Getting Thanks in Order (no, that’s not a typo)

Happy American Thanksgiving! Do you want to knock the “happy” out of that sentence? I have to admit it’s hard work to feel the “happy” even as I smell pumpkin bread in the oven. This isn’t the day any of us would have envisioned way back in January or even in May or June …

Last week I referenced the narrative in Luke’s telling of the Gospel story that has some good intentioned folks telling Jesus that they needed to first get things “in order” so that they could follow him. Jesus pointed out to them that they had it backwards. It is as we follow Jesus that all of the routines, events, and happenings of our life are finally put in proper order; we can’t do it the other way around.

So many of us are lamenting that Thanksgiving this year isn’t what it has been in the past. We have had so much loss this year and lamenting is a healthy and necessary part of the grief process. So, say out loud those things about Thanksgiving that you miss the most, cry if you need to (I have), shake your fists and yell why (done that, too), eat a huge bowl of fresh-made mashed potatoes with lots of butter, crisp crumbled bacon, and cheddar cheese (I refuse to respond on the grounds I might incriminate myself).

And then we ask the question that helps us move through lamenting to continue on our journey of following Jesus: in the circumstances in which we find ourselves, how can we love as Jesus loves?

In the circumstances in which we find ourselves, how can we love as Jesus loves?

And, yes, I believe that gratitude is a necessary part of love – loving God, our neighbor, and ourselves.

One way we express our love for God is to give thanks for what we have. One way we express our love for our neighbor is to value them enough to look out for them in every way possible. One way we express our love for ourselves is to take proper care of our whole being – body, mind, and soul.

I am so very thankful for the people I am most sad about not being with. And this year, I am expressing my thankfulness and love for them by not being with them. Physical distancing is a way I can keep all of our risk of contracting COVID to a minimum. It won’t be forever and I’m so very grateful to know that. I’d much rather give up being with them now and be able to gather with them in a few months time so I will not risk their health or death to insist on getting what I want right now.

I’m grateful for the scientists and doctors and study volunteers that have worked so hard on a vaccine so that it will be sooner rather than later that we can be together. (Here’s a good article for understanding the process: https://biologos.org/post/i-am-in-a-covid-vaccine-trial-my-take-on-the-testing-experience)

I’m grateful for the technology that allows me to call and text and video chat and email with folks most any time I want to.

I’m grateful we have a comfortable home to physical distance in and the sewing skills and creativity to make masks with my existing craft supply stash (perhaps my husband will be grateful for my stash now, too?) so we can be safe when we must go to public places. I’m grateful for stores and restaurants who adapted to curbside transactions as a way to keep us all, including their employees, a little safer.

I’m especially grateful that I’ve learned that by focusing on what I have, I find I always have enough. I’m grateful I’ve learned that generosity comes from being grateful, that abundance isn’t about excess, and that God provides what we need to be who God calls and created us to be.

I am grateful I know (even if I forget from time to time) that I am infinitely valuable to God (and so are you) and that it is God’s abundant love for me (and you) that equips me (and you) to abundantly love others and myself.

I am grateful I have learned to have my thanks in proper order (again, not a typo), grateful for what I have instead of thinking that getting what I want will equip me to give thanks.

Being grateful and giving thanks doesn’t deny our grief; it is a necessary part of the process; it helps our wounds heal; it makes us more resilient; it enables us to find joy so that we aren’t stuck in the past, blinded to the future, missing out on life now.

Our days and routines and holidays aren’t what they were. Together, let’s follow Jesus and allow God’s Way of Love to set things in proper order for us. Find Joy in giving Thanks. I’m grateful you are journeying with me.

God’s peace,
Mtr. Nancy+

“I call heaven and earth as my witnesses against you right now: I have set life and death, blessing and curse before you. Now choose life—so that you and your descendants will live— by loving the LORD your God, by obeying his voice, and by clinging to him.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭30:19-20‬ ‭CEB‬‬

Who’s the Boss of You?

