Shining Spirit

There is a rebel molecule in my body,
a stubborn little voice that says:
“Don’t sit down.  Get up!  Let’s go somewhere!”
He likes to travel, see new things, hit the road.
He keeps whispering in my ear,
“Life’s a journey, and we’re not there yet.”
He annoys me when he hums that old
Willie Nelson tune, “On The Road Again”.
But he’s right.  The metaphor of life as journey
fits who I am as a disciple of Jesus, the
man who never stood still.
My journey has been from child to elder,
from yesterday’s ways to the person I am now,
and from seeing the good creation,
not as something to use but as someone
to honor.
I don’t know how much road remains,
but I do know that I feel better when I’m
looking up, not walking through life focused on
my shoe laces.  Especially better when I
let my eyes wander over the mountains,
strong, inviting, welcoming.
The Psalmist and I have the same molecule:
“I lift my eyes to the hills.  Where does my help
come from?  From God who made heaven and earth.”

“On the road again.  Just can’t wait to get on the road again.
Makin’ music with my friends.  I just can’t wait to get on the road again.”
Come on…let’s make some music.

Around the curve, danger?  Delight?
Shadows fall on the tunneled pathway in no
particular pattern, visual confusion.  Abstract art.
Blooming plants and worrisome weeds, side by side,
pushing and shoving for space and attention.
And then there’s the bench, a little bit rough
and splintery. Decorated by passing birds
perched on the back for a moment of rest,
home for delicate spider webs tucked
artistically in corners and crevices,
sparkling strands ignited by shafts of light,
the bench is an imperfect invitation for
less than perfect people who want to
meet a friend or eat the peanut butter
sandwich in the backpack or watch
bees dance on delicate red blooms
or gratefully remember or
think about the journey
that still waits or
simply rest.
The way is wild and wonderful.
Hello, life.

The light is fading and the waves are high,
but the rock is solid.

Sometimes it feels like the coming darkness will bring nothing but
fear or pain, but the rock remains solid,
even in the darkness.

And even when the waves crash against the rock,
it does not move.  Solid.  Reliable.

The song to be sung in the darkest hour begins
“On Christ, the solid rock, I stand…”

Have courage.  Trust.
Take shelter on The Rock.

Imagine you are the only person on this beach
and you sit on the warm sand to enjoy the
the quiet moment.

What do you see and hear that speaks
to your spirit?

Don’t hurry.  Sit on the beach for a while.
Listen, feel, experience, relax.

You are in the Presence that blesses when
we stop long enough to be
aware in wonder.

For all who wake today with pain
both physical and spiritual,
may you be wrapped in the
warm blanket of Comforting Love

For all who in this day face
life changing decisions
may the doors of your mind be
open to Sacred Wisdom

For leaders of nations
in this trembling world
may you find Courage
to act for the welfare of all Creation

For those who fear others
because they are different by color or culture
may you see with Spiritual Eyes
the relatedness of all living beings

If all your efforts seem futile
and the meaning of life fades
may Clarity and Hope
rise within you

May the Spirit of unrelenting Love
walk beside you and
whisper to your heart
“You are loved
You are a priceless creation
You are never alone”

Hold tightly to Hope
Take one more step beyond the limit of your trust
Love in spite of…

The thought that occupies a lot of time and space in the minds of both clergy and laity is “Will the Church survive into the 21st century?”  Responses to that hard question are on both sides of the coin.  But whether there is agreement one way or the other, it seems that nobody has the blueprints of structure or function for the future.

Maybe blueprints are part of the problem.  Perhaps the fluidity of the future demands a flexibility that is just on the edge of our imaginations.  Edges are always scary.  Can imaginations be trusted?  Well, consider that imagination might be just another alias for Spirit.  Some people say that without holy imagination the future looks gloomy.  And they may be right.

I agree that “tall steeple” churches have served us well, at least into the 1950s.  But surely there are other ways to point us toward the Mystery of the universe, to lift our faces to see hope and the inherent value of creation.

I believe that form defines function.  An organizational mind organizes into structures and units.  I’m sure that serves corporations well, but I question that mentality in the evolving life of the Spiritual Body we have named church.  I don’t think the 21st century and beyond is going to welcome the form or its function that we know so well.  If we insist on replicating the form that satisfies us, then the function really won’t change. Voices that call for a new way of doing faith without regard for the issue of form are pointing us in the wrong direction.  I hope the church that emerges tomorrow will be daring in its imaginings about the “how” and the “what” of its evolving faith.

The universal Christ has been and will continue to be The Way, but the richness of that Way will be found when creativity and faith together produce the form and the functions that reach the inherent Spirit in all people.   To that end, I hope for clear minds, creative imaginations, tender hearts and fearless faith in women and men who trust and dare.  Trusting is the easy part.  It’s the daring that will tell the tale.

Come Sacred Imagination…come Inspiring Ingenuity.

Find some beauty in your day!

Can you imagine a Jackson Pollock
in all brown?  Or all of any single
color…you pick it.

Or books on the library shelf.
All one color, one size, same number
of pages, identical type size?

What if every bird sang the same song
and all jelly beans were pink?

This beautiful world is beautiful because
it shines through the many colors
of the rainbow.  Creation won’t abide
one color, one style, one shape.

The day of black and white talkies
is over, folks.
This is a technicolor world!
The gift of Creation.