Stories and Memories

In the middle of the morning a house in our town which had been around a long, long time disappeared in smoke and flames in what seemed like a minute.  It was built long before the cookie cutter architecture so prevalent on the edges of so many urban settings.  It was not a pretentious place, but one with a long front porch, high ceilings, and spacious rooms.  Even though it is gone now and not to be seen again, it will linger as long as those who knew it and the people who lived in it have memory.  And while no one had lived in it for a spell, it was a house full of stories and full of memories.    

Such is always characteristic of the special places in our lives.  As it is true of dwelling places, so is it true of our churches.  So many churches in small towns like the ones which dot the landscape have all but disappeared, not because of fire, but because of sociological and cultural changes.  And, though they may suffer from a lack of folks coming, or even be closed down completely, they will continue to live through the stories written in those places and the memories of the folks who are the characters of the story.  When we read the Word, we are made aware that both the story and the remembrances of the story are important to the future of those who are in a position of being able to look back.  

What makes the stories of  the Scripture so significant is the way they tell the story of how God has revealed Himself to folks like you and me and the way those stories continue to have life changing power.  When we show up on Sunday, or pick up our copy of the Scripture, we are remembering those stories again, giving them life, and discovering a renewed sense of spiritual energy in our lives.  

Looking Both Ways

Looking back is easier for most of us than looking ahead.  Ahead is unknown and full of uncertainty while what is behind us is known and definite.  There is nothing we can do about what is in our past, but there is much we can do about what is ahead of us.  Even if the past is still working on what is before us, we have a say in whether or not it shapes our living in a positive or negative way.  What is always easier to do is to turn into some whining creature, one full of regret about what cannot be changed, and one who allows the past to be immobilizing.       

Jesus always talked about a Kingdom which was life changing and which had its origin in the past and its impetus in the unfolding will of God.  The Kingdom as He talked about it was not here and now, but also out there and yet to be.  To trust in Christ and to live in this Kingdom does not mean sticking our head in the sand and ignoring what is behind us, but acknowledging its presence knowing that it does not have the power to overcome what God is working out for us in what is ahead.    

None of us could have imagined the year which is behind us and neither can we foresee what lies ahead in the road that stretches out ahead of us.  As we look both ways we can see the holy presence Who has chosen to be with us in all our days.  As surely as He made Himself known in the fire and cloud that brought the Hebrews out of slavery, through the wilderness and into the promised land, He is with us.  He is not only working to make good of the bad stuff which has touched us, but He is also working to bring us into a greater awareness of the Kingdom of God in which He desires for each of us to live.  

What the World Needs Now

From somewhere in the old gray matter a song from the '60's surfaced and soon I found myself singing it like it was yesterday.  "What the world needs now is love sweet love, that's the only thing that there's just too little of..."  went the lyrics.  But, since it was Christmas Day the Words of the angel who found the shepherds in the the field watching over their sheep came to mind as well.  As they departed they said, "...peace, good will among men."  (Luke 2:14)  Here is another thing, or two, that there is just too little of....peace and good will.     

Certainly, this speaks of a gift which needs to be given in this day when contentious spirits seem to prevail.  How different our political environment, our local communities, and our homes would be if we regarded one another as someone worthy of the kindness that goes with peace and the love that goes with good will.  How we treat one another and speak of one another says much about what is in our hearts.   

Our heart is the spring from which flows all those attitudes and spirits which are reflected in our outer life.  To listen to so much of the negative verbage which is out there is to realize that there is a shortage of peace and good will in our world and in our hearts.  No one can do anything about that shortage in us except us.  It is indeed what the world around us needs and we are the only ones who can give it in the places where God has put us.  

The Night Before

As this night unfolds in the places where we live, we find ourselves in different settings.  Some are alone and some have found a way to be with extended families.  Some gather in places filled with the glitter of Christmas while others gather in a place which hardly seems to note that such a day is about to break upon us.  If there are children present in the household, it is a place filled with much anticipation.  And for those who find themselves at a different place in life, the house is filled with memories of those who have shared this special day in years past.     

