View from the Other Side

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apostles, Elijah, Jesus, Moses, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, transfiguration

Tomorrow* Christians the world over celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the day when Jesus took his three closest disciples to the mountain to pray. While there, Jesus was “transfigured” before them, (MK 9:2-10) “His clothes (and I would venture to say His whole self) became dazzling white.” In addition, two of the “Greats” from the past – Moses and Elijah – appeared and were conversing with Jesus. The apostles were understandably dumbfounded but, recognizing Moses and Elijah, Peter began to set out a plan for staying there…(“Let us make 3 tents…”) but they were so terrified that they could hardly speak, so God took over.

From the cloud that overshadowed them then came a voice that they must have all heard, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” And suddenly the vision was over and they were again alone with Jesus.

Think about that. How do you think you would feel in that situation, especially when they were coming down from the mountain and Jesus told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until “the Son of Man had risen from the dead.” That statement in itself was stunning. What did “risen from the dead mean?” they probably asked themselves (and I would guess that they wondered together). How do you think Jesus was feeling about the whole thing? Knowing that God was pleased with him must have given him some solace in what must have been loneliness for him.

Why not try envisioning the entire event – or at least from the appearance of the cloud – and creating a conversation with Jesus about it all. Ask him questions, give him sympathy or encouragement. See what happens. You may come away from the conversation knowing or understanding Jesus (or even yourself) better.

(*I WILL NOT HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO POST TOMORROW AND DID NOT WISH TO MISS THIS IMPORTANT DAY)

Tiny Whispers

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Elijah, hear, Kings, listen, mountain, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, voice of God, whisper

Today we’re again reminded that God can be a surprise, appearing where and when we least expect a such a gift. (See 1 KGS 19:9A, 11-13A) The prophet Elijah is taking shelter on Horeb, “the mountain of God.” (Mountains often figure in these stories for some reason: their opportunity for solitude? the successful challenge of the climb? nearness to heaven? or…perhaps none of the above.) Elijah hears the voice of God saying, “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord; the Lord will be passing by.” As we probably have heard, many loud and visually cataclysmic events followed then that he could not have missed: wind, earthquake, fire…but God was not in any of those happenings. It was “a tiny whispering sound” that Elijah heard and recognized as God’s voice.

How could he have heard God in that tiny moment? I think the only answer can be: practice. Elijah was one of the major prophets and obviously one who was practiced in listening. That was his job: being alert for God’s messages to the people. As such he was probably aware of any small shift in conditions inside and out. Maybe his emotions were stirred. Maybe he had a felt sense in his body…I don’t know.

What I do know and am more aware of as I reflect on this familiar text is that there’s a lot of noise in the world today – much of it negative and loud. It doesn’t feel to me that there is much mountain climbing to achieve solace and hear the voice of God. There are lots of zoom calls though and some are helpful. I meet with one group that I think might approximate Elijah’s ability to hear God in the midst of babble. Sometimes it’s hard not to try to fill the silence when no one is speaking. I’m learning, however, that this is the experience that I need to value the most because everyone is silently listening for the word of God to come through. And it is usually not a bombastic declaration. Most often the word is spoken in little more than a tiny whisper. And we are all trying to hear…Do you know what I mean?

A Tiny Whispering Sound

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Elijah, God, hear, listen, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, whisper

Today we have what is probably the story of the greatest challenge a prophet ever had. It came to Elijah when things were looking quite bleak and he knew his days of serving God as prophet were likely at an end. It is a story of discernment, of knowing the voice of God when you hear it, and Elijah did not fail. I think it is, for us, a reminder that it isn’t always easy to hear God’s voice among all the competing messages from inside us and out, but is also an assurance that if we do our best, we will be rewarded every time. Read 1KGS 19 for the full story but here is the crux of the message, a message of mutual love, to be sure.

At the mountain of God, Horeb, Elijah came to a cave, where he took shelter. But the word of the Lord came to him, “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord; the Lord will be passing by. A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountain and crushing rocks before the Lord — but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake — but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire — but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance to the cave. A voice said to him, “Elijah, why are you here?”

