In the Belly of Corona

Posted on May 26, 2020 by tmrichmond3

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This is the prayer for the day, Sunday, May 24. It is loosely based on Jonah’s prayer (Jonah 2:2-9)  when he was in the belly of the Big Fish. 

O God of the Deep,

We call out to you Lord, in the midst of our swirling, troubled world, that seems to be swallowed by this virus.

We call out to you and know that you hear our voice.

It is hard to believe that this world, which you called Good, has turned on us in so many ways, and yet it has. Between the changing weather patterns, that spell doom for much of humanity, and this virus, we are sometimes tempted to ask for a recall on the earth.

Yet, it is our own arrogance that brought us to this place. We believed that were masters of the world and could make your creation subject to our every whim. We believed that we were invincible, and that we could control your creation.

We believed in our economy, in our health care systems, in the hallowed utterances of science, and saw these things as our savior, forgetting you in the process. And now, those things we once believed in have failed us. Our economy is on the ropes, our health cares systems is overwhelmed, and the deep truths of science have become mired in politics.

The issues of the world today have closed in over us, and deep troubles surround us.

Yet it is you who rescue us from the deep, you who bring us up from the pits we have dug for ourselves.

In the midst of staying in place, and wondering if we will ever get back to what we once called normal, we remember you, and remember that our call is not to recreate the old world we knew so well, but to work with you on the New Creation, which  you bring about.

You hear our prayers, as soon as they leave our lips; you hear them before they become fully thought out in our minds.

But we give voice to these prayers, not so you can hear more clearly, but so that we can better direct our concerns to you.

On this memorial day we remember and give thanks for the people who have their lives to protect our country. And we pray for those who have a brother, a daughter, a sister, a son, a father or a mother, or a friend from the fire of battle.

We also remember on this day, those who have given their lives to protect us in hospitals, and care facilities, those on the front lines of the battle against the corona virus. And we pray for those who are in the midst of the battle even as we pray this morning.

So, God of light, and God of love, enfold us in our tender arms. Bring us to through faith, from this raging ocean of confusion, uncertainty, and chaos, and onto the solid Rock of faith, knowing that you have delivered us, and given us the vision for your Kingdom, here on earth, as it is in heaven.

And together we lift up our voices, to pray the prayer you taught us to pray:

 

Our Father who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

 

 

Posted in Corona Virus, COVID-19, Jonah, Pastoral Prayer, Prayer, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Koan of COVID

Posted on May 24, 2020 by tmrichmond3

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In Zen Buddhism there is a tradition where a Zen Master will pose a koan to his students to help them gain enlightenment. A koan is a question or a story designed to throw the student’s mind off balance, which will help him understand more about the world and about Buddhism, and in the end, bring him closer to Enlightenment. One of the most famous koans is, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” But there are many, many others. One Zen master asked his students if their eyebrows were still there. Another is a story about three monks watching a flag wave in the breeze. The first monk says, “The flag is moving.” The second said, “No, the wind is moving.” The third said, “No. Your mind is moving.”
They may sound nonsensical, but the student is expected to come up with an answer.
I am beginning to think that God is posing a koan to the Christians today. “What is the Church when it cannot be the church?” A large part of my experience is having people come together to worship. “I’m going to church,” we say, which means both that we are going to the building we call the church, but also that we are going to meet with the people who are part of The Church.
Much of our practice as Christians have to do with groups of people meeting together in our buildings. How can the Church be the Church when we can’t go to church? It’s like a Christian koan.
I have been trying to wrap my head around this for the last two months, ever since we entered into the world of social distancing. I have to admit that I have a very hard time thinking of the Church being socially distant. That is an oxymoron. A church is a series of relationships, people relating to one another with honesty, integrity and compassion, helping each other on our way deeper into the heart of God. How can we do that from a distance? I feel like a struggling Zen student, trying to understand a koan. Except this koan is not a theoretical exercise done in the quiet simplicity of a Buddhist monastery. It is our reality right now. It is every Sunday morning when I walk into an almost empty building to preach to a camera, and every Wednesday without our Food Bank. It’s all those times I am in the office, and the building is completely empty.
How can this be church?
And then I remember that Jesus didn’t go to church. Sure he showed up in a synagogue on occasion, and when he did he usually caused the kind of commotion that made him persona non grata. Once, after one of his sermons, they tried to kill him. (That sermon, by the way, was only one sentence.) His best sermon (the Sermon on the Mount) was given outside. He preached from boats on the shore of Galilee, and on the Temple steps.
I’m going to stop using the word “church” for a while. My traditional understanding of church seems so irrelevant for these days, and that word just confuses me. Instead I’m going to try to understand who we are as the Christian community or as the family of God.
And, like a good student of Buddhism wrestles with a koan, I am going to wrestle with this conundrum, this way of being the people of God in exile. I have to. There s no other choice.
I’ll close with a story from Buddhism.
Suiwo, the disciple of Hakuin, was a good teacher. During one summer seclusion period, a pupil came to him from a southern island of Japan.
Suiwo gave him the problem: “Hear the sound of one hand.”
The pupil remained three years but could not pass this test. One night he came in tears to Suiwo. “I must return south in shame and embarrassment,” he said, “for I cannot solve my problem.”
“Wait one week more and meditate constantly,” advised Suiwo. Still no enlightenment came to the pupil. “Try for another week,” said Suiwo. The pupil obeyed, but in vain.
“Still another week.” Yet this was of no avail. In despair the student begged to be

released, but Suiwo requested another meditation of five days. They were without result. Then he said: “Meditate for three days longer, then if you fail to attain enlightenment, you had better kill yourself.”
On the second day the pupil was enlightened.
Nothing like a deadline!
How has the time of COVID affected your idea of Church?

