I try to live my life always connected to the holy. A lot of the time, life gets in the way of that. I feel myself fragmented by the urgency of something else that must be done and I tell myself I'll get around to this later. But from time to time - and right now is one of those times - I find myself filled with an intense yearning to be deeply connected to and immersed in, my connection to God.
By being immersed in the holy, I don't mean a false piety or a "holier-than-thou" attitude. Rather it becomes my heart's desire to spend more time open to where the Spirit is in my life, listening to and sharing with Jesus and simply be present to and in awe of what God has done for me and mine.
Like all of you, I live a busy life full of commitments to family and friends and work and community. Often times, I am too busy to do much about this yearning for connection when it floods me. But this time around, I am really trying to pay attention to what I might do to respond to this sense of urgency and desire to spend time with God.
Tom and I share a rich and deep spiritual life together. We often pray together, as well as for one another, and I was sharing this sense and hunger with him last night. After we talked and prayed for a while, we decided we would find a corner and make an altar - a place that would center our prayer, remind us daily of our need to be connected to God and draw us closer to God and each other and our family.
I have a hope chest that holds my boys first pairs of shoes, their baby blankets and other treasures of their lives that we thought would be a good altar. On it we have placed things that speak to us of the sacred: a rock a Christian wise woman brought me back from Iona, an insense burner given to Tom by his mentor in faith, the small New Testament that belonged to the grandmother who taught me how to share God's story with children and gifted me with my vocation, the dried petals of the first roses Tom gave me, a clay mold of Scott's (Tom's son) handprint, the icon of Mary of Magdalene my spiritual director gave me, the small, palm-sized stuffed fish that Alex handed me as I went out the door in labor with his brother.
As I looked at these small treasures after we had placed them there, I realized that each item was an "outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual graces" (to paraphrase the Catechism on the Sacraments) - signs of the sacramental connections we have to each other, to our children and others who love us. As Tom and I continued to reflect, we realized that what is missing from our altar is a cross for the center- because each of these sacred and holy connections made visible on our altar is grounded in a relationship with Jesus. Our relationship with Jesus is the thread that ties everything together. So this weekend, we are going to look for a cross that will center and anchor this holy place we have made for holy space in our lives.
I wonder what you would put on your altar? Would you share that with me and the other readers of this blog.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Ordinary Time
The Season After Pentecost which begins after Trinity Sunday is sometimes referred to as "ordinary time." It is "ordinary" because the weeks that follow are not associated with a specific liturgical season such as Lent or Epiphany. There are no over-arching themes for these weeks of the Church's year which makes them "ordinary." The liturgical color for the Season After Pentecost is green - and because this season coincides with Spring and Summer in our hemisphere, it has often been connected to growth in the Christian cycle. It is also a long season, lasting until Advent begins again.
Lessons each Sunday focus our attention on our relationship with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and one another, and on the Church and its mission. As the season often coincides with our vacations, it is also a season where we can reflect on the gift of time God gives to each human life.
Time is something we pretend we are in control of in the post-industrial West. We think about "managing our time," "making good use of our time" and "not wasting time." We are busy people, families and communities. But as much as we feel we are in control of time, time still remains God's, not ours.
Jeremy Taylor, an early anglican divine wrote:
"There is too little time to purchase great wealth, to satisfy the pride of a vain-glorious fool, to trample upon all the enemies of our just or unjust interests; but for the obtaining of virtue, for the purchase of sobriety and modesty, for the acts of religion, God gave us time sufficient."
- Jeremy Taylor The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living (1650)
"Ordinary time" is the perfect time for us to reflect both on how we use time and how we can simply be in time. We are so busy most of the year pretending we control time that we forget that we have allowed time to control us. The slower pace of the summer months gives us times of refreshment - times to "be" rather than "do." I love to just sit on the beach and watch the waves roll in and out in their timeless fashion. As the days lengthen, I find myself more drawn to watching the sunrise or the sunset, to simply sitting still and breathing. I don't have to look for God the way I do when I am flying from task to task, but sitting still and letting the ancient rythyms of the creation envelop me, God finds me. I am easily in touch with the incarnate Jesus who fills my soul without my searching for him. All I have to do is stop managing time and, instead, be in time.
So - I invite you to join me in ordinary time, doing ordinary things and finding the rythym of the holy so close that all we need to do to find it is breathe.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Lessons each Sunday focus our attention on our relationship with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and one another, and on the Church and its mission. As the season often coincides with our vacations, it is also a season where we can reflect on the gift of time God gives to each human life.
