Category: FAITH

A moment scattered

“Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:31-33 (NIV)

A paradox, being alone and not alone simultaneously. I have only once before personally encountered such a time. In 2006 during hurricane Katrina, southern Louisiana scattered, across the country. Though families moved apart and friends became geographically distant, there was a unity to the New Orleans area that was a strong thread. It was this thread that tied the people together and helped them heal.

Once again, I find myself scattered, separated from family and friends. This time that scattering is global, and it seems no one will escape unaffected by this scattering. We are directed to stay in our homes and keep our distance from each other, which has left many of us alone, a bit lost, and somewhat afraid. The followers of Christ must have felt then similar to how we are feeling now. Separated from the routines they had become accustomed to, a bit lost without Jesus, and afraid, not knowing for sure what is coming next.
I am so deeply moved by Jesus’ prayer in John 17. In a longing plea with God, he speaks on behalf of those he loves. He knows that they will feel alone and lost, and he pours out his concern for them. He does not request that they are removed from the circumstances that will cause them pain. He pleads for protection that the pain will not overtake them. He asks that they are set apart from the suffering. The way to set them apart is once again paradox. He pleads for unity, that those he loves and all who share in that love be made one with Himself and God.

“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them, I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.“ John 17:13-24  (NIV)

In this present moment, when we are scattered to our homes, separated from our routines, a bit lost, a bit afraid we are also united in our desire to not let COVID-19 overcome us. There are many stories of people reaching out in safe yet powerful ways to keep others from feeling lost and alone. We share each other’s burdens and lift each other’s hearts. We are separated but we are not alone.
We are united by Jesus’ prayer on our behalf, our unity is sealed by his death, and the glory of this Divine Unity will shine across the globe as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Redeemer.

We are no longer scattered.
Peace.

A moment of spark

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Make ready for the Christ, Whose smile, like lightning,
Sets free the song of everlasting glory
That now sleeps, in your paper flesh, like dynamite.
—Thomas Merton

I love this image by Thomas Merton. It sparks the idea that inside something small and fragile there is power and strength ready to be larger than life. Infants have the power to induce a love so mighty it can take your breath away. Throughout our whole lives, we hold enough power to fill others with love so deep it can heal inner wounds and broken hearts. We have the ability in our later years to leave a long legacy of love and acceptance through the generations that follow us.

These beautiful moments are often hidden from us. Because they can be small, simple, and part of everyday life we sometimes fail to recognize them. Sometimes this great love is hidden in us. It can be concealed under our wounds and brokenness. Moments of acceptance, love, encouragement, and belonging can come to us and be offered by us in little ways. As we begin to recognize these moments they increase, momentum builds, and great love bursts forth in our hearts and in our lives. Christ is love and Christ in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)

 I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:18-19

Lord lead our hearts. Guide our thoughts. Bless our spirits. Give us the strength we need each day and help us delight in all things. May we allow the spark of love in us to burst forth. May we, in your love, embrace each moment to the fullest until it is time to leave this world behind and answer the call to join you in your everlasting glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:12)

A moment of choice

I feel it is essential to study and spend time with the events that transpired leading up to the Resurrection of Jesus. It is a beautiful time for me, with all the pain and suffering, to see the events unfolding into joy. This year, as I was contemplating the moments before the crucifixion of Christ, the individuals who each played a role in these pivotal moments struck me. In Luke’s account of the story, these are the players I see:  

