An Advent Offering from Eunice: Do not be afraid…

Lil Smith
December 6, 2012
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grandmas adventures 010

Genesis 15:1-6  (NIV)

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.  But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”  And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”   Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.”  He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”  Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. 

“Do not be afraid.”  Here are those words again which reappear in the scriptures 350 times according to some scholars.  It seems that so many people to whom God offers something new, from Abram to Mary, must be given this assurance.  God must think it very important that we the children of God get this message.  And haven’t we repeated these very words to our children when they were fearful of the dark or frightened by something new?

I have come to believe that it is not money that is the root of all evil, but rather fear.  Accumulation of money is just one of our many naïve schemes and unsuccessful attempts to assuage our fears of not having enough, enough security, enough things, enough happiness.

Perhaps this Advent as we prepare once again to recognize the promise and presence of Jesus in our midst, it is time for us to ask ourselves what good in life is fear keeping us from accomplishing?   Are we ignoring a call,” something new in our lives for which Jesus would assure us, “Do not be afraid.”   Is fear blinding us to Emmanuel, God with us?  Could Marianne Williams be right that “Our greatest fear is not that we are powerless. Our greatest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure?”

Peace,

Eunice

Eunice Cheshire, Founding Director
Eunice Cheshire, Founding Director

 

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An Advent Offering from Debra – My family of origin is divine!

Lil Smith
December 5, 2012
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DSCN1142

Genesis 3:8-15

8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” 14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Ahhhh, the story of Adam and Eve.  Who among us didn’t grow up hearing the story of the first humans in the Garden of Eden, the evil snake tempting Eve to eat of the Tree of Good and Evil, and the consequences of their sin?  I remember how surprised I was the first time I learned this story wasn’t literally true, of how it was a metaphor and Adam and Eve archetypal humans.  Even more surprising and gratifying was the occasion when I connected the dots with the “other” creation story in Genesis, the one where God created humans in God’s image and likeness and found them to be very good.  My family of origin is divine!

So how did it happen that I, and all other humans, lost that connection?  How did we come to forget who we are?  After Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command and felt fear and shame for the first time, God asked them, “Who told you that you were naked?”  God sure didn’t.  Yet somehow they came to believe they were no longer in union with God, as symbolized by the Garden of Eden, an illusion they chose to believe but certainly not one proffered by God.  Yet it’s something with which all of us humans struggle.  I think of my children, when they were babies and so clearly in union with God, and I wonder, when did they make the transition from being in union with God to thinking they weren’t?  (And, of course, a mother’s guilt makes me ask myself what role I played in that movement.)

This Advent, I am grateful for at least the intellectual apprehension of the concept of my being God’s beloved.  I still have a lot of growing to do before my behavior reflects that understanding on a consistent basis, but for now I give thanks for the gift of Jesus, who, in the fullness of his humanity demonstrates for us what it means to be part of a family of divine origin.

Peace,

Debra

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An Advent Offering from Rhesa: Isaiah 40:9-11- Sometimes a whisper is louder than a shout

Lil Smith
December 4, 2012
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DSCN1218Isaiah 40: 9-11

9 Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” 10 See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.

Sometimes a whisper is louder than a shout.

I love you. You’re safe. Wake up. We’re home. I’m here. You are not alone.  I love you.

These are best spoken in gentle whispers that cause the listener to pause and notice.  A whisper relies on the depth of the emotion to carry sound waves. Whispers comfort crying children, quiet rowdy classrooms, and pronounce commitment. Whispers are the lullabies that live on after the notes have died. Whispers weave a symphony of silence, coating the soul with contentment.

Waiting whispers.

Promise whispers.

Hope whispers.

God whispers.

I love you. You’re safe. Wake up. We’re home. I’m here. You are not alone.  I love you.

Sometimes a whisper is louder than a shout.

Peace,

Rhesa

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An Advent Offering from Diana: Isaiah 57:7-10 – Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord

Lil Smith
December 4, 2012
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coming to the lightPrepare Ye the Way of the Lord

Isaiah 57: 7-10

7 Upon a high and lofty mountain you have set your bed, and there you went up to offer sacrifice. 8 Behind the door and the doorpost you have set up your symbol; for, in deserting me, you have uncovered your bed, you have gone up to it, you have made it wide; and you have made a bargain for yourself with them, you have loved their bed, you have gazed on their nakedness. 9 You journeyed to Molech with oil, and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your envoys far away, and sent down even to Sheol. 10 You grew weary from your many wanderings, but you did not say, “It is useless.” You found your desire rekindled, and so you did not weaken.

