Shining Spirit

On this first Sunday of Advent, let me suggest a few questions for your consideration. First, though, a reminder: Advent is a four week spiritual preparation time leading up to the celebration of Christmas and the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. It is a particularly important time in the life of the church and of all Christians as we recognize the enormity of a mystery: God became a human being in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. The fullness of God is known in the life of Jesus. So, to encourage you to meditate and reflect in this four-week period, I pose these “simple” questions:

1. How will this season of Advent be the same and/or different from previous years?
2. What will you do to turn Advent from a word or thought into a specific reality?
3. How will you find ways to observe Advent, not only as an individual Christian, but also in community. In other words, how will you move Advent from a “me” experience to a “we” experience?

I think that last question is very important. While we usually put the message and teachings of Jesus into rather personal terms, I believe a close reading of the Gospels reveals the mind and message of Jesus to be much more collective, inclusive and universal that we traditionally think. But the point is this: don’t skim over Advent waiting for the joy of Christmas. If you do, you will have missed four weeks of deeply moving messages that never age. Let Advent speak to you…and through you. Look for the blessing; rejoice in the finding; and then give it away.

In spite of headlines and heartaches,
I will be thankful.

Facing uncertainties with my
friends and neighbors, yet I
will remain thankful.

I will look deeply into the moment,
I will focus on things that add
beauty to life, and I will be
grateful.

And yet…there will remain a
cavern in my soul, a place that
no feast can fill, where no table
is set, a place where human
suffering gnaws the flesh of
my bones.

I will sit at the Thanksgiving table today and
I will swallow the morsel of the merry, truly
grateful, but anguished and angered at the
suffering of those who look over my shoulder
and wish for a taste of kindness and a place
at our feasts of abundance.

Yesterday was an unusual day in the Sonoran Desert. Rain fell almost all day long. Rain! That wonderful experience that everyone dreams about, prays for in July and August. The skies even thundered in the late evening. Car headlights came on automatically, water filled the potholes in the street, and Thanksgiving Day shoppers ran from their cars into the grocery store as if they might melt in the downpour. One dripping customer was overheard to say: “That lousy rain. Why didn’t it come down on a day when I didn’t have to shop!” You’re right…the same guy who sat in church in August and said: “Lord, Lord…”

Two observations. First, be careful what you pray for. You might get it. And, second, life doesn’t always seem to take my convenience into account. Obviously, the rain did not know that I was planning to shop yesterday. Bad timing. So, from those of us who feel entitled and exasperated, this announcement: I plan to drive over to San Diego soon, and when I do, I would appreciate a nice sunny day, minimal traffic, lowered gas prices (it is California!) and no radar traps on the Interstate. I will restate my requirements (requests) this morning in church when we all pray together. There you have it. That’s that. Amen.

What if every bird in every sky in every country was a Robin? No exceptions. Boring. Or, every flower in every meadow a bluebonnet? We would get tired of blue. Or the only sandwich you could order at every sandwich shop was ham and cheese? Uniformity has its place, but diversity adds so much richness to life. In my adolescent days, sameness saved me in most social circles. Just blend in. Hang out with people who wore the same styles, spoke the same lingo, shared my likes and dislikes. But one day, post-adolescence, I tasted Hawaiian Pineapple ice cream instead of vanilla, and I had to rethink my life. The road to diversity can be bumpy at first, and a little scary, but there were benefits to knowing that the ice cream shop sold 31 different flavors.

This wonderful creation, presented in enormous diversity, ought to be a clue about living. Difference was designed into the fabric of life. On purpose. Intentionally. And so when I sit with a circle of friends, I fill my plate with diversity and most often I come away from the feast of friendship quite satisfied, or challenged, or wiser. I continue to be pleasantly amazed that Jesus regarded everyone as a potential friend, regardless of social position, personal wealth, or human accomplishments. So, maybe there is a benefit or two for us in looking at human diversity as a gift rather than a problem.

Dr. Suzanne Degges-White, in an article in Psychology Today (July 2020), makes the point. The benefits of diverse friendships, she writes are:

1. Exposure to valuable new perspectives on life; examples of how one transitions from one way of understanding things to a different way.
2. Chances to learn more about the world, which, by the way, is much bigger than our limited views.
3. Awareness that challenges and even confrontations are common to everyone.
4. Learning, growing, developing by asking questions of someone about life experience, cultural heritage, successes and failures.
5. Opportunities, not just to learn from someone else, but to share your own life, to mentor, and contribute to another person’s human growth.

