Shining Spirit

I had an idea that I wanted to write about this morning. It was as good idea. It went something like this: when hard times come and you feel like you have been buried by circumstances, maybe you’ve been planted by God. And I remembered the biblical character who faced some major decisions, some very challenging, even frightening. She wrestled with the confusion and uncertainty until a wise friend told her: perhaps you are here “for such as time as this.” Maybe this is the calling of your life. See it not as an obstacle, but as an opportunity.

As I was letting that thought take root, I picked up a book titled “The Little Book of Love Letters To The World.” When I opened it at random, I found this: “Sometimes when you’re in a dark place, you think you’ve been buried, but you’ve actually been planted.” There is was again! “…for such a time as this.”
Maybe I’m supposed to think about that today. Maybe?

So, I invite you to join me as I walk through this day on the side of opportunity rather than obstacle. I believe that sometime(s) today challenge will come and I will think “for such a time as this.” Maybe the point of this particular day is to speak, do, or be kindness or forgiveness or hope for someone. Let’s look challenge in the face today and extend the hand of creative compassion. In the shadow of Christ, you and I are never buried; we are planted.
“…for such as time as this.”

At the end of this day,
may you look back and say:
I tried my best and I leave the rest
in the hands of my strength and my hope.

Then let it all go,
for surely you know
that unless you release, God can’t increase
the strength that you need each day.

I once knew a man
whose daily plan
was to fall on his knees and tearfully plead
for the Lord to transform his life.

But then he’d rise
and to his surprise
he still felt the grief, there was no relief.
The clouds were as dark as before.

“Where is the joy
I knew as a boy
I do not live now; help me somehow
to regain the meaning of life.”

Then his heart grew warm,
like the end of a storm,
when he heard a voice say, “I’ll show you the way,
but you have to let it all go.”

“The strength you find,
like sight to the blind,
is the gift I bestow, but you need to know
that you can’t take it back every time.”

“Once you offer in prayer
your grief or despair,
leave it all in my hands and then you can stand
transformed in my strength and love.”

Why so hard
to release to the Lord
the suffering we carry; why are we wary
of trusting His way and His word?

This thought is for you;
think it all through.
Leave it all behind, and then you will find
the strength to live and press on.

Never having made a prayer resource like this before, when the instructor handed me a box of colorful stones, a small silver cross and a piece of common wire and said: “Ok, here’s all you need,” I thought: Where do I start? With instruction and time, this was the result. I think it’s rather pretty, but what makes it a resource of personal prayer is the unseen wire that holds it all together. Without the wire, it falls apart.

Over the years I’ve done a lot of counseling, individuals and families. And, of course, I’ve seen how human beings can love tenderly and hate viciously. Some of those counseling times resulted in love discovered or renewed. Some people, though, left in the same way they arrived: broken and still suffering. Those were the sad people whose anger was stronger than their love, whose pride would not allow them to say: “I’m sorry” or “I love you, too.” For the most part, the people who benefitted from the conversations did so because they agreed on a common bond that was stronger than their divisions. Without honest love, the family fell apart.

I love most types of music…most. And even though I don’t know much about notes and flats and sharps (whatever that means), I do know that all those funny looking black shapes on the music sheet don’t produce beautiful music on their own. The only thing that keeps them from tumbling all over each other and producing a horrible sound is something you don’t see….because it isn’t there. Empty space. Empty space between the notes. The space between the notes is as important as the musical notes themselves. Without the empty spaces linking the notes, we would never know Beethoven or The Beatles.

What causes friendships to grow and develop? Two people meet, strike up a conversation, find a few commonalities, enjoy each other’s company, and before you know it, they are friends. Why? It’s not because they are the same height or drive the same kind of car. Go deeper. It’s trust and respect and the joy of the other that makes the friendship lasting, maybe life-long.