Time is something we pretend we are in control of in the post-industrial West. We think about "managing our time," "making good use of our time" and "not wasting time." We are busy people, families and communities. But as much as we feel we are in control of time, time still remains God's, not ours.
Jeremy Taylor, an early anglican divine wrote:
"There is too little time to purchase great wealth, to satisfy the pride of a vain-glorious fool, to trample upon all the enemies of our just or unjust interests; but for the obtaining of virtue, for the purchase of sobriety and modesty, for the acts of religion, God gave us time sufficient."
- Jeremy Taylor The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living (1650)
"Ordinary time" is the perfect time for us to reflect both on how we use time and how we can simply be in time. We are so busy most of the year pretending we control time that we forget that we have allowed time to control us. The slower pace of the summer months gives us times of refreshment - times to "be" rather than "do." I love to just sit on the beach and watch the waves roll in and out in their timeless fashion. As the days lengthen, I find myself more drawn to watching the sunrise or the sunset, to simply sitting still and breathing. I don't have to look for God the way I do when I am flying from task to task, but sitting still and letting the ancient rythyms of the creation envelop me, God finds me. I am easily in touch with the incarnate Jesus who fills my soul without my searching for him. All I have to do is stop managing time and, instead, be in time.
So - I invite you to join me in ordinary time, doing ordinary things and finding the rythym of the holy so close that all we need to do to find it is breathe.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Meditations on Motherhood (a few days after Mother's Day!)
You may have heard me say it - my children have been the best teachers of faith I have ever had. As I think back on all the things I have learned about God from being a mother, I see how being Alex and Josh's mother has changed the way I understand God, shaped the way I live out my faith and kept me continually focused on what really matters. Here are some of the things I have discovered on my journey as a Christian mother:
Life is washable: To quote the Prayer Book, "this is a true saying and worthy of all to be received." A little soap and water can cure a whole host of things, and what it can't doesn't really matter. Green footprints on the carpet (Alex put food coloring in the dog's water one St. Patrick's Day morning, spilled the water, stepped in it and THEN came to tell me he had made a mess!) DO come out with a bit of elbow grease. Sin is a bit harder, but baptismal water is REALLY effective. The major learning here was to relax and enjoy the gift God gave me in my children, not worry about the furnishings or the mistakes.
God's love really is THAT big: I grew up with the notion of God as a stern and judgmental father. In that euphoria that followed the birth of each of my children - as I was overwhelmed with unconditional love for these small and amazing beings - I realized that if I loved my children than much, how much more did God love me and them?
The small stuff MATTERS: Not things like taking out the trash, but ants and butterflies and blueberries ripening on the vine. Both of my boys are explorers who marvel at things I take for granted everyday. My boys have taught me that the sacred is revealed in the business of birds building a nest and leaves changing from bud to full blown (did you know that the new leaves of Japanese maple trees feel like raccoon's paws? I didn't, but Alex thought they did!). Josh's class is watching worms become butterflies and he announced, eyes full of wonder as he got off the bus yesterday, "Mama, we saw a MIRACLE today!" How much of God's goodness and creativity I would have missed had I not had these guides to point them out along the way.
Forgiveness is more than possible: As I think about the ups and downs of family life, I know both how important and how possible forgiveness is. I am often overwhelmed with gratitude for two boys who can forgive the flaws of a menopausal, most of the time tired and often times cranky mother. They not only forgive me, they love me anyway and because of it all. They have been wonderful role models to me in how to live a life of forgiveness. I find it easier to forgive because they so generously and regularly forgive me.
These are just a few of the things my children have opened my eyes to. I'll bet you have stories like mine where because of something your children did or said, you suddenly saw faith with new eyes and recognized God's presence in a new way. Would you share those stories with us?
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Life is washable: To quote the Prayer Book, "this is a true saying and worthy of all to be received." A little soap and water can cure a whole host of things, and what it can't doesn't really matter. Green footprints on the carpet (Alex put food coloring in the dog's water one St. Patrick's Day morning, spilled the water, stepped in it and THEN came to tell me he had made a mess!) DO come out with a bit of elbow grease. Sin is a bit harder, but baptismal water is REALLY effective. The major learning here was to relax and enjoy the gift God gave me in my children, not worry about the furnishings or the mistakes.
God's love really is THAT big: I grew up with the notion of God as a stern and judgmental father. In that euphoria that followed the birth of each of my children - as I was overwhelmed with unconditional love for these small and amazing beings - I realized that if I loved my children than much, how much more did God love me and them?
