Whether we’re watching “Dancing with the Stars”, a rousing performance of Riverdance, or a magnificent ballet, we can enjoy the flow of human bodies, each person, each body part, working in harmony with the others. The result can be a breathtaking beauty that stirs up your insides.
But what do you do with that feeling of being moved by the flow of such beauty? Switch channels and find the next thing to distract you from life’s troubles or tedium? Jump off the couch and feel the thrill of dancing yourself? Hold onto that beauty in the hopes that it would keep flowing through you, moving you to do great things as well?
That experience of a beautiful flow that stirs up and inspires… helps me imagine what God’s spirit is like, and what that spirit is capable of.
Last week’s Bread for your journey focused on Jesus’ ascension, when he was breathtakingly lifted into God’s future… that his followers might always know that whatever the future would bring, Jesus would be there to greet them. There would be no moment that wouldn’t be infused with Jesus’ graceful presence.
This week’s Bfyj will tell the next piece of Jesus’ story… and we’ll see what it has to do with our stories. We’ll hear the strange-but-true account of the Holy Spirit whooshing and roaring and speaking intelligibly, being poured out like molten lava and refreshing waters at the same time! In other words, making an impact. Changing the course of history. Initiating a flow of such breathtaking beauty that those filled-to-overflowing couldn’t keep themselves from sharing that spirit, even if they wanted to.
Would you welcome such a flow if it came your way? Is such beauty and power already part of your story? I hope you’ll come and dig deeper with us into these and other questions tomorrow night (Thurs, 7pm) at the Crowne Plaza. Or if that’s not doable, come back here Saturday to join in the conversation again.
A personal note, if you’ll hang with me a minute. Today is my dad’s birthday, his 70th, though when he was 58 he was hit by a car and went ahead into God’s future, like Jesus. In his honor (and because it happens to fit with my theme, go figure), I’ll share here a piece of a hymn that we sang at his funeral, which says so much about Dad and his beautiful, ever-flowing passion for sharing Jesus’ love: (written by Graham Kendrick)
Shine, Jesus, shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory;
blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow, flood the nations with grace and mercy;
send forth your Word, Lord, and let there be light!
Peace,
Kari
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Accompanied in the "in-between"
To experience your own version of last night’s bread for your journey, imagine you’re stopping by btw’s gathering space at the Crowne Plaza. After a few minutes of getting to know the others who’ve come, you’re all finding your way to chairs set in a circle with a small round table as part of the circle. There are plenty of candles on the table, along with a lovely round loaf of bread and a cup of wine.
Everyone’s invited to bring themselves into the moment, thinking about where we’ve come from and what we’re looking forward to in this time together. We muse a bit on our theme, on what it’s like to be in-between (see previous post, if you like). We have a moment of silence and some words of prayer are spoken. The central candle is lit, and we enter into a time of readings, beginning with a poem by Macrina Wiederkehr called The Sacrament of Waiting.
http://www.inwardoutward.org/?p=891
A candle is lit, and these words of prayer are spoken:
God, you sit with us when we are waiting. You accompany us when we are in-between. Open our eyes to all the amazing changes that go on in our natural world, changes that you are giving birth to. Help us to recognize you when you show up in the middle of our struggles. Help us to feel your healing power when we are in need, especially when we don’t know how we will get from here… to there… In your name we pray… amen.
The story of Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:6-11) is read, a candle lit, and a prayer offered.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%201:6-11;&version=65;
Living Lord Jesus, as your friends once watched you leave, wondering for a moment where you’d gone, so we sometimes wonder where you are and how we can keep following you. In our discussion tonight, speak to us through the words of each other, that we can know you are here… here with us, and going on ahead of us… so that we’ll know wherever we go, you will be there to greet us. In your name we pray… amen.
And a 3rd reading, this one from the word on the street by Rob Lacey:
Then Jesus takes them back down to Bethany. He lifts his hands up to the sky; he’s coaching them, inspiring them, motivating them, doing them good. He’s still in full flow when he starts hovering off the ground, going up gradually back to heaven They are mind-blown, blown over, overawed, awestruck, struck dumb, dumbfounded, found speechless. Eventually they go back to Jerusalem as instructed. They hardly leave HQ, spending every waking hour finding new ways for talking God up to anyone who’ll listen. (Luke 24:50-53)
God, when we are mind-blown and blown over by the changes in our lives, walk with us until we find equilibrium again. Lead us that we might find others who need your steadying hand… that we might offer that steadying love even as you have given it to us. In your name we pray… amen.
Here are some questions and comments that guided our discussion and may spark some reflection for you:
~ How does the poem urge you to think about being in-between, about dying to one piece of life while waiting for another?
~ Sometimes being in-between means waiting for something definite, and other times you don’t know what you’re waiting for. What times of your life have you been in such a place and what was it like?
~ In some cultures, transition times are clearly marked (child-to-adult, marriage, grieving, dying) and seen as sacred community events. How do we accompany one another in our culture? in our communities?
~ What questions came to mind as you read the two versions of Jesus’ ascension?