Posted in Buddhism, Buddhist Story, Church, Corona Virus, COVID-19, Koan, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Love in the Time of Corona

Posted on April 23, 2020 by tmrichmond3
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Not the couple in question, but it looked like this!

This morning I performed a wedding at our church.

Don’t worry, we observed all the rules for social distancing—well, with the exception of the bride and the groom! There were fewer people in the sanctuary for this wedding than there is on Sunday’s when we tape and live stream the worship service.

I had not met the bride and groom until this morning. That is pretty unusual for me. I would only agree to marry people I had not met with before only under special circumstances. But these were very special circumstances.

The bride is originally from Taiwan, but is now an American citizen, who resides in the Bay Area. Her fiancée flew over from Taiwan to marry his beloved. They plan to stay here after the wedding. They wanted to get married in San Francisco but coronavirus changed their plans. Soon after he got here, California shut down all clerk of court offices, which meant they could not get a marriage license. They had a limited amount of time to get married, or his visa would expire.

The closest place they could get a marriage license was Medford, Oregon. We were the closest church to the courthouse. So we got a call about two weeks ago, explaining the situation, and asking if I could perform the service.

These were truly special circumstances.

Normally I have several long conversations with couples before the wedding. We plan the services, I talk about their faith, and why they want a church wedding. We plan the service together. Not this time. I did find out that the groom was a Christian, and the bride was not, but she had no problem with a Christian wedding.

They came into the office this morning, having just gotten their license. She was dressed in a simple but elegant white wedding dress, and he had a formal suit. They were young, they were tired from driving up from the Bay Area, and they were in love.

Usually I ask the bride and groom to write their own wedding vows for the service. I did not have the opportunity to ask them, so during the service I explained about the vows, and told them they did not have to make up vows on the spot. But I did ask them to tell each other why they wanted to marry.

The groom spoke first. I did not understand what he said, because it was in Chinese, but through the word that came from behind his mask (yes, they both wore masks for the wedding!) I could feel his love for her. He cried as he strained the get the words out, and she was beaming as he spoke. Then she spoke, and they both cried with joy.

I was struck that their love overcame all the obstacles the coronavirus has set out for them. Here they were, in a strange city, in front of a stranger, wearing surgical masks, declaring their love in front of witnesses they had never met. But for them it was worth it. Their love broke all barriers. No doubt, if we had not been able to step in, they would have found another way. Love does that.

This came at a good time for me. I have been struggling with what it meant to be a pastor when there are barriers between you and the people. Two people have died, and we cannot do their funerals yet. Phone calls are good, but are no substitute for real interaction. Zoom is a poor substitute for real fellowship.

But this morning I was reminded how love always wins out in the end. And God’s great love for us will win out, and break through the barriers imposed by this virus.

In all this I was reminded of a song by Mark Heard (one of my favorite Christian song writers).

We gracefully age as we feel the weight

Of loving too late and leaving too soon

 

We can laugh and we can cry

And never see the strong hand of love hidden in the shadows

We can dance and we can sigh

And never see the strong hand of love hidden in the shadows

 

This morning, as I performed that wedding, I was able to see the strong hand of love come out of the shadows. The love these two young people had for each other is but a mere trace of God’s love for us. And God’s love will break through, overcoming every obstacle.

 

So I am able to rest a bit easier during our stay at home time. I am able to trust God more. I am better able to roll with whatever this virus hands us. Because I know that God and God’s love will overcome all.

 

 

Posted in COVID-19, Faith, Love, Marriage, Musings, Relationships, Uncategorized, Weddings | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Not-Quite-the-End-of-the-World Corona Virus Playlist

Posted on April 13, 2020 by tmrichmond3

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Every disaster deserves a song. Since I am not a song-writer, I decided to put together a playlist for COVID-19. Most of the songs were chosen for the titles, but many have something to say to our current situation. Most can be found on Spotify. These are all from my personal music library.

Spanish Pipedream : John Prine  from The John Prine Anthology: Great Days

We start with Prine for sentimental reasons—he died after exposure to the Corona Virus. There were several that almost made the playlist, but this one seemed to have the best advice. Blow up your TV!

Don’t Let Us Get Sick: Warren Zevon from Life’ll Kill Ya

This song has been covered by the likes of Jackson Browne and Julie Sobule but none come close to Zevon’s own. The simple guitar work backs a voice that has known more than its share of troubles. I happen to be sheltering in place with someone I really like, so the last verse sums up my own self-quarantine nicely.

I’m lucky to be here
With someone I like
Who maketh my spirit to shine

Don’t let us get sick\

Don’t let us get old

Don’t let us get stupid, all right?

Just make us be brave

And make us play nice

And let us be together tonight

 

Stay Home: sElf from Shrek Soundtrack

There are basically two types of people who are sheltering in place; those who really want to stay away from other people, and those who are climbing the walls. This is for the people who are glad to be distanced from any possible carriers of the new plague.

 

Think Twice Before You Go: Van Morrison & Linda Gail Lewis from You Win Again

Like most songs on this playlist, it’s really about something else. But the title sums up how a lot of people feel before they leave their house. Plus, it’s just a fun song.

 At Home: Tord Gustavsen Trio from Being There

I used to host a Jazz show on KUAC, the public radio station in Fairbanks, Alaska. One night I got a call asking me to play something from Tord Gustavsen, who I had not heard of. It was one of the best calls I ever got while hosting. If you have to be home, you might as well has some really nice music to accompany you.

How’s It Gonna End: Tom Waits from Real Gone

We’ve been hunkered down for a couple weeks now, and we all have the same question. This song has a kind of creepy carnival feel to it, which matches my mood about ten minutes of every hour I am stuck in place.

