"Sin and grace, absence and presence, tragedy and comedy, they divide the world between them and where they meet head on, the Gospel happens."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 109)
When I first read this quote, I thought that's a lot of dualism And I personally dislike dualism, either or choices and categories that fall in so neatly. Perhaps I'm too much of a slave to ambiguity. There is a lot of gray area in my gray matter.
As a preacher, I need to not get stuck on just pointing out sin while ignoring grace. And vis versa. I should proclaim the presence of God, while acknowledging those times when it seems more like an absence. To point to what is tragic in the world and what is comedic. That life isn't just a bad joke, or necessarily a barrel of laughs either.
For me all those things do not capture the whole truth about life and about our relationship to God and others. The Gospel for me usually is most clear in the ambiguities and in the gray areas between the false dualism we create.
Blessings,
Ed
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Reflections for 4/29/11
"Prepared for the worst but rarely for the best, prepared for the possible but rarely for the impossible....Maybe the truth of it is that it's too good not to be true."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 108)
The motto of the Boy Scouts if memory serves me correctly is "be prepared." The understanding being that as a scout I should have the skills to deal with any challenge that comes my way. Physically and mentally there was certainly much that my Boy Scout experience had prepared me for. I'm not so sure about emotionally.
I think a lot of what I was prepared for was mini-disasters, prepared for the worst. Funny how as adults we continue to be prepared for the worst, give me the bad news first seems to be our mantra. And it becomes so ingrained that we really are not prepared when something goes right. We stand like a deer in the headlights, not knowing how to act or what to do.
We also are ready for what's possible. It is what keeps us plodding forward. However it is the seemingly impossible that fires up the imagination, and gets us thinking outside of the box.
I also know the phrase "something is too good to be true." That's usually what I say, when something positive is said about me or when something amazing is promised with no strings attached. And the cynic in me refuses to embrace it. And yet might I be missing out on something so good, how can it not be true.
Blessings,
Ed
The motto of the Boy Scouts if memory serves me correctly is "be prepared." The understanding being that as a scout I should have the skills to deal with any challenge that comes my way. Physically and mentally there was certainly much that my Boy Scout experience had prepared me for. I'm not so sure about emotionally.
I think a lot of what I was prepared for was mini-disasters, prepared for the worst. Funny how as adults we continue to be prepared for the worst, give me the bad news first seems to be our mantra. And it becomes so ingrained that we really are not prepared when something goes right. We stand like a deer in the headlights, not knowing how to act or what to do.
We also are ready for what's possible. It is what keeps us plodding forward. However it is the seemingly impossible that fires up the imagination, and gets us thinking outside of the box.
I also know the phrase "something is too good to be true." That's usually what I say, when something positive is said about me or when something amazing is promised with no strings attached. And the cynic in me refuses to embrace it. And yet might I be missing out on something so good, how can it not be true.
Blessings,
Ed
Reflections for 4/28/11
"And then he added that though for man it is impossible, for God all things are possible, and he is a master of the impossible because in terms of what man thinks possible he is in the end a wild and impossible god. It seems to me that more often than not the parables can be read as high and holy jokes about God and about man and about the Gospel itself as the highest and holiest joke of them all."(F. Buechener "Listening to Your Life" p.107-108)
I love stand up comics. What I find especially funny about them, is that most of what makes me laugh at loud is how true what they say is. Again because they take real life situations and paint them in a new and funnier way. And as I laugh at the reality of it, especially the stuff that pokes at me, white married male, I get it.
Yes there are some jokes I don't get. Sometimes things are said that are meant to be funny and aren't. And as they say if you have to explain the joke, it loses its oomph. There are also things that aren't funny that get laughed at. I find jokes at other people's expense to be that way.
But when a medium is used that gets me to take a look at myself from a different perspective, then its doing its job.
The gospel is no laughing matter, but it is a joke, not as something to be dismissed, but as something that points to a greater reality and often hits home.
Blessings,
Ed
I love stand up comics. What I find especially funny about them, is that most of what makes me laugh at loud is how true what they say is. Again because they take real life situations and paint them in a new and funnier way. And as I laugh at the reality of it, especially the stuff that pokes at me, white married male, I get it.
Yes there are some jokes I don't get. Sometimes things are said that are meant to be funny and aren't. And as they say if you have to explain the joke, it loses its oomph. There are also things that aren't funny that get laughed at. I find jokes at other people's expense to be that way.
But when a medium is used that gets me to take a look at myself from a different perspective, then its doing its job.
The gospel is no laughing matter, but it is a joke, not as something to be dismissed, but as something that points to a greater reality and often hits home.
Blessings,
Ed
Reflections for 4/27/11
"Jesus sheds his tears at the audible silence of God at those moments especially when a word from him would mean the difference between life and death, or at the deafness of men which prevents their hearing, him, the blindness of men which prevents even Jesus himself as a man from seeing him to the extent that at the moment of all moments when he needs him most he cries out his Eloi Eloi, which is a cry so dark that of the four evangelists, only tow of them have the stomach to record it as the last word he spoke while he still had a human mouth to speak with. Jesus wept, we all weep, because even when man is good, even when he is Jesus, God makes himself scarce for reasons that no theodicy has ever fathomed."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p.106)
"Do you have my back?" That seems to be a question I hear my teenagers saying about and to their friends. When needed the most will that person be there for you. When everything is going wrong. When we struggle with what life brings our way, people of faith seem to turn to God, and sometimes we sense God's presence, but sometimes we, no matter how strong or faith, feel very much alone.
Are we actually alone though, if we believe in God? I don't think so. I certainly have experienced disappointment when things have not turned out as I would have liked. I may even ask God, "what's up with that?" I don't tend to get into the answers of that wasn't God's will. Instead I keep searching for what the response or answer really was. Sometimes with quite a few tears.
I also know that the Bible tells me that it is alright to have those moments. The psalms are full of those laments. And Jesus' "Eloi, Eloi" is just the beginning of psalm 22. Giving me the example that even when things are at there worst, it is okay to scream out to God in frustration with him. The heartbreak would be for me not to cry out at all.
Blessings,
Ed
"Do you have my back?" That seems to be a question I hear my teenagers saying about and to their friends. When needed the most will that person be there for you. When everything is going wrong. When we struggle with what life brings our way, people of faith seem to turn to God, and sometimes we sense God's presence, but sometimes we, no matter how strong or faith, feel very much alone.
Are we actually alone though, if we believe in God? I don't think so. I certainly have experienced disappointment when things have not turned out as I would have liked. I may even ask God, "what's up with that?" I don't tend to get into the answers of that wasn't God's will. Instead I keep searching for what the response or answer really was. Sometimes with quite a few tears.