~ Take a look at this link to a painting from the Mafa Christian communities in North Cameroun. http://www.jesusmafa.com/index.htm Notice how Jesus’ followers are surrounding him (like a village/community) in his time of transition. This is also a time of transition for the followers; consider the symbolism of having Jesus in the middle of our in between times.
~ If Jesus was leaving his disciples, going from one place (earth) to another (heaven), then why were they so full of life and joy instead of grieving the loss? Could it be that they didn’t experience his absence at all, that instead of going to another place, Jesus went to another time? into God’s future? Is that what “the kingdom of heaven” really is, not “God’s place” as much as it is “God’s time”?
It’s a concept which is pretty hard for our brains to wrap around (someone said that the new Star Trek movie helps with this!), but it has some profound implications.
~ Being in God’s time -- God’s promised future when all is well and whole --Jesus leads us there, into the future, with confidence and hope (and the knowledge that we are never alone, no matter what craziness we are going through)
~ God’s future breaks in upon our time when we experience Jesus’ presence, through communities like by the way and others, and especially through our sharing of the bread and wine that is Jesus’ life for us and in us.
~ We don’t know much about what the future will bring, but we can know that the future is safe in Jesus’ hands. That’s why the disciples could be so full of joy, even as they experienced persecution and other challenging hurdles… because they knew that Jesus was with them in a way much more powerful and empowering than they ever knew when Jesus was visibly present!
Believe me, there was lots more good stuff where this came from, so rich was the conversation (and the meal) that we shared. But this gives you the gist.
Peace and joy to you through all your in-between times. Please feel free to join in this discussion, to write any thoughts you may have. Consider yourself part of by the way’s journey, to accompany one another and reach out to our world, whether you are present on-line or able to be present in-person on Thursday nights.
Kari Henkelmann Keyl
Everyone’s invited to bring themselves into the moment, thinking about where we’ve come from and what we’re looking forward to in this time together. We muse a bit on our theme, on what it’s like to be in-between (see previous post, if you like). We have a moment of silence and some words of prayer are spoken. The central candle is lit, and we enter into a time of readings, beginning with a poem by Macrina Wiederkehr called The Sacrament of Waiting.
http://www.inwardoutward.org/?p=891
A candle is lit, and these words of prayer are spoken:
God, you sit with us when we are waiting. You accompany us when we are in-between. Open our eyes to all the amazing changes that go on in our natural world, changes that you are giving birth to. Help us to recognize you when you show up in the middle of our struggles. Help us to feel your healing power when we are in need, especially when we don’t know how we will get from here… to there… In your name we pray… amen.
The story of Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:6-11) is read, a candle lit, and a prayer offered.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%201:6-11;&version=65;
Living Lord Jesus, as your friends once watched you leave, wondering for a moment where you’d gone, so we sometimes wonder where you are and how we can keep following you. In our discussion tonight, speak to us through the words of each other, that we can know you are here… here with us, and going on ahead of us… so that we’ll know wherever we go, you will be there to greet us. In your name we pray… amen.
And a 3rd reading, this one from the word on the street by Rob Lacey:
Then Jesus takes them back down to Bethany. He lifts his hands up to the sky; he’s coaching them, inspiring them, motivating them, doing them good. He’s still in full flow when he starts hovering off the ground, going up gradually back to heaven They are mind-blown, blown over, overawed, awestruck, struck dumb, dumbfounded, found speechless. Eventually they go back to Jerusalem as instructed. They hardly leave HQ, spending every waking hour finding new ways for talking God up to anyone who’ll listen. (Luke 24:50-53)
God, when we are mind-blown and blown over by the changes in our lives, walk with us until we find equilibrium again. Lead us that we might find others who need your steadying hand… that we might offer that steadying love even as you have given it to us. In your name we pray… amen.
Here are some questions and comments that guided our discussion and may spark some reflection for you:
~ How does the poem urge you to think about being in-between, about dying to one piece of life while waiting for another?
~ Sometimes being in-between means waiting for something definite, and other times you don’t know what you’re waiting for. What times of your life have you been in such a place and what was it like?
~ In some cultures, transition times are clearly marked (child-to-adult, marriage, grieving, dying) and seen as sacred community events. How do we accompany one another in our culture? in our communities?
~ What questions came to mind as you read the two versions of Jesus’ ascension?
~ Take a look at this link to a painting from the Mafa Christian communities in North Cameroun. http://www.jesusmafa.com/index.htm Notice how Jesus’ followers are surrounding him (like a village/community) in his time of transition. This is also a time of transition for the followers; consider the symbolism of having Jesus in the middle of our in between times.
~ If Jesus was leaving his disciples, going from one place (earth) to another (heaven), then why were they so full of life and joy instead of grieving the loss? Could it be that they didn’t experience his absence at all, that instead of going to another place, Jesus went to another time? into God’s future? Is that what “the kingdom of heaven” really is, not “God’s place” as much as it is “God’s time”?
It’s a concept which is pretty hard for our brains to wrap around (someone said that the new Star Trek movie helps with this!), but it has some profound implications.