Everyone wants to know

How’s it going to end?

World Keeps Turning : Tom Waits  from Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards

If anyone gets two shots at providing a soundtrack to our self-quarantine, Waits is the most likely candidate. I almost didn’t include it, but these lyrics sealed the deal for me.

Well, the band has stopped playing but we keep dancing
The world keeps turning, the world keeps turning

The national band has packed it in, and is no longer playing, but that does not mean we have to stop dancing.

Before The Deluge: Jackson Browne from Late For The Sky

I have been entertaining myself during the time of Corona by reading Laurie Garrett’s The Coming Plague, about the various outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics since the 1940s. It’s true that Jackson Browne is writing about a deluge of water, but maybe it will be the viruses that do us in. But in the end, this is a song about hope.

 Let the music keep our spirits high
Let the buildings keep our children dry
Let creation reveal its secrets by and by, by and by
When the light that’s lost within us reaches the sky

I don’t know about you, but other than my wife, music is what is getting me through all this.

 Gonna Get By James Gang from Newborn

This is the James Gang after Joe Walsh. The title says it all.

Up On The Roof : James Taylor  from Flag

We all need our own version of the roof. I have to admit that the Drifters do a better version, but I heard Taylor’s version at a time in my life where I felt I needed to live on the roof, so his makes the cut for this list. Music is my “roof.”

 I Shall be Released (Take 2):  Bob Dylan & The Band from The Basement Tapes – Raw: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 11 [disc 1]

I know this is about a man in jail, but what is self-quarantine but a voluntary prison? Dylan’s wistful expresses the misery of imprisonment.

Back Home War from War

This makes the list because of the title and the music. This may be one of the saddest songs on this list.

 Hope You’re Feeling Better: Santana from Abraxas 

 I hope this song makes you feel better. Early Santana, when they were merging funk, Latin and hard rock. If the guitar solo doesn’t make you feel better, you need to see your doctor.

 Hopeless Bleak Despair They Might Be Giants  from Mink Car

This song has two possibilities to make you feel better. First, while things are bad, at least you don’t feel hopeless, bleak, despair. But second, in case you do, the message is that one day, it leaves!

 No Particular Place to Go: Chuck Berry from  The Definitive Collection: Chuck Berry

If the title of this song does not describe how a lot of us feel, nothing does. “Oh boy, I get to go to the store for more toilet paper!” Of course we can cruise with our sweeties and keep our social distance from others, but if you do, check your seat belt first!

 Pacing The Cage: Bruce Cockburn from The Charity of Night

Should you find yourself with no particular place to go, you may end up pacing the cage we call stay-in-place. Of course, Cockburn is pacing the cage of his soul.  The more comfortable we are with ourselves, the less we find ourselves pacing the cage.

Should I Stay or Should I Go : The Clash  from Combat Rock

Stay! (in place).

And rock out to this song.

The World’s Not Falling Apart : Dar Williams From  The Beauty Of The Rain

This is really a pep talk for people who think the world depends on them to survive. The world can be a pretty cruddy place at time, and its not always our fault.

The closest thing to God that I have heard,

is when I knew I did not have the final word.

You say the world has lost its love;

I say embrace what it’s made of.

We just cannot control what goes on in the world. Which leads us to the next song…

No Control : David Bowie  1. Outside – The Nathan Adler Diaries: A Hyper Cycle

Control is useful fiction, but sometimes an itty bitty virus reminds us how much control we really have—which is not much. Don’t tell God your plans.

No control I can’t believe I’ve no control
It’s all deranged
I can’t believe I’ve no control
It’s all deranged    

Where are you Going:  Dave Matthews Band from Dave Matthews Central Park Concert

Matthews sings, Where you go/Is where I wanna be. For a playlist in the time of Corona, it’s more like, where you stay is where I wanna be.

Alone Together: Paul Desmond from Take Ten

The first time I heard the famous Take Five, I thought, “What a great sax player!” I personally think Desmond is incredibly underrated. This is one of his best solo efforts. What are we today if not alone together. I hum this to myself when I get ready to do live stream worship services. We are alone, but we are also together.

Shelter From The Storm Bob Dylan from Hard Rain

It’s really weird that a song about needing shelter has something to say about how hard it is to shelter in place.

I chose the version from Hard Rain instead of the softer one from Blood on the Tracks.

The harder edge portrays our days more accurately. Dylan is practically begging for shelter here.

Well, I’m livin’ in a foreign country but I’m bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor’s edge, someday I’ll make it mine
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born
Come in, she said
I’ll give ya shelter from the storm

My own home feels like a foreign country, and in our case, shelter actually means being able to be free from sheltering in place.

That’s the Way That the World Goes Round: John Prine from John Prine Live

We started with Prine and we’ll end with Prine.

That’s the way that the world goes ’round.
You’re up one day and the next you’re down.
It’s half an inch of water and you think you’re gonna drown.
That’s the way that the world goes ’round.

 

May all your enchiladas be happy!

Posted in Corona Virus, COVID-19, Music, PLaylist, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Exodus or Bust

Posted on March 27, 2020 by tmrichmond3

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Morning Psalm 148

1   Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
2   Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his host!
3   Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
4   Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
5   Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he commanded and they were created.
6   He established them forever and ever;
he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
7   Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
8   fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling his command!
9   Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
10  Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!
11  Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12  Young men and women alike,
old and young together!
13  Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.
14  He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!

 

First Reading Exodus 2:1-22

1Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman.2The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. 3When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. 4His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.

5The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. 6When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him, “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,” she said. 7Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. 10When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, “because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

11One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and saw their forced labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsfolk. 12He looked this way and that, and seeing no one he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13When he went out the next day, he saw two Hebrews fighting; and he said to the one who was in the wrong, “Why do you strike your fellow Hebrew?” 14He answered, “Who made you a ruler and judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” 15When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses.

