Shining Spirit

The colors of the season are wonderful. Everywhere you look there are murals of reds and yellows and so many glorious colors. Yesterday I drove the rural back roads, purposely avoiding busy highways, twisting and turning over the rolling landscape. On some of the narrow roads the trees have grown tall and they reach out to each other, making a tunnel of technicolor wonder. It was a blessing and a gift that I received gratefully.

But this one decided to pose in a particularly powerful way. While all those radiantly colored trees are stunning, this one, stripped bare by wind and time, suggests strength and endurance. The framework, the undergirding structure, is sound. It will leaf again in time, but for now it is a sacred reminder. Build a life with foundational principles of integrity, honesty, justice and compassion and that life will bloom and bless. The unseen structure holds it all together. That’s something Jesus taught over and over again. Kingdom principles sustain life through all kinds of challenges and changes.

A leafless tree among the beautifully robed ones teaches a vital lesson to all who have eyes to see. A leafless tree is beautiful, too.

My son and I sat on a small dock floating on Lake Anna, and he asked the question. It’s the question every person should be able to ask, but can’t Life circumstances don’t afford every one the opportunity to wonder. The question was: Dad, why is this so moving, this setting? Why do we feel a sense of calm when looking at something like this?

It’s the question that not everyone can ask; not those in slums or sterile neighborhoods, not those in Gaza or prisons or the wreckage of life. Maybe it is that not everyone, given their circumstances, has the opportunity to stand in a moment that is conducive to wonder. But, the question: why? Why does this move me so deeply?

I responded: the question is the answer to your question. We stand in awe, dumbstruck by the moment so that we can become conscious of the moment itself. Breathtaking, beautiful or barren, these insightful moments are like walking into another room, a room we didn’t know existed, and being surprised by wonder, by Wonder. These moments come for the sake of that moment. The alarm clock goes off inside everyone, but not everyone hears it. The whisper in your ear, the quiet presence of a dear friend; birth, death and lots of moments inbetween afford the possibility of asking: Why am I moved like this? What thrills me, or excites me, or calms me so right now?

The answer to the question is in the question. I wish you could have been there on the dock with the two of us. I wish you could have been there to wonder. Not every question has an answer. Sometimes the deep value of a moment is the moment itself. Wonder is everywhere, the silent companion whose name is Mystery.

Another good reason to look up. The colors! They are beautiful all through the day, but particularly in the mornings. There is something about those first rays of sunlight as they spill over the waking trees. A special radiance, a glow fills the air and the human eye.

Even if you don’t have colorful trees in your neighborhood, look up today. Literally and figuratively. Look up and give thanks for the wonder of life. Look up and praise. Look up and hope in faith.

Be a solution today, not a problem.
Be courage today, not complacency.
Be the first to say “Good Morning!” and the last to criticize.
Be on the lookout. Christ is working in the world.
Bless as you are blessed.
Press on.

When you go to the community gathering for worship at your church, do you feel a sense of expectancy? Is something out of the ordinary going to happen? Or, is it pretty much the same week to week? Richard Foster, in his book Celebration of Discipline, warns us about going through the motions of church worship.

“Just as worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends in holy obedience. If worship does not propel us into greater obedience, it has not been worship. To stand before the Holy One of eternity is to change. Resentments cannot be held with the same tenacity when we enter His gracious light. As Jesus says, we need to leave our gift at the altar and go set the matter straight. (Matthew 5)…to worship is to change. Holy obedience saves worship from becoming an opiate, an escape from the pressing needs of the world.”

To put it in the condensed version: If you don’t expect anything from worship, you get what you expect. Not open to change…no change. No anticipation of hearing the whisper of the Spirit…no sound. And, as important as “holy expectancy” is, it is to be matched by “holy obedience.” The Spirit moves through a congregation waiting to hear the words “here I am, Lord. Send me.” Holy expectancy on one end, holy obedience on the other. Stand by! That’s worship!

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.