Today I’m packing for trip to Scotland tomorrow. I have some lovely plans: Edinburgh for five nights, Oban for three, and the Isle of Iona for seven. I go alone and walk around with God. That’s how I think of it and that’s what happens. I never know quite what will come up, what adventures I’ll have, what will stand out as important. I don’t look for disappointment; I look for miracles and that’s what I find.
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If you’ve been following my blog for a while you are well aware that I am continually trying to make sense out of prayer, especially intercessory prayer. Here’s my latest. What if we just ask God to bless the people we’re praying for, and leave it at that? Sounds simple doesn’t it? But I think that’s how God wants it to be. For one thing, asking God to bless eliminates all those judgments that are mine, not God’s. And, besides, who am I to decide what is best for someone else? I don’t mean to refute the general agreement out in the world about some kinds of behavior. Case in point, consuming excessive alcohol. At the moment I have someone on my prayer list for just that. I’m mighty tempted to pray that he stop drinking, but I did that once and the person sure did stop--she died in an alcohol related accident. I never felt responsible for what happened, but it did bring me up short and get me thinking about the ways that I meddle, all in the guise of ‘doing good’. This simple prayer of asking God to bless people feels very freeing for everyone involved. It adds no human complications, and yet, it allows human beings like you and me to participate in ‘Thy will be done.’ The Nunnery on Iona What to do with the political energy circling about in this country right now? How can I pay attention without taking in and then spewing out negativity? Maybe I can’t. Maybe it’s impossible to be informed without feeling virtuous at the expense of others? Is my righteous indignation from God or from my human feelings of inferiority? My most humble admission at the moment is that I’m willing to sit with the questions. I keep thinking of gratitude as the core, the foundation of faith. Notice how the Psalmist often starts by thanking God for creation, and how St. Paul begins and ends his letters with gratitude. And of course ‘very grateful’ was my mom’s favorite expression of faith, the last words she uttered before she died at 101. The moment I wake up I try to think of specific things that I’m grateful for, but I must confess that my mind usually slips into the mundane planning of the day ahead, or to any worries that I’m still carrying around from the day before. But I’m getting better, and before the day is too far along, I try to write down at least five ‘gratitudes’ in my journal. And the city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the Glory of God is it’s light and it’s lamp is the Lamb. Rev. 21.23 This morning’s reading from Revelations sparked the thought that God is inherent in every gratitude, and that if I can just remember to find a blessing in everything that I experience, God will always be present to me. This seems like a worthy practice because how easy it is to slip away from God, to forget to light the lamp, to see Christ in all things. So, my challenge is to keep noticing little blessings as I go through the day. Teach me, O Christ, Teach me to recognize the dignity, the uniqueness, the divine possibility, of every living person. Teach me to take no one for granted, no friend or stranger, no crowd or category, no statistic or stereotype. Let me never overlook the hidden ones who yearn for recognition, and secretly ask, ‘Who am I?’ And in that recognition, in that deepest knowing, let me encounter you. Excerpt from a poem by Brian Woodcock, in Lent & Easter Readings from Iona At the service last night at the Abbey the leader offered a few words about Bonhoeffer and then invited us to light a candle and place it in one of the candle holders that were arranged on the floor in the shape of a cross. Our candle was to honor someone in our life who exemplified courage and commitment to do God’s work in the world. I immediately thought of my mom, who is still showing us that we should never give up. Mom has always given herself to others and she still showing us how. If you glance at my cottage blog you can get a sense of the wonderful and windy adventure I’ve had on my way to Iona, where I am now happily settled at the Argyll Hotel, with front seats to watch the ferry come and go, and attempt to come and go. Today I borrowed “wellies” and waterproof pants and ventured to the abbey, with the Holy Spirit speaking through the wind and accompanying me all the way right through the door, down the nave and into the Quiet Corner. Not your usual silence…. But wait…. This silence and solitude is more nuanced when in God’s hands, or so it seems. I lit a candle for a friend recovering from surgery and sat praying for her and for others on my list; two women came along, used my candle to light theirs, and sat for a while; another woman came in, lit three candles, and went out; a young couple lit a candle and sat. It came over me that all of us were experiencing silence and solitude together, in this community created by God. |
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