The Lens of Faith

I read my first devotional reading from "My Utmost for His Highest" back in 1968.  Day in and day out it has been a spiritual mainstay.  Everywhere I have lived this volume of Oswald Chamber's has been only a reach away.  I am always amazed at the insight of this spiritual giant.  A few days ago a reading said, "I may not understand what Jesus Christ says, but it is dangerous to say that therefore He was mistaken in what He said....When I have to weigh the pros and cons, and doubts and debate come in, I am bringing in an element that is not of God...Are you loyal to Jesus or loyal to your notion of Him?"

 

When I was doing my theological training, it was the in thing to figure out what Jesus actually said and then to figure out what He meant to say with the words He was using.  For those of us who grew up with the words of Jesus in red print, it was quite a shock to hear that He might not have said some of the things He was supposed to have said.  While it seems like an intelligent approach to reading the teaching of Jesus, the danger is that what we want Him to be saying might be taking precedence over what He is saying.

While I would never be one to say that intelligence and contextual understanding needs to be thrown out the window, it is always important to remember that the Word of God as well as the teachings of Jesus are to be read through the lens of faith.  Faith does not require understanding.  Faith calls us to take as truth what cannot be nailed down completely.  Complete understanding presupposes control which is why faith is the only response which makes sense. 

As We Are

Sometimes I cannot help but wonder what the cows who roam the pasture are wondering.  In this in between season of the hay bales running low and the green grass not in yet, I have been supplementing their diet with an occasional sack of sweet feed.  They are drooling at the mouth when they see me tearing open the sack and pouring the feed in the bucket.  And, when it is all gone, they go to the gate and start hollering for more.  So, imagine what thoughts they might have had yesterday as they saw 40 sacks of fertilizer in the back of the truck and me out there pouring one sack after another in a bucket before throwing it under the pecan trees.

 

Things are not always what they appear.  It was a lesson those cows could not quite figure out, but then, many of us are prone to make the same mistake.  Sometimes the things we see do not reflect reality.  Accumulation and productivity do not necessarily make for happy people even if they do seem to be smiling all the time. When King Saul looked at David, his would be giant killer, the boy did not seem to be prepared for battle with just a shepherd's staff and a bag of rocks.  When God looks at us, He is not interested in outward appearance.  He only has eyes for our hearts.

 

The most important work we do is heart work.  No one sees it.  No reporting is done to some spiritual supervisor.  There is no one who will applaud and pat us on the back.  Heart work is invisbile to the eyes of others.  It is only seen by God.  Heart work is never easy because it requires honesty and transperancy before the One from whom we would like to hide the sinful broken part of us.  It is strange.  We want to hide who we really are from the only One who can forgive us and transform us into something better than just a better person.  Through the grace of God, we are not made better but new. 

Words of Assurance

It is the time of the year to fertilize our pecan trees.  And while there is a tractor at work here on the farm, there is no pull behind fertilizer spreader.  What is used is a bucket.  The bucket is filled with fertilizer, cradled under the left arm, and with the right arm it is broadcast around the circular canopy line of the tree.  With a ton of fertilizer to apply, it becomes a rather labor intensive effort.  Some might even say it is monotonous walking around tree after tree after tree throwing fertilizer.  One thing I realized quickly was that as I got closer to my goal (emptying the bucket), the burden I was carrying got lighter. 

 

Since there was not much else to think about on my many circular paths around pecan trees, I found myself wondering about other loads which are carried.  I wondered if it is true that the burdens we carry get lighter the closer we get to our goal?  Do our burdens get lighter the closer we get to home?  It seems we all carry our own peculiar burdens.  I have often read that toward the end of life we start throwing off the things to which we have hung tenaciously in our life until there is nothing left at the end but our life.  Maybe this end of life stuff is not really like burden shedding, but I wonder if there is not some parallel to consider. 

 

Could it be true that the closer we come to the end, the less we  become pre-occupied with the things we have called the burdens of our life?  Could it be that looking at life through an end of life lens causes us to see things in a different perspective?  Not having been there, I cannot say for sure.  I can only wonder.  In the meantime I do remember that Jesus said, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest."  (Matthew 11:28)  And, I also remember a verse from the 55th Psalm which says, "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you."  (vs. 22)  And for now, those words of assurance are enough.

Certain Hours

Certain hours are set aside for the darkness.  The Word of God affirms this is true as it says in the book of beginning, "...and God separated the light from the darkness."  (Genesis 1:4)  Of course, what the writer of Genesis is talking about it is an act of creation which made such a separation.  Thus, some hours are blessed with the light of the sun and some hours are blessed with a darkness barely lit by the lights of the heavens.  The truth is we have always been partial to the light.  The darkness is filled with things which cannot be anticipated or seen. 

 

Certain hours are set aside for the darkness.  Even as some of the hours of each day are set aside for the darkness, so is it in our lives.   As much as we might like to live without going through some of the dark experiences of life, it simply is not an option.  Hard grief, painful separation, and loss of health are just three of the things which feel like darkness when we walk through them.  And, in addition to these things associated with our physical well being, we often find ourselves walking in a spiritual darkness as we struggle with discerning God's purposes, or as we try to find our way back home after choosing to wonder in a land of disobedience.