Sunday, November 22, 2020
Christ the King Sunday
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Psalm 100
Ephesians 1:15-23
Matthew 25:31-46
http://lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/AProp29_RCL.html

Every year, when this last Sunday after Pentecost rolls around, it seems I find it more and more challenging to talk about what it means not just to say Christ is King but to live it.

In first century Palestine, when Jesus walked this earth, kings ruled. The Israelites themselves had begged God for a king so that they could be like all the other nations. In 313CE, Constantine issued the edict of Milan which legalized Christianity across the Roman Empire. For most of its first 2000 years, Christianity existed alongside monarchs and emperors. It was the norm.

In the United States, we live in a country that threw off the rule of queens and kings over 200 years ago. Our society fought to not be ruled by a monarchy. Throwing off the rule of England empowered us along a path of believing more and more that each individual is an autonomous individual, coexisting alongside societal laws but being ruled by no one. We no longer place much, if any, value on discipline (please don’t confuse discipline with punishment) and cry out that our liberties are being threatened when anyone asks anything of us to contribute to the greater good of all.

Most of us in the United States are overwhelmed by this life we think we should be living. Most of us live in a perpetual state stress and we see no end in sight. We are bombarded with advertisements that tell us we need a new wardrobe, a new face, a new car, a bigger house, fancy jewelry, the latest gadgetry, etc. We are bombarded with messages of anger and fear in the news and on social media that tell us we must be angry and fearful, too. We are taught that we need to attack those who disagree with us because their disagreement is somehow a threat to our very existence.

Like tired and hungry 5 year olds, we yell “you’re not the boss of me” when someone, anyone, says we need to do one more thing, follow a new rule, give up something we like, or inconvenience ourselves for the sake of someone else.

In our finger-pointing, foot-stomping tantrums, what we really mean is “I’m too overwhelmed right now to do this thing you are asking of me.”

We’ve not been taught how to follow a leader the way Jesus invites us to follow him, with complete trust and faith in unconditional love and compassion. We’ve been taught that compassion and empathy are signs of weakness in a leader.

We’ve been taught to be suspicious of those who claim authority over us. We’ve been taught that happiness is the ultimate goal for our life and that we will find it in material things or by some external source that we are ever at risk of losing. We’ve been taught we must fight against anything that threatens our individual happiness. And so we’ve let some illusive ideal that we can’t even name or articulate become our ruler.

Jesus teaches us to let go of the fight and instead to work for the good of all. The life God intends for us isn’t a competition or a fight, but a shared journey looking out for each other, grounded in the confidence of God’s love for us.

Jesus teaches us that joy, the everlasting peace of knowing that even in difficult times God loves us and values us more than anything, is the reward for following him and that nothing or no one is powerful enough to to take that from us.

Jesus teaches us that by giving up our way for God’s Way, we will be set free from the overwhelming stress and anxiety our culture imposes upon us.

Jesus teaches us how to be ruled by Love.

The life God intends for us isn’t a competition or a fight, but a shared journey looking out for each other, grounded in the confidence of God’s love for us.

I keep this picture framed on my bathroom counter so that I see it often. It encourages and empowers me whatever is going on. It helps me keep the right perspective, my compass calibrated to the Kingdom of God.

To live with Jesus as our King is so much more than a praise song or a focus one Sunday each year. It means we give up our own rule over ourself for God’s rule of Love.

To live with Jesus as our King means we have our perspective set straight so that following Jesus isn’t an add-on but the very foundation from which we see and do and hear and experience everything: from our regular daily and seasonal routines to the most exciting life events to the most defeating and every moment in between. (See my previous post.)

Following Jesus isn’t an add-on to our life but the very foundation from which we see and do and hear and experience everything.

To live with Jesus as our King means that we know that whether we have everything or have lost it all, our worth and value comes from God’s everlasting love for us.

We are beloved children of God and when we choose to let God “be the boss of us” we find rest for our weariness, peace in place of our stress, and love instead of fear. We are living what we learn in Sunday School.

God’s peace,
Mtr. Nancy+

This is Personal

Coffee, prayer, and a fire – it’s a good morning, y’all.

