Off Balance

Once upon a time in my younger years, I injured a disc in my lower back. My doc recommended me to a physical therapist who had helped other patients avoid back surgery with exercise. Even though I’ve never described myself as athletic and in general ‘exercise’ is not my activity of choice (I only exercise if it’s disguised as something else, like taking the dog for a walk, or having a conversation with someone while walking, or walking with the goal of actually getting somewhere, or doing my daily treadmill time so that I can listen to my favorite podcasts uninterrupted), I decided avoiding surgery was worth it. So I showed up at the PT place three days a week to learn to exercise for the benefit of my back. The majority of my time there was spent walking backwards on the treadmill. It’s not near as easy as it sounds, either physically or mentally. We can all take a few steps backwards at a time but generally when we do so we are preparing to turn around and face forward as we continue our locomotion.

It took a lot of concentration to make my muscles and joints work in an unusual way for a sustained period of time. It upset my sense of balance and I had to hold on the handrails the entire time. And although over time it did become slightly easier it was never easy or natural like walking forward.

Through our conversations about following Jesus I often say that ours is a faith of movement and going forward. AND, our journey involves times of stillness and times of rest. AND, our journey requires that we are aware of what’s behind us without being inhibited by it. It’s a balance thing.

Time/Life/Seasons/God’s Kingdom continuously moves forward whether we are facing forward or not. Every step, every moment of our journey impacts and influences the next one. We can’t deny what’s come before AND we can only effectively move forward by looking forward. Attempting to walk backwards for sustained periods of time makes us prone to being knocked off balance.

Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Book of Common Prayer, page 100

Jesus offers us the invitation “follow me” not to ignore or deny our past but to show us The Way of life in which we are enabled to continuously live and move and have our being in God.

What behind you is knocking you off balance or distracting you from moving forward?

The Rhythm of Today

Here it is we find ourselves on a Monday morning again, the cycle of God’s creation always moving from one day to the next, one week, month, season, and year. Even with the cooler temperatures of early March, I’m noticing the longer days as we move closer toward the Spring equinox.

Did you know that Easter, the day each year we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, is calculated by the Spring? Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox (see page 15 of the Book of Common Prayer). That’s why it’s on a different day each year. The first time I shared this with someone, they laughed and said I was sounding quite pagan. Sometimes our fancy printed and electronic calendars cause us to lose sight of God’s intended rhythms and cycles.

The cycles and seasons of life, in creation and on our calendars, aren’t intended to keep us in an endless video loop or perpetual Groundhog Day but to ground us in God’s design. Nights with rest prepare us for dawn, the quiet and stillness of dawn enable us to hear God’s voice, the regular work of our days continuously builds God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. The rest and worship of Sunday prepare and equip us for the days of the week to come. Winter prepares creation for the renewal of spring, spring brings rebirth and new growth as we journey through the growing season of Summer into the harvest of Fall.

This year, especially because so many of our own rhythms and cycles and seasons have been disrupted, focusing on the God designed rhythms around us will enable us to remain grounded in God’s Kingdom. As we move into Spring and toward Easter, let’s continue to ask God and ourselves what it is we need to stop looking behind us for.

Jesus once told someone who was contemplating following him, “No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.1” Following Jesus, coffee in hand and a growing awareness of God’s presence with us in all that we do, let’s continue to journey on earth as it is in heaven.

Together with God, let’s look toward what is to come: a new day, this day, today in God’s Kingdom, full of hope and love.

1I highly recommend Os Guinness’s book Carpe Diem Redeemed: Seizing the Day, Discerning the Times.

A Prayer for Today

For the Third Sunday in Lent. http://lectionarypage.net/YearB_RCL/Lent/BLent3_RCL.html

For those who may not know, the prayer that I post every week comes from the Book of Common Prayer and there is a specific prayer for each Sunday of the year (and other special days). I started posting the Sunday prayers on Facebook years ago for the season of Lent.

One of the things I love about our Episcopal liturgy (fancy church word for the pattern of our worship services) is that through it we are tied to every other Episcopal church as well as all churches within the Anglican Communion worldwide. It is a way of remembering that we are part of something so much bigger than ourselves.

And although I do think that these prayers always speak into our lives, sometimes it’s just so painfully obvious with specific current events, it feels like these long used words were crafted for just this moment in time. Like today, for instance.

“Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

We are still in the throws of a worldwide pandemic. While, yes, the number of people who are positive for COVID19 each week is far less than in December and January, they are on the rise again. The good news is that more and more folks are being vaccinated (please, for the sake of all of us, get your vaccine as soon as you are able). But, the health experts and scientists across the country are saying we are not out of the woods yet, and that the reason the overall numbers are down since December and January is that we’ve been wearing masks, avoiding crowded places, physical distancing, and washing our hands. These things are working to get the virus under control and we need to keep doing them.

And, yet, officially, the governor our state of Texas is lifting the mask mandate and allowing all businesses to open at full capacity this next week. In his announcement he was far more animated about reopening and unmasking than he was about his caution to continue to wear a mask and keep distant. This recommendation was lost in the exuberance of the first part of the announcement that Texas is open again.

In the telling of the good news story today, our friend John tells the tale of Jesus encountering people profiting from other’s desire to serve God. These supposedly religious people had imposed their own economy on God’s house. The folks who wanted to serve God had just become another commodity in their transactional worldview, a worldview that brings both physical adversity and spiritual assaults and hurt.

As we follow Jesus both already in and always moving toward God’s Kingdom, Jesus show us that the economy of the kingdom is grounded in loving action and built of relationships. I think so much of the time we forget that without each other and our neighbors, we wouldn’t have businesses to open and manage. People have become just another commodity in the transactional worldview. We use people to get the things we love rather than loving people and using things. We’ve forgotten we are part of something so much bigger than ourselves and in our forgetting we harm our bodies and souls.

And, so, I get to my point about today’s prayer hitting home. This virus is definitely an adversity to our bodies. The debates and arguments about what we as individuals should do assault our souls. Unless I, with God’s help, see this situation through the lens of compassion, I’ll focus on my anger at the governor and I’ll catch myself passing judgement on folks who stop wearing masks and avoiding crowds. And my anger and judgement assaults and hurts all of our souls and so I must decide to let go of the anger and see with compassion the bigger picture because I am part of something so much bigger – I am a beloved child of God living in God’s Kingdom. You are., too. We all are.

People need to get their businesses fully open. We all need more social, in-person interaction than what we currently have. Children and students of all ages benefit from in-person learning. And, as Jesus’ followers, we need to worship together, serve our community side-by-side, and reveal God’s love and compassion in all that we are and do and say and be the visible Body of Christ. AND we need to continue to keep everyone as safe as possible. We need to continue to live in this pandemic with a Kingdom worldview that heals and strengthens.

So, as the official restrictions around us lessen, we come to the question, how can we best show God’s love and compassion? How can we help our community business owners get back on their financial feet and still keep people safe from the virus? As Jesus following business owners and employers, how can we serve our employees, customers, and community and keep everyone safe? How do we do this thing called life with a Kingdom worldview?

Whether we are in a pandemic or not, our guiding question is always, “am I, with God’s help, loving God, my neighbor, and myself to the best of my ability on this situation?” Amen.

Life as God gives it

Yesterday we looked at a story told by the good news story writer Luke that begins with the question “what must I do to gain eternal life”, and provides us with the proper perspective on being a good neighbor and living eternal life here and now grounded in Love.

Today, let’s look at a similar story told by three of the writers of the good news story, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, of a rich man coming to Jesus with this same question, “what must I do to gain eternal life?” For this particular individual, Jesus tells him to sell all he owns, give the money to the poor and “follow me.”

Jesus knew that this man had turned God’s law into a checklist for his own benefit rather than a way of life of loving God and neighbor.

When our faith ancestors told the story of creation, they said that God breathed life into us. It wasn’t anything external to us – not the sun, moon, or stars, nor the plants or animals or fish or birds – that brought us to life but the very breath of God. Life comes from the God image within all of us.

But it didn’t take long for we humans to decide that we preferred to look upon the external things to define life: All the things, if we just got them, we’d be livin’ the life, for sure … until we get them and then we need the next thing because we still don’t feel like we’re living (because we are looking for life in all the wrong places). It’s not that we don’t need external things – food, water, shelter, clothes, etc., and these external things do sustain the life God has given us, but we can’t find life as God gives it in material things and fortunes.

Jesus knew the man who asked how to get eternal life defined life by what he had rather than who God created him to be and so Jesus asked him to give up what had gotten in the way.

Are you starting to become aware of things (or thoughts or ideologies or habits) that have gotten in the way of living life as God intends it? Be gentle on yourself, we all have them and recognizing them and keeping them out of the way is ongoing work, which is why we pray God keep us in eternal life because we need God’s help to do it.