If God chooses to whisper to us by name today, “Why are you here?” may we each hear and have a ready answer.

Where’s the Fire?

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belief, Elijah, faith, Kings, prophets, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Sometimes I muse on what it would have been like to have lived in the pre-Christian era when access to God was (it seems, anyway) much more direct. Some of the stories are quite fantastic and one wonders if belief in God would have been easier then because of a different kind of presence. Take today’s first reading for example (1 KGS 18: 20-39), when there was a contest of prophets going on. Elijah was the sole surviving prophet representing the Lord, God of Israel, while there were 450 prophets representing Baal. Luckily for the Israelites there was not going to be a military engagement to settle the question of whose God was Lord. You may remember that the matter was settled with a burnt offering. The Baals prepared their fire and spent an entire morning calling on their god with all manner of pleading and activity but nothing happened. When it was Elijah’s turn, he proceeded through a complicated but reasonable ritual of preparation, giving directions to the gathered community for their part in the preparation. When it was the time for offering sacrifice, Elijah stepped forward saying (Can you imagine the scene?): Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all things by your command. Answer me, LORD! that this people may know that you, LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to their senses…”

Imagine what it would be like to see the fire that burst forth, consuming the burnt offering, wood, stones and dust as well as all the water in the trench they had dug around the altar of sacrifice. It must have been stunningly convincing…I sometimes long for that kind of force, what likely seems to us a “magic moment,” but it seems that evolution has taught us and brought us a different, perhaps more humanized path—the way of the heart, we might say.

Today we are called to follow a path that leads us to an inner experience of the God we know as Love. Belief in this God is sometimes revealed to us in a “still, small voice,” a knowing that we say “cannot be taught but only caught,” spreading somewhat like Elijah’s fire, but without the visible display. Sometimes we just have to believe the evidence we see in the beauty of the universe in which we live, the good works and generosity of the people we meet and the witness of those whose belief and actions inspire us to become better persons. Although the pyrotechnics would seem an easier way to faith, I’m happy to live now when faith is engendered from the inside and is a personal choice every day but lasts a lifetime.

Transfiguration

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Elijah, faith, Hebrews, James, Jesus, John, Moses, Mount Tabor, Peter, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, transfiguration

Today is a feast in Christianity that is difficult to explain. The word itself: transfiguration, if broken apart, speaks of a change from something into something else, a change in figure or form. What we know from each of the three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) is a similar recounting of the same event that took place on Mount Tabor. Jesus had taken his friends Peter, James and John to that mountain for a time of prayer and something inexplicable happened. Jesus appeared to change into a “being of light” – as if from another realm. It seemed that the space-time continuum had been breached because he was seen by his friends to be in conversation with Moses and Elijah the prophet, both Old Testament figures.

Clearly, this event was something “other-worldly” for the three disciples of Jesus, something that they wanted to hold onto. (“Let us set up three tents here, Master, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah…”) but that was not to be. The vision disappeared as quickly as it had come and they were left in the presence of “only Jesus” again.

Why was this gift given to these three and not all twelve of the apostles? What did it mean for their lives? How are we to interpret the story? These questions and more can only be answered as conjecture. Perhaps our experiences of meeting Jesus are not as real in this physical realm. Perhaps we meet him in imaginal space or simply in our deepest moments of prayer. Perhaps we have yet to trust ourselves to some holiness in ourselves that might allow a deeper understanding of our connection to the divine.

Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews (11:1) tells us that ” faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…” Perhaps we might benefit on this day from sitting quietly and putting ourselves in the gospel story of the Transfiguration (LK 9:28-36) to see what cannot be seen with our physical eyes but which might be grasped through the eyes of faith.

Taste And See…

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eating, Elijah, generosity, Jesus, Kings, psalm 34, strength, Taste and See, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

From the prophet Elijah to Jesus, today’s readings speak of the importance of eating to keep up our strength for living – both physically and spiritually. We find Elijah journeying into the desert (1 KGS 19:4-8) where, in a moment of desperation, he lies down under a tree and asks God to let him die. Instead, an angel wakes him and orders him – twice – to eat, having provided the food that will keep him alive and strong on his trek through the desert (a forty-day trip) to Horeb, the mountain of God.