~ Being in God’s time -- God’s promised future when all is well and whole --Jesus leads us there, into the future, with confidence and hope (and the knowledge that we are never alone, no matter what craziness we are going through)
~ God’s future breaks in upon our time when we experience Jesus’ presence, through communities like by the way and others, and especially through our sharing of the bread and wine that is Jesus’ life for us and in us.
~ We don’t know much about what the future will bring, but we can know that the future is safe in Jesus’ hands. That’s why the disciples could be so full of joy, even as they experienced persecution and other challenging hurdles… because they knew that Jesus was with them in a way much more powerful and empowering than they ever knew when Jesus was visibly present!
Believe me, there was lots more good stuff where this came from, so rich was the conversation (and the meal) that we shared. But this gives you the gist.
Peace and joy to you through all your in-between times. Please feel free to join in this discussion, to write any thoughts you may have. Consider yourself part of by the way’s journey, to accompany one another and reach out to our world, whether you are present on-line or able to be present in-person on Thursday nights.
Kari Henkelmann Keyl
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Here, there or somewhere else?
So many of the conversations I’ve had with people lately have included some variation on the theme of being in-between. Maybe it’s a May thing… with all the graduations and home-comings for college students and such. There’s that sense of being done with one thing and waiting for the next, whether you know what that next thing is or not.
But it doesn’t take anything as dramatic as a graduation to get you feeling like you’re in-between. Being in-between jobs is a big one. Or the big in-between feeling that grief can leave you with (as in, when will I ever get over this pain and get on with my life). Or there are happy events like weddings which are big in-between deals, to say the least.
I’ve learned not to assume that being in-between is necessarily bad or good. It can be disorienting and anxiety-producing, but it can also be freeing or even exhilarating. I’ve had times when people have announced to me that they’ve been laid off, and just as I’m about to unleash the sympathy, they let me know it’s ok or quite a bit better than ok… that their previous job is history.
So are you getting that this week’s theme is being in-between? In what way can you put yourself into this picture, whether you’re the one living between-the-times or whether it’s someone you’re accompanying on a journey? Can you sense God’s presence with you as you walk through uncertain waters, or are you wading on your own? Go ahead and blog your thoughts here, or bring them with you to the Crowne tomorrow night (Thurs. at 7pm).
I’ll just give you this one teaser. Some of you may know that tomorrow is the day many celebrate as Ascension Day, a time to remember when the risen Jesus ascended, no longer visible but no less powerfully present. You can read the story if you like (first link below) and take a look at one image in art that I found fascinating (second link). Then tell me if you can see where I’m going with this… what Jesus’ ascension could have to do with being in-between. Of course, I’m not sure exactly where we’re going with this, so feel free to enlighten me (or just challenge me) as much as you’d like…
Peace,
Kari
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%201:6-11;&version=65;
http://www.jesusmafa.com/anglais/imag59.htm
But it doesn’t take anything as dramatic as a graduation to get you feeling like you’re in-between. Being in-between jobs is a big one. Or the big in-between feeling that grief can leave you with (as in, when will I ever get over this pain and get on with my life). Or there are happy events like weddings which are big in-between deals, to say the least.
I’ve learned not to assume that being in-between is necessarily bad or good. It can be disorienting and anxiety-producing, but it can also be freeing or even exhilarating. I’ve had times when people have announced to me that they’ve been laid off, and just as I’m about to unleash the sympathy, they let me know it’s ok or quite a bit better than ok… that their previous job is history.
So are you getting that this week’s theme is being in-between? In what way can you put yourself into this picture, whether you’re the one living between-the-times or whether it’s someone you’re accompanying on a journey? Can you sense God’s presence with you as you walk through uncertain waters, or are you wading on your own? Go ahead and blog your thoughts here, or bring them with you to the Crowne tomorrow night (Thurs. at 7pm).
I’ll just give you this one teaser. Some of you may know that tomorrow is the day many celebrate as Ascension Day, a time to remember when the risen Jesus ascended, no longer visible but no less powerfully present. You can read the story if you like (first link below) and take a look at one image in art that I found fascinating (second link). Then tell me if you can see where I’m going with this… what Jesus’ ascension could have to do with being in-between. Of course, I’m not sure exactly where we’re going with this, so feel free to enlighten me (or just challenge me) as much as you’d like…
Peace,
Kari
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%201:6-11;&version=65;
http://www.jesusmafa.com/anglais/imag59.htm
Saturday, May 16, 2009
When home searches for us
To take a walk through this past week’s “Bread for your Journey” experience, imagine stepping into a room buzzing with voices. There are a few more people here than usual… so there are introductions going on, and some are seeing old friends they haven’t seen in a while. It’s quite an exciting mix…
What you see when you step into this room at the Crowne Plaza is a circle of about 20 chairs with a small table in the middle decorated with candles and surrounded by woody vines. Though the vines are bare, there’s a kind of stark beauty there. Another table is part of the circle, and it holds a pottery cup and a colorfully tiled tray with a large loaf of hearty-looking bread… and the inviting aroma of this loaf fills the room.