 

Certain hours are set aside for the darkness.  The dark is as much a part of our life as the light.  So much of our walking with God is not by sight, but by faith.  It is never what we can see clearly in the midst of the darkness which enables us to get through it, but our faith.  While I do not seek the darkness that overwhelms me, nor do I live with a welcoming spirit when it comes, I know that those hours come to all of us and that the God who is with me where I can see is with me where I cannot even see the next step.  If God has things for me to learn in the light of the day, surely the hours set aside for the darkness contain those things I could not learn by seeing. 

Where We Live

Most of us like where we live.  Where we like to live is where we are most comfortable.  It is where we think we are in charge and have some control over whatever it is that is ahead.  We like living where everything is familiar, adds up like a ribbon tied around a birthday present, and creates a sense of security.  If such is what we would choose for our life, it is going to be impossible to live faithfully as a believer in Jesus Christ.  Faith is not about being where everything is nailed down, but living where all of life is constantly changing.

 

All the sojourners of the Scripture found themselves going where they knew not where.  They were called from familiar surroundings to strange places.  They were called to embrace a way of life for which they were not prepared.  They did not always know where they were going when they started out.  They traveled without a view of the whole road, but instead saw a piece of it just ahead.  Out of their comfort zones they were called into a place where making it would mean turning loose the controls of life and letting God do whatever it was that God desired to do.

The perimeters of a life of faith in Christ has not changed much at all since those days.  In the beginning we have this view of faith that makes us think that we can by our own efforts muster enough to overcome anything.  However, thus far it has not worked.  The kind of faith the Word of God calls us to embrace takes us into the arena of the uncomfortable.   The way God works is to start moving us just when it seems that we are getting settled.  The familiar is where we are in control and there can be no growing faith in that place.  A growing faith requires moving toward the place where we must depend on Him to live and that is never in a place where we are comfortable.   

Harbingers

The final harbinger of Spring has shown itself.  Around these parts folks watch for different things to announce that Winter's hold is broken and Spring is on the edge of breaking out.  The greening of the hay fields with winter weeds is one, the blooming of fruit trees is another, and the strong impossible to resist urge to plant a garden is still another.  But, the real and final harbinger of Spring around here is the budding out of the pecan trees.  When the pecan trees start putting on leaves, most folks are ready to declare Spring is coming.  The pecan trees are starting to show green.

The disciples of Jesus often became obsessed with the signs which would announce the coming of the Kingdom of God.  (Matthew 24:3)  As Jesus responded to their questions, He pointed more to upheaval than order and to threatening times rather than peaceful times.  And, most importantly, He said it was better to simply watch and be ready rather than get too focused on being a sign reader.  Being watchful and ready is still a good word.

Not even the greening of pecan trees is a sure sign that winter is gone.  Only a fool would dismiss the possibility of a late grabbing cold hand of old man winter.  It is wiser to live with a readiness for whatever.  It is also true on this journey of faith.  Whatever is always out there.  Be ready.  We live in readiness by nurturing our soul.  We nurture our soul by choosing to stay connected to the source of our life.  The source of our life is God, the Creator, the Son, our Savior, and the Holy Spirit, our guide. 

Discernment

I remember the gist of the story which is to say I do not remember all the details.  The story is recorded in "A Song of Ascents, " an autobiographical work of E. Stanley Jones.  Anyone who reads about the great spiritual giants of the last century will run into his name.  As the story goes, he was at the point between finishing his college education and choosing the direction of his career.  Some were telling him God wanted him to stay at Asbury College and teach.  Others were saying God wanted him to go to Africa as a missionary.  He prayed and got up to say, "It is India" and to the land of India he went to become a great missionary evangelist.

 

It is not always easy to discern what God is saying when trusted others are telling us what God wants us to do.  In her book, "The Soul's Ripening,"  Christine Valters Paintner writes, "Discernment is essentially a way of listening to our lives and the world around us and responding to the invitations that call us into deeper alignment with our soul's deep desires and the desires God has for us."  According to this definition, discernment is a spiritual process that finally comes down to the seeking individual and God.  Others may be given the opportunity for input, but it finally boils down to a personal moment of coming to terms with the inner being.

 

And, in addition to the temptation to listen to the voices of others, there is also the powerful temptation to listen to our own voice speaking what we think is the best of all the options.  Aligning our soul within the will of God is not usually a speedy process, but one that requires quiet unhurried time that is bookended with prayer.  When the process of discernment has a quick resolution, it may be that we are jumping ahead of the Holy Spirit who has a knack for working at a much slower pace than you or I would choose. 

Unique Gifts

What we sometimes forget is that every day is unique.  It may appear to be just like a hundred other days, but the truth is that no day is like any other day.  It is a like a hundred acres of planted pine trees all lined up in a row.  Everyone planted on the same day and to drive down the road beside them is to think that they are all the same, but to get out among them is to realize that everyone is different.  So, it is with our days.  Everyone is different.  Everyone is unique.

