Shining Spirit

Sunrise at 30,000 feet.
Whether you are on the ground or six miles up in the air,
sunrises can be spectacular. On this very important day
in our nation’s history, we pray for light to make clear
the path we should take, hope for the welfare of all people,
and courage to press on in efforts to secure justice
grounded in the God-inspired value of all human beings.
God be our light.

We are a couple of days away from a national day of decision. Perhaps more so than in previous presidential elections, we are going to determine the future of the nation. Every citizen should vote thoughtfully, thinking of the common good before personal preferences.

Biblical historians tell us that the earliest Christians faced major challenges, too. Sometimes within a congregation there was discord and division, and it took wise counsel to hold things together. The Apostle Paul gave some good advice when he wrote a letter to the church in Ephesus and reminded them that “There is one body and one Spirit…make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.” (Ephesians 4). If you are a follower of the Jesus Way, this expression of faith we call Christianity, you have an obligation to be a peace maker, to be a proponent of unity in the midst of discord. This is who we are. This is in our spiritual DNA, and Paul’s spiritual advice extends beyond the life of a congregation into the community and culture. We, of all people, must demonstrate the life and message of Jesus. His life principles and practices were universal, world oriented, not religiously restricted. No matter what political position we support, we walk The Way of Jesus as a first commitment.

Lord God, king of the universe, help me see light in all darkness, hope when life looks challenging. Help me find the courage to live the faith commitment that I profess. I will honor you by my intentional efforts to create unity, to bind us all together in peace, and to work in the spirit of Jesus toward a future that blesses and benefits this nation and all your precious creation. Amen

In my hometown there is a sporting event called El Tour de Tucson. Thousands of cyclists gather to attack the 102 mile course in this annual event. It takes a lot of hard training, some basic skills, the right equipment and lots of determination to finish the route. O, and one other thing: the good sense to work with the other riders, as depicted in this picture above. The single line is called “drafting” and that means cooperating, working together, so that all benefit, conserve energy and finish the race faster and more efficiently. Here’s the point: what if your church decided to become more than a worship/educational center? What if there was an expectation, indeed a requirement, that each of us takes very seriously the concept of “Community?” What if we stopped encouraging personal ministry, sending people out to burn out and finally fall away? And if you say: Well, my church feeds me spiritually so that I can go out and do the work of the Lord, I would reply: “me” and “I” need to be replaced by “we.” Our mindset and our methods matter. Further, the biblical concept of “community” is inherent in our faith. There are lots of reasons to re-think the concept and nature of Christian community as something more than a filling station. I’ll give you one: a lot more can be accomplished by “we” than by “me.” There is a theological principle called “sola scriptura” which means scripture alone is our authority for faith and practice. It’s time for “sola ecclesia” when we call in all the lone rangers and think primarily about “we”, we who are the Body of Christ. Like drafting in cycling, the results, the rewards, and the blessings could be overwhelming if we practiced “Community” seriously and faithfully.

At least, that’s what I think.

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! (Psalm 8)

The Potomac River is at its spectacular best when it becomes Great Falls in Virginia.

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, what is man?
A lesson in humility, wonder, and gratitude.
Indeed.

This was a dream in someone’s mind in 1720. That’s the date the Virginia General Assembly of the Episcopal Church created St. George’s Parish, now located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Dreams really do come true, especially if the dreamer also has the courage, the resources, and the personal will to make it real. Walking around the sanctuary, sitting in one of the numbered pews with its little door on the end, standing in the pulpit, I felt the quiet presence of St. George’s saintly faithful. Churches have memories, this one three hundred years old. And they have histories.

So many remarkable people have knelt at the communion rail in this particular church. The list includes the family of George Washington. In the church’s adjacent graveyard are markers identifying William Paul Jones, the brother of John Paul Jones, and other recognizable names. James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States, had his law office a block away from the church and, as a life-long Episcopalian, was associated with the Parish. But churches are sustained over the years, the one over centuries, by common folk who faithfully guide the church with wisdom and courage. Perhaps in your prayers today
you could pray for your church and its leadership, for churches of all denominations as they speak to the world about faith. Whether your church is new or old, the message it brings to the world is universal and eternal. One other presence associated with this parish is the Holy Spirit of God, who is the insight, the will and the power to change the world through the famous and the unheralded alike. For that presence, the faithful bow in thanksgiving and trust, saying from their hearts: Thanks be to God.

It is a time of quiet still.
Early, yes; but not yet the dawn.
Whisper, speak softly lest
you wake the trees.

Walk gently through the wet
grass. Be mindful of the
little ones who sleep still,
nestled in the pine needles.

Prepare yourself for what is
about to happen. In moments
or minutes the world will be
transformed before your eyes.
Darkness and light will embrace
and very slowly all that exists
around you will come into focus.
You will see because of the Light.
Vision is always clearer when Light comes.

Listen for the birds’ songs, for they
are the heralds of Light. You will
know it is day when the singing begins.
You will know it is day when you
stand in wonder, hearing your
heart say: My Lord and my God.

May peace follow your steps today,
and may hope hold your hand.
See. The Light comes.

Amen

"For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth,
over and around us lies,
Lord of all to Thee we raise
this our hymn of greatful praise."

"For The Beauty Of The Earth"  Folliott Pierpoint  based on Ephesians 5:20

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.