Keep us in Eternal Life

The phrase “keep us in Eternal Life” is used at various times in the prayers books of the Anglican Communion. In the Episcopal Church, we use it as part of the absolution of sins and in the Church of England it is one of the phrases spoken while giving the bread and wine of Holy Communion.

When you use or hear the word ‘eternal’ where does your mind take you? Do you think of some time in the future that only God knows? Do you think of the time after death? Or do you think of the here and now?

Eternal has no beginning or end it just is. Our life in God, who is eternal, doesn’t begin or end it just is. Whether or not an individual believes or acknowledges or accepts God doesn’t negate that God create us and the universe and all that is.

So, when we ask God to keep us in eternal life, just what are we asking?

One of the writers of the good news story, Luke, provides us with a tale in which someone asks Jesus, “what must I do to gain eternal life.” Jesus, as he often does, turns the question back to the man and asks him what does the law say and how does he interpret it? The man says “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus tells him that if he does this (love God, neighbor, and self) he will live. Not “someday” or “you will have earned it” or even “live forever” but you will live. In God’s Kingdom to live is to love and to love is to live. In God’s Kingdom love is God-centric and other-focused. This kind of Love can be challenging and difficult, so the man tried to find a loop-hole and asks Jesus to define ‘neighbor’.

Jesus’ response is what we know as the parable of the Good Samaritan, a story that instead of telling us who we get to call ‘neighbor’ so we can ‘love’ the right people, turns the perspective around and shows us that we are called to be the good neighbor by serving others even if it is inconvenient or costly.

Life, eternal life, is living as God defines life for us where we are, here and now, following Jesus as we build up the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. When we ask God to keep us in eternal life, we are asking God to show us how to live life here and now by loving God and our neighbor.

Jesus says, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.”

So, as we begin to ease our way back onto the main road of this Lenten path, let us pray together “God to keep us in eternal life on earth as in heaven.”

Light

My husband and I have this ongoing thing about lights. I generally prefer well lit rooms and turn on all lights, even if I can see what I’m doing without all of them on (and I’m not very good at turning them off when I leave a particular room). After spending decades under the bright lights of operating rooms, Jim prefers softer lighting. Around our house, it is more common for him to walk in a room and turn lights off rather than on. If I buy light bulbs I buy 60 or 70 watt; he buys 45 watt. (We probably have way more lightbulbs in reserve than the average household of 2 so if you ever are in need, let me know.)

In the recent Texas Power Grid Debacle, we gathered up every candle from around the house to give light to our living room and dining room for us to function. And for once, we agreed that the lighting was perfect! Or at least the best we could make it given the circumstance. And in the midst of a crisis, the lighting provided a calming effect for us both.

Since then, I’ve been making an effort to turn on fewer lights, to let the natural light that comes through the windows be enough. Early in the morning when my writing brain is best, I’ve been lighting a candle on my desk (I did manage to catch some paper on fire as I as getting used to the candle being there, but I think I’ve learned my lesson now). Instead of just automatically adding light, I’m intentional about my light choices. It may sound silly, but I’m enjoying this awakened awareness of light.

Throughout the stories of our faith ancestors and the writers of the good news story of Jesus, light is a common theme. It is the first thing we are told that God speaks into order and then called good1. Jesus refers to the people who follow him as walking in the light and those who don’t as being in darkness and says, “I am the light of the world” and then he tells us we are the light of the world and that we need to let our light shine so others can see, too!

Rest in God’s light knowing that in the darkest of times, we are not alone and can help each other see light and hope and love and compassion.

How can we all better reflect God’s light so our journey is illuminated by love?

Unopened Gifts

Years ago when I had to be in the hospital for several days, a friend gave me holding cross. It came in this lovely gift box with a poem that I have long since lost. But the cross is well worn. I still hold it often in prayer. I may not be able to find where I put that all important reminder note but I can always find my holding cross by my comfy chair or on my desk.

Several years later, I was visiting in someone’s home and on a shelf they had the very same cross neatly displayed in the original gift box with the printed poem and the stretchy gold cord keeping the plastic lid in place. It made me so sad to see this cross shaped icon1 unused and contained. And, it made me wonder about how much we miss out on the glory of God’s gifts by leaving them boxed up.

