Let Evening Come

Let Evening Come

Let the light of late afternoon shine through chinks in the barn, moving up the bales as the sun moves down. Let the cricket take up chafing as a woman takes up her needles and her yarn. Let evening come. Let dew collect on the hoe abandoned in long grass. Let the stars appear and the moon disclose her silver horn. Let the fox go back to its sandy den. Let the wind die down. Let the shed go black inside. Let evening come. To the bottle in the ditch, to the scoop in the oats, to air in the lung let evening come. Let it come, as it will, and don't be afraid. God does not leave us comfortless, so let evening come. Jane Kenyon

Wake up to what?

"Wake up to what, exactly? Wake up to what the world can be. A world truly at peace. And peace, from the Arch's point of view, is not the absence of war. What he seeks is a shift in the battleground-forsaking armed conflict for the longer and more ennobling struggle against complacency, against selfishness, against revenge, and other, darker aspects of human nature To follow him in this fight is to have your life turned upside down turning the world right side up. To follow him is to join that ongoing march, the journey of equality." Bono

 This is a quote from the forward of the book: Tutu authorized, Allister Sparks and Mpho Tutu. Archbishop Desmond Tutu is a modern day prophet. The twinkle in his eye, the playfulness in his voice are merely points of entry to the wisdom, strength and passion this man embodies.

 Bono the lead vocalist of the popular band U2 is very faithful and passionate. He speaks in the forward of this new book about the man he calls his boss, "The Arch." When asked why the poor, the marginalized, the needy are so important to him, he speaks of a "wake up call", a time when having spoken with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, he knew that it was his responsibility to listen and respond in ways that would continue to make the world a better place.

 The majority of us are not Bono, with his recourses, talent or public image. We will not have the chance to meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu, but we are each responsible. We can each pray and reflect on the ways we can be present to God, to ourselves and our loved ones today.

 "the longer and more ennobling struggle agains complacency, against selfishness, against revenge and other darker aspects of human nature."

 It is so easy to believe that we are just one person, or that we live in small towns, or that we have nothing to say. Yet, each one of us are connected in ways we can't even imagine. How is it that God could be able to use your gifts, your talents, or your passion? Complacency leads to emptiness, selfishness leads to loneliness, revenge leads to pain, anger and the cycle continues.

 Gracious God, thank you for all the blessings of this day. Thank you for food, clothing and shelter. Thank you for not abandoning us, when we abandon ourselves, thank you for not giving up on us, even when we want to or give up on ourselves. Gracious God, help us this day, to be open to the richness of spirit and grace that can only come from you. Help us to look outside ourselves so that we can be the instruments you so desperately need us to be. Amen

Lent is a blessed and sacred time.

Years ago when so much of my work was done in those dark places, I said to a friend; I don't do Lent, Lent does me.  The light of new life and rebirth continued to grow, hope and faith were threads that I clung to and God was calling me out of the dark place that was my home.  What I didn't know was that God was in fact calling me into the light, love and possibility that could be my life.

Lent is a time of reconciliation with God, self and others.  We are each called to look at who we are through the lens of God's love for us.  This is the life of a person of faith, but during Lent we are called to remember Jesus experience. Who are the disciples?  What does Jesus carrying the cross mean today? What does being a "Christian" really mean? Where are those places in us that fall asleep, that say "Crucify him!"? Who are we in the story?  Why does it matter to us again this year?

Looking back at the years that I spoke of earlier, the discipline was to be in right relationship with God, with myself and then with others.  God calls us not to live from our brokenness, but our strength.  We are all created in God's image, yet, each of us is unique.  Our life experience is the basis of the tapestry that is our life.  Each thread, each pattern creates it's own story. What does your tapestry look like?  Do you see colors, what are they?  Are the patterns familiar or completely new?

This Ash Wednesday Prayer is one I offer up to lead us into this sacred time.  No author was mentioned.

The darkness asks us questions.
You are out there and we do not see.
You invite us into the night,
the stillness, the loneliness, the desert place.

We cannot see our shadow;
the cold damp of unknowing rises up from beneath our feet.
We tread cautiously, tentatively.

We are afraid, afraid of ghosts
haunting us with specters of guilt
and shame.

We would like to run back,
reach the river bank,
swim the Jordan, sit in the sun by the sea,
mending our nets.
But you have brought us here
-with no bread.

When we look we can see only ourselves,
our darkness.
When we read,
it is invisible words which cannot be grasped,
thoughts we cannot clutch,
hope we cannot capture.

Yet the wild honey remains a taste in our mouth,
a memory for a new day.

Why have you brought us here?
What miracle will you perform for us?

The darkness sighs around us,
dense with your unseen presence,
close to our breathing,
close to our breathing.

O darkness, enlighten us,
embrace us with your invisible love.
Let us see your glory in the ashes.
Take us by the hand that we may trust in the darkness
Minister to us by your Spirit that we may not be afraid.
Jesus, keep the beasts away.