 

While there may be many things which we might regard as the common denominator of our days, the only one which really counts is that each day is a gift from God.  We cannot make another one come.  Neither can we hurry it along.  We are not in charge of anything that is a part of any single day which is gifted to us by the Creator and Giver of our days.  Unfortunately, what often happens is that we forget the unique and precious nature of each day which means that we cast too many of them in the "take them for granted" pile.

 

The Word tells us our days are numbered.  It tells us that our Creator separated the day from the night and "let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years."  (Genesis 1:14)  There are no do-overs when it comes to making the most of the day which is given to us.  And while we may want to think that making most of the day given to us is defined by productivity and accumulation, it is actually defined by how we are living in a right relationship with our Creator, other folks like us, and the rest of the created order. 

Not the Same

When I saw the white shirt and suit guys the other day, it seemed like I was seeing another world to which I belonged at one time.  I sometimes wonder about that man from my past.  Nowadays my normal attire is blue jeans and a work shirt sandwiched between a cap from the livestock sale barn and a dusty worn looking pair of boots.  So much has changed about me during these years which I sometimes think of as the last season of my life.  Well, maybe, last season is a bit overly dramatic, but time is getting on along.

 

But, the changes I see in the mirror are insignificant compared to the ones of the heart.  While my faith in Christ is still strong, I have discovered that the ways that spiritual life is nurtured as well as the ways that I think about God are almost as different as me back then in the white shirt days and now in the colored work shirts days.  For all those years of working in ministry, the sanctuary was in many ways the center of my spiritual life.  Looking back it seems that everything somehow revolved around that physical structure and what went on when the doors were unlocked. 

 

When I came to this piece of open land in retirement, the benefits of being close to a sanctuary were gone.  In its place I discovered a sanctuary not made with hands, but one that stretched from one horizon to another.  New symbols started showing up.  Things like trees and an owl and broken limbs and dirt started pointing me toward the holy as sure as the cross and candles did in the sanctuaries of the past.  Of course, I am not the first to walk this road and see the world in a new way, but I have become one of those who does and for the privilege and blessing afforded me I am grateful. 

Making it Home

I am often reminded that none of us have arrived at a destination.  We are all still on the road that leads us to a place still not seen.  Such is the nature of the journey of faith. As was the case with the enslaved Hebrews on the road to the Promised Land, sometimes the journey is far more round about than anyone would have imagined.  But, when we stop and reflect on where we are in our spiritual journey, we know that the faith journey is not like getting a one way non stop ticket from point A to point B.  If we were the trip planner, we most likely would have left out some of the detours and side roads which stretch behind us.

While I have not come to any place which is so radically different than so many others, I still stand amazed that God has stuck with me through the whole of the journey.  Had I been God I would have given up on me a long time ago.  I would have let me not only choose a dead end road, but I would have left me there to stew in my wrong choice.  I started out with Peter like determination, but have messed up more than his recorded three times. 

As I reflect on this journey of faith which has stretched out for nearly a life time, I am most grateful to the One who invited me to start out.  I am grateful that the One with whom I have traveled is a grace giving God who is long on patience and slow to anger.  I am grateful He has stayed with me.  I am grateful because I know had He not persisted in sticking with me, I would have never made it this far down the road and I would have long ago given up any hope that one day I would make it home. 

A Smiling Creator

When a great big large oversize full moon breaks its bond with the fading horizon it is easy to see how ancient people might get out the drums and do a dance step or two in tribute to a powerful symbol in the early night sky.  It is indeed something to see.  Young lovers are enthralled by it, would be astronomers break out their telescopes, and old men wonder how many more they will be around to see.  The creation is a marvelous thing to behold. 

 

While there have been some who have made gods out of the moon and other parts of the creation, the things of the heavens and the things of the earth are only pointers that direct our attention toward the Creator.  If the Word of God is taken seriously there can be no doubt that God is the One responsible for all that we see around us.   He brought the created order into being out of nothing and He sustains it by and through His continued creative energies.  To behold His handiwork has created a sense of awe and wonder in us more times that we can count.  The earth is indeed the Lord's.  Everything in it bears the mark of His handiwork. 

The fact that we are privileged to live midst such a marvelous creation, full of such beauty and power, is nothing more than a gift.  Some of our response to it might be suggestive of taking it for granted.  The water we let run endlessly from the faucet may not be as inexhaustible as we think.  And the chemicals with which we abuse the land are likely not as benign as we would like them to be.  Those folks who danced under the full moon may have shown more appreciation than we often do.  Maybe they had it right and we have it wrong.  The creation is such a wonderful thing to behold and consider that an occasional dance of praise and thanksgiving might be something which would bring a smile to the face of the Creator. 

In Sync

In the rearview mirror I watched a great ball of fire fall on the dirt road and slowly disappear down under its edge.  On another day while stopped and looking left for coming traffic, I saw out of the corner of my eye a hawk drop out of a pine tree and plummet to the ground like a heavy rock.  And then this is the time of the years when blooms have formed and gone leaving very tiny fruit on the plum and peach trees.  While some might say that nothing happens out here where there is more dirt than concrete, any watcher would quickly disagree.