There is a beautiful chorus that was sung during Advent at a church I attended
called “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord.” I did not realize at the time this chorus was
echoing the words of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 40]. Those words were so needed at
the time he wrote. For Israel, who was to be set apart as the people of God, had
intermarried within the pagan culture surrounding them and had adopted their
behaviors and degrading forms of worship expressly forbidden by the Lord.

The words of today’s reading sound quite harsh and vindictive. Our modern ears
are not used to hearing such strong words of judgment. Yet what was Isaiah trying
to say to God’s people through these and other such indictments found in this book?
In so many other verses throughout Isaiah there are wonderful promises much
more palatable and encouraging. Take a few moments to read Isaiah 43:18 & 19,
Isaiah 9: 6 & 7, and the beautiful, comforting words of Isaiah 41:10.

lf we really take time to meditate on the verses in today’s reading, severe as they
seem, God will speak. We can ask ourselves questions such as: where is the real
focus of my life? Is it what the world has to offer or in the promises of God? What
idols have I placed on the altar of my life? What other gods do I seek after: prestige,
power, pleasure?

Sometimes it takes strong words such as we find in this passage to wake us up to
reflect upon where we are in our own lives. The Word of God is meant; to pierce our
hearts, then to refocus us on the beautiful promises of God, which are more
permanent, more loving and fulñlling than anything we seek after on this earth.

God still calls us as believers to be set apart from the world, to he lights that shine
in the darkness. Isaiah received that call from God. In Isaiah 6:8, when God asked
whom he should send to the people, Isaiah responds, “Here I am. Send me.”

In the coming weeks, there will be many voices that clamor for our attention,
opportunities to focus on the gods we set up in place of the true God. This Advent
season, can we take time to make our relationship with God central to our
celebration, to daily say the words, “Here I am, Lord, Send me”? How richer this
season will be if we prepare for the way of the Lord in our hearts and lives.

Peace,

Diana

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An Advent Offering from Lil: Isaiah 40:1-5 Prepare the way for the glory of the Lord to be revealed

Lil Smith
December 4, 2012
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DSCN1139Isaiah 40:1-5

1 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Last Christmas we spent time at my parents’ home where I grew up.  I snapped this photo of the fireplace just after the fire began to roar on its own.  When I was little, a fire in the fireplace meant we would be staying at home all day.  It was a wood burning fireplace that needed to be attended, not gas logs to turn on and off at a whim.  So a fire for me meant a day of comfort in the den with warmth, a puzzle, cards, music, family, laughter, football games, and a nap.

I wish for this so much today at the beginning of Advent so that I might slow down and let go of the busyness of life with three teenagers and a full-time job.  So that I might let the light penetrate my tired bones and fill that place of emptiness that needs to feel the presence of God.  I pray this for all of you as the time of preparation is underway.  Make way for the Lord in your heart and in your home.  Invite others in to do the same.  If it has been a particularly difficult year for you, I pray this is a time of healing in the midst of your grief.  Advent healing makes way for new birth and new life!  Thanks be to God!

Peace,

Lil

The Rev. Lil Smith
The Rev. Lil Smith
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An offering from Debra: 65 Steps

Lil Smith
November 26, 2012
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65 STEPS

I live in a big house.  A really big house.  When we built it and moved in ten years ago I rejoiced in its spaciousness.  One time I even counted the steps from our bedroom to the laundry room (65!) and saw the distance as a way to increase my exercise.

Times have changed.  The kids are grown up, the hubby has retired, and we are much more aware of the environment and our impact on it.  We’re more than ready to downsize.  Those 65 steps have become burdensome.

Recently I carried a load of clothes to the laundry room, only to have my husband call out, “Did you get the shorts I left on the floor of the closet?”  Resisting a snarky response I retraced my steps, muttering the whole way under my breath.  But then a remarkable thing happened: I was overcome with gratitude-

-gratitude for having a husband who needed his shorts washed

-gratitude for knees that were a bit creaky but still moved me when and where I wanted

-gratitude for the beauty of the house I walked through

I thought how much of life is like that “journey” between my bedroom and the laundry room.  I can focus on the negative or I can actively look for God’s presence and grace.  Willie Nelson may sing “and there was darkness on the face of the earth,” but as for me, I prefer the psalmist’s words of hope:

“Darkness is not dark for you, and night shines as day.  Darkness and light are but one.”  (Psalm 139:13)

With the Light,

Debra

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An Offering from Donnie: A Struggle with Personal Pride

Lil Smith
November 4, 2012
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Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.  -Mark 10:47

 

Recently, my husband and I visited Hungary.  We spent a few days in Budapest; one thing we delighted in were walking tours of the various parts of the city.  These tours were lead by very knowledgeable young people intent on educating visitors about the past and present of their country.  The walks were FREE and well worth any tip you were moved to give to them.

