(Ir)Reverend Ramblings

There is a man in our congregation who, when asked “How are you?” always replies, “Grateful”. The first few time I heard him say that I was a bit taken aback. Now, I look forward to his response. “I am grateful.”

This morning, as I arrived at work, the woman who runs the children’s program downstairs said, “How are you?” and I said, “On a day like this? I am grateful – how could I not be?” I am grateful – grateful to be alive, grateful to be on my feet, grateful to see this August day, grateful to hear the voice of a loved one, grateful to hold the hand of a child, grateful to read a good book, grateful to spend an evening watching a ball game, grateful to sip ice water, grateful to watch sunlight on water, grateful to hear birds sing and teenagers laugh, grateful to sit at a desk and read an email, grateful to anticipate a visit from family, grateful to remember a time with friends, grateful to by busy, grateful to be bored, grateful to live where I live, grateful for times of peace, grateful for a delicious meal, grateful to have something to believe in, grateful to be able to say, “I don’t know”, grateful for a good night’s sleep, grateful to wake up to sunshine, grateful to sit and talk, grateful to sit and say nothing, grateful for a very interesting world, grateful for efforts for peace, grateful for small miracles, grateful for big miracles.

How am I today? I am grateful! How are you? What are you grateful for?

Events and ceremonies are happening over this weekend to mark the 100th anniversary of when Britain, and therefore Canada, entered into the fray of World War 1. It is often remembered that World War 1 was declared to be the war to end all wars. In reality, the world has had wars erupting in various parts of it ever since. Currently the madness of Russian terrorists in Ukraine and the battles between Hamas and Israel gives evidence that people still want to resort to violence and killing as a way to end disputes or to grab land.

I am tired of the rhetoric. Rhetoric from the leaders of those various factions and rhetoric from our own Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, who seem to have no regard for the hundreds of lives lost in Gaza. They speak defending only Israel’s right to retaliate. Newscasts report that over 1300 Palestinians have been killed (many of those are citizens including children) compared to over 50 Israelis. The Israeli army bombed a UN sanctioned protected area in a school filled with Palestinians and our government continues to defend Israel. I agree Hamas are terrorists and that what they are doing is wrong but I wonder where the Israelis (and our government) think the Palestinian citizens are to go to be safe. They are exhibiting a total disregard for human life. I am heart-sick when I see the pictures of the adults weeping and the children cowering in fear.

When I last visited Israel we went to “The Garden Tomb”. It is a lovely garden with areas where groups can gather for prayer. We had a communion service there. As we left I noticed a sign on a rock leaning against a post. It said, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” This comes from Psalm 122 verse 6 and the rest of the verse reads “May those you love be secure.” The Psalmist could have written those words for this very week and could apply it to the whole of that Holy Land.

Every now and then I get the message to sloooooow doooooown. I am a person who makes lists, fills days, schedules back-to-back and tries to never “waste” time. I am sure that attitude comes from the influence of my childhood. Growing up on a farm meant there was always work to do. If the chores were done we were to be weeding the garden. If there were no weeds then we knew we should be picking the beans or making jam from the raspberries. Chores and work were never ending and time was too valuable to waste on idle pursuits. That message has invaded my mindset even to today.

Sometimes, though, God breaks through and tells me to “cool it” – well, in God speak. It is a matter of noticing things. Tasting the orange at breakfast, breaking it into segments and tasting the juice as I chew. It is savouring the coffee and thinking of the farmers who produced it, the shippers who brought it to Canada, the workers who roasted and bagged it, the fresh water that goes in it, all necessary steps to my enjoyment of that first sip of java gold. It is taking the long way to work and driving by the river and noticing the kayakers on the water. It is admiring the hydrangea blooms as big as dinner plates, appreciating the brilliant deep purple of the clematis blossoms and the sunshine yellow of the day lilies. It is listening for the songs of the birds over the hum of the neighbour’s lawnmower. It is watering the plants and watching the ants and earwigs scurry out of the way. It is saying ‘yes’ to the moment and being thankful for was is.

The old fable of the ant and the grasshopper bears wisdom. We cannot spend our life in idle pursuit when we should be putting our gifts and skills to work but there is also something to be said for “considering the lilies of the field” (Matthew 6:28). For today, I am just noticing all the goodness around me.

I am so saddened by the escalating violence between Israel and the Palestinian territory in Gaza. It seems that whenever there is the slightest hope that there might be some resolution to that troubled situation violence and aggression overtakes it.

Having been to that Holy Land three times I can easily picture the sites that are visited by tourists and pilgrims. I can recall the sounds and smells of the crowded streets in Jerusalem and see the olive orchards stretching through the countryside. It breaks my heart to think of bombs breaking through the air to destroy such meaningful history. More importantly, it is to consider the lives lost in the battles.

