Shining Spirit

The landscape of rural Virginia is littered with wineries. Stop in and have a taste! And so I did. It turned out to be a large apple orchard with a couple of small buildings where the thirsty traveler could purchase sample tastes of cider products. Who am I to disappoint these good people who care for the luscious apples and produce the nectar. I sampled.

It was like drinking the sweetness of the earth. Apple ladened trees stretched as far as the eye could see across the rolling hillsides. Warm sun, gentle breeze, and the sweet taste of freshly made cider. How fortunate I am. I should be grateful for a moment like this. I should remember the suffering and struggle most of the world endures while I sip cider. I do. I do.

And so, Living Spirit, let something like this cup of cider not only quench my thirst, but let it be a reminder of life on this earth, life that is filled with moments of joy and moments of disappointment and sadness. The earth is yours, Generous God, and it produces bounties of many things. May we who inhabit this floating home recognize not only tastes of sweetness but also our responsibilities to foster peace, justice, and mercy everywhere and for everyone. This is none other than the cup of salvation. I lift it to you, Lord, to honor and to hope. I lift it to You as a sign of my commitment to Your Kingdom of kindness.

May it be so. Amen.

“This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

It seems that we all have an inherent need to ponder “The Other”. Some people pursue that felt need, some don’t. Some people call “The Other” God. Others feel more comfortable and connected by using a different title or name. The good news is that no matter how you pursue this need, or the name you use to commune with that which is greater than yourself, or when or where…we are all in different tributaries of the same river and that river is carrying us slowing and carefully toward the great confluence, a coming together in the place and The One for which we yearn.

Float gratefully today, for you are a voyager on the way. All rivers come together in the presence of The One who calls us.
So many tributaries; so many boats of different sizes and shapes.

One home. Amen

Loneliness is inner emptiness. Solitude is inner fulfillment.

Solitude is a state of mind more than a place.

Simply to refrain from talking, without a heart listening to God, is not silence.

I appreciate Foster’s observations about solitude, a very important word and life reality for many who seek spiritual insight. I would add that solitude does not isolate; life does that in many ways. Solitude fills the empty places with an assurance that is strong enough and deep enough to change the course of life.

Finally, while some people are able to live in a state of solitude every day, most of us are happy to experience even a few minutes of solitude, often unexpectedly. When I stood among the fir trees, looking at the Canada Geese on the little pond, I knew a moment of inner connection, solitude. I wish there were words to describe such an experience; maybe Foster’s last comment above comes close: Just to eliminate all the clatter and noise of your life isn’t the most important thing when seeking solitude. A listening heart, a listening heart. It is spirit to Spirit, created to Creator.

Life speaks to the listening heart. And what it says is magnificent, an inner fulfillment beyond words. May you, this day, step into a moment of sacred solitude, fleeting as it may be. When you do, welcome the Sacred Surprise and listen with your heart.

It is a beautiful planet! From 30,000 feet, passing over fertile fields, geometric designs marking fields and pastures, billowing clouds adding accent, rich blue skies all around. Yes, it is spectacular. Everyone should have a daily dose of such wonder.

Come to think of it, we can. Maybe not at 30K feet, but along the pathway where you walk. In your neighborhood. In the creative gifts of The One who continues to shape and form wonder. Look around today and be surprised by uniqueness and sameness. The most precious gift you will receive today is waking to the majestic mural of life. Don’t take it for granted. Treat it gently, as the special gift of Someone who cares deeply.

Thanks be to God; Creator, Sustainer, Life Giving Source.

Amen.

What a way to start the day!

Early morning, brilliant sunrise, wicker basket hanging under a multi-colored hot air balloon, rising into the clear blue sky. No thanks. Not for me. I’ll take a nice, leisurely bike ride any day. Or, maybe a brisk walk. Or, maybe just sleep in while other people do all the doing. Isn’t it nice that our world is populated by people who have different stories and dreams and hopes and practices and beliefs and preferences?

You and I are the same but different. We share a planet that begs to be healed and asks us to care for it. We need meaningful relationships. We hope, even though our hopes may vary. And, we all originate in the same love that created all things. We have purpose, common purpose. Today I will honor our alikenesses and our differences. Today I will appreciate the gift of the day and I will use it, not just for myself, but for the common good of all living things. Amen

A bouquet for you this fine morning!

I know. It’s not a real bouquet; it’s alive and lovely in nature, not snipped and wrapped in plastic. It’s not organized with the darkest color shades over here and the lighter shades over there. Not color coordinated. It’s the real before it becomes the regulated; originals before being organized. I wonder what it would feel like to live one day with such complete freedom? I wonder why Jesus used wild flowers as an illustration of a deep spiritual life?

So, I hope you enjoy your Saturday bouquet. Please don’t try to snip them and put them in a vase. They are meant to grow in the rich soil of the earth, drenched in sunshine, cooled by shade, blessed by soft rain. No two are identical; each has its own unique place and purpose in the bouquet. What if, in neighborhood or community, you and I are one among many in the human bouquet? What if we were designed to be one essential among other essentials?

Every flower, every leaf in the Saturday bouquet contributes to the lovely picture. Believe it or not, so do you. Because you are blessed, be a blessing.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, what good is it except to be thrown out as useless.”