But Moses fled from Pharaoh. He settled in the land of Midian, and sat down by a well. 16The priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17But some shepherds came and drove them away. Moses got up and came to their defense and watered their flock. 18When they returned to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come back so soon today?” 19They said, “An Egyptian helped us against the shepherds; he even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 20He said to his daughters, “Where is he? Why did you leave the man? Invite him to break bread.” 21Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah in marriage. 22She bore a son, and he named him Gershom; for he said, “I have been an alien residing in a foreign land.”

Devotional

Many of the movies I see have a common theme. Toward the end of the movie, there is an apocalyptic battle. At one point during the battle, it looks like the forces of evil are going to win. Of course, the tide soon turns, and the forces of good will prevail, but a skillful director will make you question the final outcome before you get to the final scenes. For example in The Return of the Jedi, it looks like the evil Emperor is going to defeat the forces of the Rebellion. But then Darth Vader remembers he is Luke’s father, and instead of killing Luke, as the Emperor commands, he kills the Emperor. (I hope I did not spoil it for anyone!)
Taking Exodus as a story, yesterday we heard of the extreme oppression of the Hebrew people. But today we get a glimpse that God is up to something. In spite of the order to drown all the Hebrew male babies in the Nile, one manages to survive. Not only does he survive, he is found by Pharaoh’s daughter to takes him to the palace to be raised. Not only that, but the daughter of Pharaoh hires Moses’ birth mother to be his wet nurse. It looks like something very interesting is going to happen with this baby.
But then we get to verse 11. Moses, who was raised in Pharaoh’s palace learn of his lineage somehow. We are not told how. But we are told he went out, “to his people.” He sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. Something arose in him, and he became very angry, and he killed the Egyptian. OK, so maybe this is the start of the rebellion. But no, the next day Moses see two Hebrews arguing, and he tries to settle the argument and one of the Hebrews asks him, “What give you the right make a judgment on me, Mr. Fancypants? We saw what you did yesterday, how you killed that Egyptian, and buried him in the sand.”
Moses is now afraid, and he flees for his life.
So much for the rebellion.
Sometimes we think that when God acts, the Almighty clears a wide, level path for the forces of good to travel on, but that is not the case. Often God’s most beloved servants encounter great trials on the way to their greatness. David was to be a great king, but before he could take the throne, he had to the deal with the existing King, Saul, who was trying to kill him. Many of the prophets suffered persecution, and some became martyrs. More than once Jesus had to deal with people who wanted to arrest or kill him.
We know that Moses will eventually confront Pharaoh, and that Pharaoh would eventually free the Hebrew slaves, but it would be a struggle from start to finish. There will be many setbacks.
When we experience setbacks in our walk of faith, that does not always mean we are on the wrong path. It just may mean that many others are on the wrong path, and in trying to get them to turn around, we may make enemies in the process. (Well, more likely we will be greatly misunderstood!) But, when the Word of God points us in a direction, and wise and godly people affirm that direction, we cannot be in the wrong, no matter how many people are marching in the other direction.
What do you do when encounter setbacks? Just remember, even Moses’ murder of the Egyptian did not set God back. It became a part of the story.

Evening Psalm 130

1   Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.
2       Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
3   If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
4   But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.
5   I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6   my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
7   O Israel, hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
8   It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.

Posted in Devotional, Exodus, Growth, Lent, Lenten Devotional, Prayer, Psalms, Spiritual Growth, spirituality, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Exodus or Bust–A Daily Devotion

Posted on March 26, 2020 by tmrichmond3

Today we start with Exodus. This book lies at the heart of Judaism, and you need to know Exodus to really understand the ministry of Jesus. Other people are going to be this devotion over time.

Old Testament Lesson

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Exodus 1:6-22

6Then Joseph died, and all his brothers, and that whole generation. 7But the Israelites were fruitful and prolific; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

8Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. 10Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. 12But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. 13The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, 14and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.

15The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16“When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.” 17But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. 18So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?” 19The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” 20So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. 21And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live.”

Meditation

The book of Exodus takes up where Genesis left off. The children of Jacob have settled in Egypt. Year later, they have multiplied to the point where the Pharaoh was concerned about all these non-Egyptians who threaten the status quo. “Can’t have all these foreigners in our state. We need to deal with this!” says Pharaoh. And he comes up with a solution. Enslave them! But that did not work, so he comes up with an even more radical solution—kill all the males born to Hebrew women.
Pharaoh has a limited set of tools in his box—oppression and death. Get the people under your boot, and if they won’t go, kill them.
Of course this does not work. In the movie series, The Hunger Games, one of the president’s advisers tells him to come down hard on the people. Floggings and death will bring the people to heel, he says. It turns out that he is actually working with the resistance, and his advice is meant, not to control the people, but to incite them to revolution. His plan works, and the president is overthrown.
Pharaoh’s plan did not work so well either. His hard heart led to the death of thousands of his people.
In various places, the Bible tells us that a heavy-handed approach does not work. After the death of Solomon, his son Rehoboam questions his advisers about how best to rule. The older advisers suggest he lay up, and give the people a break. In order to build the temple, Solomon had to levy heavy taxes, and he conscripted many men to work on his pet project. The people were tired. But the younger advisers tell him, “These people have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.’ Now tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.’” Unfortunately Rehoboam took their advice. The result? The kingdom, which was a delicate confederacy of twelve tribes, split. Only two stayed with Rehoboam. The rest formed a new kingdom, with Jeroboam at the helm.
How do we handle problems that come our way? In a heavy handed manner, making sure others are subject to our whims, or with a lighter touch, working together with others, with the aim, not of consolidating power, but of assuring the well being of others?
Pharaoh thought he was a powerful man. But then he ran into a man who had much more power than he did—Moses. Moses was the man of God, used to liberate the Hebrew people from slavery, and to bring them to the promised land.
I hear some pastors talk, and it sounds like they are siding with Pharaoh. Their object is to win—win others to Christ, win glory for their ministry, win and be on top of the pile. That is not what God calls us to. Jesus came to serve, not be served, and when we forget that is when we start to go off the rails.