Can we talk about the Coronavirus, please? Nothing political, I promise. This is personal.

Please don’t let statistics dehumanize the victims of this virus. In a family of four a .0004% national death rate becomes 25%, someone’s mother, father, child, or sibling. Every ‘case’ is a person, a family member, a friend, a coworker. Every death is 100% of the life of that person. We all need to take this pandemic personally because the virus sickens and kills persons not statistics.

We all have pandemic fatigue. I definitely do. I want to be able to come and go without worry. I want to have people over to our house for what my grandmother called “a good visit” with lots of yummy food. I want to enjoy eating out again and travel and take mission groups to Guatemala and go to lunch with my friends and have game night.

AND I want to protect these same people I am sad about not being face to face with.

AND I want to protect this community so that this virus gets under control.

The vaccine is coming but not yet.

And we must work together to remain in this liminal space in which we find ourselves.

Richard Rohr defines Liminal Space this way:

“It is when you have left, or are about to leave, the tried and true, but have not yet been able to replace it with anything else. It is when you are between your old comfort zone and any possible new answer.”

Richard Rohr

I’ve let go of the idea that anything will be as it was, that we will go “back to normal.” At the very beginning of this, back when we were naive enough to think it was just going to be a few weeks or a month, I talked about using this time to examine what we call normal and ask ourselves if that is the life we really want and if not then take this opportunity of interruption to redirect our life, re-sculpt it, reshape it so it is what we want.

In the Gospel story as Luke tells it, Jesus tells some folks who are fired up to follow him that it won’t be the easy way. In The Message, Eugene Petersen translates Jesus’ response as “No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.” (Luke 9:62) (And if you want to read a really good book on the theology of “Seize the Day” I highly recommend Os Guinness’ Carpe Diem Redeemed.)

Jesus is not saying that their “normal” activities aren’t valid or aren’t important. He’s helping us understand that following him into God’s Kingdom in the here and now means that we live the kingdom in all that we do. These folks had said “first” let me do such-and-such and “then” I’ll follow you. Jesus asks us to follow him AS we do the things which are our regular things to do. Kingdom living isn’t an add-on or a hobby. It is to be the guiding principle of all that we do, of who we are.

Labyrinths are a spiritual walk intentionally into liminal space. If there is one in your area, make walking it in prayer a regular part of your spiritual formation practices.

What then shall we do?

Let’s continue to follow Jesus through this pandemic, doing those things which put the greater good of our community and country first: stay home as much as you can. When you go out to work or shop for necessities, wear a mask and practice physical distancing and use lots of hand sanitizer. Stop seeing these things as inconveniences (and don’t you dare talk ‘liberties’) and see them as Jesus would, through the eyes of compassion that keep us all safe and protected.

Continue to get creative with family and friend gatherings. Use the technology we have. Instead of saying “social” distancing, use “physical” distancing. Our words matter. Put a big screen on your dining table and host an online dinner. Bake your grandmother’s best recipes together with a Zoom cooking show! Have an online craft or puzzle night.

Together with God we can do this – and that’s a joyful message that even with the necessary physical distancing we are never alone! Thank be to God! We can endure. We can reshape the way we gather and support each other. We can look to Jesus and move forward, further up and further in to God’s Kingdom in the here and now.

God’s peace,
Mtr. Nancy+

Do not be Afraid

Based on the RCL for Sunday, November 15, 2020
Matthew 25:14-30

Jesus tells a parable of investing in relationships: a man goes away and leaves each of three servants with something to care for based on their abilities. Two of them take what they’ve been given and “traded” with it – I imagine a bustling marketplace, the hub of society and human interaction in their world. If you’ve ever been to a local market place in places like Guatemala, you know what I’m talking about. Market day is the central focus of the community. It is the time the people both earn money and find what they need. Relationships are cultivated through the interactions and exchanges. When we go to Guatemala, we regularly return to the same stalls for what we are looking for, remembering the people by name.

Sorry, got sidetracked a bit … we didn’t not make it to Guatemala this year (the first year in 8 years) and I’m desperately homesick for my “other” country and the wonderful people there.