The small stuff MATTERS: Not things like taking out the trash, but ants and butterflies and blueberries ripening on the vine. Both of my boys are explorers who marvel at things I take for granted everyday. My boys have taught me that the sacred is revealed in the business of birds building a nest and leaves changing from bud to full blown (did you know that the new leaves of Japanese maple trees feel like raccoon's paws? I didn't, but Alex thought they did!). Josh's class is watching worms become butterflies and he announced, eyes full of wonder as he got off the bus yesterday, "Mama, we saw a MIRACLE today!" How much of God's goodness and creativity I would have missed had I not had these guides to point them out along the way.
Forgiveness is more than possible: As I think about the ups and downs of family life, I know both how important and how possible forgiveness is. I am often overwhelmed with gratitude for two boys who can forgive the flaws of a menopausal, most of the time tired and often times cranky mother. They not only forgive me, they love me anyway and because of it all. They have been wonderful role models to me in how to live a life of forgiveness. I find it easier to forgive because they so generously and regularly forgive me.
These are just a few of the things my children have opened my eyes to. I'll bet you have stories like mine where because of something your children did or said, you suddenly saw faith with new eyes and recognized God's presence in a new way. Would you share those stories with us?
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Thursday, May 8, 2008
HOORAY! It's Pentecost!
When we think of the major Christian festivals, Christmas and Easter are at the top of the list. We tend to forget about Pentecost which is one of the three most important celebrations of the Christian Church - we wouldn't be a Church without it!
We celebrate Pentecost on Sunday, May 11th this year (the date always changes because it is fifty days after Easter)On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples, giving them the power to preach, teach, heal, serve and love in Jesus' name. The Holy Spirit's presence within us and among us is how we are empowered to do the same.
The Holy Spirit can be hard to explain to young children. It is a more an intangible "thing" than a concrete object. The Holy Spirit is like the wind - we can't see wind, we can only see the leaves it blows. The Holy Spirit is like the wind. We can't see it, but we can see what it does. When we see someon caring for another person, cleaning up litter in the park or sharing a kind word, that is when we see the Holy Spirit in action.
"Spirit Bubbles" are a Pentecost tradition in my house. On the Day of Pentecost, when we celebrate the power of the Holy Spirit among us, my children and I head outside after Church with our bubbles and we blow them. As the bubbles rise on the wind, we offer up our prayers for each other and those we are worried about. We shout out our thanksgivings and laugh together. And then we finish with this prayer:
I am an Alleluia!
I am a Wonder!
The gifts of your Spirit, O God, make me so!
With these gifts, I can live your life, Jesus.
I can be fully alive!
Amen!
So this Pentecost, I invite you to share in our tradition. Head outside with your bubbles and shout your praise to God together! And be sure to wear red to Church on Sunday! Red is the color of the tongues of fire that came upon the disciples as the Holy Spirit descended on them and it is a color of passion in the Church. So wear your red to Church and we will be a living, breathing representation of the Spirit!
Happy Pentecost!
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
We celebrate Pentecost on Sunday, May 11th this year (the date always changes because it is fifty days after Easter)On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples, giving them the power to preach, teach, heal, serve and love in Jesus' name. The Holy Spirit's presence within us and among us is how we are empowered to do the same.
The Holy Spirit can be hard to explain to young children. It is a more an intangible "thing" than a concrete object. The Holy Spirit is like the wind - we can't see wind, we can only see the leaves it blows. The Holy Spirit is like the wind. We can't see it, but we can see what it does. When we see someon caring for another person, cleaning up litter in the park or sharing a kind word, that is when we see the Holy Spirit in action.
"Spirit Bubbles" are a Pentecost tradition in my house. On the Day of Pentecost, when we celebrate the power of the Holy Spirit among us, my children and I head outside after Church with our bubbles and we blow them. As the bubbles rise on the wind, we offer up our prayers for each other and those we are worried about. We shout out our thanksgivings and laugh together. And then we finish with this prayer:
I am an Alleluia!
I am a Wonder!
The gifts of your Spirit, O God, make me so!
With these gifts, I can live your life, Jesus.
I can be fully alive!
Amen!
So this Pentecost, I invite you to share in our tradition. Head outside with your bubbles and shout your praise to God together! And be sure to wear red to Church on Sunday! Red is the color of the tongues of fire that came upon the disciples as the Holy Spirit descended on them and it is a color of passion in the Church. So wear your red to Church and we will be a living, breathing representation of the Spirit!