I have no idea why this individual had chosen to display the cross rather than use it. As I’ve spent time with people who are seeking comfort, guidance, and love I’ve witnessed several possible reasons why one would do so. For so many of us it’s because we don’t feel worthy or that we haven’t earned God’s grace and love. For some it’s because without really being able to articulate it or even realizing we’re doing it, we’ve decided we know better than God or we just can’t wait on God and take matters into our own hands.

Whether you recognize yourself in the above paragraph or you don’t, the activity of resting in God’s presence is a needed and necessary part of our journey. If you have something – a holding cross or an Anglican rosary or a Catholic rosary or a prayer book or a beautiful icon – something concrete to hold, I invite you to get it and hold it. I’ll wait while you find it. Let it remind you that physical-ness and spiritual-ness are equal parts of our humanness.

Let this item you are holding take the place of the need to be busy (often for the sake of just being busy) and rest in God’s presence. Accept this amazing gift of God’s presence where you are, as you are. What you are holding isn’t God’s presence but a reminder that God is always present (even if you can’t find any type of icon to hold). Hopefully it will become a reminder, too, for you to stop the busy and rest each time you see it from now on.

Hear God in the stillness and silence saying “I love you” with no condition, no price, no qualifications, just grace, freely given by our Creator God, the One who is Love.

In what ways are you aware that you have kept Gods gifts in the pretty wrapping instead of using them as God intends?

1The original purpose of icons was like that of stained glass windows in churches – to teach the stories of scripture and of the saints to those who were not taught to read. Icons are tools to help us in prayer by aligning our physical and spiritual awareness. We do not expect to find God in the icon but for the icon to enable us to focus on God’s presence with us.

Rest Stops along the Way

Hey, Y’all. Well, we are a quarter of the way through our Lenten Journey (unless of course you are still counting from last year in which case we are on day 372ish but that’s just too depressing for me, even with one more cup of coffee on this chilly Tuesday morning).

Where is your journey taking you? What have you experienced along the way so far? What sign posts have you stopped at to ponder? Is your vision changing? Do you have enough coffee?

Sometimes when we are body/mind/soul tired, all this talk of following and journeying can be too much. There is so much to be done, much to acknowledge and face in ourselves, much love and kindness to be offered to our world as we participate with God in making it on earth as it is in heaven.

And so, today I just want us to remind ourselves that in all that we are called to be and do that taking rest is just as important as all the other “stuff”. Jesus took his disciples away for times of rest. Jesus himself slept in the boat as they crossed the Sea of Galilee. When the prophet Elijah was at the end of his rope, fearing for his very life, God had him eat a snack and take a nap. In our busy-ness it is easy to forget that God made rest a part of the regular rhythm and order of God’s Kingdom on earth.

It’s not just ok to stop along the path and take a breath and rest, it is necessary and required. Our journey of following Jesus to be the Kingdom people God calls us to be is a lifelong journey. We have all the time in the world. Rest isn’t delaying the journey it is part of it.

For the next few posts, let’s pull into a Rest Area (does any other place do highway Rest Areas as well as Texas?) and enjoy the scenery. This inner journeying and honest self-evaluating is challenging work. As we park, I’m so very grateful that Lent is only 40 days1. Are those bluebonnets I see over there?

Where do we need to slow down and hear God say, “I love you” and “well-done good and faithful one”? Into what situations do we need to have Jesus say, “do not be afraid for I am with you”?

1 Please don’t hear me contradict myself regarding the continuous, ongoing, lifelong work of becoming who God calls us to be. Lent is an intentional season so that the other 325 days of the year we can live in the joy of having done the intensive work and the anticipation of knowing we are always being transformed by God’s love.

Don’t Tell Anyone …

Let’s continue with the eighth chapter of the good news story as Mark tells it to us. There is just so much to unpack in the last sixteen verses of this chapter! We’ve talked about the curious two-part healing of the blind man and part of the conversation Jesus has with his disciples after the healing as they were walking to their next gig.

After Jesus heals the blind man, he tells him to go straight home, do not go into the village, do not pass go, do not collect $200. And then we have a conversation between Jesus and his disciples which begins with Jesus saying, “Who do people say I am” and “who do you say that I am?” Peter respond with “you are the messiah” and Jesus orders them not to say a word to anyone.

Just before all of this Jesus does this in readable, fully public, no excuses made miracle of feeding thousands of folks with just one sack lunch. We know that throughout his ministry on earth, he did many public healings and miracles. And yet, we have these times when Jesus tells folks not to tell anyone. So which is it? Are we to proclaim the love of God or keep quiet?

And here’s the best theological answer I can craft for you: it’s both.

