Expecting the Holy

Advent and Christmas, 2011

This graphic by Jan Richardson makes me think about the anticipation of this season of Advent.  I remember, as a child, being filled with wonder and expectation.  I look at this graphic and I can already imagine the kinds of things I might see coming through the door, as well as the kinds of things I might see if I stand in that pointed doorway and look out.

When we think of the word "expecting" there are a lot of connotations.  When I was pregnant, it was common to hear my state described as "expecting".  So, as we anticipate the birth of the Christ child, we see how that word makes sense.  But even if you haven't had the experience of giving birth, you, no doubt, have found yourself "expecting."  When you expect something, you look for signs of it's coming.  When you expect something, you interpret what you see and experience through the lens of your expectation.  When you expect something, you lean forward and watch, your heart beats a bit faster and you feel a bit more alive and engaged in the world around you.

So what if this Advent season, we seriously expected the Holy?  What if we anticipated the birth of the divine in our time and in our place?  What if we allowed that expectancy to influence how we experienced the world and how we saw the signs that just seem to be everywhere when we are expecting?  We just might find the Holy in all kinds of places and people and situations!  We just might find room for God to live among us in ways we hadn't quite imagined before.  

Holy Adventure - Day 41

Today is Day 41 in our Holy Adventure: 41 Days of Audacious Living. When I first began, I thought tomorrow would be Day 41 (I miscalculated), and that the next day would be Easter. How grand! But instead, Day 41 falls on Good Friday, the day we remember Jesus’ death on a cross. And there will be one more day before we can greet the dawn of Easter morning. So with our 41 day adventure completed today, with the completion of Jesus’ earthly life, tomorrow will be just what it is and should be… a day of silence and waiting. Tomorrow, Holy Saturday, will be a day for being in prayer, keeping vigil and contemplating what it is like to live in hope of things yet unseen.

Because of Easter, we do know “the end” of the story. We do know that life is stronger than death and love is strong than hate. But because of our lives and experiences, we know that it is sometimes hard to keep the Easter promise before us in our day to day living, especially when times get tough.

Because of Easter, we know that the adventure continues with ever new characters (like us) and ever knew situations drawing our attention and needing our response. In today’s reading Epperly writes, “Psalm 118:24 proclaims, ‘This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!’ Think of that – this is the day! Salvation and wholeness are available right now. We live eternal life one moment at a time every day. Each moment is holy and provides an opportunity to be God’s partner in healing our lives and the entire universe.” (p.203)

Today is another day in the eternity of your life. Today, in that regard, is just another day. Today is also Good Friday when we remember one who was willing to give his earthly life in order to truly live abundantly in love and in tune with God’s dreams and visions. How are you being called to lay your life down for the sake of God’s dreams and visions? It may not mean crucifixion, but it may mean times of uncertainty. It may take you out of your comfort zone and ask you to risk and dare for the sake of God’s hopes and calling.

In this time when we go with Jesus to the cross, and wait in hope and wonder for signs of the resurrection, let us reflect upon our experience of this 41 Days of Audacious Living and allow God to speak to us and call us forth into a new day – a day made for joy and hope and risk-taking adventure.

Holy Adventure - Day 39

The scripture at the opening of today’s reading is one that has always captivated my imagination. It is from I Corinthians 13 – Paul’s great “love” chapter. But usually the reader stops before they get to this particular verse, and yet, it is within the context of this discourse about real, lasting love that comes to this point of mystery and grace.

“For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully know.” I Corinthians 13:12

This verse, in the context of talking about love, reminds us of our need to be humble, because, let’s face it, none of us “knows it all.” We always need to leave room for the fact that what we think we know isn’t the whole picture, and that we may actually not have it “right.” There is always more.

This is a week of keeping it real and humble as we recount Jesus’ last week and the events leading to his execution. We know the disciples, those closest to Jesus, betrayed, denied, and abandoned Jesus. We know others spun the situation and incited the crowd. We know that in the “end” the power of love and life prevail. But, we don’t really know how it works. There is much mystery surrounding faith and life and Jesus and God and our own lives and the purpose and meaning of life. There is always more.

There is a song that was sung in worship on a couple of occasions. I close with a link to the song “More” by Tyrone Wells. I hope it inspires you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98YyCqPVYHE

Holy Adventure - Day 38

Grief and loss are a significant part of the human experience. When we are young, we lose a grandparent or beloved pet. We move and have to say good bye to people we’ve come to know. When we experienced those kind of losses, how we handled it was certainly influenced by those around us, particularly our parents. Did they allow us to feel the pain of the loss, or did they tell us to pick our chin up? Did they listen to our questions or did they say “it must have been God’s plan” and cut off conversation?

