Did you notice how many times the word "abide" appeared in the Gospel reading on Sunday? Eight times.  Sometimes twice in the same sentence.  I suppose that word would be declared archaic by some contemporary texters.  I think it is a beautiful word -- I have always considered it a cousin to linger, languish, soak.  As such, it has a soft connotation, don't you agree?    


However, I consulted the dictionary and found that it is not a passive word -- there is a sense of activated presence about it:  continue, keep on, persevere, persist, remain

Christ said:  Abide in me, as I abide in you.   If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.


Abiding in Christ is more than stating the Nicene Creed on Sunday.  It is more than occasionally reflecting upon what you heard and said and saw and tasted and touched on Sunday.  


It is about continuing to be "in" Christ.  It is about persevering in faith so that nothing is permitted to draw you aware from the center of your faith -- the Cross.  


So, friend, how are you doing so far this week?  I am doing the best I can.  Yet there are so many other wonderful (or awful) matters that are trying to find time and space in my mental or spiritual space (not to mention their competition for time on my personal hourly calendar).  Perhaps those words about asking for our wishes (for others) to be done are more important than we realize.  


How about if we pray for one another -- all of the others to whom we are connected?  What if we hold one another before Christ in a way that says:  Please, heavenly Father, help ___________  abide in you.  


It seems to me that praying for another's ability to abide in Christ might be a very powerful weapon against our challenges!