I also know that the Bible tells me that it is alright to have those moments. The psalms are full of those laments. And Jesus' "Eloi, Eloi" is just the beginning of psalm 22. Giving me the example that even when things are at there worst, it is okay to scream out to God in frustration with him. The heartbreak would be for me not to cry out at all.
Blessings,
Ed
Reflections for 4/26/11
"God is absent from all Job's words about God, and from the words of his comforters, because they are words without knowledge that obscure the issue of God by trying to define him as present in ways and places where he is not present, to define him as moral order, as the best answer man can give to the problem of his life. God is not an answer man can give, God says,. God himself does not give answers."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life." p. 105)
The story of Job is seen by some as a treatise on why bad things happen to good people. The only problem is that in this case bad things happen because God makes a bet. And the Job requesting an answer to the question why, is basically told to shut up and stop whining, because he's so puny in the grand scheme of things. Not the most satisfying answer.
And perhaps the problem has always been that when we attempt to give God all the credit or all the blame. For me it is more about seeing God working with and through me in my successes and my failures that keeps me from giving or taking all the credit or all the blame.
I was struck by the part of the quote which said "God himself does not give answers." That is sure to rub some believers the wrong way. But I would guess that for many a seeker, sojourner and perhaps even the most cynical non-believer there is a ring of truth to it.
Even as a believer in God, I cannot say that I have been given definite answers. I will say that I've noticed how in praying to God, things have gotten clearer and less burdensome. I do see God as a constant companion, not a puppet master, not a harsh parent, but as a friend, a person with Ed's best interests at heart, who guides but allows me to see things for myself.
Blessings,
Ed
The story of Job is seen by some as a treatise on why bad things happen to good people. The only problem is that in this case bad things happen because God makes a bet. And the Job requesting an answer to the question why, is basically told to shut up and stop whining, because he's so puny in the grand scheme of things. Not the most satisfying answer.
And perhaps the problem has always been that when we attempt to give God all the credit or all the blame. For me it is more about seeing God working with and through me in my successes and my failures that keeps me from giving or taking all the credit or all the blame.
I was struck by the part of the quote which said "God himself does not give answers." That is sure to rub some believers the wrong way. But I would guess that for many a seeker, sojourner and perhaps even the most cynical non-believer there is a ring of truth to it.
Even as a believer in God, I cannot say that I have been given definite answers. I will say that I've noticed how in praying to God, things have gotten clearer and less burdensome. I do see God as a constant companion, not a puppet master, not a harsh parent, but as a friend, a person with Ed's best interests at heart, who guides but allows me to see things for myself.
Blessings,
Ed
Reflections for 4/25/11
"But let him take heart; He is called not to be an actor, a magician, in the pulpit. He is called to be himself. he is called to tell the truth as he has experienced it. He is called to be human."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life." p. 104-105)
One of the many things that just about every Profile from a church that is looking for a new priest claims is that they want a priest who can make the Gospel relate to their lives.
That's a pretty tall task if you ask me. What makes a sermon relative or connective to folks? The answer probably is I don't know, but I know it when I hear it. A good question to ask of any sermon is "where is the preacher in it." A good sermon to me comes from the heart engaged with the mind. It recalls how the passages of scripture read in church that morning, caused an ah-ha moment for the preacher. I suppose it is okay to tell anecdotal stories, and define Greek words, or quote big named theologians. But ultimately that stuff is filler or perhaps even camaflauge if the preacher really has not direct experience of God's presence or sometimes even absence in his or her life.
That takes courage to admit where you are in the story, or how you've made connections. It also takes time to figure out how to connect the dots for the hearers. Time that is usually spent in Pastoral Care.
I don't need to be Ed the Entertainer in the pulpit. If I say something that gets a chuckle, bonus points I suppose. But if I say something that gets people reflecting and/or talking, then I've really nailed it.
Blessings,
Ed
One of the many things that just about every Profile from a church that is looking for a new priest claims is that they want a priest who can make the Gospel relate to their lives.
That's a pretty tall task if you ask me. What makes a sermon relative or connective to folks? The answer probably is I don't know, but I know it when I hear it. A good question to ask of any sermon is "where is the preacher in it." A good sermon to me comes from the heart engaged with the mind. It recalls how the passages of scripture read in church that morning, caused an ah-ha moment for the preacher. I suppose it is okay to tell anecdotal stories, and define Greek words, or quote big named theologians. But ultimately that stuff is filler or perhaps even camaflauge if the preacher really has not direct experience of God's presence or sometimes even absence in his or her life.
That takes courage to admit where you are in the story, or how you've made connections. It also takes time to figure out how to connect the dots for the hearers. Time that is usually spent in Pastoral Care.
I don't need to be Ed the Entertainer in the pulpit. If I say something that gets a chuckle, bonus points I suppose. But if I say something that gets people reflecting and/or talking, then I've really nailed it.
Blessings,
Ed
Reflections for 4/24/11
"The impulse is to turn from him as we turn from anybody who weeps because the sight of real tears, painful and disfiguring, forces us to look to their source where we do not choose to look because where his tears come from, our tears also come from."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 104)
"Jesus wept." The shortest verse in the Bible. A very human moment. He is caught in the grief of others, and is also mourning the death of a friend. I'll have to admit I've been known to shed a tear or two at funerals. Not all funerals mind you, but certainly those when I've really known the deceased, and if others grief is overwhelming.
I also tend to tear up in some movies, certain songs. I guess I'm just a sentimental kinda guy. Yet it very hard to watch someone else cry, because it may remind us of times we've wanted to cry. There is also the real possibility of losing our composure because so much has been shut down in order to save face.
Those times that we have weeped, and more especially those times that we should have but didn't. The real question remains why not cry? I'm most impressed by people who can display emotions, not in order to draw attention to themselves, but because it is the most healthy way to deal with most situations.
Blessings,
Ed
"Jesus wept." The shortest verse in the Bible. A very human moment. He is caught in the grief of others, and is also mourning the death of a friend. I'll have to admit I've been known to shed a tear or two at funerals. Not all funerals mind you, but certainly those when I've really known the deceased, and if others grief is overwhelming.
I also tend to tear up in some movies, certain songs. I guess I'm just a sentimental kinda guy. Yet it very hard to watch someone else cry, because it may remind us of times we've wanted to cry. There is also the real possibility of losing our composure because so much has been shut down in order to save face.
Those times that we have weeped, and more especially those times that we should have but didn't. The real question remains why not cry? I'm most impressed by people who can display emotions, not in order to draw attention to themselves, but because it is the most healthy way to deal with most situations.
Blessings,
Ed
Monday, April 25, 2011
Reflections for 4/23/11
"We will spend Easter eve afloat at our prayer." (F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life." p. 103)
The Great Vigil of Easter happens tonight (okay it was Saturday when I should have wrote this). It is my favorite liturgy in all the church year. I love the kindling of the fire, the reading of the Hebrew scriptures. We'll be baptizing a 2 year old who has been counting the days to tonight. When we chant this is the night, it will have special meaning for him.