One thing which is common to us all, regardless of our circumstances, is that we stand on the threshold of a great mystery.  If God can be defined as Mystery, then this night which brings us to a day of joyful celebration is one which points to history's greatest mystery.  The Word of God speaks of this mystery as it says in the Prologue of John's gospel, "And the Word became flesh and lived among us..."  (John 1:14)    The story we read from the gospel of Luke has within elements with which we have some familiarity.  It is not a story that points to mystery, but to a human experience common to all of us.  

These few words from the gospel of John tell what happened that night, but with a brevity of words and a reminder that the unexplainable and impossible has happened to bring the Mystery of Creation into the ordinary mundane part of human life.  From outside of what we know, from the Invisible, and from glory the divine came to be knowable, visible, and fully human.  And from this vantage point on earth, He completed a work that touches the life of every single person who has ever lived on the face of this earth.  

Holy Purpose

The Christmas story as told by the gospel writer Luke reminds us that God uses the most unusual folks to accomplish His purposes.   Luke 2 begins with the Words, "In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered...All went to their own towns to be registered.  Joseph also went...to Bethlehem."  (Luke 2:1-4)  Of course, this was not the first time some ungodly character had a place on center stage of some holy production.  Augustus certainly had no interest in doing the bidding of God, but his desires did not matter in the hands of an Almighty God who was orchestrating history.     

It often seems that our view of what is happening is a narrow view.  It is one which is framed by our political bias, the end goal we have in view, and what seems to fit best within the logic which has shaped our life.  The narrow view gives God no room to act and use for His purposes people who do not meet our approval.  The narrow view does not allow for the possibility that we may be missing something because we are, after all, right.    

One of the things which seems lost on our culture in these days of such political divisiveness is the possibility that God has been at work through circumstances and people we would not have chosen, or that we would choose.  Actually, most of us figure that the political mess created by our unwillingness to listen with open ears and heart is beyond the realm of God's ability to do anything.   Despite all that is happening around us, God has not left the room.  He is not a disinterested third party.  And, He is working with whatever and whoever to move us toward, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)

An Unchosen Group

There are times when we become members of a group we would rather not join.   It happened to me some sixty-five years ago when my father died six days before Christmas.  While I did not realize it at the moment, future celebrations of Christmas would always be somewhat diminished by the memory of this loss.  Of course, the passing of so many years plus a family of my own puts some of the glitter and joy back into the season, but it is still a loss that is deep in my memory.  Wounds may heal, but some leave scars that are worn through a lifetime.    

Many around us are members of this group.  We know the grief and loss of some, but the struggle of others is unknown to us.  There is nothing we can do to change the reality with which these folks live.  We can, however, live with them with a sensitivity to their pain that enables us to pray for them and to remember with them instead of avoiding what might seem to be a painful conversation.  Whether we mention the loss to those struggling or not, it does not change the reality of their remembrance.    

Remembering with them may seem more painful than helpful, but to know that the one lost to this life is being remembered not only brings some comfort to the mourner, but also can be a way of celebrating the life that can never be forgotten.  There are many gifts which can be given during this season.  Some may be brightly wrapped.  And some may be prayers to the Father God for comfort and words that speak the name and bring to mind memories that are made ever so precious by the tears and broken heart of those who have lost a love as important as life itself.

A Grandfather's Story

 "Never seen an angel before that night," the old man said to his grandson, "but that night one showed up in the sky above us.  It was a night just like this night, Reuben.  We were sitting around the fire.  The sheep were settled down just beyond the light of the flames.  The night sky was  clear.  And, back then and unlike tonight, we had all been drinking a bit too much wine.  I am sure your Ma has told you about me in those days.  But, there we were doing like we always had done and suddenly everything changed"    

"It happened so quick as if a bolt of lightning had struck from the sky.  A bright ball of light lit up the sky and an angel came from it speaking a word to us.  Of course, by the time the voice sounded we were all on the ground trying to hide from what we thought was surely going to be the end of us.  I remember laying there shaking and trembling like a leaf caught up by the wind and ready to fall to the ground.  The angel must have known because the first thing he said was, 'Don't be afraid.'  But, we were."     