The psalmist is eloquent in calling us to “taste and see the goodness of the Lord” in one of the most lyrical and inviting of the entire Book of Psalms. “Glorify the Lord with me,” he sings. “Look to God that you may be radiant with joy!…Taste and see how good the Lord is; blessed is the one who takes refuge in God.” (PS 34:2-9)

John’s gospel has Jesus speaking boldly of himself as “the living bread that has come down from heaven. This bread,” he promises, “is my flesh for the life of the world.”  (JN 6:41-51)

There are so many ways we could reflect on these readings today.  We might consider our need for bodily sustenance and our responsibility for feeding not only ourselves but also those who do not have enough food. We could think metaphorically about spiritual food and our longing to strengthen our desire for God in Eucharist or other prayerful exercises. Or…

As I prepare breakfast for the retreat participants here at our center for the weekend, I will try to maintain a focus of generosity, adding love as the main ingredient of the food to be offered to them. What will be your practice concerning food today?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transfiguration

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communion, Elijah, James, Jesus, John, light, Mark, Moses, Peter, spiritual practice, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, the spiritual center, transfiguration

At the retreat center where I am privileged to live, we are in the midst of our “high season.” Every weekend we welcome people of diverse beliefs and religious traditions who come seeking to deepen the spiritual content of their lives. Thus, the simple but appropriate name of this place: The Spiritual Center. It is not only those who come as participants to the programs we offer who are changed in some way or newly committed to spiritual practice. The presenters and we ourselves know the value of what is transacted here, most often in the brief space of a weekend.

The lectionary readings for today remind me of this power of the Spirit as we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus into a being of light, an event witnessed by his closest apostles, Peter, James and John. It was not unusual for Jesus to seek the companionship of these three when he desired some restful prayer time away from the crowds. One wonders, however, whether he was aware of what was about to happen to him on that mountain (see MK 9:2-10). His spiritual power had likely been growing as his ministry broadened in response to the increasingly large and needy crowds seeking solace and healing from him. His need for communion with God must have been growing apace. Thus was the event observed (with fear and trembling) by his disciples as Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus in conversation and the voice of God was heard instructing them to listen to Jesus, the Beloved One.

Peter’s witness to this extraordinary event (2 PT 1:16-19) calls all hearers to pay attention, not only to what happened to them that day but also to what is possible for those willing to listen deeply to this “all together reliable” message.

You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

May it be so with us.

 

 

 

 

 

Weather Report

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accept, Ahab, Elijah, prophets, severe weather, spirit, thankful, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Yesterday our area of New York State was scheduled to have severe thunderstorms. We felt the heaviness in the air all day but meteorologists kept moving back the time of the storm’s arrival. In the end, from what we have heard, others not far from us did experience much more than the few claps of thunder and one dazzling lightning bolt that was the extent of the storm here in Windsor at about 9:00 in the evening.

Today’s first lectionary text is remarkably similar as we hear Elijah warning Ahab to prepare to evacuate because of impending heavy rain. I think I’ll leave that line of thought for tomorrow as the tract that follows is one that deserves a deep bow of spirit. It is notable, however, that the weather and other conditions of the natural world were of concern in the age of the prophets just as today.

This morning I look out to see sun-dried beauty on the large maple across the yard and hear the birds who are most likely happy that their habitat has not been damaged in the least. I have pictures in my mind of the far western states where fires burn out of control and evacuations of residents are now mandatory. While losing a home is preferable to losing one’s life, the distress of the former can be monumental, especially when fire has reduced everything to ashes.

As I think of how lucky I am to live in the northeast, it occurs to me that a few months ago death and destruction from brutal snowstorms plagued states up and down the east coast while the west was enjoying good weather. It is all so unpredictable these days and having come this far in today’s post, I have no place to go now. I prefer not to rant about global warming or dwell on the innocence of the wind and the sun in all of this. Perhaps the conclusion calls for introspection – as usual. My willingness to accept what is in every moment, to be prepared in times of danger, to help others when disaster comes, to rejoice in the sunny, beautiful days like today and to thank God for all the gifts of the natural world – all of this – is enough to take with me through this day.