  • The chief priests and scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death.
  • Judas, who after Satan entered him, went to the chief priests and officers and agreed to betray Jesus for money.  He later joins Jesus and the disciples at the Passover meal.
  • Peter and John were sent by Jesus to find and prepare a place for them to meet and eat the Passover meal together.
  • A man carrying a jar of water leads Peter and John to a home.
  • The owner of the house offers his guestroom for the gathering.
  • The apostles spend time at Jesus’ final meal disputing which one of them is the greatest.
  • Simon Peter, in fear, denies knowing Jesus three times and yet Jesus tells him he will pray for him and that Peter will turn back and strengthen others.
  • A disciple, in fear and haste, strikes the slave of a high priest and cuts off his ear.
  • Three people point Peter out and say he is one of the followers of Jesus.
  • The men who held Jesus ridicule and beat him.
  • Pilate, finding no fault in Jesus, sentences him to appease the crowd. 
  • Herod, who questioned Jesus, found no guilt, then with his soldiers mocked and treated Jesus with contempt, put an elegant robe on him, and sent him back to Pilate.
  • Barabbas escaped his own death only because of the uproarious attention on Jesus.
  • Simon of Cyrene, who by happenstance was traveling in the area, was called to carry the cross behind Jesus.
  • The women were mourning and lamenting for Jesus.
  • One criminal hanging next to Jesus derided him and told him to save all of them.
  • The criminal on the other side said they deserved to die, while Jesus did not and faithfully asks Jesus to remember him in the Kingdom of Heaven.
  • The people cast lots for his clothing.
  • People stood by watching.
  • Leaders sneered at him and said, “If he is the Messiah let him save himself.”
  • The soldiers mocked him and offered him sour wine.
  • The centurion, after witnessing the events of the day, said, “Surely, this man was innocent.”
  • Joseph, a member of the council who did not support the plan, asked for Jesus’ body to see Him properly buried before the Sabbath.
  • Women prepared the spices and ointments for his body.

In Luke 22:22,Jesus says, “The Son of Man is going as it has been determined.”  

And I wonder, have all of these people been predestined for their roles all along?  Was there any other option for Judas other than to be “Judas the Betrayer?”  Did the man who offered the room to the disciples have the opportunity to say no?  Are our lives predestined and we just are who we are?

I have to believe we make choices every day.  The choices we make are based on our predisposition, our personality, and our experiences.  How do we make sure we are like the man who leads the disciples to the house and like the owner who welcomes them and offers a room?  Can we decide to be like Peter who after repeating bad behavior recovers and leads others to Christ?  Can we be like Simon who assists Jesus with his heavy burden?  Can we decide not to be like the many people in the story who were deliberately or maybe even accidentally malicious?

I believe we can.  We have the gift of the Scriptures.  When we open our hearts and minds to the truths revealed in God’s word not only do we begin to understand the truths offered to us there, but also, the love of God becomes part of our personal experiences.  I don’t think the people in this story got to the place they were by accident.  They arrived there by choice.  They chose to believe in and follow the truth, the truth of flawed humanity, and a perfect plan for redemption.  They chose Love.

A moment of retreat

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Have you ever had the opportunity to meet someone who, even though they are going through a difficult struggle in life, seems not only be joyful but also shares their joy with others?  These people who carry the weight of the world with grace and courage inspire us and make us feel as if the world is a kind and loving place.  On the other side of the spectrum, there are those who take their struggles and seem to leak them out on others.  The weight they carry is massive, and so they are continually unloading it and often at inappropriate times.  We recognize them by their anger, bitterness, and pessimism.

In the previous post, I shared with you the poem How Can I?  I share these dark moments not to be morose, but to recognize the authenticity and importance of those moments. I Feel we are at our best when we can acknowledge and accept them as a gift.  Life will throw us curve balls, and sometimes really hard and fast!  However, at that moment when we are afraid, empty and have no answers, we have a great deal of space in our heart, mind, and spirit.  We can choose to be active while waiting, filling our time with distractions like television, internet, and projects.  Or we can choose to actively wait.

This month a fantastic team is working together to put the finishing touches on The Joy Retreat.  There is a great deal of actively waiting involved in the preparation.  Actively waiting means simply being, being in the place and doing the things that can bring us answers and fill our empty spaces in a healthy and fulfilling way.  We need to be actively pushing away the habits of instant gratification and embracing the moment between not knowing and knowing.  What we do in those moments our team is calling Habits of Joy.  

How can we have joy and feel joyful when life is hard and grievous difficulties are close at hand?  How can we feel joy when we cannot see the rainbow at the end of the journey?   The joy in waiting comes when we are actively practicing habits of joy.

I believe we all have habits of joy and we exercise them.  Although, if you are like me, it is not as often as we should and generally it is at the moment when we have just had enough.  But the more we exercise Habits of Joy, the more ingrained the habits become and our ever-present inner joy , will surface, even in moments of deep sorrow.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.                        Hebrews 3:13-14  (NIV)

I invite you to take a moment and participate in the Joy Retreat by sharing here…

What do you do when you are actively waiting?  What are the habits that spark or restore your joy?

Peace to you all,

Alana