Shining Spirit

I lift my hands and I bow my head
as I rise from this warm and comfortable bed,
forming a prayer in my mind and my heart:
Loving Spirit, may this day start
with justice and mercy falling down like rain
to wash away any suffering or pain;
may the sun rise to heal the wounds of greed,
may every creature find what they need
to live in a world that values life,
a world that ransforms the sword and the knife
into joy-filled toys for our children’s play;
may this, your gift, be such a day.

And may I find my way by hope and trust
with the courage to live as one who must
emerge from the shadows of division and fear
because I know that you are near.
I stand on the earth, my brother, my friend;
I surrender my will as this day begins.

May all who hear this song I sing
stand in faith as they gladly bring
the best they have to bless this day
with what they do and what they say.
Spirit of life, walk this way with me
for in your presence I am bold and free
to be the man you hoped me to be.
Faithful Friend, proven and true,
I’d like to walk this day with you.

Amen.

How about a laugh today? Are you up for it? Laugh now, just in case your team loses in tonight’s Super Bowl. No, this is not another commentary about the elites of football. Needing a laugh, given the world situation and the sadness of the Cowboys missing the Super Bowl (this is not about football), I asked the invisible, online masterminds to tell me about “what happened on this day in history.” That’s always good for a chuckle. And 2.4 second later I had a list of “today in history” and one of those entries seemed perfect for a smile or a laugh. The listing said “funny events in history for children.” Click, and there I was, already smiling into the new day, ready to burst out laughing.

Here’s what I found: in 1587, Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded. In 1672, Isaac Newton read his first optics paper at the Royal Society in London. In 1883, Louis Waterman began experiments that would result in the invention of the fountain pen. Maybe, I thought, if I got more current, I’d stop crying. I gave up after: in 1976, the movie “Taxi Driver” premiered in New York City. Now there’s a children’s movie.

All I wanted was a laugh. Under the circumstances, though, I’d settle for a smile. Having pushed away from my computer to wallow in my disappointment, it happened. I remembered that yesterday my son-in-law taped off a room that needs painting, then he applied the new color. I don’t climb tall ladders anymore. And I saw a specular sunset last evening. And I had a simple dinner with a few friends and we enjoyed each other’s company. And my Beloved told me: “I love you.” So, here I sit at 4:42 on this Sunday morning with a smile on my face and one in my heart. Gratitude seems to always produce joy. Simple gratitude.

“For the beauty of the earth; for the glory of the skies; for the love which from our birth, over and around us lies, Lord of all to Thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.”

Pick at place today that offers at least five minutes of quiet. Yes, they exist, but sometimes you do have to search for them. It’s a bonus if your place happens to be a remarkably beautiful setting, but, then, that’s why we have imaginations. In your place of real or imagined beauty, in the sacred quiet, let your voice or your heart speak the words above: “For the beauty….” Say it slowly, thoughtfully, as a prayer. Then say it again with the same reverence. And again. And again. There’s no rush. You’re less than one minute into your five; don’t be in a hurry. Feel the rhythm of the words as they fit together, a poem of gratitude. If you know the tune to this old hymn, sing! Or, make up your own tune. Folliott Sandford Pierpoint wrote the words and Conrad Kocher gets credit for the tune of For The Beauty Of The Earth, but neither of them would mind if you modified it in your meditation. Or, fit the words to the pattern of your breathing: inhale as your say “For the beauty of the earth”, exhale the next phrase: “for the glory of the skies”. Keep going, you’re doing fine.

I think it’s very possible that you will feel a little more relaxed, or focused, or grateful, or joyful at the end of your five minute breath-prayer time. But, then, you won’t know unless you try. Five minutes; that’s all it takes.

Not every creative act is a roaring success. People in all walks of life will tell us that failure is often our best teacher. Instead of throwing away the dismal failure, learn from it. That chocolate cake that looked good but tasted awful proved that that recipe won’t work. I have added to the base of human knowledge one way not to make a chocolate cake. I heard someone say the other day: “I made a mistake and then it made me.” My mistake became my teacher. The novel that no publisher would accept, the song that was never sung. Learning and growth are not merely gifts to the person who succeeds, but to anyone who tries and “fails.”

So, today let’s walk into the bright sunlight of wisdom with open minds and hearts. Let us treat failure as a friend, learn something in the “No” and press on all the wiser and whole. Don’t waste today mourning the failures; take them one by one and befriend them. They do bring us some remarkable gifts of insight if we are open to receive them.

May all your efforts find great success today. But if they don’t, you can be the wiser for it. Live and learn.

I’m trying to decide what I did today
that served the common good.
Stop a war? Feed the poor?
Don’t you think I should
be able to identify
something to call good?

But I suppose, if truth be known,
I thought more of my needs, my own
and hurried through this busy day,
missing the moments when I could say:
“You are of value” or “That’s a nice dress”
or “I’m sorry I got you into this mess.”
Now darkness settles, moonlight flows
through the slatted blinds before they close
and the soft light of heaven falls on you.
It was then I remembered what I always knew:

If I do nothing in a particular day,
if I choose to live with nothing to say,
if the day seems wasted for the lack of a deed,
I think of the world’s undeniable need:
to love each other without asking reward,
to face together those times that seem hard,
to be just and kind, faithful and true.
Even if there’s little we thoughtfully do,
Creation is blessed because I have loved you
and you, in return, have loved me, too.

For, love released, given away
is more profound than what I do or say.
Today we loved and the earth rejoiced
for we made the unreasonable, impractical choice
of putting aside all the “musts” and “shoulds”
and doing the one thing that is truly good.
We loved with abandon. We loved without fear.
You took my arm; I held you near
as we walked together through this remarkable day,
following our hearts along the better way.