Socially, culturally, politically, and spiritually, let’s move beyond “Me-My-Mine” to “We.” Maybe there are 35 flavors…some yet to be discovered.

That remarkable man we know as The Apostle Paul, the author of most of the New Testament, was very skilled at communicating what he understood to be the basics of faith in God’s Messiah. One of those basics had to do with “getting right with God,” which, Paul thought, was misunderstood by many people. That’s why the 10th chapter of Romans is so important, because it’s here that Paul makes it all rather clear. It’s not by following “the Law”, rules and regulations, that one comes to know God, but by simply believing in the heart and speaking with the mouth. And, Paul insists, anyone (!) who does that is drawn into the embrace of God’s love.

This morning, as I read Romans 10, my eyes stopped on verses 14 and 15, a sequence of thoughts that can be an outline for each of us. In summary, those verses go like this: how can anyone come to know God and be in relationship with God unless they believe in God, and how can they believe if they have never heard about God, and how can they hear unless someone tells them, and how can anyone tell them unless she or he is motivated to share the Good News? Makes logical sense. And then, for reasons that I can’t explain, I came at the thought from the opposite direction; I read it backwards. When you and I are sensitive to the prompting of the Spirit, we are sometimes in situations where we can say something about the meaning and value of faith in our own lives. The listener hears, maybe for the first time, and then begins to consider his own life in reference to faith. And, in considering his or her own life, that person comes to a point of yes or no, a decision point of “I believe, too.”

It’s simply one hungry person telling another hungry person where to find bread. And Paul was right: following laws, rules, regulations won’t get us closer to God; in fact, law keepers tend to move farther from God because they have substituted obedience to Law for relationship with Love.

Caution: Be very careful about “saved” language. “I am saved. Are you?” That’s Law language and it’s usually a conversation-stopper. What people really want to know is “how do I cope with life everyday?” or “how do I find meaning in these confusing days?” And you have the answer, which is about living now with hope, a sense of meaning, and some level of joy. But the other person won’t know it unless we tell it, and when we tell it, then a seed is planted which will be nurtured by the Spirit.

People have to hear in order to believe in order to commit in order to follow, and they can’t hear unless you and I say it. What a privilege it is to be one hungry person telling another hungry person where to find bread.
“How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” Someone might be waiting for you today, waiting to hear a word of hope and courage. Be ready.

When taking on a new task, looking for a way to make a difference in life, forming a life philosophy, or deepening your spiritual understanding, consider The Five C’s, an old approach to a new way of living.

Well, maybe not old. In fact, the list fell into my lap about ten minutes ago. Gifts at 4:02 a.m. should not be ignored.

I suspect the life list is a second cousin to an anonymous quotation that got caught in the revolving door of my waking mind. The quote says about faith: “We are not asked to be heroic. It is enough to be consistent.” So, to honor the memory and mission of Jesus,
one must be: Concerned, Courageous, Consistent, Constant and Committed.

Concerned: Feel empathy; put yourself in someone else’s shoes.
Courageous: There are always obstacles to doing good; stand up
Consistent: Don’t check which way the wind is blowing; the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Constant: Seven days a week; twelve months a year; no days off.
Committed: It’s a lifestyle, not a leisure activity.

The Gospel is best delivered and demonstrated by people like you and me. Heroic credentials not required. We qualify.

Press on.

Make time today to consider this —

“In a world that moves fast, breaks often, and talks louder than it listens, one truth has quietly stood the test of time: Character matters.”

“…if there’s one virtue that underpins all the others, it’s not the flashiest or the loudest. It’s not bravery or brilliance. It’s gratitude.”

“…gratitude is not just a personal nicety; it is a civilizational necessity. It is the starting point for moral clarity, human connection, and social resilience. A grateful person becomes a better citizen. A grateful society becomes a more humane one.”

“…without shared virtues (gratitude being primary) human cooperation breaks down. No law, policy or technology can replace trust. And trust, at its core, is built on character. You don’t trust someone who’s merely competent; you trust someone who’s honest, loyal and fair. In modern times, though, virtues have been downgraded. We emphasize skills over ethics, image over substance, and performance over principles.”