Amen

Lent is a blessed and special time.  It does not need to be a penitential or punitive time.  God loves us beyond our wildest imagining and needs us to live into that light and love.  Remember there are times when the light hurts, there are times when we look away, there are times when we don't feel worthy, or are afraid.  God will go to any length to call us to the light and life that is our work, we are not alone.

Welcome to a blessed and life giving Lent.

I walk down the street

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters 

Portia Nelson

I.

I walk down the street. 

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I fall in

I am lost.....I am helpless

It isn't my fault.

It takes forever to find a way out. 

II.

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. 

I pretend I don't see it. 

I fall in again.

I can't believe I am in the same place. 

but, it isn't my fault.

It still takes a long time to get out. 

III.

I walk down the same street

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I see it is there. 

I still fall in...it's a habit.

My eyes are open.

I know where I am.

It is my fault. 

I get out immediately. 

IV. 

I walk down the same street. 

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. 

I walk around it. 

V. 

I walk down another street. 

 

Ash Wednesday

We are about to enter into the Christain discipline of Lent.  Growing up I used to hear people talk about giving up something for lent.  The church that I grew up in was very faithful. God was prsent, taught and prayed to.  Our tradition was not one of walking the journey to the cross with Jesus.  We celebrated Easter.

As I grew older I remember seeing people with what I now know were ashes on their foreheads, and asking what they were.  This was something the Catholics did.  This was not said in a negative way, just that this was something that was part of their faith.  But what was it, why did they do it?  As the day passed so did my questions, I was on to something else. 

Ash Wednesday is the day in the church year when the path takes a marked change of direction.  We have been in the season of Epiphany, the season of Light.  Who is Jesus and what did he do?  Healing, calling of disciples, relationships and teaching have given us a picture of who is propet is.  Ash Wednesday begins the part of the journey when we come to know the depth of faith and commitment Jesus came to teach us.  We are called to be present to the abuse of power, the fear of intimacy and the all powerful love of God.  We are called to walk this scary and very lonely path with Jesus to the cross.

 What does this mean?  What does our faith mean to us?  Who are we in relation to the life that Jesus lays out for us as an example?  What gets in our way of being the people God most needs us to be.  This is a time when we are called to spend very intentional time with God, with ourselves and pay attention.  We can do this in many ways.  The following comes from the Ash Wednesday service:

"Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great
devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and
it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a

season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided
a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy
Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of
notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful
were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to
the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation
was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set
forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all
Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the
observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance;
by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and
meditating on God's holy Word. And, to make a right beginning
of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now
kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer."





As we sit here in the year 2012 many of us have a reaction to words that feel like old religious words.  The truth is, they are old religious words.  I have discovered over the years that when I spend time with words that jump out at me there is always something for me to learn.  With that said I invite us to read and pray with these words.  What words jump out at you?  Why? How could that be important for your journey this year? 

I look forward to spending this Lent together.  Please feel free to comment or send me an email with any thoughts or reflections that you have.  If you comment your thoughts will be able to be shared with others.  Whatever form this conversation is supposed to take, I look forward to this time.  Keep awake.  God Bless. 

LIght and Dark

 Yesterday morning I was really feeling the fall out of a couple of very long months at work.  For many of us work is such a blessing.  Especially in these economic times we can all be grateful that we have work at all.  I am blessed to not only have work, but to have work I love. God uses me best in this role and keeps me out of trouble most of the time.  All that said, it is easy to get weary.  


Over the years I have learned that it is in those times I most need quiet time with God.  Quiet time, time when I can let my mind wander, when I can perhaps just let it all be.  

One of the ways that I do that is to draw Mandala"s and color them.

"The word "mandala" is from the classical Indian language of Sansknit.  Loosely translated to mean, "circle", a mandala is far more than a simple shape.  It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself-a cosmic diagram that remids us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds."
*This is from a website called the Mandala Project.  I will put the link on this page.

For some this might just sound like coloring for adults.  I suppose in some ways it is.  But one of the things that I have found is that when I am working with color and design, I am not thinking. Some would suggest that I am thinking in a different way.  What I know is  my mind begins to quiet.  The color, shape and texture seem to be leading me.

On this day, I was able to use some watercolor pencils that I was given for Christmas.  On January 31st. I was finally able to find time to sit down and experiment with them.  Art speaks to my soul in a way nothing else does.  My mind is not being asked to form words, concepts or make a plan.

As I approached the end of my time, I was very nervous about adding the black and yet, there was something in me that felt really called to add it.  As you look at these images what difference does it make?

*How does the addition of the dark change the mandala?

*Why do we often dread the dark, and yet, how does the dark change our experience of the light?

*What forms of prayer can you do that allow your mind to quiet and be present with God?

May you find time to spend with God today.  May you allow your mind to wander, or just be.