Back to Jesus’ story: Two of the people made use of what they’d been entrusted with and what they started with increased.

The Greek word we translate to ‘talent’ means the scale of a balance or that which is weighed (Ref: Strong’s G5007). It is often assigned a specific amount of money.

With the parables, we need to look at the interactions though the lens of God’s Kingdom, where ‘treasure’ is relationship based – love, compassion, justice, mercy, etc., not material goods. The abundance we are promised is the never ending supply of these. God’s love for us is unconditional and unending. When we base our own value on God’s love for us, we come to understand that the more love we give, the more we have to give.

The servant who hoarded away what was given, had the ability to give it away, too, but he let fear rule the day. And in his fear, he rewrites the narrative to justify his fear driven action (or lack thereof). He recreates his master to be an angry, manipulative thief.

Jesus tells us over and over “do not be afraid” not because he wants us to deny the fear we feel but because he is asking us to trust God’s presence and promises. When we find our greatest security in the size of our bank accounts, we can never have enough because we live with the fear of losing it all. When we find our greatest security in the image we portray with the “right” clothes, cars, houses, friends, or job, we must always struggle to have the latest and best. But when we find our greatest security in God’s love, we never need to be afraid of losing everything because God’s love is everlasting.

(I like the word ‘everlasting’ so much more than ‘eternal’. I think we get stuck in thinking ‘eternal’ means sometime in the future (it doesn’t). To accept God’s everlasting love means that regardless of what we do, God’s love will endure.)

When we invest God’s love for us by loving others, we will always have more than we need. Our treasure will not be in money or cars or material things. We will value our relationship with God and others more than anything else.

When we begin to see life relationally rather than transactionally, we find the freedom that the Gospel message gives us. We don’t have to work to earn God’s love. We don’t have be good enough or wealthy enough or pretty enough. You don’t have to drive the right car or live in the right house or wear the right clothes. God loves us. Period. Full Stop. And God desires nothing from us but to be in relationship.

God entrusts us with immeasurable love so that we will trade it with everyone we encounter in the every day circumstances of our daily rhythms and routines. Trading love makes it grow. The more we trade the more we have. Well done, good and faithful servant.

God’s peace,
Mtr. Nancy+

Further up and Further in

“I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now…Come further up, come further in!”

― C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle

Here’s hearty and hardy question for us to ponder:

How can we make this the country the land we’ve been looking for all our life?

Do we really believe that the answer to that question is entirely dependent on who occupies the White House or who fills Congress?

I think that thinking that way is a cop out. There, I said it out loud. Are you still with me?

To say that the greatness of this country depends entirely on the White House or Congress denies our responsibility as citizens to make this place, in the here and now, in the circumstances in which we find ourselves, the best place to live for all people.

Our country is US, you and me and all of us together. We have the right and freedom to vote for who we choose and if you attempt to limit that right for others who think differently than you, you are putting your own rights and freedoms as risk.

Let’s stop thinking of ourselves as red and blue and remember that we are all human beings created in God’s image, called to follow Jesus in the Way of Love, letting the Holy Spirit transform us into compassionate people who look out for each other and the greater good. Yes, even if you don’t think of yourself as a Jesus Follower or a Christian, I believe with every cell of my being that every human being (yes, even ‘them’) is created by God in God’s image.

Once when Jesus’ disciples were complaining that some other folks were loving on and caring for people in the name of Jesus in a different way than the disciples thought they should, Jesus tells them, “whoever is not against us is for us.” Whenever we act compassionately toward others we are following Jesus, whether we claim we are or not. (I believe that it is the folks that spread hate and division because somewhere along their path they were taught or decided that they are worth more than others that are “against us” but I’d like to stick to the positive of spreading love.)

Seeing other people through the lens of compassion, treating others with the same dignity and respect we want to receive, and just choosing to be kind are the Way of Jesus, the Way of Love. The more we give this kind of Love, the more and more we have to give. That’s how genuine love works.

