Thank You

The past week was a gentle, joyful surprise of what life in ministry can mean and the deep joy it may evoke. Thank you.

A Modern Symposium

On Injustice

When one's eyes are open to injustice,
it seems that every glimpse holds the possibility of implication--
And then, too, sometimes we fall into the labyrinthe temptation of theories:
And then, it's all about pointing out whose wrong
rather than correcting the injustice ...

Somedays I imagine the direction my life is heading
and I wonder if my heart is open enough--
even when I strip away all my theories
and best of intentions---
to do something I'm called to do... rather than merely talk about it.

God, in your grace, help us
to walk and not just talk.

You cannot cognize the Gospel alone--
Evangelism is also relationship.

For the Native Americans & Presbyterian Church (USA).

Where our Feet have Trod...

"So Moses swore on that day, saying 'Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children's forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.'

These are the words recorded in Josuah 14:9, the words of Moses to Caleb. When I first read these words, I was taken back to a reflection I read by Frederick Buechner when I was in college... The thrust of the reflection was about our feet and how, if we want to know about our lives, we ought to consider where our feet have been. Obviously, this scripture above can lead us into a debate about land and whose land is whose as well as the question of inheritance. This night, as I read this Scripture however, I think about the real inheritance that is the gift of life we share with others. How will our path and the places where our feet trod be gifted with a kind longevity, a living HOPE, when we embody the Gospel in community?

This night I had a lovely dinner with Talitha, Alexis, and her friend. Tomorrow I will go with a few youth group members to Boreal Ski Resort.


Psalm 126
When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations,
"The Lord has done great things for them."

The Lord has done great things for us, And we are glad.
Bring back our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the South.

Those who sow in tears
shall reap in joy.

He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves with him.

Reflection at the End of the Day

It's funny how things that never hit you just suddenly hit you... and you're there feeling it. Today I had this experience. First of all, I have been stopping ** and realizing just how much I am doing in a day. The last three days it has felt almost like continuous motion. Strangely, I am not tired, almost amazed at how much I have managed to accomplish, and yet there is a large part of me that is aching to break out of the rhythm and just do something incredibly spontaneous and joyful-- like give out free hugs, go swimming in the lake, set down the "list."

Then, I felt again the sometimes ever-present emotion that says: Speak what you need. Tell what you need. Say what you feel...

Then, this: I was driving into San Anselmo and passed the Bon Air shopping plaza. I do this so often. This time, I noticed amidst the 10:30pm sky how the plaza was still lit with lights. Then I imagined many other places I have been where there would never be enough resources or reason to spend such money in such a way. And I felt a huge emotion rise: When we will be able to live more simply so that, as the famous line goes, others may simply love?!?!?

Today at youth group was amazing. I was deeply proud of the theological conversation our group had.

Pilate

As part of my Ignatian Prayer group, we are going through the experience of a deathwatch, praying as we watch Christ approach Good Friday. Last night I was reading John 18, and the famous line from Pilate: "What is truth?" emerged!

Then this morning, my exegesis assignment is to read John 19:2, 5, Mark 15:17, and Matthew 27:29, where the soldiers create the crown of thorns and place it on Jesus' head. Watching him die and all the misunderstanding that hovers around the experience breaks my heart. It penetrates my heart, and I am reminded of my own week of observing death here.... And with all these emotional penetrations, I am struck by the personal consciousness of great meaning in all of this for me.... This is a Lenten reflection, I suppose, if I have yet written one. But it is also the simple words of one longing to see with open eyes the wonder, the sorrow, and the festivity behind Lent. ...