and pay attention to our bodies. I invite you to join me today for a breath prayer and a short body scan.

If you’ve never done a breath prayer, the idea is to slowly breathe in and out while praying a particular word or phrase. I’ve offered a short prayer today, but feel free to use different words if you’d rather. This is simply an unhurried way for us to be with Jesus. The body scan piece helps us to name and notice what we are feeling and experiencing in our physical body so that we can assess if any changes are needed.

Let’s begin by planting our feet on the floor, sitting up tall, and taking a slow, deep breath.

As you breathe in pray,  
     Immanuel,

As you breathe out pray,
     God with us.

As you continue to breathe in and out, notice how your body feels today.

• Do you notice any pain? You don’t have to fix the pain, just notice it for now.

Continue to breathe in (Immanuel) and out (God with us) as you pay attention to your body.

Notice if there is any tension in your body.

• Gently roll your shoulders a few times, encouraging them to relax away from your ear lobes.

• Slowly open and close your jaw, encouraging it to unclinch.

• Wiggle your toes and feel the ground below your feet.

Continue to breathe in (Immanuel) and out (God with us). Ask the Holy Spirit to highlight anything you might have missed but need to pay attention to in your body today.

What feelings are you noticing close to the surface?

Take one final deep breath in and release it slowly out through your mouth. Amen.

As you wrap up your prayer time, you might take a few minutes to jot down anything that seemed significant to you today. May you remember today that God is with you—always and in all ways.  

~  Melissa