Yes, even in the midst of a worldwide pandemic (is that redundant, I’m not sure), the aftermath of a heated election, and the tantrums of our national leadership (add to this all of your personal and family struggles), we stand in the sure and confident hope that God is with us and loves us.

And we are called to follow Jesus into the world (even as we physical distance and wear our masks) to share God’s love with others in any and every way we can. In a world of unavoidable change we know that this never changes.

In a world of unbearable uncertainty we know that God’s love for everyone is certain and unshakeable.

So, instead of labeling other people’s behavior as left or right or liberal or conservative, let’s ask ourselves “am I loving my neighbor?” Treating all people with dignity and compassion isn’t a red or blue thing or a left or right thing. It is a God’s Kingdom thing.

God’s peace,
Mtr. Nancy+

Keeping our Lamps Ready

I’m late with this week’s Living Sunday School post (using the lectionary readings from November 8, 2020). I was hanging out with my 2 year old granddaughter (ok, and my son, too) so I know you’ll understand. But I didn’t want to skip it all together because this particular parable teaches us so much about how to live Sunday School! It offers us encouragement and hope in this time of great uncertainty.

So, grab your coffee and perhaps a snack and let’s chat.

Throughout the gospel as Matthew tells it, Jesus says “the kingdom of heaven is like” and “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus speaks in present tense, revealing the idea that we are already to live as citizens of God’s kingdom in this world, here and now, in all circumstances.

In the parable of the ten maidens (or bridesmaids or virgins depending on the translation you are reading, meaning someone, who like a bridesmaid, waits to usher in the groom to the wedding, a metaphor often used to describe Jesus’ second coming to bring the new heaven and new earth into being) Jesus says, “Then the kingdom of Heaven will be like”. Future tense, with a pre-condition ‘then’.

Therefore (always pay attention to transition words in scripture), to see the wisdom of this parable, we need to know what Jesus says before it1.

Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up2: Jesus and the disciples have just left the Temple and Jesus has spoken to them about the temporary nature of this world – buildings and leaders and traditions and ways of thinking.  He tells them,

  • “beware that no one leads you astray” and 
  • “because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” and 
  • “about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” and 
  • “Therefore (transition word!) you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

AND THEN, he tells them what it will be like when this unexpected time comes: there will be those who are ready and those who are not.

Who doesn’t need a lamp made from a coffee pot?!?!

So what does it mean to be ready? The answer is what Jesus has spent the previous three years teaching – that we live every day, here and now, to the best of our ability with God’s help as citizens of God’s kingdom: Loving God, our neighbor, and ourselves as God loves. The answer to being ready is to work at seeing the world we live in through the eyes of compassion as Jesus sees.

The wise maidens were prepared for the wait to be longer than they expected. They brought along extra oil for their lamps, meaning they were intentional about refilling their spiritual cups so their lives shine brightly with what they say they believe. In contrast, the foolish maidens expected that the supply they had at one point in their life was sufficient. To put it in modern ideas, they expected that the Bible stories they learned as children, or their parents’ or grandparents’ faith, or showing up at church on Christmas and Easter would be sufficient to sustain their faith so that they are equipped to live what they say they believe.

(Alright, let me take a side-step to clarify here – I am in no way saying we earn God’s grace and salvation by going to church or by doing anything. We don’t and we can’t. God’s grace is so much bigger than anything we can imagine and we, as humans, can’t decide who’s got “enough” faith to be saved because that’s not how God’s grace works.)

The wisdom of this parable is to help us understand that walking with Jesus is a lifestyle in which we participate in the answer to the prayer “Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” It isn’t a checklist of certain behaviors that earns us a “get into heaven” pass sometime in the “no one knows the day or time” future.

Being ready for God to show up means we cultivate our awareness of God in all people and places and time because we know that God is always and already present. Keeping our lamps filled means we understand that our ongoing relationship with God is our source of true life here and now and we regularly work at that relationship so we can shine God’s love into the darkness of this world.

When the wise bridesmaids refuse to share it isn’t because they are selfish but because they understand that relationships can’t be borrowed or lent, they have to be cultivated and lived.