What is happening all around these parts speaks of a Creator God and the order He has established.  Almost every day this order seems to capture my attention in a new way.  Though I have gotten old, it sometimes seems that what I see are things I am now seeing for the first time.  And, maybe such is true.  Maybe I have been one of those who has seen what I see now but without really seeing.  Maybe I have lived too much of my life blinded by the pursuit of lesser things which I thought to be more important than they really were.

One of the things which inevitably happens as I behold the order of the creation is to realize that my life, too, was created to be in sync with that order.  I am to walk lightly on this earth.  I am to live knowing that every living animal and growing plant which sustains my life is not to be regarded lightly.  I have been called to live grateful for my place in the creation instead of living as if the creation was put in place for my benefit.  I am not the "all that is" but simply a small part of what has been, is now, and forever shall be.  And so, in order to live rightly and in sync with the order all around me is to live with a grateful and humble heart.   

Home Again

One of the surprises which awaited me in retirement on a small farm at the edge of a town only large enough to feature one blinking caution traffic light was the sense of being connected to the earth.  But, it was more than just a man seeing the earth in a new way, but a man who saw the earth in a way that opened new spiritual windows.  In so many ways I have stood and kneeled in awe at the power of the creation all around me.  Through this sense of being connected to the earth and the creation I have come to a new and different sense of being connected to God. 

 

From the onset I knew what I was experiencing in the creation was full of God.  It was not just a physical phenomena, but an opening to a new understanding of spirituality.  The more recent discovery of the ancient tradition known as Celtic spirituality gave what was brewing inside of me a name for what had been happening in my heart.  The Celtic tradition is earth honoring and places strong emphasis on our being connected to the earth.  According to this tradition the sacred spaces are not just those prayed over by human hands, but all those spaces which have been touched by the creative hand of God.

 

And, so we walk constantly in the midst of what is holy.  What God created in the beginning is what surrounds us in the present moment and the Word of God declares that what God created is good.  The creation is good and holy.  It is gifted to us by a benevolent creator God.  We never pick up a foot and put it down without  walking on good ground, holy ground.  I think along the way through the years of being surrounded by so much asphalt, concrete, and sprawling buildings I lost what it meant to be connected to the creation.  It has been good to come home again.

The Best Gift

We are often guilty of the grandiose in our giving gifts to others.  The same is true of the gifts of ministry we would offer to God.  We want to do some extravagant thing that all the world as well as God will stand up and take note.  We are often so captured by our desire to do the grandiose that we fail to see the simple things.  It is not that we are against doing simple acts of kindness, we just have a way of missing out on seeing them.

 

I have a friend who has for longer than I can remember called our home on my birthday and our wedding anniversary.  I am sure I am not the only one on his list, but each time I get one of those calls from this man who is ahead of me in years, it makes me feel like I am someone who is special to him.  It is just one of those feel good moments which is carried forward for a long time.  Nothing grandiose about keeping up with important days in the lives of others.  And, there is nothing grandiose about picking up the telephone for some real voice communication.  What it is I call a blessing.

There is in me and in each of us a desire to be a blessing in the lives of others.  This desire is certainly in keeping with God's intentions for each one of us.  The fact that we cannot give extravagant financial gifts should not keep us from giving and the fact that we can only offer simple acts of love and care for others should not hinder us in offering such gifts to others.  What we discover when such simple gifts come to us is that they are the best gifts of all.  And, what is also true is the fact that we can give them, too.

Memories

Trips down memory lane are often somewhat less than expectations.  Things change.  This afternoon I drove through Stapleton, Georgia.  It was the first place I was assigned as a preacher.  The church was still there, but it was closed.  No one worships there anymore.  The parsonage was also just down the road and while it looked much the same, the neighborhood looked so different.  Some houses I could remember were gone as were so many of the people I used to name as members of the church.  The one factory which gave life to the town had been demolished and the tree under which I saw a man die from a heart attack was gone.

 

Memories suffer under the glare of reality.  Not much stays the same, but the memories.  However, the Word of God is a Word which places great stock in memory.  The ancient Hebrews were called to remember again and again how God delivered them from the Egyptians and brought them to the Promised Land.  Along the way they erected rock markers to help them remember how God had been present in a particular place at a  particular time.  And each year as the Jewish people celebrate Passover, memory stands huge at the table.

Of course, it is no different with us.  Maybe some of the places we go now are different than they were fifty years ago, or maybe even a year ago, but what does not change is the way God has been present with us.  We, too, have built markers to help us recall.  Some of them may be as tangible as the waters of baptism and some of them may simply be things carried in the heart.  But, all of them are real in our lives and have their place for God is with us.  God has been with us.  And, God will be with us beyond what we know as this life into the life we speak of as eternity.   

The Constant

I suppose there are some people who are living out their plans for life without a hitch, but it seems like there are more people whose lives do not exactly go from point A to point B and then on to C.  What many of us experience is a life filled with side roads that demanded walking and impossible to see around curves which obscured the reality which was ahead.  Oh, we may walk the big plan of life, but within it are all sorts of things most of us never figured to be out there waiting for us. 