 

 

 

 

 

Sacred Scripture

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action, divine inspiration, Elijah, facts, faith, James, Jesus, John, listening, love, Mark, Moses, Peter, spirit, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, transfiguration, trust, truth

Sometimes the strangest thoughts bubble up when I’m reading the Scriptures for the day. This year we’re reading Mark and today’s section is the familiar story of the Transfiguration (9:2-10). None of the gospels provides all the details for any story but Mark is especially brief – the first written and shortest gospel. In some cases it’s like reading shorthand. Over the years I’ve become brave enough to try filling in some of the blanks in the stories. I doubt it can hurt; it’s not dogmatic teaching but just  conjecture for my own deeper understanding. I think of it as a kind of similar activity to that of movie makers who try to give us pictures to accompany the most visual texts – not always successfully, I might add.

Just now as I was reading about the transformation of Jesus into a being of light in the presence of his associates, Peter, James and John, it was the appearance of Elijah and Moses conversing with Jesus that led to my musing. In seeing that vision, Peter blurts out to Jesus the famous lines, ” Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah!” My immediate – unbidden – reaction was: How did he know who they were? It’s doubtful there were photos in their homes…Then I laughed at myself and went back to imaging the event.

A couple of reflections remain from that experience.

1. Regardless of the vast resources of biblical scholarship available to us today, there are still things we may never be sure of but these are generally questions like mine today – details rather than central points of the stories.
2. The importance of what we read is the truth rather than the facts that we find there. Sometimes the two coincide but not always. We need to be aware of literary forms and the purposes of their use. (Consider the stories of Adam and Eve or Jonah, for example.)
3. Reading the Bible is an exercise of trust in divine inspiration, not only as it was present to those who first told of God’s actions but also those who heard, those who sat in community and “edited” by common consent and then those who left us the texts that have been passed down.
4. We ourselves have the responsibility of faith that God is still speaking and that we have a part to play in our own communities by delving deeper into the words we read, the images that arise in us during the sacred times of listening together and the inspiration of the Spirit among us that can lead us to deeper truth, deeper action and deeper love in community.

 

 

 

 

Getting Attention

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Elijah, God, incredible, Jesus, Kings, Matthew, ordinary, Peter, recognize, storm, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, walk on water

How does God get your attention? How do you pray for God to attend to you? When God shows up, do you recognize and accept how God comes? Today’s lectionary readings hold examples of two such situations for our consideration.

In the first, we have the story of Elijah the prophet on the mountain of Horeb who was instructed by God to leave the cave where he had found shelter in order to encounter “the Lord who will be passing by.” All sorts of wild signs arose: heavy wind, earthquake, fire…extraordinary conditions that might suggest such an extraordinary vision – but no, the Lord was in none of those signs. Thank goodness Elijah was astute enough to recognize the Lord “in a tiny whispering sound” or he would have missed God’s visitation. (1 KGS 19: 9-13) So God might show up anywhere, any time and we need to be ready for the unexpected.

In the gospel, there is also an unexpected event – a storm on the sea – when Jesus is off on a mountain by himself and the disciples are in a boat with waves crashing mightily against it, suggesting it might sink. This time, God sends Jesus walking toward them and they don’t recognize him because he is – like in the Book of Kings – coming in a way that seems impossible. He’s walking on the water. Peter, the impetuous one, challenges the vision that they think is a ghost by saying, “If it’s you, tell me to come to you across the water.” When Jesus says, “Come,” Peter jumps in and does fine until he remembers that he is doing something impossible so he starts to sink. Jesus saves him, of course. (MT 14: 22-33)

So whether God shows up in the ordinary, or in some totally incredible circumstance, we need to be ready and open to accept and respond to what comes to us, even if it calls us to trust what seems impossible, in order to have an experience that is beyond anything we have ever known.