Spend time every day preparing your lamp to shine at its brightest with the fuel of God’s love. Together with God we can live on earth as it is in heaven, we can be a Living Sunday School.

God’s peace,
Mtr. Nancy+

1Remember that the chapter and verse designations are to help us find specific things in Scripture and were added long after the stories, poems, and letters were first written. We can’t let them cause us to see scripture in segments rather than an all encompassing story.

2When you can, make time to read Matthew 21-25 all in one sitting. Oh, yeah, and for those who don’t know this is a quote from The Princes Bride, the best movie ever.

Gratitude and Community

It’s been a difficult week for words. I want nothing more than to speak peace and comfort into the anxiety and pain so many of us are collectively experiencing but I’m not sure I have the right words. I do know that regardless if the results of this election week are what you want them to be or not that God is with us and loves us.

I also know that regardless of the outcome of this week, Jesus tells us to love each other. As I sit here pondering all the possibilities (positive/negative) the one certainly I have is God’s promise to reconcile ALL things, to bring goodness into and from all situations. We learn to find good by looking for all that we have to be grateful for. From a place of gratitude we can find peace and joy and generosity of spirit.

A year ago, I posted the following on Facebook and although I can’t remember what prompted these words and photo, I can still make the choice to assume the posture of gratitude and community that these words convey.

Half full or half empty. Does it really matter? I am just grateful to have coffee. I give thanks to God who created the coffee plant and the goats who first ate the beans and the people who watched them dance and said, “let’s try that!” I am thankful for the people who tended, harvested, and processed the beans from which I brewed this cup and for the people who work in the factory that made the cup. I’m grateful to be able to enjoy this cup in my favorite chair in our home and for everyone who walks this amazing journey of following Jesus with me. Instead of standing on opposites sides of the table debating half-full or half-empty, let’s sit at the table together and share what we are each grateful for. I have plenty of cups for everyone. I’ll start another pot. Could you pick up some snacks?

Gratitude and community – let’s focus on creating an atmosphere steeped in this way of thinking. Regardless of what you consider is going wrong or right with this world, gratitude and community will always bring us comfort. We are all God’s beloved children. And with that as our foundation, we can not only navigate our differences but be grateful for them because it is through our differences that grow and flourish.

God’s peace, my friends,
Mtr. Nancy+

We are blessed when we bless

The Lectionary readings for Sunday, November 1, 2020
Revelation 7:9-17
Psalm 34:1-10, 22
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12

Just about a year ago I wrote a post on The Beatitudes and the Ten Commandments in my series on Compassion. If you have time, I encourage you to read it here.

