Blog Posts

Sharing a birthday with Jesus

12/29/2024

Filippo Lippi

December is a busy time for everyone. That's a fact. There is Christmas, Hannukah, and New Year's, with one or more of those for everyone. For me, so much that is personal is packed into those five plus days at the end of the year: Jesus' birthday on the 25th and mine on the 30th (with my wedding anniversary on the 28th).
     As I look back on those December birthdays, I see that I was gifted some important life lessons. Early on I learned to say,  "My birthday is five days after Christmas." Those were my words; that's how it was referred to by friends and family; that's how it is still identified; that's how I still say it.  Deep in my heart, however, I have always known that Christmas is the favored December birthday to celebrate
      I have memories of wrapped presents under the tree, waiting to be unwrapped upon our return from church after we celebrated Jesus' birthday. We had been to the carol sing and candle light service on Christmas Eve, but today was Jesus 'actual birthday, and so mid-morning, off we went.( No discussion, no complaining allowed!) I am very grateful for that gift my parents gave me, not a gift to unwrap, but the gift of going to Jesus' party at church on the very day of his birthday.
     You might think that that is the end of my birthday story, but it isn't. Six years to the day, five days after Christmas, my sister Margot was born. I love sharing my birthday with her; no, not my birthday but our birthday. It has always been easy. After all, I had already learned to share with Jesus.

Jesus is very clear about judging; don't do it!

12/12/2024

Jesus is very clear about judging; don't do it! I know that, but I do it  anyway, even the obvious ways, such as gossiping. We can all find ourselves somewhere on the Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post cover. Good for Rockwell back in 1948 including both men and women, although the gossip starts and ends with a woman. (I think he did another cover with a man starting the rumor but I haven't found it yet.)
      Little know fact: the woman starting the gossip is Rockwell's wife, Mary; the man chastising her at the end is Rockwell.
      Well known fact: Rockwell and Mary were kind, compassionate people.

      We all know about the kind of gossip depicted in this cover. But what about the gossip that remains only with us? We tell no one; we talk with no one about it. Instead it gnaws away in our mind, taking up huge amounts of space and time; we go over and over whatever it is we don't like about a person. Projection  becomes rampant. And then…. Jesus steps in and walks with us and helps us turn from judgement to love. That's what I look for.

Begin with thanks

11/30/2024

Take a glance at the beginning of St. Paul's epistles and you'll notices that he starts with a salutation  expressing thanks and grace to the people to whom he is writing. Here are example from the first two epistles in the New Testament.
   First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world. Romans 1: 8
     I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus…. 1 Corinthians 1:4

    I'm not planning to start my emails offering grace but what if  I begin with 'Thank you'? No one would consider it strange. I think they would feel welcomed and invited in to consider whatever I had to say. I'm going to try it.

Consider the lilies of the field

11/16/2024

Consider the lilies of the field
That's all I'm considering right now, although Luke 6 has much to consider--Jesus telling us not to worry about our life, about today's or tomorrow's troubles.
Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these (28, 29).
When I consider the lilies of the field, I consider that they grow, grow without worrying, grow by being their natural selves with nothing added on; they don't try to be sunflowers much less worry about them. They are lilies. That's it.
Yesterday, as I do most days, I walked up the street to the cemetery. I left a plant at the graveside of a teacher friend of mine. Mary Lou always had fresh flowers on her desk. She led a beautiful life being Mary Lou.

Peace Prayer--attributed to S. Francis

11/6/2024

Peace Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen.

Election worry

10/26/2024

I'm worried about the election. Worry woke me up last night. On my own, I can't get rid of consuming worry. Over the years, I've tried that, but never succeeded. Humans can't do that, well, at least I can't.
So in the middle of last night I called out to God in desperation, not really thinking it would help. But it did. I felt the Holy Spirit coming down on me, at least there it was. Something beautifully and mysteriously shifted in my being—in my heart and in my head. My heart opened, my mind stopped chattering, and the silence of love took over.
This is what I experienced last night and into the morning. It is still with me.

A message from Sister Vassa

10/16/2024

www.coffeewithsistervassa.com/As I read Sr. Vassa message this morning, I decided to pass it on to you.

PASSING FROM DEATH TO LIFE
”Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment/condemnation (εἰς κρίσιν οὐκ ἔρχεται), but has passed (μεταβέβηκεν) from death to life.” (Jn 5: 24)

Here is the choice my Lord places before me: 1. I can “come into judgment or condemnation,” which means sitting in my own “debt” or death-bringing guilt, without embracing God’s mercy and God’s way forward, or 2. I can “hear” His word and embrace faith, moving forward through the ups and downs, on the life-bringing way of the cross, in humble forgiveness of myself and others. Thus, I can “pass from death to life,” walking through things in the light and lightness of God’s word.

Today let me choose life, asking the right kinds of questions. Let me ask God’s kinds of questions, based not on crippling self-pity or self-centered fear, but based on constructive self-offering and response-ability (the ability to respond) to Christ’s call. Lord, help us do the next right thing today, in humble self-acceptance and gratitude for things as they are. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,” the Lord says to me this morning, “and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mt 11: 28-30)

I pray because I believe

10/8/2024

I feel it is safe to say that everyone of you know someone who is suffering from a physical illness--one of the biggies such as cancer, Parkinson's, COPD (or one the lesser annoyances such as a cold or cough). Some of those friends may have a strong faith, some a lingering faith from childhood, other a little hope in something that will help them get through…. Regardless, to some degree, they are anxious about their future.
I have such friends, and I check in with them often. They know that I attend church regularly, that I work on my faith, and on most days my faith is strong. We don't talk about faith unless they ask, but when things are tough for them, they tell me that they are glad that I am praying for them. Such a comment warms my heart, but I know and have come to believe that my prayer makes a difference, whether they know about it or not. I pray because I believe.

Covenant Leader at church

9/30/2024

My prayer as Covenant Leader at church on Sunday.
Dear God,
A beautiful fall weekend; your creation.
And we are also your creation, beautifully and wonderfully made in your image, your image of love.
Lead us to make choices that extend your love and beauty out into your created world. Lead us to be co-creators with you, you who sent us Jesus who shows us the way.
Let us listen and pray on these words he gave us:

You did not choose me, but I chose you to bear fruit, fruit that will last so the Father will give you whatever you ask of him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

Help us, God, to know what to ask so that we may love one another.
Amen

Loving as Jesus loves--a challenge

9/21/2024

I keep returning to love, the fundamental truth of my Christian faith.  "God loves everyone" This includes people I don't like and don't agree with, with women who birth children and women who don't, with people who refer to themselves as 'they' instead of 'he' or 'she'. This includes everyone, even you, even me.
I don't intend this blog entry to be a political comment, but the politics that currently surround us is encouraging me define my faith and the actions I should take. Thus, as someone who tries to follow Jesus, I am intrigued with Jesus response in Matthew's gospel  (22: 36-40)  to the lawyer  who asked:
     "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"  He said to him, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' ’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
     In Mark's gospel (12: 28-34) a scribe asks the same question. Jesus' response is similar, but ends with this:  "You are not far from the kingdom of God."
     What more do we have to do than love God and love neighbor as self? Fr. Thomas Keating suggests:
      "A new commandment characterizes the Christian faith which carries the insight of the scribe a step further. It is to love one another as Jesus has loved us….The new commandment is to accept others unconditionally: that is to say, without the least wish to change then."
       Much to pray on!!