The Hungarian history is varied ranging from the Celtics in the 400’s, to the eventual Christianization by King Stephen in 1000, to subjugation by the Communist government of the USSR.  The city reflects many aspects of those by- gone eras.

As we walked through the medieval city, I was struck by how modern Hungary was presenting itself.  Many of the building were in a state of disrepair.  The Communist domination had done little to keep the medieval buildings clean and repaired.  Some of the old buildings in Budapest were being cleaned only at eye level—the first floor.  I suppose the idea was to put the Hungarian best foot forward where most people looked. This was a struggle with national pride.  One that money can change.

As I walked looking at the buildings, it occurred to me that is the way we humans clean ourselves at eye level for others to see, a struggle with personal pride.  One that money can’t change, that is God’s job.

At various times in my life, I’ve been distressed by my need to show only the clean, sparkling parts of myself, my first floor. I eventually have had to beg my Lord for the grace of humility.  Little did I know of what I was begging!  It came to me from within and as a result of that begging that I had to acknowledge my pride before God.  I needed to intentionally look at my pride and call it what it is—sin.  Pride is the way the evil one diminishes the work of the Lord in my life.

I had to face my need for healing and realize that it is a gift that God freely gives to me whether I beg for it or not.  But like the medieval buildings that are partiality clean, I needed to beg for God’s mercy to clean the inside as well as my upper stories.  Being who I am, I will need to do so all of my life.

Scripture is replete with stories of God’s healings.  While I couldn’t come up with one centered on buildings, one of my favorites which always has a message for me, is the cry of the man begging at the city gate of Jericho.  When Jesus was passing by, the man called out to him and Jesus responded

Like the blind man, Bartimaeus, I need to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me” and then tell him when Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:46-52)  Before Bartimaeus could receive the gift of healing, he had to recognize and acknowledge his need of healing.  I, too, need to spend time begging so that I will remember that salvation is a gift from God and has nothing to do with how clean and sparkly I am on the outside but how in need I am of his healing grace on the inside and all of the upper floors.

I know that, like the lovely buildings in Budapest, I am blessed with my share of God-given gifts, but mixed in with those is a need for healing that I sometimes don’t clearly see.  I am grateful for these gifts and I also beg for the honestly to acknowledge what needs to be healed.

“We all have to try to become holy on our own, and fail, before we can approach God with humility.”   Mark Salzman, Lying Awake

Peace,

Donnie

 

 

 

 

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An offering from Bev: Ocean Waves

Lil Smith
October 29, 2012
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God is a bright ocean that distills and reveals hidden truths

so that my soul has a better understanding of how to trust Love,

and this water is a mirror in which You, Eternal Trinity, give me knowledge.  

–Catherine of Siena

 

I breathe in fully and slowly exhale.  I’ve come to the beach to spend an overnight retreat.  My breath becomes gentle and quiet as I simply relax into the presence of the Holy Spirit.  I settle comfortably and observe the waves breaking and rolling ashore, their continuous sound pulling me away from the busy schedule I’ve left behind for a few hours.

I consider the waves:  their constancy, their rhythm.  Like our breath, the waves come and go, a symbol of the Christian life of giving and receiving, emptying and filling, death and resurrection.

The wind that blows across the water forms these waves, just as the Holy Spirit breathes through our lives, stirring our longing, pushing and pressing us ever toward God.

One wonders what distant breeze began this wave’s journey that ends here, nourishing sea life, polishing cast off shells, washing sandy feet, imposing a constant and gentle rhythm on a restless soul.

Watching the waves moves us to reflect on the mysterious nature of God’s love.  God within us and still beyond our imagination.  God revealed to us and yet beyond our understanding.  Creator God, the very source of all life.  Self-emptying God.  God of the beginning of time, God of ages to come.  God of this very moment.