Evening Psalm

If you ever feel that God is distant, this is the Psalm for you. Our conditions may not be as dire as those of the psalmist, but we can still use these when we feel life has given us the fuzzy end of the lollipop. This is the kind of Psalm that may have been written for the Hebrew people who were in slavery in Egypt. In spite of their oppression, they trusted God. 

Psalm 102

1   Hear my prayer, O LORD;
let my cry come to you.
2   Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my distress.
Incline your ear to me;
answer me speedily in the day when I call.
3   For my days pass away like smoke,
and my bones burn like a furnace.
4   My heart is stricken and withered like grass;
I am too wasted to eat my bread.
5   Because of my loud groaning
my bones cling to my skin.
6   I am like an owl of the wilderness,
like a little owl of the waste places.
7   I lie awake;
I am like a lonely bird on the housetop.
8   All day long my enemies taunt me;
those who deride me use my name for a curse.
9   For I eat ashes like bread,
and mingle tears with my drink,
10  because of your indignation and anger;
for you have lifted me up and thrown me aside.
11  My days are like an evening shadow;
I wither away like grass.
12  But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever;
your name endures to all generations.
13  You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to favor it;
the appointed time has come.
14  For your servants hold its stones dear,
and have pity on its dust.
15  The nations will fear the name of the LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory.
16  For the LORD will build up Zion;
he will appear in his glory.
17  He will regard the prayer of the destitute,
and will not despise their prayer.
18  Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet unborn may praise the LORD:
19  that he looked down from his holy height,
from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
20  to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to set free those who were doomed to die;
21  so that the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion,
and his praise in Jerusalem,
22  when peoples gather together,
and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.
23  He has broken my strength in midcourse;
he has shortened my days.
24  “O my God,” I say, “do not take me away
at the mid-point of my life,
you whose years endure
throughout all generations.”
25  Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26  They will perish, but you endure;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You change them like clothing, and they pass away;
27       but you are the same, and your years have no end.
28  The children of your servants shall live secure;
their offspring shall be established in your presence.

 

 

Posted in Exodus, Lent, Lenten Devotional, Spiritual Growth, spirituality, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

To Be

Posted on March 25, 2020 by tmrichmond3

BeStillandKnow_1

Several years ago I visited a colleague of mine for some advice about my spiritual life. At our first meeting he said, “I am going to repeat a phrase. You meditate on the phrase. You will know when I am done, and then you can start talking.”

Then he said:

Be still and know that I am God.

And then he was silent for a minute to two. I have to admit that most of my meditation at that point was, “how will I know when he is finished? What if he is finished, and I don’t know, and I sit there not talking when he is waiting for me to start?

Then he said:

Be still and know that I am

Again he gave me a moment or two of silence to reflect on that, but this time I was thinking, “Aha! Now I know how I will know he is done. He is winding down the phrase, and when he gets to the last word, then he is done. So I won’t look a fool, waiting for him when he is waiting for me!

Then he said:

Be still and know

 

This time I was able to reflect a little on the words. Be still and know….know what? What do I know? How do I know it? What do I really KNOW? What is the knowledge that is deep seated within me? What do I know about God?

Then he said:

Be still

Being still is hard for me. I like to be doing something. All the time. I am usually reading about three books, catching up on news, writing, thinking, planning. I am not good at being still. I have always thought that life is like being on water skis. If you stop, you sink.

Then he said:

Be

One simple word. One impossible task. Just be. I always thought I was defined by what I do, not by what I am. To just be? What if what I do is not the main thing? What if it is more about who and what I am than about what I do?

These last few weeks have taught me a lot about being. Who am I if I am not doing something? My identity is so tied up in being a minister. What happens if I am not able to do 90 percent of what I do as a minister?

What happens when our calendars are cleared, and we are advised to stay home? There is no shortage of people telling us what we ought to be.  What happens when all the voices are quieted, when all the meetings are cancelled? What happens when we cannot visit friends, shop, volunteer at the food bank, sing in the choir, attend committee meetings, or socialize with other church members? What kind of Christian are we when those things are taken from us?

That day, when my colleague said the word, “Be,” I had to wrestle with these and other similar lessons. It reminded me of a retreat I was on several years ago. We were told at the front end to NOT talk about work during the weekend. It was really hard meeting a new person and not asking them where they worked. We all had to find other things to talk about, and I was surprised how hard that was.

The day I heard the word “Be” helped me see one thing very clear. Of all the things I just am, this is foremost. I am a child of God. You don’t have to do anything to be a child. You just are one. Being the child of my parents was something I was, not something I did. As a child of my parents, that entailed certain things on my part—mowing the lawn, raking leaves, and other various chores—but even when I didn’t do them, I was still their child.

You are a child of God. Through all that might happen the next few weeks, never forget that. That is more constant than taxes, stew or even death—and as Easter approaches, especially death!

 

Grace and Peace

 

Murray

Posted in Church, Current Events, Devotional, Growth, Hope, Lenten Devotional, Musings, Prayer, Psalms, Spiritual Growth, spirituality | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Titian and Touching

Posted on March 20, 2020 by tmrichmond3

Noli-me-tangere-titien

Noli Me Tangere By Titian

This was painted around 1514 and hangs in the National Gallery in London.