After the liturgy, I will probably just float off to sleep waiting for the services on Easter Day. After the week that just was, a few days afloat, with no agenda will feel good.
How do you spend your nights before big events. Is there anxiety, manic activity, anticipation, all of the above. Or can you sit back relax and see what happens.
Blessings,
Ed
The Great Vigil of Easter happens tonight (okay it was Saturday when I should have wrote this). It is my favorite liturgy in all the church year. I love the kindling of the fire, the reading of the Hebrew scriptures. We'll be baptizing a 2 year old who has been counting the days to tonight. When we chant this is the night, it will have special meaning for him.
After the liturgy, I will probably just float off to sleep waiting for the services on Easter Day. After the week that just was, a few days afloat, with no agenda will feel good.
How do you spend your nights before big events. Is there anxiety, manic activity, anticipation, all of the above. Or can you sit back relax and see what happens.
Blessings,
Ed
Reflections for 4/22/11
"Anxiety and fear are what we know best in this fantastic century of ours. Wars and rumors of wars. From civilization itself to what seemed the most unalterable values of the past, everything is threatened or already in ruins. We have heard so much tragic news that when the news is good we cannot hear it."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 102)
This year has been a wild one for news so far. Our country is currently engaged militarily in three places. Civil unrest cancelled my parents trip to Egypt. They then booked a trip to Japan, and of course that country was clobbered by an earthquake and tsunami.
While the economy certainly seems to have picked up, I do sense that there is still a reasonable amount of trepidation in the working class.
"Fear not," is one of the most frequently said commandments in the Bible. And yet it seems to be the hardest.one to mind. And of course there is the obligatory crazy talk that all of these point to the end times.
And while we are constantly being bombarded with bad news and sometimes paranoid delusions, I still try to keep my radar up for good news. Of places where people are working together, reaching out, and staying calm. Hard to hear and often not sexy enough to report.
Blessings,
Ed
This year has been a wild one for news so far. Our country is currently engaged militarily in three places. Civil unrest cancelled my parents trip to Egypt. They then booked a trip to Japan, and of course that country was clobbered by an earthquake and tsunami.
While the economy certainly seems to have picked up, I do sense that there is still a reasonable amount of trepidation in the working class.
"Fear not," is one of the most frequently said commandments in the Bible. And yet it seems to be the hardest.one to mind. And of course there is the obligatory crazy talk that all of these point to the end times.
And while we are constantly being bombarded with bad news and sometimes paranoid delusions, I still try to keep my radar up for good news. Of places where people are working together, reaching out, and staying calm. Hard to hear and often not sexy enough to report.
Blessings,
Ed
Reflections for 4/21/11
"But the fact of the matter is that in a way it hardly matters how the body of Jesus came to be missing because in the last analysis what convinced the people that he had risen from the dead was not the absence of his corpse but his living presence. And so it has been ever since." (F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p.102)
Resurrection: Myth or Reality, is the title of a fairly controversial book by Bishop Jack Spong. The basic premise as I recall is that the reality of the resurrection isn't in the proof of the actual event, but in the long term impact from those who believe.
I think its true that those of us who believe are not convinced so much by an empty tomb but by a living presence. An empty tomb has lots of possible explanations, even the Gospel of Matthew gives one, the disciples stole it.
For me because my faith is one that is living and evolving I resonate with the living presence. It is not "buddy Jesus" on my dashboard. But an intuition that something very real is going on in my life. As I've written before it often defies explanation. I just know that it is truly real for me.
I also know that resurrection isn't a one time event, it seems to occur quite a number of times in the course of one's life.
Blessings,
Ed
Resurrection: Myth or Reality, is the title of a fairly controversial book by Bishop Jack Spong. The basic premise as I recall is that the reality of the resurrection isn't in the proof of the actual event, but in the long term impact from those who believe.
I think its true that those of us who believe are not convinced so much by an empty tomb but by a living presence. An empty tomb has lots of possible explanations, even the Gospel of Matthew gives one, the disciples stole it.
For me because my faith is one that is living and evolving I resonate with the living presence. It is not "buddy Jesus" on my dashboard. But an intuition that something very real is going on in my life. As I've written before it often defies explanation. I just know that it is truly real for me.
I also know that resurrection isn't a one time event, it seems to occur quite a number of times in the course of one's life.
Blessings,
Ed
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Reflections for 4/20/11
"But when we are pressed to say what it was that actually did happen, what we are apt to come out with is something pretty meager:"(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 101)
Well here it is "hump day" in Holy Week. I'll do my usual Wednesday of Holy Week thing and go over to St. Mark's (16th and Locust Philadelphia) for their service of Tenebrae. It's a beautiful and moving service done well in a beautiful building. There is darkness, a loud sound at the end. Always debated as to what the sound signifies. Is it the earthquake, is it the sealing of the tomb? Either one seems valid. But I know that whatever the sound is supposed to signify, it better be done well.
I think in trying to describe what happened, especially when it is something like the Resurrection, words often fail us. How do you really describe something you didn't witness, but has had an impact on you and millions of others over 2 millennium?
My hunch is that the way it is described is as multifaceted as the people describing it. We know what the Bible says happened. We can see in hindsight the affect of it. But most likely only deep within, in ways that we can never fully describe, do we truly understand what actually happened.
Blessings,
Ed
Well here it is "hump day" in Holy Week. I'll do my usual Wednesday of Holy Week thing and go over to St. Mark's (16th and Locust Philadelphia) for their service of Tenebrae. It's a beautiful and moving service done well in a beautiful building. There is darkness, a loud sound at the end. Always debated as to what the sound signifies. Is it the earthquake, is it the sealing of the tomb? Either one seems valid. But I know that whatever the sound is supposed to signify, it better be done well.
I think in trying to describe what happened, especially when it is something like the Resurrection, words often fail us. How do you really describe something you didn't witness, but has had an impact on you and millions of others over 2 millennium?
My hunch is that the way it is described is as multifaceted as the people describing it. We know what the Bible says happened. We can see in hindsight the affect of it. But most likely only deep within, in ways that we can never fully describe, do we truly understand what actually happened.
Blessings,
Ed
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Reflections for 4/19/11
"For Paul, the Resurrection was no metaphor; it was the power of God. And when he spoke of Jesus as raised from the dead, he meant Jesus alive and at large in the world not as some shimmering ideal of human goodness or the achieving power of hopeful thought but as the very power of life itself." (F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 100)
One of the most "yeah that's right moments" in the movie "The last Temptation of Christ" for me was the scene where Jesus encounters Paul preaching the resurrection. He tells Paul that he didn't die. Paul looks at him and says who are they going to believe?