 

Abraham might have figured that once he said "yes" to going where God was going to take him that it would be an easy stroll into the future.  Maybe Peter and John and the rest of that crowd who walked with Jesus thought that walking with a miracle worker would surely soften the road beneath their feet.  But, most of us do not have to read the Biblical stories to know the reality of dreams going bust, dreams being shattered, and plans being erased as if some magic eraser started rubbing out our life.

 

The constant in all of this has always been holy presence.  No matter what has come our way, God has been on that road as well.  Not even in those moments when we chose the road of disobedience's consequences did we find ourselves forsaken.  It often seems that God sees the way ahead of us before we start walking it.  We find ourselves coming to such a conclusion because no matter where we have gone He has been alongside of us, or maybe just ahead, or just behind pushing onward.  And, if such is the reality from our past, then we have every reason to expect Him to be present with us wherever the road seems to be taking us in the present moment.  Knowing we are never going to be alone....no matter what...is indeed something for which we to be grateful.  

Shine On

It was one of those mornings when the day was beginning to show itself through the half window of a door facing the eastern sky.   As I sat in my chair with Oswald Chamber's "My Utmost for His Highest" in hand,  I looked upward from my search for a Word from God and saw it streaming through that window onto a picture entitled "Bend in the River" by an artist named Butler Brown.  In the picture in the bend of the river was an old gray dilapidated house such as dots the countryside around these parts.   

While I have always admired and liked the print, this morning's look was different.  The sun was catching the side of the gray house making it shine like it had just received a fresh coat of paint.  And while there is no bright sun in "Bend in the River," every inch of the inside of the frame seemed alight with the brightness of the sun.  All of a sudden I realized the Word I was seeking was not going to come from the book in my hands, but from the often seen and taken for granted picture hanging on the wall. 

 

As I looked at the picture with fresh and open eyes, I heard myself repeating, "The Light of God changes things.  The Light of God causes things to be seen differently."  It was for me a wonderful moment of hearing a Word from God.  Indeed.  The Light of the World changes things, too, and causes those who really see to see everything differently.  "Shine on, O Light of God.  Shine on, O Light of God.  Shine on,  Shine on my heart this day.  Amen."

Diversity in Worship

There was a time when I frowned on any prayers or readings that were not offered spontaneous, but that was before I came to terms with how monotonous and routine worship had become.  One thing any pew sitter notes in a hurry about their preacher is the way the Pastoral Prayer quickly becomes predictable.  Predictable means people quit listening.  Maybe even God does.  Over the years I have watched some churches using the very same order of worship for months and years.  Need the word predictable be mentioned again?

 

What I finally discovered mainly through a young associate and a neighboring Episcopal priest who became a good friend was that some diversity in the rituals of worship kept people's attention.  Keeping people's attention means they stay involved.  It means they are participants in worship and not spectators or even worse, one of those who has gone to sleep.  Eutychus has enough kin folk in church without us joining them. 

 

What I have come to understand through use of a wider range of liturgical materials is that the first person who gets more involved and excited in the worship experience is the preacher, or the worship leader.  And if that one person has such a spirit in worship, it is likely to be contagious.  Others might catch it as well.  One thing is certain.  If the preacher has no excitement about what is happening, no one else can be expected to raise an eyebrow or a hand.  Diversity in worship adds, it is never a take away. 

Grateful to Learn

I had been in this season of my life three years when I read Ann Voskamp's book entitled, "1000 Gifts."  During the six years I have in a rather sporadic way kept what I call a "Gratitude Journal."  Her book challenged me to "give thanks for everything" and all I can say is that I am working at it.  Maybe I have come a little further on the road paved with gratitude, but it has not always been easy walking.  In many ways the word "gratitude" has been a word which has been a guiding word for my spiritual journey since I retired.

 

And, then more recently I have become acquainted some writers  of Celtic spirituality.  Their writings about this tradition has given even more life to my desire to live with gratitude.  One place which really caught my attention in Esther de Waal's book, "The Celtic Way of Prayer," read, "When life is seen as the gift of God, praise and thanksgiving are inevitable. When reverence and respect for the material world, for the earth itself, for the mundane activities of daily work, are a natural part of life, then there can never be any denigration of matter itself."  It is unfortunate that so many live with such a disconnect with the earth.  It is unfortunate that the mundane is seen as something to endure instead of a means of experiencing holy presence.

Perhaps, the biggest struggle many of us have in living lives of gratitude has to do with a need for a different perspective.  If we continue to see things as we have always seen them which often means not really seeing them at all, being grateful for what is staring us in the face becomes an impossible thing.  While I am not as far down this road of living with thanksgiving as the many are around me, I am learning.  I am learning to slow down, to embrace the pause, and to look around at what is unfolding around me.  I am grateful to be learning.   