You can find the painting on the internet at: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/titian-noli-me-tangere

The scene is taken from the Gospel of John, where Mary sees Jesus in the garden. Noli me tangere means “Do not touch me,” in Latin.Here is the full passage.

John 20:11-17

 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look[a] into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

 

This passage has puzzled scholars over the ages. Why does Jesus tell Mary she cannot touch him? Some say because she could not handle the glory of his resurrected body. Others say that she needs to reorient her way of relating to Jesus. She can no longer relate to him as a man. Now he is a resurrected being, and she needs to relate to him spiritually, echoing the words Jesus spoke to the woman at the well: “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

 

Let’s talk a look at the painting, and we can see how Titian handles story.

 

First, we look at Jesus. Mary thought he was the gardener, and Titian has Jesus holding a hoe in one hand, to make her mistake more understandable. In Mary’s left hand is a bowl of ointment, which Mary came to use on Jesus’ corpse.

 

Between Jesus and Mary is his white death shroud. It acts as a barrier, emphasizing the distance between them. It is a death shroud, and death is the great separator.

 

Noli-me-tangere-titien1

The painting has two great arcs. You can see it in the black line on the painting on the side. The first  starts at Jesus’s right foot, where you can clearly see the nail marks. If follows the trajectory of his body, which is bent toward the white castle on the hill. Titain is showing the trajectory of Jesus. The line starts at his body, then moves out to the town. It covers the hill top, where people live. Mary may want to cling to Jesus, but the arc of Jesus’ life takes him to all people. If Mary clings to Jesus, she keeps him from doing what he was sent to do—be the salvation for all people.

 

 

 

 

Noli-me-tangere-titien2

The second arc is actually more of a bend. It follows the end of Mary’s cloak, runs through to her arm, and then takes a sharp turn upward at her hand, and follows the line of the tree, up to heaven. The sharp change in the trajectory occurs where Mary is withdrawing her hand from grasping on to Jesus.

 

The interesting thing here is that the angle takes her up to skyward, following the tree (Tree of Life, perhaps?) up to heaven. If her hand was reaching for Jesus, instead of bent upward, her trajectory would be more earth bound. In the John passage here, Jesus talks about having to ascend to his Father. In her obedience to Jesus, by not touching him, by not clinging to his earthly body, she has set her trajectory toward heaven.

Noli-me-tangere-titien2 hand

It may seem strange that Mary must let go of Jesus to gain the salvation that comes through him. Are we not supposed to cling to Jesus? Yes, if by that we mean to be near him, to follow him, and to give our lives to him.

 

But there is another way people cling to Jesus. Their clinging is meant to hold Jesus in place, to limit him. We are supposed to follow Jesus. Sometimes we cling to him to keep him place, which means, if he can’t move,  we don’t have to move either. Jesus had left Mary once, when he died, and now that she had him again, she didn’t want to lose him. So she hung on to what she thought was Jesus’ physical body. But Jesus had other, greater ideas. When he was on the earth, he was always on the move, and in his post-resurrection state, he still will not stay still.

 

In other words, it is important we let Jesus be Jesus.

 

 

 

 

Posted in Art, Lent, Lenten Devotional, Salvation, Spirituality and Art, Titian, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Did Ye Get Healed

Posted on January 8, 2020 by tmrichmond3

Van-Morrison-Quote-Sometimes-when-the-spirit-moves-me-I-can-do

 

In 1987, the singer Van Morrison, best known for his song “Brown-Eyed Girl,” released an album called  Poetic Champions Compose which included a powerful song called, “Did Ye Get Healed.” You may be surprised to see that the title of this sermon does not come from the King James Bible, but from Van Morrison. According to critics, this song signaled the commitment of his music to a more spiritual direction.He sang:

I begin to realize

Magic in my life

See it manifest in oh, so many ways

Every day is gettin’ better and better

I want to be daily walking close

And what he found in his life, he wants to share with others.

I want to know did you get the feelin’

Did you get it down in your soul

I want to know did you get the feelin’

Oh did ye get healed

It is fitting that he signaled this with a song about healing. He sensed that the people who came to his concerts were in need of healing, and he wanted his music to be a place of spiritual healing for them.

The church is supposed to be many things, but above all it should be a place of spiritual healing. This should be a place where the world weary people can come, and find healing. We should be a place where we find healing for the on-going wounds of life.

 

Unclean Spirit

The first person Jesus encounters is someone with an unclean spirit. We don’t talk much about unclean spirits these days. Back in Jesus’ day they didn’t know much about mental health. They just knew that some people had problems. Today we would not say someone had an unclean spirit. We might say they  have a mental illness, or a personality disorder, or an addiction.  We understand a lot more about how the mind works today, and we don’t try to drive demons out of people who suffer from personality disorders or mental illnesses.

But we don’t need to throw out this passage just because we don’t treat these symptoms the same way Jesus did. As I was writing this, a group of people were hanging out on the stoop just outside my door. It was clear that most of the people there had some sort of mental health issues. Now I am not a doctor, or a therapist, so I could not do anything to take away their various issues. I cannot cure them. But does that mean I have no hand in their healing process? No.

We have to remember that healing does not always imply cure. A cure is when you no longer have the malady that is afflicting you. Yesterday I had a cold. Today I do not. I am cures of my cold. An article in the magazine Psychology Today says, “Curing means “eliminating all evidence of disease,” while healing means “becoming whole.” You can cure without healing, and you can heal without curing.”