“Breathe on me, Breath of God,

Fill me with life anew,

That I may love what thou dost love,

And do what thou wouldst do.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,

Until my heart is pure,

Until with thee I will one will,

To do and to endure.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,

Till I am wholly thine,

Till all this earthly part of me

Glows with thy fire divine.

-Edwin Hatch

Peace, Blessings and Joy,

Bev

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An offering from Evelyn: Transitions

Lil Smith
October 7, 2012
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Retirement was like experiencing a death of someone who was extremely close to me.  I was not prepared for the grief process that was to follow.  I thought I had prepared for retirement, but I was wrong.  Finding God in the midst of the loneliness, loss of purpose, and the familiarity of routine became my deepest journey.

Why was this journey such a surprise?

With reflection I think that God had something he wanted me to learn as I searched for God’s light in the midst of the darkness that engulfed me. Like the other transitions of my almost seven- decade- life, this one involved the struggle of resistance and surrender.

My visual image of struggle is the flicker of a candle.  As the flame dances from side to side, I picture the bouncing back and forth of my own willingness and willfulness.  My ego does not want to give up what control it so arrogantly thought it had.

This transition contained other elements left over from previous ones.  Left-over losses combined with the loss of “work” to form the perfect storm.  Again, I asked, “Why, Lord.  Why me?  Why now?” God’s answer is still evolving.  The clarity that has resulted is healing old life to new.

The specifics are still unfolding as my journey continues. But I see God’s light at the end of the tunnel.
When I am aware, I find God’s light in feeling quiet, gentle breezes, conversing with friends, reading God’s Word.  God’s light is in the flicker of the candle symbolizing conflict of surrender and resistance.
God’s light is also the glow of hope at the end of the fog tunnel.  God is in it all.  God’s light whether a flicker, a glow or a bright noon sun sustains, heals and transforms. Perhaps the joy of transitions is the reality that God is with me.

Jeremiah 33:3 NRS
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

Peace,

Evelyn

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An offering from Karen: The Moon and the Stars Are the Same Ones You See

Lil Smith
September 29, 2012
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The Moon and the Stars Are the Same Ones You See

Sydney Opera House Under Full Moon, September 2012

In 1960, when I was a 9-year-old Brownie Scout, I went “all the way” up to Camp Robinwood in Willis, Texas, now just a part of the I-45 Houston sprawl.  Fortunately, I don’t have memories of sleeping outside in the miserable Gulf Coast heat, sharing the space with the mosquitos, chiggers, poisonous snakes and everything else that goes with the Great Outdoors in that area.  (Guess who still isn’t a Nature Girl?)

My best memory is of our nightly stargazing sessions—who knew all that was up there in the sky?

Full Moon Telluride Colorado August 2012

Rhett, a counselor, told us to remember that at night, everyone in the world could see the same moon, and we became linked to each other whenever we gazed upon it.
And then she gave me one of my first tastes of the numinous:  all who had ever lived before us, including our ancestors, had been out on nights just like these, pondering the same moon.  What a sense of interconnectedness this little 9-year-old felt for the first time.

This powerful imagery resonates with me every time I travel.  My ‘spiritual practice’ (now that I’m on the journey, I have a name for it) involves finding the moon from a motel room, car window, or maybe even a more romantic sport, and then thinking about those around me doing the same thing, as well as all those back home—even if halfway around the world—and knowing this moon belongs equally to them.
God has His creation on display for all His creatures, and nothing about who we are or our worthiness can separate us from its magnificent, predictable glow.

One cannot pick up the paper or turn on the news without realizing how terribly polarized

our country and the world is right now.  Focus centers on what divides us; differences seem to warrant celebrations.  To me, the moon offers a graphic symbol of a better way:  what do we share in common–no matter what faith explanation one has for it.

More down-to-earth examples include unexpectedly coming upon a wedding party posing for pictures, watching a family strolling a new baby, kids walking home from school.   Anywhere in the world, these illustrate priorities for most people; they are the simple blessings which remind them of their creator’s love and provision—the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth in anyone’s faithspeak.

If only the world’s leaders could be so inspired.  I will keep the image of a 9-year-old school girl gazing at the moon in Tehran, a single mom being cared for by her church family in Denver and displaced children receiving humanitarian aid from Syria in mind as I meditate with the quotes and pictures I’ve included.

I took these two full-moons 6 months apart this year in Sydney, Australia and Telluride, Colorado.  I hope they, and the quotes, will speak to you as contemplating upon them has spoken to me.

May the moonlight shine upon your path,

Karen Robertson

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