Where everybody knows your name,
And they’re always glad you came!
You wanna go where people know
People are all the same.
You wanna go where everybody knows your name. ♫
This has been one day when I definitely would have appreciated having my own friendly neighborhood bar to step into. I don’t, so I didn’t. But I did make a stop at one of my neighborhood places, out of necessity, to have my new glasses adjusted so they’d stop tormenting my ears. I walked in with all the grumpiness of my day clouding my spirit. And I walked out with a genuine smile, absent-mindedly humming the theme song to Cheers.
I had been greeted by name, treated with kindness, and even had the pleasure of a meaningful conversation. “My” Pearle Vision is a place where they know my name and are always glad I came. And I am truly grateful for it.
Do you have places like this? And do you value them as much as I do? Do you hunger for more of this sense of belonging? This sense of being known? I know I do. And when I get it, I treasure it. I feel like God is at work (or play?) in that place, or in that person, or in that group… whether they know it or not.
One of the most-loved pieces of poetry of all time, the song/poem that’s come to be known as Psalm 23, has this theme of being known. (Here are a couple of versions to check out: Psalm 23 NIV and Psalm 23 The Message.)
Through sunny-smooth times and shadowy-frightening times, God is like a shepherd who lovingly/firmly leads the way. This is one of those Bible passages that some people have tucked away in their memories. When they really need it, they can pull it out… to take them to that place of belonging, where they are known by name, like a sheep that’s valued by its shepherd.
Near the end of the psalm comes a line that sounds just plain gooey-comforting: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”. I’ll never forget when one of my college professors, Walter Rast, pointed out that the Hebrew word we usually translate as “follow” really has more of the connotation of “pursue” or “chase after”. At the time I learned this, I was having serious doubts about everything I’d ever learned about anything, including God. This image of God chasing after me, trying to gift me with undeserved love, even when I was running away, was deeply powerful for me.
At those times when I have no “Cheers” in my life, no place I sense belonging, there God my Shepherd is, chasing after me, pursuing me when my head’s turned the other way. When my day is full of anxiousness and empty of Godness, there is my Shepherd calling out my name, hoping I’ll recognize that familiar voice.
For there are times we don’t recognize the calling, when we miss out on the Life being offered. We need other “sheep” around us to help us to listen and discern where God’s voice is coming from and where it is not. Check out this episode in Jesus’ life, where he talks about himself as a shepherd whose guidance is not always received or recognized as a gift (John 10:22-30).
For some thought-provoking fun, I’ll end with one of my favorite movie images of a “good shepherd”, one who knows the sheep by name and pursues the sheep with love: Babe the Sheep Pig. This link (trailer) tells the story of this unconventional shepherding, and this one (tribute) shows the power of the story to effect even the tiniest of sheep!
Please know that by the way is a place that you can find welcome, just as you are. If you’d like to join in an audio Skype conversation on the issues I’ve raised here, call in and look for “bythewaycommunity” on skype.com this Thursday, April 22, at 7pm EST. Consider as well the option to offer your thoughts to others here by commenting below.
Showing posts with label belonging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label belonging. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
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
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