Did you and I do anything good today?
The answer is “Yes, we gave love away.”
And when we did, it came back to embrace
and to shine in the joy of each beautiful face.
Did I do anything important today?
I did. I loved along the way.
May I find the will, as tomorrow begins,
to do the same thing all over again.

As I pull back the curtains on this glorious day,
throw open the window, I hear the earth say:
“Good morning, beloved. We’ve been waiting for you.
The Moon and The Stars bid you adieu
as they fade into the softening sky,
the mountains and forests, in company, sigh
with genuine delight that you are here.
They offer their love as now appear
the first rays of sunlight to brighten your way
as you walk into this remarkable day.”

It will be as you make it; many choices will come;
just examine your heart, for you will find some
that carry God’s blessing far and wide,
while others, not helpful, must be denied
for they serve not the purpose of mercy or grace;
they bring sadness and sorrow to humanity’s face.
This day is yours, make what you will
and through it all, remember that still
God’s is Sovereign, Christ is the way
in this and every beautiful day.

Now, let your heart bow, for, Look! Do you see?
Just there in the distance, above all the trees,
just where horizons touch the sky,
hear the birds sing and the Angels cry
“Glory to God! Now comes the Light!”
Who can take in such a stunning sight?
And the answer comes back: God makes all things new.
This day, for example, is made just for you.

Rejoice! Be glad, you of infinite worth;
God’s expression of love since the day of your birth.
Remember this moment. Cherish these words.
Laugh with the sunlight. Sing with the birds.
For you now stand, arms lifted high
to touch his garment as He passes by.

If you take a stroll through The First Letter Of Paul To The Corinthians, you come across comments, directions, insights that reflect the amazing mind of Paul, the author. And not just the amazing mind, but the unwavering faith. He addresses the meaning and purpose of Christ as God’s good news, divisions within the church of his time, behavior within the community of faith, what it means to be an Apostle of Christ, spiritual gifts, unity in the family of faith, and, of course, the magnificent statement about Christian Love. Chapter 13 is poetic genius. But, don’t overlook Chapter 15, Paul’s detailed statement about the Resurrection of Christ and its meaning. Then comes the summary in Chapter 16 and, particularly, the 13th verse. Here Paul gives advice, encouragement and specific directions for living faith. Here are his words: “Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”

Everything Paul has addressed in the previous paragraphs of his letter to the Corinthian church, is brought to conclusion with those words. I propose that Paul’s summary statement to his Corinthian sisters and brothers is meant for us, too. In tenuous times, I need to remember words like alert and courage and strength. But most of all, I need to be reminded every day that everything I say or do must be grounded in love. Courage and strength can serve the wrong purposes. It’s the starting point that counts. Christ. Only. Exclusively.

First Corinthians 16:13. Copy it and tape it to the bathroom mirror. You may need a reminder. Press on!

I live with a dream that won’t go away;
it haunts my steps day after day.
In my dream, I am always called to task
for hiding behind a deceptive mask
of indifference and selfish disregard
for those whose lives are very hard,
who merely survive from day and day,
who rage with anger when their children say:

“Daddy, I’m hungry and very cold.”
This beautiful child is eight-year-old,
a victim of someone else’s greed,
an example of why we desperately need
to come together in mutual trust;
It’s not that we should, we must!

I still have a dream, despite it all;
if the sun should burn out, or the sky should fall,
I will not give in to violence and hate;
with one breath remaining, it’s not too late
to live by Love, not just think it through;
there may be nothing more I can do,
but I will have tried to stem the tide
of injustice, greed and arrogant pride.

(With gratitude for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
whose words, in his speech I Have A Dream,
inspired his poem. )

A good friend told me recently: “I don’t believe in this religion stuff. No, not me.” Then we went on to talk about cultural changes, ecological issues, the political climate of the day and a range of other topics that had direct bearing on how we live each day. It was a great conversation for someone who didn’t realize that he was dealing with the same ideas and issues Jesus talked about 2,000 years ago. Same topics, different setting. A word of advice to my friend: Don’t institutionalize Jesus and miss the message. That message was highly relevant then, and it certainly is now. That message lives in the street, not just the sanctuary. It upends the world with its brash claims. It is brash enough to say what our hearts know and our brains sometimes reject. It is free to hear, challenging to accept and insistent that it only works when plugged into life, real hands-on life. While that message is comprehensive and universal, two particular ingredients are of utmost urgency. Those ingredients are identified in this quotation from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.” Bypass “that religion stuff” if you choose, but don’t miss the message.

Dreams become reality when they move from “what if…?” to “why not…?” to “I will…!”

What if I took the initiative to help my neighbor in her need; knocked on her door, called her on the phone, made the effort. What holds me back? *Well, I am very busy right now. *I don’t know anything about her. *She has never waved or said “hello.” *I might disturb her if I knocked on her door. But…”why not…? Why not step beyond the boundary of my own hesitation, my own reluctance to “get involved?” And since I can’t think of a truly honest reason, “I will…! I will take the first step, knock on her door, see if there is anything I can do to help out; I’ll be her neighbor.

And he did. And she needed help. And they are now friends. And now when he sits in church on Sunday mornings and hears the message: everyone is my neighbor, he thinks of how many times he has been “too busy” or “too tired” or “too cautious” and he offers a prayer of forgiveness.

“I believe that even amid today’s mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow.” The dream persists. “I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream.” As we observe this Martin Luther King, Jr Day, consider the “what if ?” and the “why not?” and the “I will!” And take these words to heart: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

Who is my neighbor?, the man asked Jesus long ago. We know the answer in our hearts. It is time to turn dreams into realities…what ifs to why nots to I will. It is time.