Shining Spirit

I continue to be amazed when I open the short letter to the Philippians in the New Testament. It’s always the same, but it is never the same. Today’s reading is chapter 4, beginning at verse 11. I paraphrase…

There is a reason that the several categories of spiritual leadership exist; a purpose. People who fulfill the role of apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds or teachers serve a common purpose. It is not to be elected or appointed to a spiritual office: shepherd, teacher, etc. Leadership is not a reward for service done; it is not an honorary position. If you hold such a position in your church, it is for this reason, according to Philippians 4: “to equip the saints.” By the way, “saints” is a very common term for church member. You may or may not be “saintly”; that’s a different conversation. Leaders exist for the basic purpose of equipping others not for “right belief” but for “the work of ministry.” Designated leaders are builders. Lesson by lesson, experience by experience, they shape the “saints” for the specific goal of “doing the work of ministry.”

And what happens when this process is thoughtfully in place? The church finds “unity of faith and unity of knowledge.” I do not think this means a rigid, lock-step approach toward perfect sameness. We don’t march in the parking lot until we have perfect precision. We invite the Spirit to touch and transform as the Spirit will, allowing for gifts, skills and talents. And that leads to a measure of spiritual maturity; to growing up in faith, not remaining in spiritual diapers forever. Children are inexperienced, vulnerable, easily influenced; they simply have not lived long enough to recognize the realities and the implications of verse 14: “we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes…”

The task and calling of mature leaders in the church is to “equip,” “build up,” their own replacements to a level of spiritual maturity where they will not be manipulated by human cunning, craftiness or deceit.

Is there a common formula for this critical process? Have a look at verse 15: “speaking the truth in love…” We all grow up into Christ. Speak the truth and speak it in love. The highest calling for a woman or man in a position of spiritual leadership is to equip everyone for the work of ministry by guiding them through experience after experience of Christ in the world, thus preparing them for the challenges of deceit and cunning. And here is the wonder of the whole process: when this happens, “when each part is working properly…the body will grow and build itself up in love.”

Teachers, leaders…all who are entrusted with leadership roles in our churches are builders. Take it seriously…intentionally…and do it with humility. Maybe someone helped you get ready for “the work of ministry.” Now it’s your turn.

Sometimes when the shadows are deep and the way is not clear, I pull up an old, traditional church hymn and sing it into the darkness. These are hymns that I grew up with, tunes that are memory catchers, old but still powerful. In all fairness, though, I have to state that some of the words in some of the hymns are a bit dated; maybe beyond contemporary understanding. So, a long time ago I started a project that I have visited and re-visited over the years…new words for old songs. I compiled a long list of old lyrics and tunes that fall into the Public Domain and, saving the tunes, began to write new lyrics. I entered number 47 in the Table of Contents early this morning and decided that I would share one or two with you. If you get the old tune firmly in your mind, then slip the new words into place. Sing away! You see…still some value in old things. Thank God.

Here’s one you might recognize. The original title is “O God, Our Help In Ages Past.” The original hymn tune is St. Anne, if that matters. Ready? Sing!

Come, Spirit, and renew our faith,
your blessing here bestow.
For by your mercy and your grace,
we each shall come to know

the fullness of your saving love,
compassion in our need.
Transform the hardness of our hearts
and banish all our greed.

We ask for courage to proclaim
your kingdom’s truth and power.
Equip us for the journey, Lord,
with strength to meet the hour.

We would be Christ to everyone;
we turn no one away.
All people find a welcome here
in this and every day.

Be patient, God, come Spirit come
and set our hearts ablaze.
Teach us to walk the way of Christ
in gratitude and praise.

Be blessed today…and be a Blessing.

They call it the beautiful game. It wasn’t Sunday.

Soccer, or “Football” to the rest of the world, is a contact sport. What happened at the FIFA World Cup Final match between the national teams of Spain and Argentina was a few steps beyond “contact.” The Argentine players turned the match into 100+ minutes of provocation, insult, and physical mayhem. One player was thrown out of the game for unnecessary violence. Others should have been. After losing 1-0, the Argentines, former FIFA champions, continued the provocations until players were fighting on the field. Some say it was a disgraceful demonstration of how to lose. It looked like petulant children hurling insults at each other, then swinging fists. The beautiful game? Not yesterday.

There were moments during the madness that I thought to myself: What has spawned this show of violent invective? This is sport, not international politics. This is a game, not a prelude to war. Why the intentional efforts to demean and destroy? It’s as if the world was watching what some might call the new cultural reality: Do unto others before they do unto you. Or, win at all cost. Or, violate the rules, the law, until you get caught and then point the finger at someone else. Or, provoke until the point is lost and all that’s left is revenge and retribution. It was particularly painful to see some of the players, in both uniforms, make the sign of the cross on their chests as they exited the battleground, just after they had spat out their last insults and made their departing obscene gestures toward their enemies.