"He told us about this child being born in Bethlehem and how he was not going to be just any child, but the Messiah.  Last I heard this child they named Jesus was going up toward Jerusalem, but that night He was in a bed of straw.  When the light was gone, old Jehu said,  'Let's go,' and we did.  We went to Bethlehem and saw the One the angel called the Savior.  My life has never been the same.  Ask your Ma.  Ask these others here with us.  The One called Jesus changed my life and, my boy, He can make all the difference in your life, too."

The Call to Radical Faith

The story Luke tells about the birth of Jesus is full of the unexpected.  Of course, it is not Luke's story to create and make up, he is simply telling things the way God orchestrated it to happen.  So it might be more appropriate to say that the way heaven planned the birth of Jesus is full of the unexpected.  After all, who would have picked Bethlehem?  It was a small insignificant place.  And, who would have picked a couple like Mary and Joseph to parent the holy child?  They were so young, it was learning by trial and error as it is for most of us.  And finally, who would put the shepherds on center stage in a night that was changing history?   

From beginning to end it is an unlikely story.  It is an unlikely plan.  It fails the logic test.  From beginning to end it not the logic and common sense of folks which is tested, but their faith and trust in God.  What one of us can imagine the degree of faith exercised by Mary when she submitted herself so completely to the divine will and plan?  The night Jesus came into the world of flesh as a mere baby was a night filled with people involved in what God was doing because of their radical faith in Him.     

Maybe Christmas calls us to be involved in that kind of faith as well.  To believe and accept the birth of the Holy One is an act of radical faith in itself even though we seldom see it as such.  The event of Bethlehem is something which goes beyond any sense of understanding and the only way which provides any response at all is the way of faith.  To believe that God was about extraordinary work that night for the likes of you and me is in the final analysis such a radical departure from anything which makes sense that our only response is the kind of submission modeled for us in the life of the mother of the Holy Child.

The Eternal Light

Willingly He came, 

   voluntarily,  

     The Eternal Light

into the darkness, 

   a place of no light,

     Holy womb dweller

now fleshed in with us.

From deep womb darkness

   unwilling He came, 

       The Eternal Light,

into the bright first light,

    shining from before,

      man full of flesh

now walking with us.

The Light before light,

   the Creator of it all, 

      The Eternal Light,

a light for us all,

   Light of the World,

     a dark tomb dweller

now risen for us.

Pondering

The story Luke tells of the journey to Bethlehem is one read every year in most churches on Christmas Eve.  And if not read and heard in that place, it is often read in homes where the meaning of the Day is remembered and celebrated.  As a story it almost seems painless and easy.  It has a fairy tale quality about it.  Two young people set out from the home to a small village and as they arrive their firstborn son comes into their lives. And with the appearance of the angel prompted shepherds, the story gets filled with details almost too true for real living.     

Of course, when we read between the lines of the story, we come to understand that there was nothing easy about what took place that night so long ago.  It was a hard journey, made even harder by the nearing of the moment of birth.  And the birth which took place in a bed of straw was bereft of supporting and helping families who had the experience to offer comfort.  It was simply two very young people trying to figure it out as things unfolded.   The journey to Bethlehem was tough, but surely those final moments before the first cry of the newborn was an even harder journey.     

When all the sweat had been wiped away and the child was laid in a place as clean as any place could be in an animal stall,  Mary and Joseph must have been overwhelmed as any new parents are in the hour of such beginning.  One of the most revealing moments of what was happening is found in the 19th verse of that 2nd chapter of Luke as it says, "But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart."  Surely treasuring the gift of the child and pondering why He was born is worthy of our time during these final days of Advent.  