When all have settled into their seats, some words of welcome are spoken and the central candle is lit. We cross the boundary from our many busy lives into this time and place with some centering prayer… thanking God for this gift of time, for the bread and wine, for all the ways we sense God’s presence.
Next we have a series of three readings which draw us into the theme of searching for home. Feel free to light your own candle after each reading, as we did in our gathering, and then join in the words of prayer which follow.The first reading is a quote from Sharing Silence by poet/author Gunilla Norris:
"Silent spaces invite us to go to the inner room—the room inside ourselves. By making room for silence, we resist the forces of the world which tell us to live an advertised life of surface appearances, instead of a discovered life—a life lived in contact with our senses, our feelings, our deepest thoughts and values. "
God, you welcome us to come inside ourselves, to find room for silence, room to be who we are and explore who we might be becoming. Come and make yourself at home in our hearts… and in this circle of people, this community gathered here. In your name we pray… amen.
The second reading is from the Bible, from John’s book about Jesus, chapter 15, verses 9 – 17. It’s from a discussion Jesus had with his followers soon before he was taken from them. (Click on the following link.)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2015:9-17;&version=65;
Teacher Jesus, your words are warm and inviting, home-coming words… and they are challenging as well. Move within us that we might truly make ourselves at home in your love... and that that love would extend outward through us to love your people… to give our lives for your people, just as you have given your life to us. In your name we pray… amen.
The third reading is taken from a poem/song by Shirley Erena Murray:
Loving Spirit, loving spirit, you have chosen me to be--
you have drawn me to your wonder, you have set your sign on me.
Like a mother you enfold me, hold my life within your own,
feed me with your very body, form me of your flesh and bone.
Like a father you protect me, teach me the discerning eye,
hoist me up upon your shoulder, let me see the world from high.
Friend and lover, in your closeness, I am known and held and blessed:
in your promise is my comfort, in your presence I may rest.
Loving Spirit, swirling around and within us, we see you in so many images of love and care. We thank you for mothering us and fathering us, for befriending us and holding us close to you. Help us to explore more fully what your love means to us, that we might become those who invite others into the home of your love. In your name we pray… amen.
The reflection/discussion time that followed the readings on Thursday is hard to capture, because the wonderful insights everyone had to share took us in so many directions! Here are some of the highlights:
What does it mean to be “at home”? (can’t assume it’s where you live)
~ to come to a place where I belong, de-stress, can be who I really am, feel energized and loved by the people who are there (or when I’m by myself)
~ to be challenged to grow and give myself, to be responsible and feel I’m needed there, to be connected to something larger than myself
~ it’s like going to your “home page”, a place where you want to check in and launch from there
The virtual world has a way of separating us into our own comfort zones, but it can also be a powerful connecting force… like in this video, where one person’s dream of connecting others through music becomes a force for peace:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM
How do you see God at work in such a project? In other such projects which help us see the whole earth as our home, and people across the world as our family? How is God our home, home for everyone?
~ Having God as our home can be very personal, like feeling held in comforting/challenging love
~ But it can also be very broad, energizing us to reach out beyond ourselves
In those times when we seem to be dis-connected from God, we find other “homes”
~ some “homes” are healthy: with friends and/or family who deeply care, or with causes that give us a sense of purpose
~ some are not so healthy: addictions that take the place of God, relationships that are abusive, etc.
~ How does God stay connected to us even when we feel cut off from God?
When Jesus spoke the words of our 2nd reading (John), he was talking about being connected no matter what happens next. He was talking to his dearest friends knowing that they were all about to enter into a time of immense stress, when Jesus would be taken away from them, arrested, executed.
~ So he knows they’re going to need some stronger-than-ever teaching to hold onto, so he gives them this incredible image of how he’s the Vine and we’re the branches (see earlier in John, chapter 15)
~ Then he talks about this organic relationship between Jesus and God and us:
I have loved you, even as the Father has loved me;
make yourself at home in my love.
~ Make yourself at home, where you can breathe deeply and know you belong, where you can be drawn in and be energized and sent back out… AND where you have some responsibilities: to love so deeply you’d give your life… to love so deeply that you’d feel a joy so complete that you need no other joy.
Besides giving us wonderful images of home and vine, Jesus also gave his followers (and gives us) something even more tangible to hold onto, to touch and taste and smell…
Jesus gave us bread — his own body going into our bodies — as God’s own being making a home in us. And Jesus gave us wine, to be his lifeblood flowing in us, his power of connecting forgiveness holding us in God, and energizing us to go out and bring the rest of God’s children home.
We passed the bread and the wine around, taking Jesus’ life into our bodies, reflecting on the beauty of searching for God and searching for home… that it’s not a one-way street search… it’s a dynamic energy stream, with God doing the consistent searching, and we… sometimes responding just as dynamically, other times relying on God to hold up both ends of the deal.
Peace be yours as you explore your search for home, and how God might be searching for you. If you have your own reflections to add, I’d love to hear them, either here on the blog or over a cup of coffee sometime.