To live the beatitudes requires us to change our perspective – to see the world around us as God sees it, not transactional (doing something to earn or gain something) but relational. In giving us these wisdom statements, Jesus is giving us the perspective necessary to live as God intends for us to live on earth as it is in heaven. So, get your coffee ready and let’s look at them a bit closer.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
To be “poor in spirit” does not mean to be weak or timid. To be poor in spirit means to let go of our own egos so that God can refine our spirit into the image God created us all. Being poor in spirit means, with boldness and confidence, to follow Jesus in the Way of Love with the understanding that when we keep our focus on the greater good of all, everyone’s needs are fulfilled abundantly. We are so much more than a bunch of individuals, we are God’s Kingdom people.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
To mourn is to show great sadness because of a loss. God has never said we wouldn’t have pain but that God would be with us always to provide the strength and peace and comfort necessary to learn from the pain caused by our broken humanness. A key step in healing and growth from any loss is to spend time mourning and lamenting. If we are incapable of acknowledging the pain, there can be no healing from it. It is from our healed wounds that we provide comfort and help others heal.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
To be meek means to be gentle, to see others with the same eyes of compassion as Jesus does. Being meek means we live confidently with the wisdom that when others treat us badly it is because of their own unhealed woundedness. We forgo retaliation. We let go of the idea of “getting even.” And in seeing others as God sees everyone, we live on this earth as God intends for us to – as it is in heaven.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Being human requires that we nourish our body and soul; we are not fully human if we don’t acknowledge and care for our complete humanness. We nourish our bodies with food and water. Jesus tells us he is the bread of life and living water. Our souls are nourished by God when we follow Jesus in the Way of Love.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.”
Mercy, by definition, is not earned. It is given freely, without condition. Only when we let go of the idea of being good enough to earn God’s favor can we fully receive the gift of God’s mercy so we are equipped to live mercifully toward others and the more mercy we offer to others the more we see fully the mercy God gives us.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
As John writes, when we put our hope in God’s way and follow Jesus, our hearts are “purified” – refined, transformed, and reshaped to reveal the divine image from which we are all created. When we live from the image of God in us, we see God in everyone. When we see God in others, we will interact with them with kindness and love as our brothers and sisters.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
Peace making isn’t only about resolving conflict but living in the peace of God that comes from letting our hearts be transformed by following Jesus so that we are poor in spirit and meek, offering comfort and mercy to all, seeing each other as children of God. This is how we live Sunday School, participating with God in making life on earth as it is in heaven.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Living the Beatitudes is counter to how the world says we should live. The world says we need to be in for ourselves only, looking out for “number one”. When others hurt us, we need to hurt them back, and to prevent hurt, lump everyone else into labeled groups (by nationality, political party, skin color, etc.) so we don’t have to even consider that they are human. And when we go against all of this by refusing to dehumanize others, by showing mercy and compassion, by respecting the dignity of every human being, the world will tell us we are the ones doing it wrong. And we can stand strong and confident knowing we are already living in the Kingdom.

And so, Jesus summarizes how it will be living on earth as it is in heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Following Jesus is hard work with great blessing. When we choose to follow Jesus, we know the outcome: peace and comfort and strength and life lived fully as God intends us to live. Our reward is knowing confidently that God loves us, here and now, as we are, giving us life on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

Is It I, Lord?

I woke up with this song in my head this morning. When I hear it, I imagine pelicans flying along the waves of the ocean and I’m fairly certain the connection between this song and that scene comes from Jurassic Park, but that has absolutely no bearing on what I’m going to write about here or how my brain even managed to connect the two… sorry, I think I need a bit more coffee before I continue.

Let’s all refill our cups and start again, shall we?

Every time I hear this hymn, my soul stirs with a deep longing, a homesick feeling of sorts. So, to wake up with it in my head has meant a day “in my head” and long moments of sitting with the words “here I am, Lord.”

In the timeless and timely story the hymn tells,* God hears the cries of the people and promises comfort, transformation, and sustenance. God then asks “whom shall I send?” Our loving and compassionate God provides for us through the hands and feet and hearts of each of us.

God knows the pain of darkness in our lives and wants us to know the hope of unconditional love. The weight of guilt and shame so many of us bear about our behavior, our past, our present, isn’t from God. God desires to free us from that weight and give us the freedom of new life provided by unconditional love. But instead of snatching us out of this world God gives us each other to be the light of unconditional love. God asks, “who will bear my light to them?” When you cannot see the light of Love it is my role to remind you Love is with us even when you can’t see it. And when the darkness overwhelms me, I need you to do the same.

God knows the coldness and hardness of heart caused by the hate in this world and shows us the softening and strengthening balm of self-giving love. Hate has become normalized in our culture. Mocking, belittling, and degrading others is a misguided attempt to make ourselves feel better or superior. Telling others they must be also afraid is a false sense of security. These behaviors themselves come from a place of fear and insecurity. Hearts of stone are carved in an effort to protect ourselves from the hate we ourselves are fostering by hardening our hearts. God asks, “who will speak my word to them?” When we experience someone expressing hate, when we catch ourselves returning hate for hate, we counter it with words of love from God to ourselves and to those around us.

God knows the loneliness and fear of those cast aside and ignored by society and offers the feast of belonging and love to all. Our society teaches us to be selective in who we let belong and that each group is limited in size and scope – the more people we “let in” the less we will each have. The economy of belonging in God’s kingdom allows room at the table for everyone. The more people we include, the greater the resources for us all because love grows as we give it.