The Invitation

With the imposition of ashes last Wednesday, the season of Lent began again.  When I was a boy going to church it seemed to me that Lent was about a coin folder.   The custom back then was for the church to pass out coin folders which had slots for a certain number dimes or quarters.  On Easter Sunday the filled folders were returned and everyone could feel good about the way self-denial had been practiced during the days of Lent.  Of course, there were also those in our midst who went to pietistic extremes by giving up chocolate or cokes for Lent.  Those must have been the real saints!

 

While it is a good thing that Lent gets more attention by the Protestant community than it did back in those days, we still seem to struggle with the appropriate way to observe Lent.  Perhaps, the Invitation points us toward a better way.  "Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:  Christians have always observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection.  It became the custom of the church  to prepare for Easter by a season of penitence, fasting, and prayer.  This season of forty days provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for baptism into the body of Christ.  It is also the time when persons who had committed serious sins and had been separated from the community of faith were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the church.  The whole congregation is thus reminded of the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the need we all have to renew our baptismal faith.  I invite you, in the name of the Lord, to observe a holy Lent, by self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving; and by reading and meditating on the Word of God."

Here is something to chew in our quiet moments with God during these days of Lent.  A careful read might point us to some acts of self-denial which would be more beneficial than filling a coin folder.   Lent is not just about taking off things which are detrimental to our spiritual health, but putting on those things which will take us further down the road toward spiritual maturity.   

A Sporadic Discipline

I know some folks who are meticulous and religious about their journal keeping, but my attempts at journaling have been just a bit more than sporadic.  Even though I have done it enough to see the value in writing down stuff on a regular basis, I still struggle with actually doing it.  I have done it using the computer and I have done it the old fashioned way with a pen and notebook.  And while the old fashioned way feels better, it is still not something done easily.

 

Maybe I am not writing about the right kind of stuff.  On occasions I have been awaken in the night by a dream that needed remembering so I have used the journal pages to hold it until the light of day.  I have also stuck in a few notes that are keepers.  Some thoughts about scripture readings and excerpts from well read books have also found a place within my journal.  I have written down prayers and poems, some written by others and some bear the markings of my own heart.  It has never really seemed like anything chronological or auto-biographical, but more about the spiritual journey upon which I embarked so long ago.

Perhaps, there are other things which need to be included.  I am the first to confess that when it comes to the discipline of journaling, I am indeed the novice.   There is much I could learn from those who are more the masters at this practice.  I have never doubted its value.  Even reading the sporadic entries that I have written convince me that remembering what impacted my spiritual journey in the past is not something locked in the past.  Where I have been and what I have been thinking has brought me to where I am.  Such things are always good to remember. 

Early Risers

It was a lifetime ago that I went to the North Georgia mountains and became a freshman at Young Harris College.  Interestingly enough, there are a few things I carried with me that I still carry around to this day.  Why these few things have survived, I do not know.  Among those things is a kerosene lamp, a pencil sketch of the cross, and a desk lamp.  The desk lamp also had a poem on a cloth book marker attached to its neck.  While I am not sure how much the poem inspired me back then when I knew so much, it often grabs my attention in these days when I am so sure there is much I do not know.

 

It is a poem entitled "The Secret" by Ralph S. Cushman.  The third and last stanza of the poem reads, "So, I think I know the secret learned from many a troubled day. You must seek Him in the morning if you want Him through the day."  It took me a long time, too long actually, to come to the place of understanding the value of starting the day with quiet moments for seeking the presence of God.  I used to boast that I had made a deal with God that we would not bother each other before 8 a.m.  Such a boast only spoke of my foolishness and my spiritual immaturity.

What I have learned on this journey is the morning has always been the gathering time for those who are serious about walking with God.  The experience of many is that the busier the workload and the heavier the schedule, the more important the early rising for intentional time with God becomes.  And, it is also true that the deeper darkness in which we are sometimes required to walk can only be endured through waiting quietly on God to do whatever it is that He desires to do.  Whether He speaks or remains silent, waiting as the day is rising before us is often the only thing which pushes us forward into His unfolding and unknown will. 

 

 

 

The Blessing of Trees

Until I started reading about Celtic spirituality, I never would have thought about thanking God for a tree.  This tradition recognizes that God blesses us through the creation and that the appropriate response is gratitude.  As I read some lines from Esther de Waal's book entitled "The Celtic Way of Prayer,"  I was taken by a few lines quoted from the Iroquois, another traditional people, "We thank Him for everything that exists.  We don't take for granted that a tree's just there.  We thank the Creator for that tree.  If we don't thank Him, maybe the Creator will take that tree away."

 

It set me to thinking about a couple of sycamore trees which stand above all the other trees across the hay field down on the edge of the branch.  For years I have thought about all the things those trees have witnessed on this land and will likely witness after I am gone.  Compared to them I am indeed the temporary one.  My life speaks more of the finite; theirs the infinite.  But, I had not really thought about those grand trees bringing blessings to me.  I had never really considered going out to stand before them and thanking them and the Creator for the blessings they have brought.