Jesus is tuned in to people’s motivations, their ‘human nature’ if you will – the way we are each wired to respond to what is occurring around us every moment. Jesus understood something about the folks that brought the blind man to him that we aren’t told and he took the man aside for a private healing. Jesus understood something about this man and his relationship with the village people (stop singing) that we aren’t privy to and he told him to go home by another road. Jesus understands that the disciples nor the people they minister to aren’t quite ready to grasp God’s intention for The Messiah (just look what happens when Jesus begins to teach them about it – Peter when from top student to Satan).

The whole and holy healing that Jesus brings us is witnessed best by the way it changes our everyday ordinary moments so that our behavior is in line with the words we proclaim about who God is and who we are in relationship with God.

Sometimes we just need to “go home” not looking for any public recognition but with the desire to love as God loves. Sometimes in the moments when we see a deeper glimpse of Jesus and God in ourselves we simply continue on with our regular work and tasks with a better understanding of ourselves. Sometimes we need to proclaim publicly God’s miraculous, transformative love for each and every human being. Life is situational and we can’t see into other’s true motivations as Jesus is able (most of the time we don’t even like to see into our own, much less someone else’s).

So, we follow Jesus, loving others and ourselves as God loves us. This is the answer.

When God’s love transforms us from the inside out, the outward and visible signs of this healing will proclaim the good news to everyone we encounter, both in the ordinary every day and the extra ordinary events in which we may participate. We proclaim God’s love with the way we live and the words we say.

How does knowing God loves you change the way you proclaim this amazing good news in the ordinary every day?

Speaking Plainly

Readings for the Second Sunday in Lent: http://lectionarypage.net/YearB_RCL/Lent/BLent2_RCL.html

Have you ever gotten in a conversation with someone and realize a just a few sentences in that y’all are talking about different things? I think we all know the awkwardness of the realization that not only are you on different pages but not even in the same book.

Communication involves at a minimum two human beings who each bring a unique and complex point of view to any conversation that shape and interpret the words heard and spoken (and yes, written), along with the context, the background, the relationship, and expectations of and in which the communication takes place. Good communication is hard work. It helps if we speak plainly.

Jesus talked openly and plainly1 with his disciples about the suffering he would endure. And Peter, who had just before this proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, scolds Jesus for talking about suffering and such things. Jesus’ words, even taken within the context of his ministry, did not match up with Peter’s expectations of the situation.

Jesus’ words made Peter uncomfortable and fearful. Instead of voicing his uncertainty and asking Jesus to help him understand, Peter tries to rewrite the narrative to one that fits Peter’s ideal worldview.

And just as plainly as he stated his suffering, Jesus tells Peter he is wrong in his thinking. Trying to rewrite God’s plan isn’t just a simple misstep, it is not of God at all. Jesus very plainly tells Peter that he is denying God’s purpose and plan and therefore denying God.

And to ensure the disciples get the point, Jesus calls the crowds back together and explains that to follow him means to completely, COMPLETELY change our worldview to a kingdom view. Following Jesus isn’t a part-time gig or a hobby but LIFE. It isn’t something we do, it is who we are.

We can try our best to pick and choose where we “let God in” but all we are really doing when we say God isn’t a part of my work or my finances or my hobbies or my daily tasks, habits, behaviors, and interactions with others is fooling ourselves. We have not listened to what Jesus says within a kingdom context and we’ve set our own worldview expectations on how we prefer Jesus to be involved in our life.

Let’s be honest, we are not powerful enough to keep God out of anything. We cannot control where God is. We can only chose to ignore God’s presence and therefor deny ourselves the abundance of life God intends for us.

The message Jesus wants us to hear is God’s message of love and life. Jesus brings us life as God intends it for us, not the upside down, mixed up version of the world. As we follow Jesus we learn to set aside our expectations (this is the denying ourselves Jesus speaks of – see the Why Lent post for more) and see life in the context of God’s kingdom. We learn to step into God’s story rather than trying to fit God into ours.

Jesus speaks love to us plainly. Our merciful and loving God God comes to us where we are as we are with a transforming love that desires the best for us so that we can be the whole and holy person God created each of us to be.

Said plainly: The Jesus life is the life worth living. Amen.

1 The New Revised Standard Version (linked above) says Jesus spoke “openly”. The Common English Bible says Jesus spoke “plainly.” and The Message says that Jesus spoke, “simply and clearly so they couldn’t miss it.”