Shining Spirit

A great mystery novel has a “plot that thickens” until, finally, truth is revealed, the mystery is solved. But you have to wait until the end to figure it out. A really great joke begins with some preliminary build-up but it’s the punch line that brings out the laughter. Punch lines always come at the end, not the beginning of a joke. “You’ve saved the best until last,” someone says as the magnificent dessert is brought into the room. The meal was wonderful, but this is the crowning jewel.

You’ve saved the best until last. Not Jesus. So often he reversed the normal order of things, turned the world upside down, shocked his listeners with challenges to the commonly accepted. For instance. Matthew 5 contains many insights, words of wisdom, basic instructions. We call it the Sermon On The Mount, arguably the most important collection of Kingdom insight available. And it is in the very first words of this huge collection of spiritual wisdom that Jesus demonstrates his delight in throwing us a curve. All of the 106 verses of practical teaching depend on the opening line, a principle statement: “blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for the Kingdom of God is theirs.”

Translation: if you realize your spiritual need, only then will you realize that you already have what you desire. If you don’t know it, or admit it, then you don’t have it. Everything that follows in the Sermon is understandable in the light of that opening remark. He gives us the punch line first of all. Folks who honestly confront their own spiritual need find that they don’t have to wait for a future date: they have all the insight, wisdom and practical illustrations they need to blossom as flowers in God’s garden. They possess the Kingdom, now.

“For the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” Yours. Mine. Now. But, only if we get honest and get busy.

If you have nothing special to do today and you want to fill a little empty time, why don’t you sing? I’ll even suggest the song: Happy Birthday To You. Why that song? Because today is the birthday of some pretty famous people. “And many more…” to Willie Nelson, by my calculation 91 today; funny man Jerry Seinfeld; tennis great Andre Agassi; and the late but great race car driver: Dale Earnhardt. As I look back over my shoulder, I remember the times each one of these performers made me want to jump up and applaud their skills and the thrills they brought to the world.

But there is always something else I see when I take the time to look back over that same shoulder. I see the fingerprint of God. Everywhere I look: family, friends, work, particular events, special moments, there is the fingerprint and I know: God was there. I didn’t know it in the moment, but I conclude that since God was present in all those moments of my life, isn’t it reasonable to think that God is leaving fingerprints everywhere today? Just because you don’t see the movement of God in and through your life doesn’t mean that you are alone. The promise was given: “I will never leave you alone” were the words spoken by Jesus, and He has kept his promise. The Holy Spirit lives and moves among us.

Take a few minutes today and think back to those times when you said to yourself: “I was lucky to get through that,” or “I’m really fortunate to have…” or “I’m sure glad I made that choice.” These are the “intersection” times in our lives when we make choices: this road or that one; yes or no; should I or shouldn’t I?

Then check for fingerprints.

My car won’t drive itself and it doesn’t know how to parallel park, but it is smart enough to know when it needs air in the tires or gas in the tank. A little yellow light shines on the instrument panel when it’s thirsty and another to signal that the tire pressure has dropped. Fair warning, the car is saying; ignore me and you’ll be walking home.

Today is Sunday and I feel a signal in my mind, one that I should not ignore. It’s telling me that the time has come to replenish food for my spirit. Warning: the spiritual tank is running low. Of course, this particular signal could come on any day. It doesn’t have to be Sunday; Thursday will do just as well. The issue is not “that” the signal came, but what I do “when” the little yellow light comes on. Ignore it, let the tank run dry or the tire go flat and there are consequences. There are many different kinds of refueling stations in your hometown. Pick one and fill up. Don’t fret about which one offers the best fuel, because when you arrive at your destination, no one is going to question the type of fuel you used (brands won’t matter). When you pull into that driveway at Home, everybody will be so glad to see you and the party will begin. You arrived! And that’s enough to set off fireworks and fill the feast table with food.

Don’t ignore the signals.

If I try one hundred times and fail, I win.
All those attempts are not in vain.
Now I know what will work and won't,
so through it all I've been able to gain
new knowledge that will show the way,
for only the answer now remains;
the solution is closer than ever.

Honest effort never fails.
Not succeeding is not the same
as wasting time in a frivolous way.
My effort is not a childish game,
the light is closer with every probe;
this is not about headline fame.
Truth is the goal I seek.

Discovery requires a patient mind
that isn't afraid to hear the word "no",
for somewhere within the shadows still
the answer waits, a distant glow.
"Press on!" My mind and heart agree
that very soon the world will know
what now we cannot fully see:
Truth that will bless and set us free.

Moses, David, Isaiah,
Peter, James, John,
Paul,
They all had this in common:
They loved God.
And so do I.