~ Kari
What you see when you step into this room at the Crowne Plaza is a circle of about 20 chairs with a small table in the middle decorated with candles and surrounded by woody vines. Though the vines are bare, there’s a kind of stark beauty there. Another table is part of the circle, and it holds a pottery cup and a colorfully tiled tray with a large loaf of hearty-looking bread… and the inviting aroma of this loaf fills the room.
When all have settled into their seats, some words of welcome are spoken and the central candle is lit. We cross the boundary from our many busy lives into this time and place with some centering prayer… thanking God for this gift of time, for the bread and wine, for all the ways we sense God’s presence.
Next we have a series of three readings which draw us into the theme of searching for home. Feel free to light your own candle after each reading, as we did in our gathering, and then join in the words of prayer which follow.The first reading is a quote from Sharing Silence by poet/author Gunilla Norris:
"Silent spaces invite us to go to the inner room—the room inside ourselves. By making room for silence, we resist the forces of the world which tell us to live an advertised life of surface appearances, instead of a discovered life—a life lived in contact with our senses, our feelings, our deepest thoughts and values. "
God, you welcome us to come inside ourselves, to find room for silence, room to be who we are and explore who we might be becoming. Come and make yourself at home in our hearts… and in this circle of people, this community gathered here. In your name we pray… amen.
The second reading is from the Bible, from John’s book about Jesus, chapter 15, verses 9 – 17. It’s from a discussion Jesus had with his followers soon before he was taken from them. (Click on the following link.)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2015:9-17;&version=65;
Teacher Jesus, your words are warm and inviting, home-coming words… and they are challenging as well. Move within us that we might truly make ourselves at home in your love... and that that love would extend outward through us to love your people… to give our lives for your people, just as you have given your life to us. In your name we pray… amen.
The third reading is taken from a poem/song by Shirley Erena Murray:
Loving Spirit, loving spirit, you have chosen me to be--
you have drawn me to your wonder, you have set your sign on me.
Like a mother you enfold me, hold my life within your own,
feed me with your very body, form me of your flesh and bone.
Like a father you protect me, teach me the discerning eye,
hoist me up upon your shoulder, let me see the world from high.
Friend and lover, in your closeness, I am known and held and blessed:
in your promise is my comfort, in your presence I may rest.
Loving Spirit, swirling around and within us, we see you in so many images of love and care. We thank you for mothering us and fathering us, for befriending us and holding us close to you. Help us to explore more fully what your love means to us, that we might become those who invite others into the home of your love. In your name we pray… amen.
The reflection/discussion time that followed the readings on Thursday is hard to capture, because the wonderful insights everyone had to share took us in so many directions! Here are some of the highlights:
What does it mean to be “at home”? (can’t assume it’s where you live)
~ to come to a place where I belong, de-stress, can be who I really am, feel energized and loved by the people who are there (or when I’m by myself)
~ to be challenged to grow and give myself, to be responsible and feel I’m needed there, to be connected to something larger than myself
~ it’s like going to your “home page”, a place where you want to check in and launch from there
The virtual world has a way of separating us into our own comfort zones, but it can also be a powerful connecting force… like in this video, where one person’s dream of connecting others through music becomes a force for peace:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM
How do you see God at work in such a project? In other such projects which help us see the whole earth as our home, and people across the world as our family? How is God our home, home for everyone?
~ Having God as our home can be very personal, like feeling held in comforting/challenging love
~ But it can also be very broad, energizing us to reach out beyond ourselves
In those times when we seem to be dis-connected from God, we find other “homes”
~ some “homes” are healthy: with friends and/or family who deeply care, or with causes that give us a sense of purpose
~ some are not so healthy: addictions that take the place of God, relationships that are abusive, etc.
~ How does God stay connected to us even when we feel cut off from God?
When Jesus spoke the words of our 2nd reading (John), he was talking about being connected no matter what happens next. He was talking to his dearest friends knowing that they were all about to enter into a time of immense stress, when Jesus would be taken away from them, arrested, executed.
~ So he knows they’re going to need some stronger-than-ever teaching to hold onto, so he gives them this incredible image of how he’s the Vine and we’re the branches (see earlier in John, chapter 15)
~ Then he talks about this organic relationship between Jesus and God and us:
I have loved you, even as the Father has loved me;
make yourself at home in my love.
~ Make yourself at home, where you can breathe deeply and know you belong, where you can be drawn in and be energized and sent back out… AND where you have some responsibilities: to love so deeply you’d give your life… to love so deeply that you’d feel a joy so complete that you need no other joy.
Besides giving us wonderful images of home and vine, Jesus also gave his followers (and gives us) something even more tangible to hold onto, to touch and taste and smell…
Jesus gave us bread — his own body going into our bodies — as God’s own being making a home in us. And Jesus gave us wine, to be his lifeblood flowing in us, his power of connecting forgiveness holding us in God, and energizing us to go out and bring the rest of God’s children home.
We passed the bread and the wine around, taking Jesus’ life into our bodies, reflecting on the beauty of searching for God and searching for home… that it’s not a one-way street search… it’s a dynamic energy stream, with God doing the consistent searching, and we… sometimes responding just as dynamically, other times relying on God to hold up both ends of the deal.
