Birthing something new

"Be not lax in celebrating. 

Be not lazy in the festive service of God. 

Be ablaze with enthusiasm.

Let us be alive, burning offering before the altar of God. "

     Hildegard of Bingen

The wind is howling outside, the windows shake and the tress bend back and forth.  On this cold February day I find myself blessed with a warm home, shelter from the storm and the wisdom of God's love in my heart. 

Lent 1 is upon us and I find myself leaning into the idea that God is birthing something new.  This is not just in my own life, but in the life of the church and those seeking to be in relationship with God.  More and more we are talking about how we are able to bring the gifts and blessings that many of us find in church out into the world.  

I have often found myself believing that I needed to temper my enthusiasm for God, temper my joy and passion for the love, hope and life that I know to be present on the path of faith.  Each of us are created to be exactly the person God needs us to be.  We are created in the image of love, compassion and hope.  We are created extroverts, introverts, we are created as artists, musicians, we are created and called to justice, peace and the well being of the world, the environment, the other.  But, most of all we are created to be the living reminder that God is alive and present in the world around us.  

In the book, A Season for the Spirit" Martin Smith writes:

"If it is the Spirit of Jesus within us we will be able to recognize two movements: 

1. We will experience the Father moving to embrace us; 'you are my beloved Son, you are my beloved daughter.  
2. We will be impelled to embrace the suffering world in compassion.  The Spirit of Jesus moves us as it moved him, to identify ourselves with a broken world and to bring it within the reconciling embrace of God.   Intimacy with God, identification with the fallen creatures of God, always both.  "  

We gather in communities of faith to share the sacred story and be reminded how we are called to enter into it yet again, on this day, in this time.  We also gather to take Jesus in, to receive the grace and healing that we are called to take out to the world.  This cannot be possible or remain relevant if we spend more time trying to preserve a structure than remembering what brings us there in the first place.  

"Most of us have a primary defense mechanism against being overwhelmed by the pain of the world and our own pain.  The price we pay is that it also numbs our capacity for joy, but until we surrender to the spirit of God we reckon the price is worth it.  The strongest sign of the Spirit working within us is simply that the anesthetic  begins to wear off. "  Martin Smith

Loving God with our whole hearts, minds and souls is a powerful and very disruptive thing to do.  Often we love the prayers of peace and comfort, they are true and wonderful.  But with that peace and comfort comes the knowledge that we are not alone, we are called to be there for each other.  Our fear and insecurity causes us to want to hold on to what we have, to ward off anything that feels different or new.  And yet, life, death and resurrection is the core of the story we live. 

God is always causing new life to be brought forth.  God yearns for the excitement and vibrant energy that comes with new beginnings.  God also knows deeply the grief of loss.  God knows of our fear that new life will not come, or that it will be scary and uncomfortable.  God knows that to have faith we must walk through the unknowing.  God knows your fear and is there.  

As we enter this new day, with the wind blowing around us, let us wonder what God is stirring up in us this day.  You are God's Beloved Child.  The Good news is for all of us, everywhere, in every corner of the world, those known and unknown.  How is the Spirit working in you on this day?  

" Spirit who filled Jesus, no wonder I shy away from the mystery of your indwelling!  The moment I consent to your living and moving in me, and trust you, the numbness I have relied on to get through life begins to wear off.  Give me the faith to be vulnerable to the joy the Father has in me through my union with Jesus the Beloved.  Give me the courage to share the pain of the world which is so far from it's home and centre, the Living God.  Amen

From; "A Season for the  Spirit" , Martin Smith