Happy Pentecost!
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Busy, but . . .
I drove to the Church this morning, revelling in the sights and sounds of Spring around me. The sky was a perfect blue, the flowering trees and forsythia were enthusiastically sharing their blossoms and I hummed "All Things Bright and Beautiful" as I went along. It was a moment to rejoice. But it was only a moment as I found my thoughts wandering to the things I had to get done in the office today and I prepared myself for work.
It was a moment that also made me realize how tired I am. Easter came early this year and following so soon on the heels of Christmas/Epiphany, it took energy to prepare. My semester at school is ending and I am writing my end-of-class paper. Baseball began this week for my younger son and the second grade music performance is next Tuesday. I will be moving my older son home from college next Friday ( just where did his freshmen year go?). In between being Mom, student and minister, I have been trying to deal with detritus winter left behind in my yard (I am beginning to agree with my older son: "If God hadn't wanted leaves on the ground, they would fall UP"). As happy as I am to see Spring, it makes me realize what a busy and tiring year it has been.
When I find myself this tired, I realize that the first thing that suffers is my prayer life. I am too tired to pray - surely God can understand that? Even God rested after all the work of creating, and that is one of the lessons I need help remembering. As I run from project to project and responsibility to responsibility, I push my tiredness away and stiffle the urge to simply sit still, breathe and connect with God for a bit.
Busy yourselves with family and professional responsibilities, I am sure you can identify with my feelings. So the questions I invite us to ask ourselves this week are: Does it have to be this way? Are we really just supposed to grit our teeth and get done what needs to be done until vacation time arrives and we can just collapse on the beach?
I don't think this is what God had in mind. God offers us not just food for the journey, but refreshment along the way. When the world is a riot of spring celebration around us, isn't this an invitation to let go of whatever urgent thing is before us and just breathe it in - if only for a few minutes?
I think the answer to this is a resounding YES! So here is what I am going to do today to break the cycle of putting one foot in front of the other until all the tasks are done. Instead of running around like a madwoman unloading the dishwasher and throwing in a load of laundry in the few minutes between arriving home from work and meeting my younger son's bus, I am going to sit in the rocker outside my front door and just let the goodness of God's new life wash over me. The only item on my agenda will be breathing. I am not going to solve any problems, review my "to-do" list in my head or figure out when I have time to mow the lawn. I am just going to be in God's presence and see what happens.
What about you? Can you find ten minutes in your day to let God refresh you?
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
It was a moment that also made me realize how tired I am. Easter came early this year and following so soon on the heels of Christmas/Epiphany, it took energy to prepare. My semester at school is ending and I am writing my end-of-class paper. Baseball began this week for my younger son and the second grade music performance is next Tuesday. I will be moving my older son home from college next Friday ( just where did his freshmen year go?). In between being Mom, student and minister, I have been trying to deal with detritus winter left behind in my yard (I am beginning to agree with my older son: "If God hadn't wanted leaves on the ground, they would fall UP"). As happy as I am to see Spring, it makes me realize what a busy and tiring year it has been.
When I find myself this tired, I realize that the first thing that suffers is my prayer life. I am too tired to pray - surely God can understand that? Even God rested after all the work of creating, and that is one of the lessons I need help remembering. As I run from project to project and responsibility to responsibility, I push my tiredness away and stiffle the urge to simply sit still, breathe and connect with God for a bit.
Busy yourselves with family and professional responsibilities, I am sure you can identify with my feelings. So the questions I invite us to ask ourselves this week are: Does it have to be this way? Are we really just supposed to grit our teeth and get done what needs to be done until vacation time arrives and we can just collapse on the beach?
I don't think this is what God had in mind. God offers us not just food for the journey, but refreshment along the way. When the world is a riot of spring celebration around us, isn't this an invitation to let go of whatever urgent thing is before us and just breathe it in - if only for a few minutes?
I think the answer to this is a resounding YES! So here is what I am going to do today to break the cycle of putting one foot in front of the other until all the tasks are done. Instead of running around like a madwoman unloading the dishwasher and throwing in a load of laundry in the few minutes between arriving home from work and meeting my younger son's bus, I am going to sit in the rocker outside my front door and just let the goodness of God's new life wash over me. The only item on my agenda will be breathing. I am not going to solve any problems, review my "to-do" list in my head or figure out when I have time to mow the lawn. I am just going to be in God's presence and see what happens.
What about you? Can you find ten minutes in your day to let God refresh you?
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)