Memorial Day Weekend

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an instrument of praise, celebrate life, creation speaks, defend, Lynn Bauman, Memorial Day, praise, presence of God, psalm 67, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

We sit today in the middle of what is celebrated during this weekend as the beginning of the summer season (although the calendar announces that late in June). Memorial Day weekend sees us stretching back to remember those brave people who have defended our nation in times of war and who have served throughout our history in all manner of capacities to preserve our freedom. By extension, we celebrate life: family, friends, colleagues – with picnics, baseball games in parks, laughter and prayer for peace in gathered communities of faith. At this hour we live in hope of weather that supports our plans, but in reality that doesn’t matter much; it is our presence together that creates the success of the day.

Psalm 67, the lectionary offering for today, can be considered, writes one commentator, as an international hymn of praise. Lynn Bauman says that our task as contemporary creatures is not simply to pray for ourselves, or narrowly for those around us who are dear to us, but to give voice for the whole earth. This is what it means to become “an instrument of praise” through which the whole creation speaks. Imagine yourself as creation’s voice, as an instrument through which those without voice can enter with praise the presence of God. Ancient Songs Sung Anew, p.166)

May the blessings of this weekend be great and may our gratitude mend division so that true peace may find a home in our hearts!

The Face In the Mirror

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Black Friday, defend, face, God, healing, mirror, prayer, psalm 84, smile, Thanksgiving, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Psalm 84 is a wonderful reminder of God’s care. It’s the one that tells us that even a swallow finds a home in God’s house. Today as I was reading one of my favorite translations of the psalm, I was stopped at verses 7 and 8. Here’s what they said:

Lord God of everything that is, God of my heart, listen to this humble prayer. Defend me now by simply looking at my face. Your look will be for me a healing oil that covers all.

Reading that, I thought of two things I have often heard from a friend whose motivational workshops often included two things, one a statement and the other a question. People need to get in touch with their faces, she says. I used to think of that on the rare occasions when I preached at liturgy. Looking out on the sea of faces in front of me, I was often tempted to shout out, “WAKE UP!” or “SMILE!” (We are very serious or sometimes readying ourselves for the “same old same old” there.) Her question was more direct. When you get up in the morning and look in the mirror to comb your hair or while brushing your teeth, she asks, how many of you smile and say, “What a woman (or guy)!” The audience usually laughs (I know; I’ve tried it.) and then she asks why that sounds funny. We really need to do a better job accepting the image of ourselves that we see in the mirror. We should try to look as if it were God looking back at us. If that is scary, then it’s time to re-read psalm 84 aloud to ourselves and re-assess our image of God.

We just celebrated Thanksgiving and I wonder how many of our reasons for giving thanks included gratitude for ourselves – for who we have become and are becoming. Black Friday is in full-swing by now. Maybe we should buy a little willingness to accept the joy of God’s face looking back at us from the mirror.