A simple strand of wire, love that is willing to sacrifice for the other, empty spaces between musical notes, respect and trust…our lives would be a mess without all the linkages, the connectors that help us find meaning, purpose, and joy. You’ve heard it said: “Everything is connected.” That’s absolutely true, and it all starts here: “He is the image of the invisible God…in him, all things hold together. In him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” Christ holds all things together. Check it out. Paul wrote it in our Colossians, chapter 1. Christ is the linkage that turns existing into living, bridges the gap between brokenness and wholeness, binds up our wounds and binds us together. So, the obvious question: what holds your life together? Worth thinking about today in your time of prayer and reflection.

If I give a little and get a little back,
that’s perfectly fine by me.
Some people give it all away
so their nosey neighbors can see
what appears to be a generous act,
but look closer and you’ll see

that from their abundance they gave what amounts
to a nickel, maybe a dime.
That’s how most people show they care,
and it happens all the time.
They feel the need to be praised and adored.
It should be a federal crime.

I guess, someday, they will stand before God,
two nickels, two dimes in hand
ready to move to the Penthouse floor
where all is lovely and grand.
But both will be stunned, speechless, in shock
when they learn that God is aware of their plan.

Sad to say, just yesterday
God called them for a quick walk-through,
but I’m happy to say that as of today
new arrivals got rooms with views.
Well, forgive me; that’s not quite true.
Let me try to explain it to you.

Our stingy friends with their nickels and dimes,
dissatisfied through and through,
complained to God that they would not live
in a basement that had no view.
“Dear ones,” said God, “I want you to see
that generosity applied to you.

Your nickels and dimes have bought you a place
that has the perfect view…for you.
Be grateful for Grace that is greater than greed;
by the way, there’s a sub-basement, too.”
So, the saying is true; take it to heart:
be generous in all you do

or, you might be assigned a new address:
the basement that has no view.
A word of advice? If I were you,
I’d avoid that sub-basement, too.

I need to be reminded, sometimes hourly, without question daily, that life is beautiful.
Symmetry and balance exist. In the finger-snap of a moment,
you float above reality and reflection, stretched long in the
first few flaps of your soft-feathered wings.
You do not fly. That is an effort between gravity and grace.
You rise.
You rise above muted reflections, beyond distortions,
into creation’s sustaining breath. And then you are gone
while I sit on a patch of barren earth, trying to get
a knot out of my shoelaces.

There were a lot of “Happy Mothers’ Day” wishes made yesterday. And rightly so. There are great values associated with this special day on the calendar. Perhaps when you thought about the day, or someone special you honored, great virtues came to mind: love, kindness, caring…it’s a long list. Hang on, Dads! Your day is coming. What a wonderful thing it is to honor the virtues associated with good friendships and loving relationships. Never pass up an opportunity to raise excellent virtues into the spotlight of appreciation and thanksgiving.

In that line of thinking, what about a “Guy Who Drives The Garbage Truck Day”? Or, “The Traffic Guard At The School Crossing Day”? Or, “The Package Delivery Person Who Is Trying To Feed Her Family Day”? I don’t know if there is any inherent virtue in driving a trash-pickup truck, but there is certainly value to the community. Think about all the “unseen” people who make your life easier or more pleasant. Maybe they don’t “deserve” recognition” or a “thank you”, but would it cost me much to say “Thanks!” to the next postal worker behind the counter at my local Post Office? Not much. Would it make her or his day better? Maybe. Better to say it than to pick up your stamps and walk away.

So, I propose the official establishment of the following: “Long Haul Truck Drivers’ Day”, “Grocery Baggers’ Day”, “The Young Man Who Put Air In My Tires At The Tire Store Day”, “Landscape Woman With A Leaf Blower Day”…get it? Let’s be extravagant, over-the-top with our thanks to the often-unseen people around us. Thanksgiving is in the DNA of Christ Followers. We can’t help it. Look at all we have to be thankful for. Pass it around. Check out the third verse in Paul’s letter to the Philippian Christians: “I thank my God every time I remember you…” or to the Ephesians: “…I do not cease to give thanks for you…” or to the Corinthians: “…I give thanks to my God always for you…” One more: “Shining Spirits Who Make Life Beautiful Day”…that’s you. Thanks be to God through Christ, our Lord.

