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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.
Today Christians mark the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. Having searched for something erudite but understandable to say about this feast that speaks of an incomprehensible truth, I will say only what I have found to be helpful in the description (not to say definition) of the Trinitarian God, *the Three-in-One, *the Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier, *the First Cause who manifested this and every other universe, who became incarnate as a human being to teach us how to live and die, and who finally left but remains in Spirit to guide our walk through this world.
Today we will have a meeting of the Sophia Center Advisory Board. It will be our semi-annual look back on where we have been since autumn to see how we think we’ve served the purpose for which we exist. It comes at the precise moment of gearing up for our new season at home – the Spiritual Center where I live – where we offer mostly weekend events during the six months of summer into fall. It’s a fortuitous dance of “changing partners” as the year unfolds. The purpose is the same: to afford opportunities for people who come to us seeking to touch more deeply into the spirit that keeps them on the path of their highest good with companions that share the journey with them.
When I think of the courage necessary to the first Christians as they shared their beliefs in Jesus and found resistance that led to beatings and vilification, I’m honored to have an opportunity to do the same with radically different outcomes. I am certainly not comparing myself to St. Paul and his gift of preaching! The only similarity is that I will leave in a few hours for a destination in Pennsylvania, close to 225 miles away. Unlike in Paul’s day, the trip will take me about four hours and the travel conditions will simply necessitate paying attention while I drive.
On most days I have occasion to say something like: “My mother used to say…” or “My father had a saying for that.” There is no specific incident or situation that brings them to mind with just the right advice – or, in the case of my father, some humorous retort! They are, however, present and at the ready to urge me on. And there are others who have passed from this life whose spirit remains here on earth in vibrant ways that guide me in a moment of need.
The daily Scriptures continue to surprise me. Just when I think I have the important messages memorized, a verse shows up saying something I don’t remember ever hearing before. This morning it’s from Ezekiel. I’ve been confident for as long as I remember, knowing that God said “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you…” but this morning the verse before the gospel stuns me with: “Cast away from you all the crimes that you have committed, says the Lord, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.” (EZ 18:31) That sounds like the retort of Jesus when the disciples tell him the huge crowd that’s been following him needs food and he says, “Give them something to eat yourselves.”
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.
6:37AM: Very dark outside. Very cold in my bedroom. A day to hunker down under a mountain of blankets, one might say. But I’m awake and moving with thoughts of gratitude for the promise of two days of work that is not burdensome. Rather I look forward to the creativity of planning with my “Wisdom Team” for the events that help us and those who participate in these retreats to go deeper into life in the Spirit. The work is greater than anything we could conjure ourselves and it is always a joy and privilege to see where it takes us. Today is a new beginning and I find myself singing silently a familiar chant:
Sometimes when life feels very complicated I like to find some simplicity somewhere. This morning, since light had already arrived at this task before I did, I looked up and saw that my prayer plant had found a way to untangle herself from the tight configuration her leaves had been living in since I transplanted her a few weeks ago. She seemed happy to spread her arms in praise. That moment was enough to call me to do the same.
The waiting is over. Prepared or not we acknowledge that Christ comes today to each of us and all of us, calling our hearts to a love that is as divine as it is human, drawing us forth in the humility of one born like us while at the same time offering us riches beyond our comprehension, if only we agree to pour ourselves out in generosity of spirit. The paradox is that this gift to the Christ can be given in the smallest of ways: each day a smile or a kind word to someone starving for affection, ten minutes of silence to heal a noisy world or…name your own offering of light. Every gift is acceptable to the Christ. Now it is He who is waiting for us. Let us rejoice and give thanks!
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