This week that I'm in, "Holy Week" is sort of the runaway train week heading to Easter. Everything moves fast, crashes and then ends in a wow. Happens every year. The feeling never changes for me, not even as a priest. There's so much too it and I've always soaked it up like a sponge.
I do wonder what I mean by Resurrection. Is it more than just beautifying the church, large crowds, and singing great songs? Of course. But what do I understand it to mean outside of the day itself. Is there real power behind it? Do I believe as the hymn puts it that Christ is alive no longer bound to distant years in Palestine. And that he comes to claim the hear and now? Yes I do.
How that is, I'm hard pressed to describe. I have seen it ways that aren't verifiable. It is what makes faith so frustratingly hard to describe. But I do know that for me, it is more than a nice story, more than an ideal or thought. What it is precisely for me, words fail me.
Blessings,
Ed
One of the most "yeah that's right moments" in the movie "The last Temptation of Christ" for me was the scene where Jesus encounters Paul preaching the resurrection. He tells Paul that he didn't die. Paul looks at him and says who are they going to believe?
This week that I'm in, "Holy Week" is sort of the runaway train week heading to Easter. Everything moves fast, crashes and then ends in a wow. Happens every year. The feeling never changes for me, not even as a priest. There's so much too it and I've always soaked it up like a sponge.
I do wonder what I mean by Resurrection. Is it more than just beautifying the church, large crowds, and singing great songs? Of course. But what do I understand it to mean outside of the day itself. Is there real power behind it? Do I believe as the hymn puts it that Christ is alive no longer bound to distant years in Palestine. And that he comes to claim the hear and now? Yes I do.
How that is, I'm hard pressed to describe. I have seen it ways that aren't verifiable. It is what makes faith so frustratingly hard to describe. But I do know that for me, it is more than a nice story, more than an ideal or thought. What it is precisely for me, words fail me.
Blessings,
Ed
Reflections for 4/18/11
"The risen Christ is Christ risen in his glory and enthroned in all this glorious canvas, stained glass, mosaic as Redeemer and Judge. But he is also Christ risen in the shabby hearts of those who, although they have never touched the mark of the nails, have been themselves so touched by him that they believe anyway. However faded and threadbare, what they have seen of him is at least enough to get their bearings by."(F.Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 100)
I've seen plenty of impressive stained glass in churches. It really can be quite stunning especially if the sun is shining through them. I also took a class in European Art at Grinnell College and have seen my share of paintings of the post Easter Jesus. Art that captures the glory of the moment, but probably not real accurate in the reality of the moment.
I believe it is in the hearts and minds of those who continue to believe, follow, etc, that the Jesus Christ continues to shine forth. It isn't always perfect. It sometimes feels like a 40 watt bulb in a baseball stadium. It isn't always sure, but it keeps coming back to that centering place. It sometimes needs a little polishing but underneath a lot of the rust and corrosion of our cares and fears, it still squeaks out, reminding us that it is still alive.
Blessings,
Ed
I've seen plenty of impressive stained glass in churches. It really can be quite stunning especially if the sun is shining through them. I also took a class in European Art at Grinnell College and have seen my share of paintings of the post Easter Jesus. Art that captures the glory of the moment, but probably not real accurate in the reality of the moment.
I believe it is in the hearts and minds of those who continue to believe, follow, etc, that the Jesus Christ continues to shine forth. It isn't always perfect. It sometimes feels like a 40 watt bulb in a baseball stadium. It isn't always sure, but it keeps coming back to that centering place. It sometimes needs a little polishing but underneath a lot of the rust and corrosion of our cares and fears, it still squeaks out, reminding us that it is still alive.
Blessings,
Ed
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Reflections for 4/17/11
"Throughout all these centuries there were always the prophets thundering out at king and people to remember their ancient mission to be the kingdom of priest that God had called them to be." (F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 99)
I wonder if we have prophets these days? I'd like to think so, but I'm not sure. I certainly will acknowledge that there are people challenging the powers that be all the time. But are they actually prophetic? Sometimes I think they are more pathetic, and generally sending their message to an already appreciative audience.
I also wonder if in my own life I have prophetic voices that remind me when I'm not being fully me. When I've gotten off course. Again I'm sure I do. The most wouldn't see themselves as prophets to me, just good friends who can speak the truth in love.
And perhaps that's what most of us need more than a prophet.
Blessings,
Ed
I wonder if we have prophets these days? I'd like to think so, but I'm not sure. I certainly will acknowledge that there are people challenging the powers that be all the time. But are they actually prophetic? Sometimes I think they are more pathetic, and generally sending their message to an already appreciative audience.
I also wonder if in my own life I have prophetic voices that remind me when I'm not being fully me. When I've gotten off course. Again I'm sure I do. The most wouldn't see themselves as prophets to me, just good friends who can speak the truth in love.
And perhaps that's what most of us need more than a prophet.
Blessings,
Ed
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Reflections for 4/16/11
"A cross of all things- a guillotine. a gallows-but the cross at the same time as the crossroads of eternity and time." (F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 99)
I suppose it really is one of the stranger symbols to have chosen, a cross. Of course in its day it was the electric chair, the lethal injection. But it was also more of a deterrent than our more modern ways of executing criminals.
I should say that I am not in favor of the death penalty. I think it brings our society down to the same level and does not deter much, and certainly brings no closure or healing.
I don't know if Jesus were executed in our day if it would have had much of an impact. We don't make a public spectacle of these things anymore. Probably for good reason.
The cross has been both a sign of hope and a sign of terror in my lifetime. I will be taking time next Friday with other Christians around the globe to think about that old rugged cross. To think about one death in particular and what it means to and for me. How in that cross the love of God is given equally to those of high estate and low estate, to those on the left and those on the right. On that cross there is room for everyone and anyone who wishes to come into those wide open arms.
Blessings,
Ed
I suppose it really is one of the stranger symbols to have chosen, a cross. Of course in its day it was the electric chair, the lethal injection. But it was also more of a deterrent than our more modern ways of executing criminals.
I should say that I am not in favor of the death penalty. I think it brings our society down to the same level and does not deter much, and certainly brings no closure or healing.
I don't know if Jesus were executed in our day if it would have had much of an impact. We don't make a public spectacle of these things anymore. Probably for good reason.
The cross has been both a sign of hope and a sign of terror in my lifetime. I will be taking time next Friday with other Christians around the globe to think about that old rugged cross. To think about one death in particular and what it means to and for me. How in that cross the love of God is given equally to those of high estate and low estate, to those on the left and those on the right. On that cross there is room for everyone and anyone who wishes to come into those wide open arms.