God sees and hears and knows the darkness and hardness and loneliness of this world and gives us an alternative. We are part of God’s plan to bring heaven to earth. We each have something to contribute to make this world as God intends it to be. Together with God’s help we walk with Jesus in the Kingdom with all that we do and say and have.

Here I am Lord, is it I, Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night.
I will go Lord, if You lead me.
I will hold Your people in my heart.

God’s peace,
Mtr. Nancy+

*Reference Isaiah 6, 1 Samuel 3, and Ezekiel 11 & 36 for just a few “here I am, Lord” stories from scripture.

Not My Agenda

As I begin this blog, I attempt to make no assumptions about who might or might not read these posts. I’ve learned how easy it is to fall into the thought patterns of “I’m leading worship in an Episcopal church and these wonderful folks are sitting in Episcopal pews, singing songs from the Episcopal hymnal, and worshiping God using the forms in our Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, surely they know all the Episcopal lingo and the way we do things around here.” And, I’ve learned that people who’ve been members of the Episcopal Church their whole lives do not always know the “method to our madness.”

So, let me briefly (I’m not really good at ‘brief,’ just ask my husband) explain some things before I get into the heart of this post.

The scriptures that we read each Sunday are provided by the Revised Common Lectionary* , a published schedule of lections (aka scripture passages or lessons) used in many mainline Protestant churches*. The lessons follow the Church seasons and rotate on a three year cycle. On any given Sunday, in most every Episcopal Church (and all others who use the RCL), you will hear the same lessons read and preached on.

I always say the RCL is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it keeps me as a priest from bringing my agenda to the worship service – I don’t get to pick scripture for my own message or benefit. And, I am regularly awed at how the living nature of scripture brings the right words from God necessary to the situation in which we find ourselves. It is a curse because, honestly, there are weeks when I just can’t hear what God wants me to say through the given passage and I struggle to prepare and I’m fairly certain that this is my own stuffed up ears rather than God’s silence and since this has tremendous growth potential for me, I guess it really is a blessing rather than a curse. (Sorry, got side-tracked for a bit. Let’s move on. We can talk about stuffed up ears another time.)

So, back to the blessing part. As I continue in the recovery journey of being told “stop turning everything into a Sunday School lesson” and “leave God out of this” (which yes, includes looking at my own behaviors to ask what could I have done differently), I looked at today’s RCL lessons and – voila!

We hear Paul saying** ,
“For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts.”

And we hear Jesus saying*** ,
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Humbling words. Grounding words. Comforting words. Orienting words. Motivating words.

As we continually seek to live what we profess in our worship, we must always remember that it is God’s message we are to live, not our own. Jesus gives each of us the invitation “Follow Me” because he wants us to know God’s love for us so that we can learn to love better. When we stand confidently in this Good News, we will share it by the way we live, and sometimes even with our words.

In my ordination to the priesthood, I was asked by the Bishop (among many other things. See the BCP beginning on page 525), “Will you do your best to pattern your life in accordance with the teachings of Christ, so that you may be a wholesome example to your people?” And I answered, “I will.”

In the Baptismal service we are all asked (among many other things, see the BCP beginning on page 299), “Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?” And “Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?” And we all answer, “I will with God’s help.”

Sometimes doing our best with God’s help to live what Jesus teaches makes us the least popular person in the room. Sometimes living Sunday School isn’t always the most convenient choice. We pay a price whether we choose to stand with what Jesus teaches or not; every choice we make has consequences, good or bad, direct or indirect, immediate or delayed. And, we know that when we get sidetracked or distracted, that Jesus will always welcome us back with grace-filled compassion, teaching us to love as God loves.

I’m so grateful you are on this Living Sunday School journey with me.

God’s peace,
Mtr. Nancy+

*If you’d like to know more about the RCL, here’s a good resource: https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/faq2.php
**Verses 3&4 from the reading 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
***Verses 37-40 from the reading Matthew 22:34-46