Those two sycamores have blessed me by enabling me to understand the finite nature of my own life.  When their huge leaves came dropping down to the ground in the fall, one of my grandsons and I had a wonderful afternoon of running, catching leaves before they made landfall, and filling the air with the laughter of two boys at play.  I am thankful for those afternoons, the grandson, and the memories.  Of all the trees around here and there are many, these two beckon me to pay attention as do none of the others.  They have blessed me and they continue to bless me.  I am grateful to the Creator for planting those two trees in that place long before I walked upon this ground and I am grateful to those old sycamores for blessing me while I have been privileged to live in their presence.

A New Place

Sometimes I wonder if I should not be bothered by the fact that I do not pray the way I used to pray.  What I am not saying is that I have ceased praying, or that I am praying less, but that my praying is so different from what it was at earlier times in my life.  One of the things I have noticed is that there is less structure to it.  There was a time when I put my praying on a timer which not longer seems like something I feel compelled to do.  Good or bad, it is different.

 

There are some things which are important to praying.  At least it seems that way to me.  One of those things is a time that is set aside for it.  Not setting aside time to pray usually means I do not get around to it.  And, another thing learned mostly from experience is that praying first thing in the morning works best for me.  At first this requires an alarm clock set for an earlier than usual rising, but after a time the internal clock takes over.  And, another thing learned is that urges do come from within and moving into those Spirit led moments can be great times of being in the presence of God.

 

Perhaps, it is this thing of being in the presence of God which most characterizes the difference in my praying in this particular season of my life.  Praying is not so much about asking for stuff, or sharing my "to do" list with God as it is in simply seeking His presence.  Sitting quietly and waiting has never been something I have done easily, but as I go along it has seemed to more define my praying time than anything else.  I imagine it is this way with all of us.  When we pray now, it is likely different than how it was when we started, or even a few years ago.  It does not mean we have ceased praying as we ought.  It may just mean that God is bringing us to a new place in our relationship with Him.

A Problem in Praying

When church folks choose up sides on some matter of disagreement, it often seems that pausing for prayer might be a good idea.   And while it is a good idea, the problem is that each side approaches the prayer in light of their own expectations.   Both sides usually end up telling God what He should do.  Both sides expect God to see things their way.  It is nothing but a formula for someone being deeply disappointed in God which often results in some anger being directed His way because of His failure to see and do correctly. 

 

How do we pray for God's will when the only way His will can be acceptable is if it dovetails inside our will?  What we often want God to do is to see things our way.  But, it is not just opposing groups in church disputes which struggle with this issue because anytime we pray about the important issues of our personal life, we are more than biased toward the way we perceive to be the right way.  In praying it is often hard to pray "thy will be done" when what we really want done is for our will to be done.  And, when God does not buy into that scenario, we get confused, sometimes disappointed, and often angry. 

 

Those who think that praying "thy will be done" is a piece of cake must first lay aside "my will be done."  Jesus managed to pull it off, but we struggle with it.  God is not with us to do our bidding.  The way it is supposed to work is that we are to do His bidding.  When we pray and discover that we are never open to changing our mind or our heart about some issue which touches our life, we may need to look again at the way we are praying.  Can we be as content with God saying "no" to us as we are with Him saying "yes?'  Until we have answered honestly this question, we are simply fooling ourselves.

Invitational Preaching

Back in the days when I was preaching every Sunday, it was my privilege for a number of years to lead some workshops on preaching and worship for young preachers.  One of the things I always underscored in the preaching groups was the importance of invitational preaching.  There is all kinds of things offered from the pulpit in the name of preaching, but not nearly enough of it is invitational.  Some preaching is informational.  Some sounds more like a teacher who is presenting all the possible interpretations of scripture.  And, unfortunately, some sounds like political commentary.

 

It has always been my personal opinion that good preaching is both persuasive and invitational.   Preaching is not a lecture, but more like a conversation.  It may be that the pew sitters never say any words, but good preaching always brings people to a point of responding. It is in the moment of responding that the homiletical conversation is completed.  And, of course, good preaching ends with an invitation to respond to what the Word of God is saying in the midst of the people of God.  It is, therefore, important that the Word of God being proclaimed has as its basis the written Word of God.  Otherwise, it is personal opinion which is not what people come to hear on Sunday morning. 

 

It often takes a bit of prayerful work to figure out how the sermon is going to be used as an invitational tool.  There was a time when invitational preaching meant altar calls and nothing more.  While using the altar for something other than communion is no longer considered by many preachers, there is always value in inviting people with troubled hearts to kneel before God.  As important as an altar can be, it provides only one way of responding to the proclaimed Word of God.  There are as many ways to respond as there are good sermons.  When a preacher cannot figure out how to invite people to respond to a sermon, maybe the sermon is not worth preaching. 

Spontatneous and Unplanned

One thing that seldom happens in our churches today is spontaneous and unplanned baptisms.  In today's church everything is scheduled.  In some places the individual who wants to be baptized is told to wait until there is a group big enough to warrant filling the baptismal pool.  In other places people wanting to be baptized have to wait until they go through a series of classes.  In others they wait because the service might run over time if the church stopped to baptize someone. 