Blessings,
Ed
Reflections for 4/15/11
"My God, my God." Though God is not there for him to see or hear, he calls on him still because he can do no other." (F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p.98)
The beginning of Psalm 22, the words Jesus is quoted as saying in Mark and Matthew. I've preached that I thought that one of the ways Jesus worked through that agony was to recite the Psalms. Perhaps he started at 1 and only made it to 22. But that cry of my God, my God why has thou forsaken me, is not hard to believe that he said.
When life is at its worst, most people do feel forsaken, ignored or shunned. Often by people they believed they could depend on. And yet in their hour of need no one seemed to care. The cry from the cross would seem to point to Jesus feeling the same way about God. One could focus on the forsaken, and yet he seems to me to be more interested in the my God.
In spite of what he is going through the only thing he could do right then and there is to cry out to God.
I once pastored to a woman in her 30's who was dying of cancer. Another priest had told her to pray Psalm 23 to get through this period. That was fine I told her but how about those days that sucked. Perhaps Psalm 22 might be worth saying.
What I love about the psalms is that they allow us to express our anger towards God, our neighbors and ourselves, but do not allow us to stay angry.
It seems to me that God is big enough to hear us not only when we're in a good mood, but when we're really furious with God as well.
Blessings,
Ed
The beginning of Psalm 22, the words Jesus is quoted as saying in Mark and Matthew. I've preached that I thought that one of the ways Jesus worked through that agony was to recite the Psalms. Perhaps he started at 1 and only made it to 22. But that cry of my God, my God why has thou forsaken me, is not hard to believe that he said.
When life is at its worst, most people do feel forsaken, ignored or shunned. Often by people they believed they could depend on. And yet in their hour of need no one seemed to care. The cry from the cross would seem to point to Jesus feeling the same way about God. One could focus on the forsaken, and yet he seems to me to be more interested in the my God.
In spite of what he is going through the only thing he could do right then and there is to cry out to God.
I once pastored to a woman in her 30's who was dying of cancer. Another priest had told her to pray Psalm 23 to get through this period. That was fine I told her but how about those days that sucked. Perhaps Psalm 22 might be worth saying.
What I love about the psalms is that they allow us to express our anger towards God, our neighbors and ourselves, but do not allow us to stay angry.
It seems to me that God is big enough to hear us not only when we're in a good mood, but when we're really furious with God as well.
Blessings,
Ed
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Reflections for 4/14/11
"But two old friends embracing in a garden because they both of them know that they will never see one another again." (F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 97)
If I were to look at all the friends I have had over the years, I wonder what I would remember about the last time I saw them? What were we doing? Was our goodbye a normal friendly one, or were heated words exchanged? Did we know that was the last time we'd see each other?
Facebook has done a funny thing in reacquainting folks. I've reconnected with people I hadn't thought about in years. And since I don't usually part with heated words, it has been a pleasure reconnecting generally.
The truth is actually that every good bye, see ya later etc, has always the possibility of it being a last one. Maybe that's why I try not to leave my house with a cross word towards my wife or my children. Mainly because I wouldn't want that to ever be the last thing they or I remember.
Since I have been present when people have said goodbye, before turning off a vent I know the pit in your stomach feeling that would come knowing that on this side of death, I will not see that person again.
Of course as a person of faith, I will always look forward to a reunion with those I love.
Blessings,
Ed
If I were to look at all the friends I have had over the years, I wonder what I would remember about the last time I saw them? What were we doing? Was our goodbye a normal friendly one, or were heated words exchanged? Did we know that was the last time we'd see each other?
Facebook has done a funny thing in reacquainting folks. I've reconnected with people I hadn't thought about in years. And since I don't usually part with heated words, it has been a pleasure reconnecting generally.
The truth is actually that every good bye, see ya later etc, has always the possibility of it being a last one. Maybe that's why I try not to leave my house with a cross word towards my wife or my children. Mainly because I wouldn't want that to ever be the last thing they or I remember.
Since I have been present when people have said goodbye, before turning off a vent I know the pit in your stomach feeling that would come knowing that on this side of death, I will not see that person again.
Of course as a person of faith, I will always look forward to a reunion with those I love.
Blessings,
Ed
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Reflections for 4/13/11
"Maybe it is because it is to the ones who are most fully alive that death comes most unbearably."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p.97)
This week I will have my third funeral 5 weeks. All three deaths were not unexpected. And in at least two of the cases probably more of a blessing. That of course doesn't take away from the sadness and grief that the family and friends of the deceased feel.
I've had the privilege of being with people when they die. In most cases it was a very peaceful shutting down. I have also baptized a still born baby, and been present for the grief of that family at the loss of their child. That death not expected.
I'd like to think that I'm as prepared for death as anyone. I don't wish to die anytime soon, but I don't fear it. There might be some disappointment that I might not have seen or accomplished everything that I'd hoped to.
Most of us don't get to pick the day of our death. For most folks we'd like to see a long and enjoyable life that just ends romantically lying down one night and not waking up. Sometimes that happens, though not that often.
I don't know how gracefully I would accept a health diagnosis that gave me a definite time frame. I hope I never have to find out.
Blessings,
Ed
This week I will have my third funeral 5 weeks. All three deaths were not unexpected. And in at least two of the cases probably more of a blessing. That of course doesn't take away from the sadness and grief that the family and friends of the deceased feel.
I've had the privilege of being with people when they die. In most cases it was a very peaceful shutting down. I have also baptized a still born baby, and been present for the grief of that family at the loss of their child. That death not expected.
I'd like to think that I'm as prepared for death as anyone. I don't wish to die anytime soon, but I don't fear it. There might be some disappointment that I might not have seen or accomplished everything that I'd hoped to.
Most of us don't get to pick the day of our death. For most folks we'd like to see a long and enjoyable life that just ends romantically lying down one night and not waking up. Sometimes that happens, though not that often.
I don't know how gracefully I would accept a health diagnosis that gave me a definite time frame. I hope I never have to find out.
Blessings,
Ed
Reflections for 4/12/11
"'He set his face to go to Jerusalem,' the Gospel says, and it was a journey from which he seems to have known that he would both never return and return always even unto the end of time and beyond."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 96)
I've never actually bought a one way ticket, not literally or figuratively. I suppose there is a part of me that even when I leave a place, I or it never fully leaves. There are places in my past that I have gone from, heading in a new direction, but somewhere in the rear view mirror of my mind those places still have a hook in me.
The times that I have ever returned, I know that I'm usually let down. The place has changed, not always physically, but often emotionally for me. And that is probably the way it should be. Part of the memory of any place fades a little each day, and when you literally revisit, there are emotions that still come up, but I rarely say, I wish I were still here.