The “beautiful game.” A freeze-frame of societal reality? A signal, even a warning, to those who still see value and meaning in those old-fashioned things called virtues or values or moral principles…or sportsmanship? Play the game, but play it fair. Play hard, but within the boundaries of decency and rule. If you win, don’t gloat. If you lose, don’t grovel. Take no pride in petulant recklessness; it is demeaning to the other and to yourself.

“Do unto others…”

Do you hear, soccer players, people of power, political leaders…?

“…as you would have them do unto you.”

Maybe you would like to think through these spirit journeys, too. My heart and my mind got together and formed these thoughts; I offer them to you.

Outside my window at the moment of this writing, a Dove sits in the small mesquite tree and she calls out her “Coo, Coo” sound again and again. Soft and soothing, a song in the air. In that same way, but at a great distance from my house, a Rooster sends his greeting to the morning. I hear it faintly: “cock-a-doodle-do.” It’s more like a sound than a song, but then songs differ, don’t they? The Dove and the Rooster brings gifts this morning. What is the Spirit trying to say to me? To you?

In a TV interview I saw last night, the deeply appreciated Fr. Richard Rohr, author and world renowned spiritual guide, talked about his personal prayer life. I paraphrase: My prayer life has evolved from words to what I would call Sacred Gazing. I find myself engaged with God by looking and seeing God in and through all things. It’s not pantheism, he added; I just stand amazed how I am absolutely surrounded, covered fully, embraced by the presence of the holy. End of paraphrase. What if, today, I intentionally looked upon the world with Sacred Gazing? What if I acted upon the basic belief that God is not elusive but engaging.

An illustration of what you just read in the paragraph above: as I was writing the last two sentences in the preceding paragraph, I heard a new song from the little mesquite tree. It was a strong, clear chirp, the kind of sound that breaks through thoughts and claims your attention. It was so lovely that I quietly opened the back door, phone in hand with a bird-sound identifying app, and I heard the song even more clearly. To my surprise, within moments of opening the door, the choir began to sing. The first strong voice was from a Brown-crested Flycatcher who was joined by a House Finch, a Verdin, a lesser Goldfinch, an Abert’s Towhee, and a Bell’s Vireo. Anthem! Gift! Presence! Sacred hearing, in this case.

One more: Back to Fr. Rohr and the TV interview. His comment: if you want to know about Jesus, his life and activities as a man, you can read the first three Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. If you want to know the Christ of God, read the Gospel of John. The first three about the life of the man among us, the last one about the resurrected presence within us. But, and this is my comment, not Fr. Rohr’s: don’t read to learn. Read to experience. Put yourself into each experience and event, become part of it as if you were physically present. Don’t investigate by reading; invest yourself through your spiritual imagination. Even this: in the believed that God is fully among us, allow the reading to be a springboard into the Presence. Let the reading open the door. Anthem awaits! Press on!

A second look at Barbara Brown Taylor’s book, “An Altar In The World.” Maybe you know someone who is a “creature of habit.” To get from point A to point B, she always takes the same route, rarely experiments with anything “new,” frequents the same radio station, buys only one brand of clothing, dines at one of two restaurants when there are 100 to choose from…habit. Taylor writes: “…the practice of getting lost is both valuable and undervalued, at least by the North American culture most of us know best. In this culture, the point is to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, even if that means you miss most of the territory, including the packed dirt under your feet.”

Is it better to stick to the familiar, the known…or, is there value or reward in getting “intentionally lost” in places where new experience and new insight might be waiting? You decide.

Dilemma Of The Narrow Path

A friend advised me, just yesterday
to get off the path where I like to stay,
the place where I feel safe and secure,
familiar turns where the footing is sure.
But this path, I said, while known to me,
cuts through the wilderness where I could be
lost in a wild, unknown terrain;
why risk the chance of senseless pain?

I always walk this familiar route;
the footprints always lead me out
of inherent danger in the wilderness.
But, if I’m honest I must confess
that the same safe route, traveled time after time,
has become for me the perfect rhyme.
I remember each step; I know them by heart,
and I can predict, from the very start,
that taking this path exclusively
will get me where I want to be.

I know I miss new, exciting things;
the sudden joy discovery brings.
Off to my left I see yellows and greens;
fields of flowers, forests that sing,
but to smell the flower or touch the tree
I must risk unknowns and that’s not me.
It’s the narrow path through the wilderness land
that sustains me in my careful plan.

Others take detours to discovery;
they leave the path for what they see
off in the distance where dangers hide;
they walk through shadows where evil resides.
Fearless? Yes, I’m sure that’s true,
but my task is to safely find my way through
even when beauty reaches out to me,
even when mystery is there to see.

