Shining Spirit

I leave the reading of Psalm 121 to you. It’s short, so take a moment and read it. Yes, now. I’ll wait.

Some random reflections. It was thought, long ago, that powerful spirits lived on mountains; spiritual power on the mountain. So our Psalm writer does what anybody in trouble would do…look up to the mountain, the source of help. Instead, though, the Psalmist declares that help really comes from the One who made the mountain. That’s where the healing resides. It is the relationship with The One who made heaven and earth that makes a difference. Also, “he will not let you stumble…the Lord watches over you.” Well, truth be told, you and I stumble all the time. And, it’s getting harder and harder to get up! So, what about this stumbling? Maybe we ought to read the lines like this: The Lord doesn’t have a magic blanket to cover me. And, if I renounce or ignore my relationship with The One…move away from God and strike out on my own, then I am going to treat God like a lucky charm. God is not a rabbit’s foot in your pocket; God is a relationship in your heart. So, I really can’t blame God for the stumbling, nor complain that God has abandoned me. Who moved away?

I wish I could tell you that trusting God in a deep relationship will prevent all slips and stumblings and crash landings. Prevention? No. But I can remind you that staying in the presence of God, intentionally maintaining the relationship, will pull you through. It’s all about relationship.

Consider yourself reminded.

If life is a journey from A to B,
beginning to end, it occurs to me
that what’s in the middle is of little concern;
the goal is to move from stem to stern,
start to finish, womb to tomb,
all in between just takes up room.

A poem starts and a poem ends;
who cares what message the poem sends?
The words in between just get in the way;
perhaps they had meaning another day,
but the goal is to start with an eye to the end;
get there the quickest…Voila! You’ve win.

When the first note is struck, sing the song;
belt it out, move along.
You can ponder the message another day,
don’t let a feeling get in the way.
The same for a novel, an essay, op-eds;
no one remembers or cares what was said.
Content should never be on your mind;
the goal is to leave all others behind.
“I’ve read 14 books in this single day;
can’t remember what they had to say.
Doesn’t matter, anyway.
Meaning and message just get in the way.
It matters not how you think or feel:
adventure’s allure or meaning’s appeal;
what matters is that you’ve reached the end,
forget the meaning the story sends.

So, if these examples apply to you,
if there’s a chance they really do,
then I’m glad to announce, to publically say
we are fools to live this distorted way.
All things begin and all things end,
it’s what’s in the middle, the meaning each sends
that enriches, informs, touches the heart,
so consider this before you start:
Read with your heart, not just your mind,
feel the power of each wonderful line;
don’t rush through life like a race to run;
don’t miss the joy, the simple fun
of being alive, the taste of sweet wine,
love’s embrace, how it feels to be kind.
For in between the start and the end
is the fertile soil where life begins.

Pity the man who has lost his heart,
even before the symphony starts,
who considers that when the music begins
his goal is merely to get to the end.
What a way to live! To die!
Never to touch the feelings inside.

In his fine book, Water From A Deep Well, scholar Gerald Sittser explains why followers of Jesus in the first century were vilified, hated, and abused. And it’s not because they were on the street corners proclaiming the Lordship of Jesus. Here’s what Sittser writes: basically three things got the early Christians into serious trouble in the Roman Empire. First, they had an adverse affect on the economy of the Empire. Economics. Because they followed the Way of Jesus, early converts drifted away from temple worship and their absence, or the absence of their financial support, had a dramatic impact on the treasury. Isn’t it nice to know that their behaviors were in line with their beliefs.

Second, Christians were accused of forming “political clubs.” They spoke a different message. It was about hospitality, caring for the poor, creating social events to share fellowship. These topics, among others, led Empire leaders to believe that a new political system was forming, one very different from their own. Isn’t it nice to know that they were accused of caring and sharing.

Third, they were accused of departing from “the cultural norm.” Now, there’s a dangerous outfit! Addressing “cultural norms” meant rocking the boat. Dangerous! That can’t be tolerated.

Economics. Politics. Cultural norms. How dare these people address real life issues when they should have been concerned only about things “religious!” We could take a lesson from those first century folks. The truth is, they did have a huge influence in those three areas. They changed the world by how they lived. Times have changed and times haven’t changed. What might we be accused of these days? I wonder.