 

And, of course, in some places there are no spontaneous and unplanned baptisms because no one is being invited to receive Christ as Savior.  Of all the reasons this is surely the most tragic.  In too many churches baptisms are not expected.  Take a look in the baptismal font or the baptismal pool before this Sunday's worship service and there will a resounding word as to whether the church is expecting people to accept Christ and to be baptized.  Surely, a most embarrassing moment for any preacher is to have to send out for water while the person wanting to be baptized waits. 

 

The church is out there in the world in order for people to connect themselves with Jesus Christ.  And while baptism does not cement the deal, it is a visible sign that some work of the Holy Spirit has been done in a person's heart.  It is a means of grace which creates a visible and unforgettable marker for the one who is ready to start the journey of faith with Christ.  When is the right time for baptisms to take place?  When a single soul is ready to declare that Christ is Savior.  With some things there is no time like the present.  Accepting Christ and coming to the waters is not something to delay.  It is the church's primary business to see that there are no hindrances and only encouragements.

Water Stories

Long years ago when I was making my way through grammar school, Sunday afternoons would often find us out in the country at the old home place where my Uncle Gene and his family lived.  For a boy who had never been on a real farm, it was a wonderful place.  There was a mule and chickens, a yard swept clean and unending space to run , and a bucket of water and a dipper on the front porch.  At our house in town you had to drink water from a faucet, but out in the country you drank water from the bucket with the long handled dipper used by everyone. 

 

When I retired just over five decades later and came to a farm, the first thing we did was dig a well.  To this day I know from how deep in the earth the water comes and always I am amazed that it is clear and good to taste without any kind of big city treatment.  Sometimes I think I must have lived like the city kid who always thought his food came from a can since I never thought much about water as I pulled the faucet handle and drank my fill.  Now I know that nothing is more precious and valuable to the life that is lived all around me. 

The Scripture is full of water stories.  There is a river in the Genesis Garden, a sea that rolled back for the Hebrews, a flood that required an Ark, and rain on Mt. Carmel.  John baptized folks in the Jordan River,  water was turned into wine, and a blind man washed his eyes to see.  The creative power of God brought water into being and the Creator then used it again and again for holy purposes.  Jesus even stood at an ancient well one day and spoke about being living water that gushes forth to give eternal life.  (John 4:14)  It does us well to pause in the moment of receiving and drinking water to give thanks to God for the gift that provides for our bodies and nurtures our souls.

A Season of Epiphanies

In some ways retirement has brought me into a season of epiphanies.  New ways of thinking about the way God is experienced in the world have shattered my theological comfort zone.  For so long, maybe a lifetime, my thoughts about God have been confined within the framework of the church.  In these latter years I have come to a place of understanding that God is not defined or confined by the church, but is defined and revealed both in church and creation.  While the church still stands as a sentinel of the holy in our culture, it is also true that the earth and all that is a part of it points to the holy in our midst as well.

 

In the ninth chapter of John there is an incredible story of a man blind from birth being healed of his blindness.  The Word begins with the words, "As he   (Jesus) walked along, He saw a man blind from birth..." (Acts (9:1)  It was not a carpeted floor upon which Jesus walked, but a dirty dusty road.  And when He started the miracle of healing blindness, He used spit and dirt to make mud and with dirty soiled hands rubbed it on the unseeing eyes, telling the man, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam." (Acts 9:7)  No smell of incense was in the air, just the smell of wet dirt.  And, so the man went, put water on the spit and dirt, and blinked himself into sight.

What we seldom think about was not only created and called good by the Creator God, but has been so shaped by divine hands that it can only be called holy.  The parts of the creation are used for holy purposes and reveal the presence and the power of the holy one in our midst.  When we open sighted eyes and look around, what is holy unfolds before us.  How sad that we have lost our eyes to see.   

The Pasture Ruckus

Just before sunset last night a ruckus erupted in the pasture.  I went out to move the cows out of the section of the pasture which had some winter grazing.  I did my best "cow call," the one they always heed, but last night they just stood and looked at me.  Nary a one moved my way.  Instead, they all went back to pulling on the grass.  So, I started hollering louder with greater urgency and they started using their cow voice to let me know they were not moving.  On and on it went until I finally got in behind them and got them moving toward the gate and out where I wanted them to be. 

Jesus said about a shepherd, "...the sheep follow him because they know his voice."  (John 10:4)  The cows out in the pasture know my voice, but last night they listened and went back to what they were doing.  As I have remembered the ruckus among the cows, I have thought often about myself hearing the Voice calling me and seeking to lead me to a place I am not but need to be.  I am too much like my cows.  Hearing has not usually been a problem.  Neither is it difficult to know to whom the Voice is speaking.  And, most of the time, it is very clear about what needs to be done.  The problem has seldom been in the hearing, but mostly in the doing.

In my rational moments I am sure the 23rd Psalm speaks great truth.  God does know the location of the green pastures and the still waters.  He does seek to still my soul and keep me on the right path.  But, like those cows, sometimes I model stubbornness.  I decide I know what is best for myself and I go down that path on a personal stampede.  As the echoes of the chaos have settled in the pasture, I am so very grateful that God not only seeks to lead me into the best places, but that He is also long on mercy and forgiveness.