This is true for the town I grew up in, the college I graduated from, the seminary I graduated from and even the first church I served. These places haven't gotten worse mind you, they are just different from what I remember them being, and they can't be that for me anymore.
Blessings,
Ed
I've never actually bought a one way ticket, not literally or figuratively. I suppose there is a part of me that even when I leave a place, I or it never fully leaves. There are places in my past that I have gone from, heading in a new direction, but somewhere in the rear view mirror of my mind those places still have a hook in me.
The times that I have ever returned, I know that I'm usually let down. The place has changed, not always physically, but often emotionally for me. And that is probably the way it should be. Part of the memory of any place fades a little each day, and when you literally revisit, there are emotions that still come up, but I rarely say, I wish I were still here.
This is true for the town I grew up in, the college I graduated from, the seminary I graduated from and even the first church I served. These places haven't gotten worse mind you, they are just different from what I remember them being, and they can't be that for me anymore.
Blessings,
Ed
Monday, April 11, 2011
Reflections 4/11/11
"In eating the bread and drinking the wine, they are to remember him. Jesus tells them, and to remember him not merely in the sense of letting their minds drift back to him in the dim past but in the sense of recalling him to the immediate present. They are to remember him the way when we remember someone we love who has died, he is alive again within us to the point where we can all but hear him speak and our hearts kindle to the reality of his presence."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 96)
I don't know if my love for food has parallels to my love for communion. I will say that I have very vivid memories of the churches that I spent significant time in. All of them were eucharistically centered. Most did not use baked bread. There were the places that used such thin wafers that they stuck to the roof of your mouth. Some wafers had a little more substance. The wine ran the gamut of decent port to muscatel. What is probably even more true is that in all of those places it was even more the people that I recall the most.
Same with real food too. Many of the important and beloved folks in my life have some signature recipe, that if I had it outside of their presence I would remember them.
Of course there are other triggers that bring beloved people back from just a memory to being very present to us. What brings your most beloved back to the forefront of your mind and heart? Are there "signature dishes that when you taste and see, you say "just like he/she used to make?"
Blessings,
Ed
I don't know if my love for food has parallels to my love for communion. I will say that I have very vivid memories of the churches that I spent significant time in. All of them were eucharistically centered. Most did not use baked bread. There were the places that used such thin wafers that they stuck to the roof of your mouth. Some wafers had a little more substance. The wine ran the gamut of decent port to muscatel. What is probably even more true is that in all of those places it was even more the people that I recall the most.
Same with real food too. Many of the important and beloved folks in my life have some signature recipe, that if I had it outside of their presence I would remember them.
Of course there are other triggers that bring beloved people back from just a memory to being very present to us. What brings your most beloved back to the forefront of your mind and heart? Are there "signature dishes that when you taste and see, you say "just like he/she used to make?"
Blessings,
Ed
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Reflections for 4/10/11
"In terms of the world's sanity, Jesus is crazy as a coot, and anybody who thnks he can follow him without being a little crazy too is laboring less under a cross than under a delusion."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life." p.95)
Under my senior picture in my high school year book I quoted rock singer Joe Walsh, "they say I'm crazy but I have a good time, life's been good to me so far."
I certainly had a reputation for being crazy, not in a psychological way, but in terms of marching to the beat of my own drummer. I would say what is on my mind, without thinking of the consequences. I would have done lousy with living by public opinion polls. I wrestled, which is usually associated with crazy people. But I also tended to be smiling a good chunk of the time. I think it was generally because I was doing what I wanted to do and loved doing it.
There is a certain amount of craziness in being a person of faith. Much of what I believe is unprovable by scientific means. And there's certainly enough scientific proof of how things work, yet I keep believing. While following Jesus is not nearly as risky a business as it once was, or still is in some places in the world, the apathy that I sometimes encounter is often harder to deal with than out and out hostility.
But for me being a crazy Christian, especially an Episcopalian, has given me many good times, wonderful memories and also moments of really feeling like I'm making a difference in my small part of the world. And in following Christ and believing in God, I've found that in fact life has been good to me so far.
Blessings,
Ed
Under my senior picture in my high school year book I quoted rock singer Joe Walsh, "they say I'm crazy but I have a good time, life's been good to me so far."
I certainly had a reputation for being crazy, not in a psychological way, but in terms of marching to the beat of my own drummer. I would say what is on my mind, without thinking of the consequences. I would have done lousy with living by public opinion polls. I wrestled, which is usually associated with crazy people. But I also tended to be smiling a good chunk of the time. I think it was generally because I was doing what I wanted to do and loved doing it.
There is a certain amount of craziness in being a person of faith. Much of what I believe is unprovable by scientific means. And there's certainly enough scientific proof of how things work, yet I keep believing. While following Jesus is not nearly as risky a business as it once was, or still is in some places in the world, the apathy that I sometimes encounter is often harder to deal with than out and out hostility.
But for me being a crazy Christian, especially an Episcopalian, has given me many good times, wonderful memories and also moments of really feeling like I'm making a difference in my small part of the world. And in following Christ and believing in God, I've found that in fact life has been good to me so far.
Blessings,
Ed
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Reflections for 4/9/11
"We break fast together, break bread together fast with the clock on the wall over my wife's head tick-tocking our time away, time away. Soon it will be time to leave for school. Soon enough it will be time to leave."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 94)
Today was the start of Little League in Wenonah, the town that I live in. It is a small town, so we have a parade and all the boys and girls march in their uniforms. I gave a blessing at the request of the "Commissioner." I seem to be the fallback clergy in town. I've been doing it for years. The day was sort of bittersweet in that neither of my sons walked in the parade, because neither is in Little League anymore. Time had moved on for us.
Sometimes I sense that time drags, either by day or week or years. Other times it seems to fly by. Sometimes I half jokingly speak of retiring in 13 years. And folks will tell me not to wish my life away like that. I also know that in three years life will be very different for me and I'll have choices to make.
What I have noticed about time, is that when I'm have fun, it flies. When I'm bored it drags. Good thing I have fun most of the time.
I close with this hymn about time by Isaac Watts:
1 O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home:
2 Under the shadow of thy throne,
thy saints have dwelt secure;
sufficient is thine arm alone,
and our defense is sure.
3 Before the hills in order stood,
or earth received her frame,
from everlasting thou art God,
to endless years the same.
4 A thousand ages in thy sight
are like an evening gone;
short as the watch that ends the night
before the rising sun.
5 Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
bears all our years away;
they fly, forgotten, as a dream
dies at the opening day.
6 O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
be thou our guide while troubles last,
and our eternal home.
Blessings,
Ed
Today was the start of Little League in Wenonah, the town that I live in. It is a small town, so we have a parade and all the boys and girls march in their uniforms. I gave a blessing at the request of the "Commissioner." I seem to be the fallback clergy in town. I've been doing it for years. The day was sort of bittersweet in that neither of my sons walked in the parade, because neither is in Little League anymore. Time had moved on for us.