Did you feel the earth shake yesterday, quiver on its axis? An explosion of gratitude, joy and hope will do that. Not to mention the bells, millions of them sounding at the same moment. All of this because we got a glimpse of hope yesterday. The signal was sent and received: the hearts and minds of those electing the new spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church were moved by the wisdom of the Spirit. In this crossroads moment, the Conclave declared that the future of the Church is best placed in the hands of a servant, a man who, for his entire ministry, has been binding up wounds, demonstrating deep compassion, dedicating his ministry to serving the poor and the broken.

Pope Leo XIV is a breath of hope for so many who live in the anxiety of this world, who fear tomorrow, who pray for justice. His unexpected election by his peers is reason to rejoice, for the work of his predecessor will continue. Yesterday can be celebrated for the hope it brings and for the message it sends: Love wins! Love. (period)

God, grant to all our spiritual leaders the will and the way to lead us into a just and merciful world. Thank God for the bells ringing hope to us all. May it be so. Amen.

There has never been a long line to apply for the job of Prophet. It’s hard work. It’s risky. Several new books are out now about our need for 21st century prophets, people with the character, commitment and courage of an Amos or an Isaiah of the Hebrew Scriptures. In faith history, a prophet is not a fortuneteller, not a predictor of things to come. A genuine prophet is a voice of the present moment, a commentator on very contemporary matters. And, spiritual prophets speak what they believe to be the message of God. They address subjects like justice, mercy, fairness and commitment to something greater and more profound than one’s own self-interest. Want to apply?

Take a moment and look up Matthew 10 in the New Testament. Jesus speaks: anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. And that raises the question: what is a prophet’s reward; how big is the paycheck? And the answer is “0”. If you want payment for being a prophetic voice about human values, you’re in the wrong line. Prophets speak truth to power, mercy to revenge, and generosity to greed because they are compelled, not because they are compensated.

The need for true prophetic voices is great, but the application line is short. Speak your own mind all you want to, but don’t call it prophecy. Name the issues of the day, but sometimes that is not much more than complaining. Prophets don’t start with their own opinions; they know the heart of God and they shine that light on the shadows of the day.

So, step right up. Inspired by the touch of God’s Spirit, faithful to what we proclaim we believe, conscious of the consequences, and expecting nothing in return, you can be a voice in the wilderness of our contemporary chaos. Speak for God. Say what you know to be true from the message of Christ Jesus. Stand up. Speak up. And…sign up. The line is just over there. It’s the short one.

Footnote: When and where can you reveal the heart of God today? You.

This is not a carefully crafted presentation of colorful flowers. No floral designer made this, unless, of course, you consider Life’s Maker as the original flower arranger. The striking beauty
of this bouquet is not its orderly appearance. It is the realization that beauty often
grows out of chaos. Tangles of stems and leaves provide the backdrop for luscious colors
and textures. And diversity! O, yes. Would the photo have nearly the
impact if all the colors were the same or if the varied
colors were lined up in precise rows?
Not for me.
Behold, a living example of your life and mine. This is reality. Each
flower is important for the whole. Although, the purple flower on
the left is 0.0236 inches out of line.
I’ll fix it.

My Lord and My God, thank you for the beautiful rain that moistens your creation and reminds us of your providence. May all who travel on slick streets find their destinations safely. Is there some way, Lord, that this beautiful rain might soften our hearts and water our souls toward peace and understanding? May flowers bloom in the dryness of our surroundings. May your gift of rain wash away all the animosity and anguish that flowers when we live day after day in the aridity that thrives in the absence of Spirit. Rain upon us, Christ of Life. Bathe us with the tears of your own anguish as we struggle to live as sisters and brothers in the paradise of your love. Praise God from whom all blessings flow…yes, especially the rain.

Amen.