If it looks like a duck,
and walks like a duck...
That sure looks like salt, but there's only one way
to find out.  Put a little on the end of your finger
and taste it. You'll know if it's salt or not.
If it has a little zing...salt!

But how does one lose her saltiness, 
his zest?  One way is to sit on the shelf too long.
Shelf-life, they call it.  Check the expiration date.
What's the point of being salt if you
stay in the cupboard all the time?

Another way to lose it is to be scared
of pepper's demise, so that you never take
a chance, never try something new, always
start your sentences with "Well, at my age..."
Trying to grasp saltiness because of a fear
of losing it squeezes the life out of life.

You and I will never be useless, but we will, also,
never claim as our purpose the frantic fallacy
of "I must stay young to be vibrant and vital."
Can salt lose its saltiness by trying too hard
to retain flavor?  Faking it?  Sure.
It's an ego thing; life done for the wrong reasons.
Fear can drive you to the cupboard or into
a ditch.  Either way, the game is over.

We are the salt of the earth for the sake of the earth,
not ourselves.  We are salt in the name of the One
who claims us.  We are salt for our neighbor
and for the stranger.

The depth of flavor and the quality of saltiness
has less to do with age than with attitude.
Where are you on the Zing-O-Meter?
You unplugged it!

“There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho…” Luke 10:25

That sentence starts one of the most important segments of the New Testament, a small portion but profound. It probably reduces the broad, sweeping message of Jesus to one fundamental statement: “Go and do the same.”

The man in the crowd asked his question, got an answer, asked another question and got a story that has the potential of reshaping the world. At the end of the story, Jesus asks the curious man: Which of the three men who looked into the ditch and saw the dying man was his neighbor? “The one who treated him kindly,” the questioner answered. “Go and do the same.”

The irony was, of course, is that the kind man was a sworn enemy of the man in the ditch. Jews and Samaritans hated each other. But “the good Samaritan” was the source of life, healing, and kindness. I wonder: if I ended up in a ditch from a severe accident and my life was slipping away, would I turn away the help of someone I don’t like, someone I hate? Who is my neighbor? Imagine yourself into the story. You are the person in the ditch, severely injured. Would you think it important to check the passport of someone who stopped to help? Would you demand to know about their political persuasion? How about whether their religious beliefs were acceptable? “Before you bandage me, show me your immigration papers. Are you straight or gay or liberal or conservative?” Some people, it seems, would rather die than deal with one of “those.”

Who is my neighbor? “The one who treated him kindly,” It’s so simple; it really is. “Go and do the same,” Jesus said. Let every day be defined by your kindness. Even if you are on your back, bleeding in a ditch and kindness comes dressed in the garb of your adversary or enemy, be kind enough to receive the hand that reaches out to you. Take it. You might be taking the hand of God.

Be kind to everyone you meet. Everyone. And you will live in more ways than you can imagine.

Sitting in the comfort of my home, planning my day around lunch with a friend, a visit to the gym, time blocked out for reading a good book, I flinch when I see pictures of suffering, human beings sitting on piles of rubble that used to be their lives. One day, not long ago, they planned their days, too. Now there is nothing left. And not just the tragic loss of property and deeply personal belongings, but the “death toll.” Isn’t that a feelingless phrase? On that growing list, those numbers are human beings who used to play with their grandchildren and sit in church pews and wave “good morning” to neighbors.

The question is not “why.” There is no satisfying answer to that question. No, the question is “what.” In the face of human suffering, enormous suffering that seems relentless, what can I do? Little or much, it doesn’t matter. But something. I can’ walk away from that question. I can’t walk away from that question and still claim my commitment to Christ. Forget causes and reasons. Those can be debated later. First in our hearts and our minds is Reaction. What will I do?

God, give me the courage to ask the question, and to ask, and ask, and ask until some answer comes. What can I contribute to the healing of such massive pain? What of myself can I offer?

Ask from the heart and you will know.

It’s a good thing he paid attention to the instructions from Momma and Daddy Hummingbirds, because making those first solo landings are sometimes not easy to do. You have to have your wings in just the right place, your landing gear down…lots of things to do if you’re going to touch down safely. This young bird probably got lots of OJT, On The Job Training.

Every good leader, all good managers know that training is very important before a rookie gets into the game. Will you be surprised that Jesus understood the need for OJT? Luke, in chapter 10, informs us that “the Master selected seventy and sent them out to every town and place where he intended to go.” Sent them out, yes, but not before training them for the task: “be cautious, this is hazardous work”, “travel light; no extra baggage”, “don’t loiter and make small talk” (stay focused), “stay at one home…don’t move from house to house”, “heal anyone who’s sick and tell them ‘God’s kingdom is right on your doorstep'”. If you are not received in a town, then “go out in the street and say…” and Jesus gives them the exact words. The good news is that when the mission was completed “the seventy came back triumphant…” The training paid off. Mission accomplished.

Maybe all those Sunday School classes and the workshops and the conferences and the assemblies and the special courses we’ve taken over the years are supposed to prepare us for actual ministry, acting on behalf of The Spirit. By the way, all those sermons, too.

Not too late. “Use it or lose it” they say. Let’s modify it just a little: “use it or someone else won’t be blessed today; use it because you have it and we are supposed to share it with others…Good News of great joy.” At least once today, be the blessing you were made (trained) to be. Press on.