When we were last in Israel, our tour guide, Johnny, told us his story. He is a Palestinian Christian living in Jerusalem. His family has lived there for generations. He is raising his children there. He told us how his family has been treated. What the restrictions mean for them. Then he said, “This is my story. Everyone has a story. Both sides have made mistakes.” I thought that was a brave and a just thing to say in the face of such a situation. He was not bitter but he was realistic.

As with any war I can’t help but think there are bigger political powers at sway and the poor citizens whose lives are being destroyed on each side are just seen as collateral damage in a big expensive game. According to the most recent report 680 Palestinians (including 140 children) and 34 Israelis have been killed in this battle. Everyone has the right to live in peace. Everyone has the right to a scrap of land. Everyone has the right to education and food and medicine. The grim reality of the battles being waged cause me such grief I must turn off the television, I can’t take the news.

Berries – there are so many berries at this time of year. There is nothing better than a sweet, juicy Ontario strawberry unless it is an Ontario raspberry or wait, maybe a wild blueberry! I checked there is no verse in the Bible about berries. But there are lots of verses about abundance and first fruits and gratitude. And I have to say that every time I put a fresh berry into my mouth I am grateful. And don’t even get me started on fresh green beans from the garden and cobs of corn plucked from the stalk then boiled for four minutes. Each delicious in their own way. The word “Heavenly” springs to mind.

There is so much to be thankful for. As tragic news from around the world comes to us I realize that to even know peace and safety is a rich blessing that many people in the world cannot enjoy. We know these blessings and we add to them the prodigious nature of creation and the wonders of fresh food from garden to table.

For berries and beans and corn and flowers and the multitude of shades of green the make up the forest and birdsong and insect hum and everything in all creation. Thank you God.

Today I have returned from two weeks vacation. It was wonderful – not quite blissful but certainly wonderful! I didn’t do much of note – read some novels, watched a couple of movies, visited family, took in a couple of plays, lounged around whenever I could, practiced the “deadly sin” of sloth (which I sometimes think is an undervalued pursuit!!!) Just generally enjoyed myself.

I know why God declared the Sabbath “holy” because a time of renewal is, well, so renewing.The Bible does not mention vacations specifically but there are some verses that point in that direction. “Restore us to you, O God, that we may be restored.” Lamentations 5:21 “God restores my soul and leads me in paths of righteousness.” Psalm 23:3 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 God advocates balance in life – work is important but we can only work so long before taking a break and renewing our strength. I love my work but it can be a bit consuming. Being a minister is a great life but the weekend works puts us out of rhythm with the rest of the world that tends to have weekends for relaxation. I know that when I have not had a break or a rest I become grumpy and short-tempered. I lose my sense of humour. A vacation gives the opportunity to regain a sense of perspective and enter back into work with a renewed sense of purpose.

I hope you get to enjoy a bit of down-time this summer and delight in the beauty of this great creation God has given us. Taking time does restore our soul and that is a good thing.

Do you remember the Sony Walkman? Then you are dating yourself. The Sony Walkman turns 35 this month. I remember how excited I was to be able to purchase a Walkman and I loved being able to put on the headphones and listen to my music – wherever I was, doing whatever I was doing, and no one else could hear it (and therefore tell me to “Turn down that music.”) I could immerse myself in my music bubble and disappear into the lyrics. I loved it. For that reason I am happy to say Happy Birthday Walkman.

Of course, the Walkman led on to the Ipod and headphones turned into earbuds.The Walkman was the beginning and it was an invention that opened up the opportunity to carry your music around with you and to have private concerts tucked into your pocket or attached to your belt.The Walkman is just one example of a small invention that triggered a profound change in our social interaction and experience.

Author and theologian Phyllis Tickle has written over 3 dozen books. In her books “The Great Emergence” and “Emergence Christianity” she discusses the changes of modern society and how they are effecting the church. The Sony Walkaman is one example she gives as a part of “the cascade of changes” that have effected how we live. She says the impact of the Walkman, making music available at any time in any place, meant that people no longer felt the need for gathering in concert halls or churches to hear music played. She says this small but significant device shifted the population’s interaction with one another and the communal experience of corporate worship where music was high-profile. At one time people would go to church to hear music performed, now they just turn on their Ipod where they will hear better quality music then they would have ever heard in their church sanctuary.

Tickle points to this as just one impact, but a significant one, that has changed how we live and the role the church plays. So Happy Birthday Walkman – your impact was bigger than anyone could have predicted.