A Mouthful

If Jesus ever said a mouthful that was hard for us to receive and chew, it was surely, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."  (Matthew 5:46)   And while this Word is an inclusive Word which includes the whole of our living, another Word which is more particular is just as hard for us to receive and chew.  It is found in the same section of Scripture and says, "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.  Today's trouble is enough for today."  (Matthew 6:34)   Some of us might even think that perfection is more likely than staying inside one day with our worrying.   

Indeed, it is a hard thing for us not to borrow trouble from tomorrow.  Whenever we get caught up this act of borrowing from the future, it not only decreases the possibility of experiencing a measure of pleasure in the day being given to us, but it also takes away from focusing our energy on the trouble which is actually at our doorstep when we open it up to walk into the day God is giving to us.   

Jesus seems to be recognizing the reality of our anxiety over things which cannot be handled, but He also calls us not to become so obsessed with it that we fail to live in an attitude of trust in Him.  If we are looking for the opposite of worry, it is surely trust. What cannot be handled by us does not end up being handled because of our worry.  On the other hand what cannot be handled does seem to find some sense of resolution when we live placing not just the unhandled parts of our life in His hands, but all of our life.

A Word from the Fallen Leaves

The morning began with a strong wind blowing across the land sending trees limbs into a waving frenzy and leaves on the ground racing to some unknown stopping place.  The leaves had dried, fallen, turned into a mat by the rain, and then dried again.  For so long they had laid in place waiting to become compost and then came the wind.  Perhaps, it had seemed that their destination had been reached when they landed on the dirt beneath the tree which spawned them, but such was not to be as the found themselves caught up by the morning wind.    

To watch the brown dried leaves on their journey to someplace unknown was like hearing a Word from the Creator of the wind and the leaves reminding me to pray for the abandonment of the wind blown leaves.  The old Celtic saints were known for pilgrimages, or journeys to wherever God might take them.  They would get into a small round boat that had no rudder or oar and go where the current and the wind would taken them.   Our goings with God are always model a bit more caution.  

So often we speak of being willing to go wherever God wants us to go, to do whatever God wants us to do, but then we go ahead measure in a pragmatic way any sense of being taken out of what makes life comfortable for us.  When Jesus invites us to follow, it is always to an unknown destination.  Instead of plotting the journey, He calls us to abandon ourselves to the blowing Wind which takes us to the unknown places of His Will.  Those morning leaves blown by the wind invite me to pray for abandonment to whatever the Wind of God would do with my life.   

A Word from the Henhouse

Life on the farm is not a solitary lifestyle.  It is shared with the animals who inhabit the fields and the woods as well as the domesticated varieties such as cows, chickens, and dogs.  There are six hens that roam around here, get fed, and provide a few eggs for the kitchen.   They are interesting to watch.  They roam around digging and pecking as they search for food on their own.  It is not something done for an hour, or two, but something done all day long.  But, when the sun gets to a certain place in the western sky, they go to the hen house and get on the roost for the night.       

Watching them going to the roost as dark comes speaks a Word which reminds me to pray for a roosting spirit.  A roosting spirit is one which is in sync with the order created and put in place by the Creator.  There are hours for working and doing the things which sustain life and then there are hours for resting.  There is day for work and there is night for rest.  So many of us live without any regard for this order and we live without any regard for its purpose.     

As I look back over the years, honesty requires me to acknowledge that there were too many times work was taken home which could have waited for another day.  And, maybe the idea that it could not wait for another day was more about my ego wanting to feel important than what was actually needed or required.  What most of us need is not more work, but more rest.   When night comes, the creation says the hour for rest has come.  The chickens seem to know this.  Praying for a roosting spirit sounds like a Word from the Spirit.

A Word from Tree Roots

Watching the squirrel enabled me to hear a Word about praying for awareness.  And, as I gave more thought to this unspoken Word that had suddenly became a spoken Word, I realized that there were other Words being spoken as well.  The landscape around here is filled with trees.  In the branch are sycamores and oaks while out on the farm dozens of pecan trees stretch upwards.   The visible part of the tree often keeps us from seeing the invisible and necessary part that has pushed deep into the ground.  To see these trees that have been here longer than my years of walking on the earth cause me to me to think about the need to pray for a growing faith with deep roots.     