Mark describes the man as having an “unclean spirit.” I said that we don’t use that terminology these days, but too often the same sentiment is there. We see people who are mentally ill, and we turn away. We are afraid of some of the mentally ill people. When, for example, we talk about gun violence as being a mental health issue, that just gives you more reason to be afraid of the mentally ill. Like it or not there is a stigma attached to mental illness. That is unfortunate because it means that some people who have treatable mental illnesses, like depression, or bipolar disorder, are afraid to seek help because they are ashamed of the stigma attached.

So how can the church have a healing presence with people? If we cannot cure them, as Jesus did, what can we do? We can be a place of healing, a place where we do not stigmatize, do not brand people as clean or unclean. We can treat them like we treat any other person. We don’t have to avoid them. And the fact is, the majority of mental illnesses are things that are more easily hidden, like depression, or unresolved guilt, or grief. I wonder how many people in our congregation suffer from depression. From my experience as a pastor, and as someone who once worked in a behavioral health ward, I can tell you it is probably a lot more than you think. We can be a healing place by accepting people, and providing support for them. We can do away with the shame that comes from mental illnesses, and understand that people who have mental illnesses do not have moral faults, and they don’t deserve their illness any more than a cancer patient deserves to have cancer.

 

Healing the Masses

The next incident involves Jesus, Peter’s mother-in-law, and then all sorts of people who were sick.

Jesus goes to Peter’s house, and there he finds Peter’s mother-in-law sick in bed with a fever. So Jesus heals her. Next we see what happens when your reputation as a healer starts to get out. All sorts of people start showing up, with all sorts of complaints. And there is not telling who will show up.It can, in fact, get overwhelming. After Jesus healed all those people, word got out. And that is when he is able to travel throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message of God’s love. They knew he was serious because he was practicing what he preached.

The kingdom of God is among us, and we know it because of the people who are healed. That is true among churches today. People know when they have encountered something real. And they will show up for that!

 

Lepers

Next Jesus encounters a leper. If there was anyone who was an outcast in his day, it would be lepers. When lepers encountered people they had to shout out, “I am a leper! Stay away!” Now the reason for this is not what you think. People were not necessarily afraid of catching the disease. Under the law, anyone with a skin disease was unclean. And if you touched them, you were unclean. That is why the man in the story says he wants to be clean, and not healed. According to the world, he was born with a disease that permanently made him an outcast. He did not choose to have leprosy. It chose him, and in so doing, it made him a pariah.

So the leper says, “If you chose, Jesus, you can make me clean.” There is a lot packed into that request. If you chose, you can make it so that I don’t have to shout at people to stay away from me when they see me. If you chose, you can make it so that people can touch me, can put their hands on my shoulder for encouragement, can give me a hug. If you chose, you can make it so that I am no longer an outcast, a pariah. You can make me human again.

I love the next sentence. “Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him.” And then he said to the man, “I do choose,” and he made the man clean. The leprosy left him. The stigma was gone. No one else would give this man the time of day, but Jesus reached out and touched him.

While we have made great advances in understanding the disease called leprosy, unfortunately we still have people who are considered outcasts by society, or worse yet, by the church. Some churches demand you have a certain level of faith before you can join. Or that expect you to believe some pretty specific things before they accept you. More liberal churches see their conservative counterparts as outcasts, while conservative churches often see their more liberal counterparts as unacceptable. This morning we are going to have communion, and sometimes before Communion, I say, “This table is open to anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, which means that they realize it is Jesus who saves us, we don’t have to save ourselves, and since we are saved by Jesus, we might as try to do what he asks us to do.” For me those are the basic requirements, and we realize that people are in very different places on the spectrum of what that means. Some people here have been on that journey for a long time, and know pretty much what it means to believe in Jesus as a savior and to follow him. Others are beginners in that process, and are open to learning, while others thought they knew what that meant, but are going through some spiritual changes, and are challenging their old beliefs.

I have already spoken about the mentally ill, but some churches exclude people who are just different, eccentric.

I wonder who is excluded here? We do have a pretty big table here. I was talking with another pastor, and she said that churches often exclude people based on their economic status, but then quickly looked at me and said, “Not your church, of course.” I have to admit that made me proud. But I wonder who would not find a welcome here?

 

Healing Presence

That is an important question, because the church is supposed to be a healing presence in the world, just as Jesus was. This should be a place where people can come to find healing. There are various models for the church, and too often the model is the Church as a Business. I tend to think of the Church has a hospital. Of course I have heard one person say that the church is the only hospital that shoots its wounded. I pray to God that we never do that.

Probably most of you don’t think of yourselves as someone who is wounded, or who needs healing. But the fact is, we all suffer at least a little of what Hamlet called the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.” We all get bruised along the way. We all need a healing touch, a touch of grace, a touch of love.

Many, if not most of us need some kind of healing. Our nation needs healing, for we have some deep wounds within our national soul. Perhaps you heard this last week of the increase in anti-semitic incidents throughout the country. What brings people to that kind of hate? I read of a woman who ran over a 14 year old girl, because she was Mexican. What kind of disease brings that kind of hate? And how can it be healed?

 

Now here is the good news. It is Jesus who heals. We are not required to heal every hurt person who walks through our doors. But we are to provide a place for them to find healing. And while we are not the ones who heal, often we are agents of healing. When someone feels rejected, an outcast, and we accept them, that can be the beginning of what Jesus is doing in their lives to heal them.

When a church practices hate, they have no healing presence. When a church practices active discrimination, they are not a healing presence. When a church is more concerned about who it excludes, instead of who it includes, it is not a a healing presence.

But when a church stands against hate, against discrimination, against exclusion, and when it stands for love, for acceptance, and for inclusion, it becomes a healing place for others. It becomes a place where people can experience the healing presence of Jesus. Like the people at a Van Morrison concert, who sang, did ye get healed, we could ask that question of the people who come through our doors. Did ye get healed?