Today is the day to celebrate …
fresh, clear lakes
tall, spikey pines
great, rock outcroppings
talented musicians
brilliant actors
imaginitive authors
Stephen Lewis, Chris Hadfield and Rick Mercer
the CBC
butter tarts and strawberry shortcake
Stratford Festival and summer theatres across the land
canoes
cold beer and Ontario wine
Health care
bird songs and blooming gardens
multiculturalism
O Canada – Happy Birthday!

I am not a very disciplined person. If you try to follow my blog you already know this. I am unpredictable as to when I will write a blog and how frequently one will appear. Part of that is because I wait until something strikes me as worthy of note and part of it is because I am just not disciplined to write at a certain time on a certain day. Even when I set myself up to try and follow a regime, I inwardly rebel and break my own rules.

It is no surprise then that, last month, when my Spiritual Director asked me what my devotional practice is I confessed that I do not have a practice. I pray when I think about it and meditate when I am forced to. I say prayers of gratitude at night if I don’t fall asleep first. Understandably she looked at me with concern. She said, “I feel you should be spending time with God.” Then she said, “I don’t know what the consequences are for not doing that, but I know they are dire.” Yikes – that sounded serious. She encouraged me to set aside a period of time everyday, saying, “I don’t care if it is only 3 minutes, I just want you to sit with God.”

I agreed to three minutes every morning. I did it twice. This month when I went to see my Spiritual Director she asked me how it was going. I told her that I had really liked the two times I did it but admitted that I then ‘fell off the rails’. I whined that I find it sooooo hard to stop and sit and not be feeling as if I should be doing something. She reminded me again that we are only talking three minutes. Then she gave me some tips on behaviour modification. She knows that I love to check my email. She knows that I check my email frequently. Confession : I check my email when I get up in the morning and before I go to bed at night and about a thousand times in between. I say I don’t have time to meditate but I seem to have loads of time to check my email. My Director knows me and she is right in her observation that at the end of the day I don’t feel very good about the fact that I cannot resist email but I feel I have no time to pray. So, she gave me a new encouragement. Each morning BEFORE I check my email I am to sit in prayer for three minutes. The behaviour mod. part is that the email is my reward (yes, you armchair psychologists, think Pavlov’s dogs!). So I have been doing that.

What I am realizing is that I find it hard to just be and to not be doing – even if what I am doing is frittering away my time! But it is getting better. Today, after my three minutes I did a little reading of a devotional book a friend gave me. In my prayer time I was thinking about some friends who are going through some struggle. I was asking how I might best be a support to them. I was wondering how difficulty can be a time for growth and how hardship can strengthen us. You can imagine my surprise and delight when the two quotes that leapt off the page for me were, first a scripture verse, “Test everything; hold fast to what is good.” I Thessalonians 5:21 followed by this lovely quote from Dame Julian of Norwich. “But all shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things will be well.” Both are reminders I need to hear in this time of worry and concern.

My Spiritual Director is correct. My day goes better when I start it with some time for grounding myself in a spiritual practice. I am going to try and keep on with my three minutes. Who knows, I may advance to four.

Do you have a daily discipline or spiritual practice? How does it strengthen you?

A woman from our congregation is undergoing a twelve hour surgery today. That’s right, I said twelve hours. She was understandably a bit anxious about it, not only for herself but also for her family who have to wait around during the ordeal with nothing to do but pace and count the hours.

As the day approached I asked her if it would be okay with her if I set up a prayer circle. That way she could go into the surgery knowing that for every minute of the day someone was praying for her. Without hesitation she said “Yes”. I sent out emails to those close to her and almost immediately I started getting replies. A couple of people could not due to their commitments for the day but everyone else, despite busy schedules and pressing family issues said, “Sign me up.”

Each participant has been designated for a particular 30 minutes of the day. Some are choosing to pray at home most are coming to the church to pray in our Healing Ministries room where we have photo of the woman and a photo of her family. There is a candle to remind us that “the light shines in the dark and the darkness cannot put it out”. So throughout the day over 20 people will be holding this woman and her family in prayer. Others, who could not commit to a particular time have told me they will be praying throughout the day. I received an email from the patient before she left for the hospital to say how truly blessed she felt by this prayer presence.

There have been times in my life when people have told me they are praying for me. I have never expected a particular outcome or prescribed what I wanted the prayer to result in, but I have always felt supported and encouraged just knowing that prayer was being said on my behalf. Occasionally I have been moved to tears to hear those words, “I will pray for you.” Sometimes we just need that spiritual energy and strength and it is so powerful when it comes from another holding us in prayer.

Have you ever prayed for another when they needed help or support? Has anyone ever told you they are praying for you? How did it feel?