Deep roots are needed when the wind comes to shake and sway what is growing from the earth and from the heart.   A faith rooted in the superficial things will not be able to prevail when undermining difficulties come disguised as loss, illness, and the personal tragedies which often confront us.  Such is why the spiritual giants from the past and the present encourage us to spend inordinate amounts of time in the Word and on our knees.     

Running from one book to another, or from one seminar to another, or even from one church to another one more spiritual may make us feel good for a time, but the lasting power is often only as long as the moment.  Real faith requires deep roots in ground that is fertile and has life giving power.  These trees all around this place speak a Word about sending roots down deeply into the realm of the invisible life giving power of God.  

A Word from the Squirrel

As we walk in the creation seeking to get our lives in sync with the order all around us, we begin to grow ears to hear things previously unheard and eyes to see things never before noticed.  We also begin to understand that the Creator's voice wrapped in sheer silence is constantly being spoken in and through the creation He has put in place all around us.  Slowing down and paying attention opens up a world of divine revelation missed as we do our hurrying through life routine.     

During these days of retirement on a farm it seems that there is always a Word being spoken.  Sometimes I hear, but I would imagine that I miss far more than ever I could realize.  One Word not missed came through a moment of watching a squirrel as he sat on a limb more still than the evening and so quiet his presence was nearly invisible.  As I lingered to watch, a Word came that it would be a good thing to pray for the awareness of the still squirrel.    

Awareness can be illusive.  Our lives are so oriented toward activity, productivity, and noise that focusing on what is present all around is a thing not done unless there is an intentional bending toward it.  And though these busy things which fill our lives are supposed to bring a measure of fulfillment and joyful living, they mostly keep us looking beyond what is in front of us.  The tree living squirrel is constantly aware of what is going on around him.  Not to do so may be deadly.  It is no different for the soul within us.  

The Gift of Memory

Creation has its beautiful sunsets that inspire us  and its dark storms which frighten.  Not all our memories within creation are good, but neither are they all bad.  So it is with all our memories.  Some fill us with great joy, filling our hearts with a wonderful warm light and others remind us of the dark and painful moments of our life.  Even as we recognize this reality, we also know that memories are gifts.  Even the hard ones full of darkness have on the edges memories of those who helped us, or the strength and courage shown in those hours.      

My memories of the night we were told my father was dead and the memory of the funeral which followed are hard memories, but he is not remembered just in light of those difficult moments.  What has come to be a personal reality is that for him to remembered after sixty-five years have passed means that he continues to live as a presence and influence in the deep places of my heart.  While I would never have chosen for his life to end so early, I am grateful for the memories which have kept his life always before me.     

Memories can be seen as a gift from God as surely as the evening display at sunset.  In Deuteronomy 15:15 the Word says, "Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; and the Lord your God redeemed you..."   Even though some of the memories may bring tears to our eyes and pain to our heart, they, too, like the memory of the God who comes to us in those hours, are gifts that cause the deliverance of God to once again give birth to hope in our hearts.  

A Time For Mourning

Long years ago when I finally got around to reading the Scripture regularly and seriously, the gospel of John was the gospel I frequented the most.  As I remember those days of beginning to read the Word, I remember that the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead was one which received an ample amount of underlining.  While it is a powerful story of Jesus' power over death, it is also a story in which Jesus models for us some important things about being with those who are mourning and grieving.    

Of course, one of the surprising things in the story is the way Jesus delayed in going to the home of Lazarus after He received the message asking Him to come,.  "Lord, he whom You love is ill,"  (John 11:3) was the message.  By the time Jesus arrive, Lazarus was dead and in the tomb which prompted both of his sisters to play the "If only You had done differently..." game with Jesus.  What is interesting is the way Jesus felt no need to try to make Himself look better.  He seemed more aware of the hurt within them than the words they spoke.    