Posted in Church, Church Growth, Communion, Compassion, Growth, Healing, Jesus, ministry, Mission, Musings, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching, Relationships, Sermons, Social Justice, Social Ministry, spirituality | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Hope for the Holidays

Posted on January 7, 2020 by tmrichmond3
1200px-Georges_de_La_Tour_-_Newlyborn_infant_-_Musée_des_Beaux-Arts_de_Rennes

George Latour, The Newborn Christ, c. 1645–1648

 

I wonder what Mary and Joseph saw when they look into the eyes of their newborn child. What did they see in the eyes of Jesus? On the one hand, they knew this was a special child, a child like no other, who had a destiny formed by God. Did they see the future shining in their baby’s eyes?

On the other hand, Jesus was just a baby. He wiggled and squirmed, and cried and cooed like a baby.

I remember looking into the eyes of my children when they were born. My daughter was first, and I saw many things in her eyes, but the major thing I saw in her eyes was hope. I thought, even just after her birth, what her future would be. Would she do well in school? Would she have boyfriends, some of whom might break her heart. Would she go on college, and would she marry and have children of her own. Would she be the first female major league baseball player? Ok, that one was a longshot, but hey, a father can hope!

I saw all that and more in her eyes.

I saw hope.

Tonight, we look into the eyes of the Newborn Jesus ourselves, for this child was not just born to Joseph and Mary; he was born to all people. We can all gather around the manger and look into the eyes of baby Jesus. We can see the hope in those eyes of his.

This is a time for hope. I could list all things that are wrong with the world, with our country, with our community, but I won’t. I want to talk about hope tonight. Because I think that exactly what the world needs tonight.

 

South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu said that hope is being able to see that there is light, despite the overwhelming darkness. Hope is what gets us through the hard times. Hope is the light we carry inside of us. It is a passion for what is possible. It is an expectation that things can change, and that the world can get better. A parent hopes that their children can have a better life than they had. Someone in pain hopes for a day when the pain will pass. The prisoner hopes to be free, the lame hope to walk, the poor hope for wealth. The oppressed hope for a world where justice reigns. Hope is the opposite of despair. When we despair, we feel powerless, but when we hope, we feel the power of faith within us.

 

Jürgen Moltmann wrote, in his book Theology of Hope, “without hope, faith falls to pieces. It is through faith that a person finds the path of true life, but it only hope that keep them on that path.”

 

The Bible tells us that Faith is the evidence of things hoped for, so I ask you, “What are your hopes for the coming year?”

 

May they be high hopes. But if we are to hope, we must hope actively. When we hope in something, we invest in it. I had hopes that my child would have a good education. I didn’t just sit around and just hope passively. I bought her books, and read to her every night. I encouraged her to ask questions, and tried to answer them when she did. I was an active parent in her school. I actively followed through on my hopes with action. I was actively hoping.

 

 

Are you hoping the world can be a more beautiful place? Then actively hope for that, by singing, or painting, or writing or whatever you can do to create beauty. And if you are not the type who can create beauty, do what you can to support the people who are able to bring beauty into the world.

 

Are you hoping for the world to be a more joyful place? Then spread joy. Smile at the person at the DMV that just told you it will be a two hour wait, because I bet yours will be the first smile, and perhaps the only smile they see that day. Do the things that bring you joy, and invite others to do them with you.

 

Are you hoping for a more peaceful world? Then actively hope for that by doing your part to bring peace to this troubled world. Find someone who holds a totally different opinion on religion, or politics, or social issues, or music, or on whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie, and get to know them—not to convert them, but to understand them. Leave the comfort of your familiar surroundings and reach out to create a bridge of peace with someone.

 

Are you hoping for a more loving world? Then actively hope for that by loving your neighbor, and by loving God. Volunteer at a school, and get to know some kids. Find someone who has no family, and invite them into your family. Volunteer at a Food Bank, an emergency shelter, a soup kitchen. Be a foster parent, or a big Brother or Big Sister. Give to hospital that treats children, or to a non-profit that feeds children overseas.

 

Do you hope for a world with healthier, more joyful relationships? In the world where too many people spend too much time with their eyes on their phone, where 1000 of our closest friends are found on facebook, where we have lost a sense of community, actively hope for a less isolated society by joining a group of people doing something you like to do. Gather together with friends more often, and increase the circle of your friendships by inviting more people into your life.

 

Instead of just worrying about things, we need to actively hope. Are you worried about our environment? Then actively hope for a better world, but cutting back on the plastics you use, reduce your carbon footprint. Drive less and walk more.

 

Are you worried about our political system? Then get involved. Get to know your local elected officials, attend city council or county commission meetings. Write letters. This is an election season. Volunteer your time for a candidate, or maybe run yourself. But do these things with love and with joy, and embrace your opponents.

 

I have to warn you though. The more you hope, the less you will be satisfied with the world as it is. When you have a passion for the possible, you lose the ease of accepting things as they are.  But when you lose that, you gain an active hope in the future well being of the world. As the angels sang, Peace on Earth, Good will to all. You can only believe in their song, if you maintain an active hope.

 

As long as hope is alive, humanity will do well. And hope, real hope, is found in the eyes of a baby boy, born in a manger in Bethlehem, to two parents who had no roof over their heads for the night. In the deep dark night of despair, hope came into the world. It is found in the words of the boy who became a man, and who spoke the Word of God for all. It is found in the love he had for all people, in the joy he experienced by serving, in the pain of his death, but in the glory of his resurrection.

 

Come Kneel before the radiant boy,

Who brings you beauty, peace and joy.

 

It’s not too much to hope.

 

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