What a sad mess a nation would be in if it valued skills without ethics, image more than substance, or performance with no reference to principles. Gratitude is not a thank-you note, or a passing nod; “it is not transactional — it is a disposition.” And it is fundamental in the practice of the Christian faith.

Quoted material taken from the article Gratitude First in OV Style Magazine; written by Kevin Boerup; November 2025

Credit to the ancient philosopher, Plato: “The greatest wealth is to learn to live with little.” But doesn’t that run counter to prevailing theories of economics: “The more you have, the richer you are.” In addressing this very real human tendency, Jesus cautioned people about building bigger barns. And that’s because there is a direct relationship between accumulating and appreciating. Do I really appreciate that box of dishes in the back corner of my self-storage unit? I haven’t opened the box in the last five years, but I’m not ready to let it go. I’ll never use the dishes. I think I got them when Aunt Sarah died, or my cousin Brenda. I think. Anyway, it’s nice to have some “spares” in case I host a large crowd. The last time I hosted a large crowd? Never mind. If I de-accumulated those dishes then I would be obligated to point out that no one needs 37 screwdrivers. Two can play this game.

And “game” it is. Maybe it’s time to appreciate quality instead of quantity. Living with less than the “prescribed need” may seem strange until that day when you hold an item of genuine value and say to yourself: “I never noticed the beauty of this object. Look at the craftsmanship. I really appreciate its presence in my life.”

Maybe a better way of putting it is like this: (Sorry, Plato) “The greatest wealth is to learn to live with enough.” And how much is “enough?” Usually just a little less than I have. Accumulating for the sake of having, possessing, undermines Appreciating. Now about those dishes.

When I was a child, my family taught me to say “Please” and “Thank you.” It was called “being polite.” To say “please” recognized the value of the other person, inherent reality. He or she existed, as I did, and it would be impolite to run roughshod. “Please” was not simply a request for something (Please pass the green beans); it was a way of acknowledgement. “Thank you,” on the other hand, was not an acknowledgement of the other person; it was a statement about myself and how I understand life. To say “please” usually meant a request; to say
“thank you” was a response. Both demonstrated good manners.

Today is Veterans Day. And it is appropriate to say “Please” and “Thank you.” To all who have served the welfare of the nation, the values and principles so urgently important in human community, “Please” know that your efforts are not forgotten. And “Thank You” for demonstrating, not a claim of glory but a commitment to gratitude, for only profound gratitude produces the servant of community and nation. The next time someone says to you: “Thank you for your service” hear that last word clearly. It is an acknowledgement, not only of what you did, but of the deepest values that cause each of us to care for people and nation.

I used to think that the more words I used in my high school essay, the better chance I would have of getting a good grade. Fill up several pages with phrases and commas and exclamation points and that would impress the teacher. Didn’t work. Doesn’t work in sermon preparation, either. Have you ever sat through a seemingly endless sermon and wondered: Is there an end to this thing? So, I’m not surprised to hear Jesus give this specific instruction when he was discussing prayer with his disciples. “When you pray, don’t pour out a flood of empty words, as the Gentiles do. They think that by saying many words they’ll be heard. Don’t be like them.” And then he goes on to demonstrate a very concise, specific prayer for their daily use.

You know, I’d like to offer similar advice to other segments of our population. “A flood of empty words” serves the good of no one. I’m not impressed by an hour of senseless sound. Remember that funny TV commercial where the old woman with a raspy voice used to say: “Where’s the beef?” Where’s the substance? Well, I think for Jesus the substance was in the simplicity. When I learned to prepare a sermon many years ago, I got some good advice: “Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Then tell them. And then tell them what you told them.” Or, there’s the KISS principle: Keep it simple, stupid!

So, at the risk of running on and on, I come to the point. It’s not how many words you use in your prayer. In fact, prayer may not have to do with words at all. Maybe it’s enough to just sit quietly in the presence of God, unlock your heart, and connect. Do we really think God needs to be informed or reminded with “a flood of empty words”? Name the person (Aunt Sarah) or the situation (my doctor’s appointment) or your concern (the world!) but don’t write an essay with lots of commons and phrases. What was that other thing Jesus said in the same prayer conversation? “because your Father knows what you need before you ask.” I once heard a story about….never mind. Too many words.