The Word says, "...he (Jesus) was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved."  (John 11:33)  It also speaks of Him weeping.  One of the things to be learned from Jesus at the tomb of His friend is that the time of mourning is not a time for arguing, being concerned about ego, or trying to run away from the emotions which are so ever present in those moments.  Instead of running from His emotions, He embraced and expressed them.  While we might think there is more strength in trying to be strong and not expressing our emotions, Jesus reminds us there is strength in expressing them as we seek to offer ourselves to those who mourn.  

The Life Changing Graveyard Story

My father is buried in a small country cemetery in the neck of the woods where he was born.  It was a long time ago when we went there for the burial and in the over sixty years since then a lot of new graves have been dug.  There is nothing unusual about this church cemetery.  The landscape is dotted with thousands just like the Pierce Chapel Church Cemetery.  Cemeteries are places where memories are remembered and where stories are told.  And, somehow or another, they take on the nature of a place that is holy.     

Of course, all ground is holy because all ground passes through the hands of the Creator God, but graveyards are certainly viewed as more than ordinary ground by those who go and leave someone there.  It has always seemed that church yards are good places for cemeteries to grow.  The sermons preached from the pulpit inside the church speak of the life to come, Resurrection Sunday is celebrated by its people, and as the people worship inside, there is this ever present reminder of the communion of the saints.   

The Scripture, too, has its graveyard stories.  From Abraham's purchase of burial ground to the place where Lazarus lay waiting for Jesus, the stories abound.  Of course, the greatest and most profound graveyard story is the one which is told after Jesus was crucified on what we call Good Friday.  From the burial ground owned by Joseph of Arimathea came the resurrected and about to ascend into heaven Jesus and, thus, life and death has never been the same.

Cemetery Musings

About the middle of last year's summer, I took on a volunteer job as the caretaker for our local city cemetery.  Someone else is paid to do the maintenance so my part is to handle the sales of plots, make sure what needs to be done out there is done, and mostly just be available as the contact guy for whatever.  It has put me in a position of helping people with end of life stuff.  Sometimes it simply has to do with someone who is wisely planning for the inevitable and at other times the inevitable has come full force with overwhelming power.      

While there are plenty of graveyard jokes, I have discovered that the work is more sobering than humorous.  It is also a place kindness and compassion can be offered in difficult moments.  And while not everyone who sells cemetery plots asks for permission to pray with those making the purchase, it has come to be something which has proven to be a not spurned offer.     

Seldom do I go out that way without thinking about my own mortality.  I have been blessed with more than my three score and ten years.  I have also been blessed over and over and over again with a mercy not deserved and a grace that is beyond measure.  I am grateful to God for His hand which hovered over me when I was brought into this life and am grateful that the same hand shall take me when it is time to leave here for home.  

Faith for the Journey

The very first part of the narrative told by the gospel writer Matthew tells of a troubled man.  When Joseph went to bed on the night set forth in the story, his world had been turned upside down.  His anticipated marriage to Mary was something which seemed impossible.  She had told him that she was pregnant, not by another man, but by the Spirit of God.  It was not only embarrassing, but unbelievable.  When he went to bed he had resolved himself to end the relationship in a way which would cause him and Mary the least amount of gossip and scandal.      

All these plans went awry as he slept and dreamed.  The Word says, "...an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit."   (Matthew 1:20)   At that point he not only had to decide about trusting Mary, but also trusting God, and his own inner heart.  Even then, knowing what to do and doing it was surely a hard thing.    

But, Joseph appears as a man who lived with an attitude of trust in others, in God, and himself.  All three of these voices were lined up in his spirit saying the same thing to him.  It is not always easy to act with in a manner that defies logic.   It is not always easy to let our faith guide us.  What we have learned is that faith is the only guide we have when it comes to following after God.  Sometimes the Word which calls our faith into action is the witness of another, sometimes it is the voice of God, and sometimes it is that sense of rightness which He has implanted within us.  