Peace be yours as you explore your search for home, and how God might be searching for you. If you have your own reflections to add, I’d love to hear them, either here on the blog or over a cup of coffee sometime.
~ Kari
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
In search of home
Make yourself at home. I love those words. Like to hear them. Like to say them.
Yourself at home. You know… like when you’ve come into squirmingly unfamiliar territory, and those words mean you don’t need to think of yourself as a guest or a trespasser or an awkward wallflower. You belong. You’re family. At least that’s what someone wants you to think. Whether you can actually be at home is another matter.
At home. Whatever site you’ve chosen to be your “home page” when you hop onto the internet, probably is one place you feel at home. You see the familiar background and some kind of comfort settles into you. A connectedness. It’s become your home base from which you launch.
Home. Somewhere in my pre-teen years, I discovered a few moving words that helped me find “home” when I was having a hard time even making myself at home in my own skin. They were some words of Jesus to his best buds. And they went something like this:
I’ve loved you the way the Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. (from chapter 15 of John’s Gospel, the 9th verse)
That worked for me. Through the bully-filled hallways at school, I walked with a force field around me. Someone could punch through the force field and reach my shoulder, but they could not shake my sense that God’s love was layered around me. God’s constant love for me was my home, a home that I carried with me.
I have to admit, that image hasn’t always worked for me. Along the way I came up with new ones, new images of God’s presence that grew and changed right along with me. But I also had years when I had no working metaphors for God’s love. And I found a lot of different kinds of “homes”, some good for me, and some... not so good.
I look back now and truly treasure the roads I’ve taken and the homing images I’ve had along the way. Through it all, I believe, God has been faithful, reaching out to me in many different ways and forms. And now I’m back to loving the image of God’s love as home, even more than I did when I first stepped into it.
Where is “home” for you, and what’s there that helps you feel that way? Do you have many homey places, just a few, or none at all? Please share any reflections you may have, if you like.
Our Bread for your journey gathering this Thursday will take us further into this homing expedition, and I really hope you’ll come. Whether you’re someone who likes to quietly watch and listen or someone who likes to speak the questions and insights of your hearts… you can find a home with this community-in-process called by the way.
Stop by the Crowne Plaza at 7pm Thursday night, just off exit 8 in Nashua. The parking garage is a handy place to leave your car. And the good folks at the front desk can point you in the right direction. If you can’t stop by, feel free to come back here to the blog for a similar experience of home.
Peace,
Kari
Yourself at home. You know… like when you’ve come into squirmingly unfamiliar territory, and those words mean you don’t need to think of yourself as a guest or a trespasser or an awkward wallflower. You belong. You’re family. At least that’s what someone wants you to think. Whether you can actually be at home is another matter.
At home. Whatever site you’ve chosen to be your “home page” when you hop onto the internet, probably is one place you feel at home. You see the familiar background and some kind of comfort settles into you. A connectedness. It’s become your home base from which you launch.
Home. Somewhere in my pre-teen years, I discovered a few moving words that helped me find “home” when I was having a hard time even making myself at home in my own skin. They were some words of Jesus to his best buds. And they went something like this:
I’ve loved you the way the Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. (from chapter 15 of John’s Gospel, the 9th verse)
That worked for me. Through the bully-filled hallways at school, I walked with a force field around me. Someone could punch through the force field and reach my shoulder, but they could not shake my sense that God’s love was layered around me. God’s constant love for me was my home, a home that I carried with me.
I have to admit, that image hasn’t always worked for me. Along the way I came up with new ones, new images of God’s presence that grew and changed right along with me. But I also had years when I had no working metaphors for God’s love. And I found a lot of different kinds of “homes”, some good for me, and some... not so good.
I look back now and truly treasure the roads I’ve taken and the homing images I’ve had along the way. Through it all, I believe, God has been faithful, reaching out to me in many different ways and forms. And now I’m back to loving the image of God’s love as home, even more than I did when I first stepped into it.
Where is “home” for you, and what’s there that helps you feel that way? Do you have many homey places, just a few, or none at all? Please share any reflections you may have, if you like.
Our Bread for your journey gathering this Thursday will take us further into this homing expedition, and I really hope you’ll come. Whether you’re someone who likes to quietly watch and listen or someone who likes to speak the questions and insights of your hearts… you can find a home with this community-in-process called by the way.
Stop by the Crowne Plaza at 7pm Thursday night, just off exit 8 in Nashua. The parking garage is a handy place to leave your car. And the good folks at the front desk can point you in the right direction. If you can’t stop by, feel free to come back here to the blog for a similar experience of home.
Peace,
Kari
Friday, May 8, 2009
Connected, pruned, energized
Just off the Crowne Plaza lobby is a room that’s been set aside for ‘by the way’ for this Thursday evening. As you step inside, you see a group of folks chatting casually, a circle of chairs, and a small square table at the head of the circle. The table invites your eye to consider a feast: some candles, a goblet of wine, a plate of bread, a branch from a berry vine, a young rhubarb stalk.