Sometimes I sense that time drags, either by day or week or years. Other times it seems to fly by. Sometimes I half jokingly speak of retiring in 13 years. And folks will tell me not to wish my life away like that. I also know that in three years life will be very different for me and I'll have choices to make.
What I have noticed about time, is that when I'm have fun, it flies. When I'm bored it drags. Good thing I have fun most of the time.
I close with this hymn about time by Isaac Watts:
1 O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home:
2 Under the shadow of thy throne,
thy saints have dwelt secure;
sufficient is thine arm alone,
and our defense is sure.
3 Before the hills in order stood,
or earth received her frame,
from everlasting thou art God,
to endless years the same.
4 A thousand ages in thy sight
are like an evening gone;
short as the watch that ends the night
before the rising sun.
5 Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
bears all our years away;
they fly, forgotten, as a dream
dies at the opening day.
6 O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
be thou our guide while troubles last,
and our eternal home.
Blessings,
Ed
Friday, April 8, 2011
Reflections for 4/8/11
"How do I happen to believe in God? I will give one more answer which can be stated briefly. Writing novels. I got into the habit of looking for plots. After awhile, I began to suspect that my own life had a plot. And after awhile more, I began to suspect that life itself has a plot."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 94)
I am not a believer in predestination. I am a believer in process theology, which might be more easily understood as constant ongoing revelation. Because of my belief in a living God, and one who seems to be interested in me and everyone else, what I do affects God's next move with regards to me. The final chapter is basically written I believe, though I should probably leave room for last minute edits.
So what if anything do I see as the plot development in my life? From my own perspective it seems rather mundane. Get born, grow up in a reasonably stable environment. Go off to college. Fall in and out of love. End up in love and married. Find a career, start own family, keep living.
Okay so that's a plot synopsis, the cliff notes if you will, and I'm leaving out some of the twists, the thickenings etc. While there are chapters that are complete and can now be read and interpreted, there is still much to be written I hope.
Each day is at a minimum a new line in the plot. Each life change the close of a chapter. I find the author to be one incredibly imaginative writer, considering the character(s) he has to work with.
Blessings,
Ed
I am not a believer in predestination. I am a believer in process theology, which might be more easily understood as constant ongoing revelation. Because of my belief in a living God, and one who seems to be interested in me and everyone else, what I do affects God's next move with regards to me. The final chapter is basically written I believe, though I should probably leave room for last minute edits.
So what if anything do I see as the plot development in my life? From my own perspective it seems rather mundane. Get born, grow up in a reasonably stable environment. Go off to college. Fall in and out of love. End up in love and married. Find a career, start own family, keep living.
Okay so that's a plot synopsis, the cliff notes if you will, and I'm leaving out some of the twists, the thickenings etc. While there are chapters that are complete and can now be read and interpreted, there is still much to be written I hope.
Each day is at a minimum a new line in the plot. Each life change the close of a chapter. I find the author to be one incredibly imaginative writer, considering the character(s) he has to work with.
Blessings,
Ed
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Reflections for 4/7/11
"I believe without the miracles I have prayed for then; that is what I am explaining. I believe because certain uncertain things have happened, dim half-miracles, sermons and silences and what not. Perhaps it is my believing itself that is the miracle I believe by. Perhaps it is the miracle of my own life." (F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p.92)
I have seen "miracles." Miracles for me are phenomenon that occur that defy explanation. When the scientists can offer no plausible explanation. When doctors are baffled by recovery, although it is possible they just misdiagnosed.
I have also seen things that are not as stunning, but miraculous none the less. When something feels so hopeless and then through no effort on my part, changes.
And to believe in an era with so much information, and so many new discoveries might seem miraculous. Though its probably more a belief in continuing revelation.
And yet probably the greatest miracle is that I'm alive, loved and in some small way making a difference in the world in which I live.
Blessings,
Ed
I have seen "miracles." Miracles for me are phenomenon that occur that defy explanation. When the scientists can offer no plausible explanation. When doctors are baffled by recovery, although it is possible they just misdiagnosed.
I have also seen things that are not as stunning, but miraculous none the less. When something feels so hopeless and then through no effort on my part, changes.
And to believe in an era with so much information, and so many new discoveries might seem miraculous. Though its probably more a belief in continuing revelation.
And yet probably the greatest miracle is that I'm alive, loved and in some small way making a difference in the world in which I live.
Blessings,
Ed
Reflections for 4/6/11
"Not the least of my problems is that I can hardly even imagine what kind of an experience a genuine, self-authenticating religious experience would be. without somehow destroying me in the process, how could God reveal himself in a way that would leave no room for doubt/ If there were no room for doubt, there would no room for me."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p.91)
Much like Buechner I haven't had one of those types of religious experiences. No lightening bolts, no road to Damascus in my faith journey. I somehow seem to have always just known, or been very open to the possibility that "proof," whatever that might be, has not been anything I've needed or desired.
I certainly have had questions that might be construed as doubt by some. Since I don't read scripture literally, but see it as containing incredibly deep truths, it has allowed for room in my mind and heart to the reality of God for me.
Blessings,
Ed
Much like Buechner I haven't had one of those types of religious experiences. No lightening bolts, no road to Damascus in my faith journey. I somehow seem to have always just known, or been very open to the possibility that "proof," whatever that might be, has not been anything I've needed or desired.
I certainly have had questions that might be construed as doubt by some. Since I don't read scripture literally, but see it as containing incredibly deep truths, it has allowed for room in my mind and heart to the reality of God for me.
Blessings,
Ed
Reflections for 4/5/11
"Such faith as I have, where did it come from and why?"
I know some folks who consider "faith" to come from brainwashing. Obviously I don't agree with them, but everybody's entitled to their opinion.
Jesus, once taught about faith the size of mustard seeds, and seeds being planted on different soils. So I'll give credit to my parents for planting the seed. Watering it, along with others, but ultimately letting God and me do the work.
I think the "soil" of ourselves is what really determines what happens with "faith." There are folks who have the seeds planted but are never watered or taken care of and have no chance. There are others for whom all the care in the world can be given, but it is just not for them, for whatever reason.
I know the faith that I have continues to evolve and it comes from that relationship with God that I've tended too these 45 years. As to the why, that's probably what the tending is for.
Blessings,
Ed
I know some folks who consider "faith" to come from brainwashing. Obviously I don't agree with them, but everybody's entitled to their opinion.
Jesus, once taught about faith the size of mustard seeds, and seeds being planted on different soils. So I'll give credit to my parents for planting the seed. Watering it, along with others, but ultimately letting God and me do the work.