They did things to help people,
and so do I.

They preached and taught
and strengthened 
faith,
and so do I.

They knew that suffering
for the sake of the Kingdom
was a mark of their authenticity
as followers of Jesus,
and they suffered.

Well...three out of four
isn't so bad, is it?
I don't mind being a servant,
but to choose suffering,
well...  

Do you ever wonder what life would be like
if in the midst of turmoil and national strife
we turned “to” each other instead of “on”,
we tried to sing the same basic song
of respect for difference, mutual gain,
we made sure that no one was
left out in the rain?

Imagine a time when manners would count,
no matter the sum in your bank account,
or how many stocks and bonds you owned.
Across the board it could be shown
that nations thrive when people care,
the rules are just, opportunities fair.
Thoughtfulness rules the day.

Is this beyond our human reach?
Is what we believe and preach and teach
consistent with who we say we are?
It seems at times that we’ve come so far,
and then injustice and hate prevail.
Will we succeed or will we fail
the quest to be fully human?

Have you ever gone “out on a limb?” Taken a chance? Risked it all? Sometimes there’s not time to measure the strength of the limb, whether it will hold or not. You just have to do it. Or, some of us choose to never venture out onto that limb. No risk, no challenge, play it safe. When I look at the life of the man Jesus, I see someone who didn’t count the costs when it came to extending love, offering forgiveness. Foolish? No, faithful to the Source of his strength and power. Today let’s err on the side of extravagance. Don’t hold back the compliments. Extend a hand to help. Go the extra mile. Take a deep breath and go out on that limb. You never know who you’ll meet out there.

Creating God,
maker of mountains and moons
and me,
Sculptor of all I see -- as the sun rises,
so may my spirit rise to meet you,
for I need to be near you,
to hear your voice as you speak
truth into confusions, peace into my frustrations, as you sing your
love song to the world and
worlds beyond.
To walk in your shadow, Christ,
helps me face whatever happens in
this day, sustains me with food for
my spirit, and calls me to grow stronger
in faith, more focused in my
efforts to make a difference in
this world.
Living Water, quench my thirst,
Light Rising over the mountain, I 
am here, ready to walk this day
with you,
in you and you in me.
Amen.

Today will be the best day of your life, or the worst day, or somewhere in the middle. We all hope to be closer to the “best” marker rather than the “worst.” But it doesn’t always work out that way.

Today will be a lousy, forgettable day if you get up this morning still nursing the anger you felt when you went to bed, or if you carry over the pain of the disappointment you felt yesterday, of if the first emotion you feel today is fear about something you can’t control.

Today will turn out to be a good day if, in the midst of yesterday’s “left-overs”, you allow yourself to love and/or to be loved. Jesus once asked a sick man: Do you want to get well? Same question: Do you want this day to be better than yesterday? It can be if you have the courage to love someone or something in spite of your bruises or backache. Trust me. Sometimes it takes courage and determination to love or to accept love, but when you allow love, it becomes more than a remedy. It becomes the new reality, a revealing.

Don’t wish away a perfectly good day. Make it different. Love is life’s lubricant. It fixes squeaky things like you and me. May it be so.

There are many names for God: Father/Mother, Creator, Love, Yahweh, Presence. It’s a long list. But let’s add one more from the writing of Brother David Steindl-Rast: “Another name for God is surprise.” Encounters with God are usually unexpected. You’re going about your business: parenting, working, reading a book and without warning, God pulls back the curtain and says “Boo!” Usually the result of a “Boo!” experience is a change of mind or heart or life direction. And the change is always for the better.

Since I’m in a quoting mood, here’s one more, and it relates to the topic of surprise. “It seems that any moment of interest or pain or adversity can surprise us into the larger totality of life, breaking our current limits and allowing us to redefine ourselves in regard to the larger sense that is upon us.” You open the front door and there stands your long-alienated child, and you are surprised into joyful forgiveness. The letter you just opened tells you about the death of a very close friend and you are surprised into a deep awareness of what it means to be a friend and to lose one. Both experiences bring the potential for life change.

If you are about to say: Well, I never get surprises that have the potential to change my life, my response will be: You’re not paying attention. Wake up!”

So, find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed for thirty-minutes. Put pencil to paper and make a list, short or long, of the times in your life when surprise (Surprise) happened, good surprise or bad, that changed the direction of your life, or as Mark Nepo says: “allowing us to redefine ourselves.”

Have you ever been surprised by Surprise? Of course you have.

**Both quotes from: The Book of Awakening, Mark Nepo, pp. 132-133, Red Wheel Press, 2020