You wander over to a side table to get a drink of water, and you see a number of interesting books lying there. One called, “God Uses Cracked Pots” catches your attention, since you’ve had a hard day and could use a good laugh. Sure enough, in just a couple of minutes of perusing, the book delivers.
You find a seat around the circle with the others. The mood is light and relaxed as people share where they’ve come from and what their weeks have been like. The central candle is lit and some inviting words of prayer are spoken. Three different people speak the words of some readings, with each one followed by the lighting of a votive candle and some words of prayer.
The first reading is called “All Over the Place”, which is from this blog, the May 7th entry. (Scroll down to read it, if you like; then you can come back for the following words of prayer.)
God, we’ve all wandered in here from our too-full, winding-road lives. Give us time now to step back and look at all that we are, all that we do, and how you fit into it all. Help us to see you. Help us to see you as our Source, our Vine, our connection to our roots, our connection to the Earth, our connection to every other living thing. In your name we pray… amen.
The next reading is from the Bible, from chapter 15 of John’s gospel, verses 1 – 8, which you can find in a version called The Message with this link:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2015:1-8;&version=65
Teacher Jesus, you’ve given us lots of word-pictures, ways we can imagine and experience who you are. As we get into this vine-and-branches image together, we ask you to get into us… speak to us of that precious connection to you… and what it means that God is pruning us… and what kind of fruit we could be bearing. We pray for all those who feel “cut off”, including ourselves at times (or maybe all of the time). Work through us to heal those severed ties in our world. In your name we pray… amen.
A final reading is a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, read two times through:
Afire With God
Earth's crammed with heaven
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes -
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries
Thanks, God, for poets who say so much in just a few words, for all those whose creativity connects us to deep truths. Fill us with such awareness of your presence, that we too might see all around us your fire, your heaven, all over this Earth and inside ourselves. In your name we pray… amen.
Next the group is invited into a time of processing thoughts the readings may have generated. Here are some of the highlights of Thursday’s conversation:
~ how we are like branches and Jesus our vine, with our lives being channels of God’s energy, healing, grace (or not, when we are more cut-off then connected)
~ When we are going in many different directions, sometimes we need to stop and consider what’s our source, what’s the purpose, and where’s it all going?
~ “Pruning” might refer to the process of realizing that we can’t put energy into all of our gifts and passions… that with the help of God and others, we can figure out which gifts to focus on
~ how John’s gospel paints the compelling picture of Jesus inviting people to live/abide/dwell in him, like it’s a magnetic force or an energy field of God’s influence and joy
~ how modern “mechanical” culture has lost some of that ability to understand that kind of mysterious force… but now quantum physics is taking us to new (or back to the old) places of understanding… and we can see how social networking is getting us into using energy channels and spheres of influence, and understanding new ways of being God’s connected people
As our discussion came back to how Jesus nurtured those who were drawn to him, we remembered how Jesus shared bread with his friends, teaching and showing them how they could feed one another with his very life… and how he said that the wine they drank together would be the connecting force of forgiveness, drawing all people to God. We shared the bread and the wine, savoring Jesus’ presence and power, the energy we receive in the bread and wine and in the community God is creating in ‘by the way’… as we gather at the Crowne and as we connect online.
Please feel free to add your own thoughts about what you’ve read here. And do come if you can, next Thursday night, to our next ‘Bread for your journey’ gathering.
Peace,
Kari
You wander over to a side table to get a drink of water, and you see a number of interesting books lying there. One called, “God Uses Cracked Pots” catches your attention, since you’ve had a hard day and could use a good laugh. Sure enough, in just a couple of minutes of perusing, the book delivers.
You find a seat around the circle with the others. The mood is light and relaxed as people share where they’ve come from and what their weeks have been like. The central candle is lit and some inviting words of prayer are spoken. Three different people speak the words of some readings, with each one followed by the lighting of a votive candle and some words of prayer.
The first reading is called “All Over the Place”, which is from this blog, the May 7th entry. (Scroll down to read it, if you like; then you can come back for the following words of prayer.)
God, we’ve all wandered in here from our too-full, winding-road lives. Give us time now to step back and look at all that we are, all that we do, and how you fit into it all. Help us to see you. Help us to see you as our Source, our Vine, our connection to our roots, our connection to the Earth, our connection to every other living thing. In your name we pray… amen.
The next reading is from the Bible, from chapter 15 of John’s gospel, verses 1 – 8, which you can find in a version called The Message with this link:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2015:1-8;&version=65
Teacher Jesus, you’ve given us lots of word-pictures, ways we can imagine and experience who you are. As we get into this vine-and-branches image together, we ask you to get into us… speak to us of that precious connection to you… and what it means that God is pruning us… and what kind of fruit we could be bearing. We pray for all those who feel “cut off”, including ourselves at times (or maybe all of the time). Work through us to heal those severed ties in our world. In your name we pray… amen.