I think the "soil" of ourselves is what really determines what happens with "faith." There are folks who have the seeds planted but are never watered or taken care of and have no chance. There are others for whom all the care in the world can be given, but it is just not for them, for whatever reason.
I know the faith that I have continues to evolve and it comes from that relationship with God that I've tended too these 45 years. As to the why, that's probably what the tending is for.
Blessings,
Ed
Reflections for 4/4/11
"Follow your feet. Put on the coffee. Start the orange juice, the bacon, the toast. Then go wake up your children and your wife. think aout the work of your hands, the book that of all conceivable things you have chosen to add to the world's pain. Live in the needs of the day." (F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 89)
Ah yes, the daily routine. Most of us have them. My alarm goes off at 6 a.m. most days. I head for the bathroom, deal with the cats, start making the lunches, and by 7 am make sure the other three people in the house are moving, then go take my morning walk. There of course is coffee and breakfast before the day gets really rolling, and most importantly that daily shower where I do most of my thinking.
I may ponder some of the bigger wish list things to do, but I try to stay focused in the hear and now. I keep remembering Jesus' words, not to worry about tomorrow, today's worries being enough for today. Funny how he says that after telling me not to worry.
But if I go to far afield in the bigger dreaming of the might be's I often lose track of the need to nows. And those needs start to really howl when they get ignored.
Blessings,
Ed
Ah yes, the daily routine. Most of us have them. My alarm goes off at 6 a.m. most days. I head for the bathroom, deal with the cats, start making the lunches, and by 7 am make sure the other three people in the house are moving, then go take my morning walk. There of course is coffee and breakfast before the day gets really rolling, and most importantly that daily shower where I do most of my thinking.
I may ponder some of the bigger wish list things to do, but I try to stay focused in the hear and now. I keep remembering Jesus' words, not to worry about tomorrow, today's worries being enough for today. Funny how he says that after telling me not to worry.
But if I go to far afield in the bigger dreaming of the might be's I often lose track of the need to nows. And those needs start to really howl when they get ignored.
Blessings,
Ed
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Reflections for 4/3/11
"You are alive. It needn't have been so. But it is so now. And what is it like: to be alive in this maybe one place of all places anywhere where life is? Live a day of it and see. Take any day and be alive in it. Nobody claims that it will be entirely painless, but no matter. It is your birthday, and there are many present to open. The world is to open." (F.Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 88)
I'm not sure who said this, "today is the first day of the rest of your life." I know I could look it up, but not right now. I find it to be true no matter who said it first. From the moment I wake up and stay awake, it is a new start. While I have a general idea of what might happen each day, there is always some twist or bend that comes unexpectedly. Sometimes these unexpected things are really cool. Other times not so much.
I don't try to avoid any days. I haven't had any where I didn't want to get up and see what might be on tap for that moment. I try to be as alive and engaged in the moments that come my way. I find it makes life more interesting.
While my life is fairly predictable and for the most part not all that exciting. That may be why those moments that don't fit neatly into the day's agenda are the ones I look forward to the most.
Blessings,
Ed
I'm not sure who said this, "today is the first day of the rest of your life." I know I could look it up, but not right now. I find it to be true no matter who said it first. From the moment I wake up and stay awake, it is a new start. While I have a general idea of what might happen each day, there is always some twist or bend that comes unexpectedly. Sometimes these unexpected things are really cool. Other times not so much.
I don't try to avoid any days. I haven't had any where I didn't want to get up and see what might be on tap for that moment. I try to be as alive and engaged in the moments that come my way. I find it makes life more interesting.
While my life is fairly predictable and for the most part not all that exciting. That may be why those moments that don't fit neatly into the day's agenda are the ones I look forward to the most.
Blessings,
Ed
Reflections for 4/2/11
"More than any other part of me, my face is the part where most of the time I live." (F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 86)
Today we celebrated the life of Marla Broughton. She may not be world reknown, but here at Holy Trinity Wenonah, she was perhaps the single greatest contributer to the atmosphere of this place. Priests have come and gone, but the mark that she left was one that continues to permeate.
I bring her to mind not just because today was her funeral, but because of her smile. If you were to ask anyone who knew her, that smile is what comes immediately to mind. It was a smile that was present all the time, because it was rooted in a joy for life, a love for others and a belief that God truly loved her.
Even in her final years of battling ALS, that smile was still present whenever I visited her. The joy of seeing a friend just brought it out. And I could be reminded that if Marla could smile, even given what she was dealing with, I should attempt to do so also.
Our faces really do speak volumes of what we are thinking and feeling. And even when we "make a face" sometimes another part of that face gives the real meaning.
Blessings,
Ed
Today we celebrated the life of Marla Broughton. She may not be world reknown, but here at Holy Trinity Wenonah, she was perhaps the single greatest contributer to the atmosphere of this place. Priests have come and gone, but the mark that she left was one that continues to permeate.
I bring her to mind not just because today was her funeral, but because of her smile. If you were to ask anyone who knew her, that smile is what comes immediately to mind. It was a smile that was present all the time, because it was rooted in a joy for life, a love for others and a belief that God truly loved her.
Even in her final years of battling ALS, that smile was still present whenever I visited her. The joy of seeing a friend just brought it out. And I could be reminded that if Marla could smile, even given what she was dealing with, I should attempt to do so also.
Our faces really do speak volumes of what we are thinking and feeling. And even when we "make a face" sometimes another part of that face gives the real meaning.
Blessings,
Ed
Friday, April 1, 2011
Reflections for 4/1/11
"if you want to know who you are, watch your feet. Because where your feet take you, that is who you are." (F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 86)
Okay my feet, where do they take me? First all around my house. I am a member of a family I play a role in relationship to three other humans. I am also a cat owner so my feet take me to the door to let them out and to the kitchen to feed them.
I walk most mornings with two other guys. I'm a social person.
I walk to work, not because I'm environmentally driven, but because my office is 100 feet from my front door. I know I'm a priest because I walk there.
When I leave the car I will walk to the ball park. I'm a sports fan.
I love to walk in the woods, I'm an outdoorsy type.
My feet haven't failed me yet.
And since I consider all of life a walk with God, I must be a person of faith.
Blessings,
Ed
Okay my feet, where do they take me? First all around my house. I am a member of a family I play a role in relationship to three other humans. I am also a cat owner so my feet take me to the door to let them out and to the kitchen to feed them.
I walk most mornings with two other guys. I'm a social person.
I walk to work, not because I'm environmentally driven, but because my office is 100 feet from my front door. I know I'm a priest because I walk there.
When I leave the car I will walk to the ball park. I'm a sports fan.
I love to walk in the woods, I'm an outdoorsy type.
My feet haven't failed me yet.
And since I consider all of life a walk with God, I must be a person of faith.
Blessings,
Ed
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