My comfort, my safety, my peace of mind
are all in these footprints where I constantly find
the safe way to walk through my darkest fear,
without allowing new ways to appear,
distractions that offer only empty reward;
why make the journey unbearably hard?

It is true that I miss the sights and the sounds
of mystery, new life, unexplored ground.
But I settle for safety, security’s twin
as I plan each step before I begin.
There is comfort in always looking down,
focusing my eyes on familiar ground.

The dilemma of the narrow path…

From her extraordinary book “An Altar In The World”, Barbara Brown Taylor writes: “People encounter God under shady oak trees, on riverbanks, at the tops of mountains, and in long stretches of barren wilderness. God shows up in whirlwinds, starry skies, burning bushes, and perfect strangers. When people want to know more about God, the son of God tells them to pay attention to the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, to women kneading bread and workers lining up for their pay…This is wonderful news. I do not have to choose between the Sermon On The Mount and the magnolia trees. God can come to me by a still pool on the big island of Hawaii as well as at the altar of the Washington National Cathedral. The house of God stretches from one corner of the universe to the other. Sea monsters and ostriches live in it, along with people who pray in languages I do not speak, whose names I will never know.”

She comments: “I am not in charge of this House, and never will be. I have no say about who is in and who is out. I do not make the rules.”

Wisdom that could save us from ourselves.

Two remarkable things happened to me yesterday, both related to my sick automobile. I knew it was ill because it hesitated in the “wake up, let’s go” process. I pushed the Start button and the response was something like a grunt or a growl. Then, within a few seconds the motor responded and off we went. It was unlike my fine car to be slow in responding, so I stopped by a local auto supply store, told my story to the man behind the counter, and then watched as he hooked up his battery tester to the suspected point of my car’s illness. “Your battery’s shot.” He didn’t mince words. The temperature in Tucson yesterday, while we stood in the parking lot looking at the corpse of a battery, was 106. What I expected to hear next was this: “You need a new battery and I’ve got them on the shelf. Won’t take long and it will be less than $200 dollars.” What I heard was this: Your battery is dead and it needs to be replaced. But as I was inspecting it carefully, I found the purchase information on the side and it’s still under warranty with that store across the street. Go over there and see if you can save some money.” I thanked in profusely as he lowered the car’s hood and then I offered to pay him for his time and all the sweat that lined his forehead. I had the money in my hand, extended to him, as he smiled, put his hand on my shoulder and said: “I’m just glad to help.” And with that he turned and went back into the air conditioning. Remarkable moment number 1: It’s called Integrity, Honesty, Generosity, Thoughtfulness. Pick one: they are all in short supply these days.

So, I started the reluctant car, drove across the street and walked into the next remarkable moment. “I think my battery is dead,” I told the young woman behind the counter. “Well let’s check it out,” she replied, gathering her testing equipment and heading for the 106 degree parking lot. It didn’t take long: “Your battery is shot.” Familiar words. I shrugged my shoulders, expecting to hear: “I can replace it for around $100 with the warranty discount.” But, what I heard was this: “Give me a minute and I’ll be back.” She disappeared into the store, I waited. Then, here she came, pushing a service cart with tools and a fresh battery. It took her five minutes to remove the deceased battery and install the living one, and then she lowered the car’s hood, smiled at me and said: “You’re on your way.” “That’s it?” I asked. “That’s it. No cost,” she replied. This time I added a few more dollars to my “Thank You” gift for her effort, but she refused. I tried again but got the same response, this time with this added comment: “I’m glad to help out.” As she pushed her work cart across the steaming asphalt, I thought to myself: There are still good people in this world. Remarkable moment number 2: it’s called Integrity, Honesty, Kindness. Pick one: they are all in short supply these days.

As I drove home in my happy car, my spirit lifted by two remarkable moments with strangers who demonstrated their kindness and honesty, I smiled a genuine “Thank You” and sent it into the universe, hoping that it will bless all who live the human values that we need in all areas of our lives. Goodness lives. Thanks be to God.

Walk slowly into the coming night,
into the warmth of a different light.
Leave behind all the plans and well-thought schemes
that began as what seemed impossible dreams.
Travel light, carry only the essential things:
A thankful heart and a song to sing
as darkness descends and shadows appear,
as the edge of night draws ever near.

Do not look back; leave what remains;
no regrets, no remorse, relinquish all pain.
All that you’ve treasured in these former days
will serve no good purpose as you find your way
toward the center, the essence, where your eyes will see
all that has been and all that will be.
Walk on, for the soft light grows every bright
as you walk by faith into the night.

In those last few steps toward the welcoming light,
when all behind has faded from sight,
you will hear the great chorus of angels sing
the song that only you can bring.
And the stars will dance with sheer delight,
for you have become eternal light.