Pom Poms and Fire Sticks

Some might say dreamers are deadbeats.  If so, count me in that group.  Of course, there are a lot of great characters in the Bible who were either dreamers or interpreters of dreams.  Long years ago I shared with a small group of pastors as we delved into a study which involved understanding our dreams.  It was a time of learning to keep a dream journal.   We were to encouraged to keep a pad next to the bed to write down as much of the dream as possible upon waking.  The other night I woke up from an interesting dream I wanted to remember and wrote down, "Pom poms and fire sticks," but the next morning the clues meant nothing.     

Dreams are elusive creatures.  They often disappear with the light of day.  As we read the dream stories in the Scripture, we discover that they can be a means of divine revelation.  When our conscious mind is finally put on the back burner and we are only left with the sub-conscious, God seems to have a way of getting through to us in our dream language.  Of course, as we begin to listen to that language, we often find that what might appear to be on the surface is really all about something else.    

Every part of our life can become a door to experiencing the presence of God and every moment can hold within it the possibility of a divine word which helps us with our living.  Perhaps, our dreams are not filled with the voice of an angel as was the case with Joseph long ago, but if we learn to listen even while we sleep, we may discover a new way that the Spirit is seeking to break into what we thought to be a mundane part of our lives.  

Ponderings

Along the way we run into moments which challenge some of the things we thought were nailed down and poured in concrete.  Life has a way of calling us to examine what we have always thought to be unquestionable.  For example, what do we do with the a Word like Psalm 51:5, "Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me"  when we start thinking seriously about what it means to be made in the image of our Creator?  And as that Wendell Berry character, Jayber Crow, wonders, how do we pray after we have come to the praying Words Jesus taught us to pray which say, "Thy will be done?"  (Matthew 6:10)       

 One certain thing is change.  Of course, not all of the changes we bring about are necessarily for our good which makes us a bit cautious when it comes to pulling up the nailed down planks which hold our theological house together.  Each change we make has a rippling effect.   If we lay aside the concept of human depravity, what do we do with the cross and if one part of a prayer makes praying about other things seem unnecessary, why pray anymore?    

In figuring out a workable theology, I have often turned to John Wesley, the father of Methodism, who taught that what is theologically true is determined by looking at it through the lens of Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience.  Another thing I have found myself adding over the years is taking what is believed to be true to its logical conclusion. When we get there we may decide it is a place we cannot live which only means going back and starting the journey over once again. 

The Light of the First Day

The light of that first day has never ceased to shine.  It is not the light of the sun, or the moon, or any other heavenly sphere, but the light which gave birth to the light of all that now beams light abroad.  The light of the first day was a light called good by the Creator.  It is the light in which all things find their beginning.  It is the "light of life,"   (John 8:12)  Within everything living thing this "light of life" is present, sometimes hidden, but like the sun which moves from one horizon to another, always there and always shining.   

It is a holy light present in the darkest place during the moment of conception when life begins.  What might seem to some to be simply a biological function is instead a holy moment when the likeness of the Creator is stamped indelibly upon the life which is beginning.  And even as all things receive life from the "light of life,"  so has everyone of us.   The light of the first day is at the heart of all life.  It is the center from which all life emanates, comes, is created.     

And so as it was in the beginning of our days on this earth, so is it with all of them.  This light of the first day is within us in the deepest part of our life.  To say that it is the light that brings light to our soul would not be step too far to take.  There may be a sense of darkness in our living because of the sin which we have allowed to take hold, but it is not a darkness which can prevail.  The darkness of our sin may make it difficult for us to see and know the light within, but like the sun of the sky, it is always present as it has been since the beginning.   

From Here to There

There is on the edge of here,

    here is on the edge of there,

      between there and here,

        angels come and go and 

sometimes linger with us.

 

In the land of not yet there,

    here is always changing,

       the journey not the same,

new companions along the way.

 

To be here is to long for there,

    to be there becomes a new here,

       a home unlike any home,

but for now not yet ready.

 

To arrive there from here,

    makes here a memory,

       and there the new heaven,

longed for from the roads of earth. 

 

Rejoice, my soul, that here

    leads to the place called there

       where the saints wait for us,

and the Light no longer is dimmed.