The older we get, the more loss and grief we face in our lives. Sometimes it can be overwhelming and we try to block out the uncomfortable feelings. Sometimes we allow ourselves to feel the pain and loss. Sometimes we try to figure out why the loss? Who is to blame? How could it have been prevented? Sometimes we shut ourselves off from others so we don’t have to feel the pain of more loss.

Grief is a process, and it is ongoing. When we grieve, we remember the person or the place or situation and what it meant to us. We remember the gifts we received from the person or situation. But there can also be hard memories. Few relationships or life circumstances are all joy and delight. Usually there are difficult times and challenges, and that can be even harder to allow ourselves to remember and feel. Maybe it seems as though we should only remember the good. But life is full of ups and downs and it is okay to remember the whole range and to thank God for the challenging times as well as the joys.

Epperly quoted Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Only a suffering God can save.” (p.188). Those words do provide comfort. They assert that not only are we surrounded by a whole race of people who suffer, grieve and experience loss (the human race), but we live in the presence of a God who knows our suffering and suffers with us. As we get closer to Good Friday, the day Jesus died on the cross, we realize that surely God suffered as Jesus suffered. Surely God is not removed from our weakness and pain, but transforms it into new life and promise.

Holy Adventure - Day 37

Have you ever had a “near death” experience? When I was in my early 20s I had a couple of them. Both involved car accidents when I thought I had no chance of surviving, but somehow, I did. I was not panicked in those moments, I was completely at peace. It was surprising, really, to be that young and feel at peace with the thought of dying. But that was my experience. Since that time, I think I have taken a different view of my own death. I don’t seem to fear it. Now don’t get me wrong, I do not want to die anytime soon. And I feel responsible to do my part to life and long and healthy of a life as I can.

My “fear” around the idea of death and dying comes more around those I love. I probably do have some fears related to Tim dying or my children dying or even my siblings dying. I want those I love to have long and good lives and I wouldn’t want anything to cut that short. That’s probably a very obvious thing to say. I suspect all of us feel that way, even though we know Paul’s words to be true: “Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)

As we go through this week and contemplate the death and dying of Jesus, those words take on a deeper and fuller meaning. As we move toward the cross this week, we know that God was there and is there even when we falter and fail as the disciples did. We know that love is stronger than any earthly thing, even stronger than death itself.

Holy Adventure - Day 35

I found today’s reading especially inspiring. Most of us probably know or are related to someone with Alzheimer’s and have had thoughts, questions, observations and many prayers for those who have it as well as their caregivers. I found these words of Epperly’s very comforting, “God’s enduring love and unfailing memory remind us that we can believe on behalf of others, and others can believe on behalf of us. We can heal them by our healing words and touch and by singing hymns of faith, and vice versa.” I have seen that happen time and time again and know it is God at work in and through all of us. It is that assurance that can really give a peace and a joy that is soul-deep.

Today marks the end of week 5 of our Holy Adventure! One week left to go. But this is not any ordinary week. Tomorrow begins Holy Week. And Holy Week is a very important time in the spiritual and faith life of those who follow Jesus. Holy Week begins with recalling how Jesus entered Jerusalem on a young animal to the shouts of “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” It ends with his own beloved betraying him, denying him, the shouts of “Crucify him!”, death on a cross and burial in a tomb. Holy Week begins in hope and celebration and ends in darkness, death, and despair.

I would encourage each of you not to take the short-cut to Easter. Rather, allow yourself to go through the struggle and pain and darkness with Jesus so that the power and glory of Easter may be all the more amazing. Read, reflect, journal, do the spiritual exercises. Come to worship tomorrow for Palm Sunday, and again on Maundy Thursday (at First United Methodist Church, 7pm). Join the Good Friday procession at noon (starting at Bandshell park) as we, like Jesus carry the cross and hear the story of Jesus death. Sign up to be part of the Easter Prayer Vigil that begins at 1pm Friday and goes until 6am Sunday. Live fully in this Holy Adventure leading to Easter!

Holy Adventure - Day 34

The Serenity Prayer is the common name for an originally untitled prayer by the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. The prayer has been adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous and other twelve-step programs.

The best-known form is:

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

This prayer reminds us that we cannot control everything, and that striving for control can be destructive. We want to be strong and to be independent and to have the right answers. But the truth is, we are human, which means for as wonderful and gifted and wise as we are, we are also weak and vulnerable and, at times, lacking in knowledge or perspective.

It makes sense that people struggling with addictions would find this prayer so helpful. In acknowledging our weakness, we can actually gain in strength and wisdom and peace. In acknowledging our weakness, we can be aware that we have need of God and others to make us whole and holy.

Are there people in your life who help you grow in faith and wisdom? Think about how they treated you and others. Were they full of themselves? Were they prideful? Or were they humble and loving? What can we learn from these people? How can our weakness help us live more abundantly?