A final reading is a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, read two times through:
Afire With God
Earth's crammed with heaven
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes -
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries
Thanks, God, for poets who say so much in just a few words, for all those whose creativity connects us to deep truths. Fill us with such awareness of your presence, that we too might see all around us your fire, your heaven, all over this Earth and inside ourselves. In your name we pray… amen.
Next the group is invited into a time of processing thoughts the readings may have generated. Here are some of the highlights of Thursday’s conversation:
~ how we are like branches and Jesus our vine, with our lives being channels of God’s energy, healing, grace (or not, when we are more cut-off then connected)
~ When we are going in many different directions, sometimes we need to stop and consider what’s our source, what’s the purpose, and where’s it all going?
~ “Pruning” might refer to the process of realizing that we can’t put energy into all of our gifts and passions… that with the help of God and others, we can figure out which gifts to focus on
~ how John’s gospel paints the compelling picture of Jesus inviting people to live/abide/dwell in him, like it’s a magnetic force or an energy field of God’s influence and joy
~ how modern “mechanical” culture has lost some of that ability to understand that kind of mysterious force… but now quantum physics is taking us to new (or back to the old) places of understanding… and we can see how social networking is getting us into using energy channels and spheres of influence, and understanding new ways of being God’s connected people
As our discussion came back to how Jesus nurtured those who were drawn to him, we remembered how Jesus shared bread with his friends, teaching and showing them how they could feed one another with his very life… and how he said that the wine they drank together would be the connecting force of forgiveness, drawing all people to God. We shared the bread and the wine, savoring Jesus’ presence and power, the energy we receive in the bread and wine and in the community God is creating in ‘by the way’… as we gather at the Crowne and as we connect online.
Please feel free to add your own thoughts about what you’ve read here. And do come if you can, next Thursday night, to our next ‘Bread for your journey’ gathering.
Peace,
Kari
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
All over the place
Ever have one of those days when your thoughts are all over the place? and managing even one coherent sentence is a chore? Yeah, I’m having one of those. It’s all good, really. All that’s spinning around in my brain is good stuff, exciting, untamed, stimulating, rock-your-world kind of thoughts. But how to bring it all in? Ah, maybe I’ve got it…
Branches. If you look at a healthy grape arbor, what you see is plenty of leafy branches winding themselves this way and that, as if each branch had a mind of its own. You have to dig deep, push your way through the tangled branches, if you want to see the vine: that thick and hearty stem that connects the branches to the root system.
And if it’s the right time of year, you get to see the reason for the plant’s existence: the luscious fruit that’s bunching on the branches… the grapes that would not be there, were it not for the stretching branches, the sun-soaking leaves, and the vine’s roots to suck up the goodies from the rich earth below. No connections, no fruit. Fruit happens when everyone’s doing their jobs and they all stay connected.
So what of these meandering thoughts of mine… each a vital branch with its own way of catching the sun, all of them embracing truth in life-giving ways, hoping to bear fruit… It seems like they all need to turn around and ponder the vine from which they’re growing.
And what of these many people of God wandering around the earth, each with his/her own way of finding meaning and energy and sense, all of them embracing causes and truths and other beings, winding every which way to try to make it in this world. It seems like we all need to turn around and consider the vine from which we’re growing.
You can do your own considering, if you like. Leave a comment; I’d love to hear it. And feel free to take a bite of scripture by clicking on the title of this post. If you’re around, come to our next “Bread for your journey” gathering to do some more digging and connecting. We’ll be at the Crowne Plaza in Nashua (off exit 8) at 7pm, Thursday, May 7, and the Thursdays to come as well. Stop by the blog again this weekend to follow along.
Peace,
Kari
Branches. If you look at a healthy grape arbor, what you see is plenty of leafy branches winding themselves this way and that, as if each branch had a mind of its own. You have to dig deep, push your way through the tangled branches, if you want to see the vine: that thick and hearty stem that connects the branches to the root system.
And if it’s the right time of year, you get to see the reason for the plant’s existence: the luscious fruit that’s bunching on the branches… the grapes that would not be there, were it not for the stretching branches, the sun-soaking leaves, and the vine’s roots to suck up the goodies from the rich earth below. No connections, no fruit. Fruit happens when everyone’s doing their jobs and they all stay connected.
So what of these meandering thoughts of mine… each a vital branch with its own way of catching the sun, all of them embracing truth in life-giving ways, hoping to bear fruit… It seems like they all need to turn around and ponder the vine from which they’re growing.
And what of these many people of God wandering around the earth, each with his/her own way of finding meaning and energy and sense, all of them embracing causes and truths and other beings, winding every which way to try to make it in this world. It seems like we all need to turn around and consider the vine from which we’re growing.
You can do your own considering, if you like. Leave a comment; I’d love to hear it. And feel free to take a bite of scripture by clicking on the title of this post. If you’re around, come to our next “Bread for your journey” gathering to do some more digging and connecting. We’ll be at the Crowne Plaza in Nashua (off exit 8) at 7pm, Thursday, May 7, and the Thursdays to come as well. Stop by the blog again this weekend to follow along.
Peace,
Kari
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
