Advent 4

Woman

Overshadowed

By the Holy Spirit

Bears the burden of redemption -

Rebirth

Luke 2:26-38

cinquain

2,46,8,2

Advent 3

Urgent -

Desperate world

Cries out for peace, love, hope.

To what does your life bear witness?

Speak now!

John 1:6-8, 19-28

cinquain

2,4,6,8,2

Advent 2

Good news!

The messenger

Cries in the wilderness -

Someone powerful is coming.

Prepare!

Mark 1:1-8

-cinquain

2, 4, 6, 8, 2

The Light Shines in the Darkness

    It is a complicated time of year. Lights. Decorations. Music. Festivities. Gatherings. Gifts. Parties. Shopping. All things holiday are everywhere you go. On top of that, if you have anything to do with academia, end of the semester projects, papers, and finals are staring you down like the headlight of a train. Amid it all there is a cultural expectation that this is “the most wonderful time of the year,” with dreams of a white Christmas, jingle bells ringing, angels singing, joy and laughter filling the air.

    But what if it’s not? What if this is not the happiest time of the year for you? What if the holidays are hard? What if the holidays bring sadness, heaviness, loneliness, thoughts of loved ones who are no longer with us or the realization that your family does not fit the image of the perfect, family greeting card? What if your holiday is marked by illness or loss, depression or difficulty? What then? How do you make it through the coming holy days, if this time of year is a more of a burden than it is bright?

    Every Sunday night during the academic year, students gather in the Chapel at 10 p.m. to sing Candlelight Evening Prayer. Much of the service is the same week after week. The hymns, the reading, and the message are different week by week, but everything else is dependable from one week to the next. We light our candles, we pray, we quiet our hearts and minds, and as God’s people have done for centuries, we sing into and against the darkness.

    Near the middle of the service, right after we have heard a message that is intended to give us comfort, strength, and hope for the coming week, these words are spoken: the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. From the first chapter of the Gospel of John, these words remind us that in Jesus, the One whose coming we anticipate during Advent and celebrate at Christmas, in Jesus - the Light has overcome any and every darkness that we will face. The Light of Jesus is brighter than the darkness is deep.

    In the rhythms of my own life, I often find it helpful to have mantras, sayings, or truths to repeat to help keep me centered and to help me remember who God is and what God has promised for me and for the world. Reminding myself often throughout each day of the things I need to hear can help me live into those holy truths, those holy promises, moment by moment. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it is a good mantra for any time, but especially for this time of year.

Even if this is the happiest time of the year for you, for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the days continue to get shorter. Darkness descends earlier each day and lasts a little longer each night. Even if your spirits are bright, there is more literal darkness to each day right now than there is light. And, as much good as there is in the world, there is also a whole lot of brokenness, sorrow, and pain. So why not claim these holy words as your own proclamation of hope and trust in these shortening days and lengthening nights?

In the morning, when you are getting ready for the day, look in the mirror and remind yourself that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

On your way to class, or as you are sitting for an exam, say it again: the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Sitting at your desk, clearing out the day’s emails, or working through your to-do list, let it be the affirmation that helps you keep perspective: the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

    When you read the news or hear of yet another disaster someplace in the world, let it be your assertion against the darkness of the world: the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

    As you face your own struggles or times of sadness when others may be toasting one another in good cheer, let it remind you that the darkness does not have the final word: the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

    And as you go to bed each night, amid dark skies hovering over a restless and weary world, why not let it be the last thing on your lips? The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

    Whatever these holy days hold for you, it is my hope and prayer that the light of Jesus will shine into and amid the darkness of each of your lives, and lead you into God’s peace for you, and for our world.

Many Blessings,

+Pr. Char

Advent 1

Wake up!

Night watch is here.

Holy longing, yearning

Fills all creation’s burdened sighs

Watch. Wait.

-Mark 13:24-37

-cinquain

Psalm 139 - You are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: A Meditation

Psalm 139:1-6

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

  you discern my thoughts from far away.

You search out my path and my lying down,

  and are acquainted with all my ways.

Even before a word is on my tongue,

  O Lord, you know it completely.

You hem me in, behind and before,

  and lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

  it is so high that I cannot attain it.

What does it mean to say,

“God knows me?”

Does that thought fill you with comfort

Or dread?

Does it encourage you

Or does it make you want to hide?

If I say that God knows me,

Then God knows everything about me -

The good and the bad-

The things that make me proud,

And the things that make me ashamed.

My hopes and my fears.

My successes and my failures.

My stories -

And my secrets.

GOD knows me -

God KNOWS me -

God knows ME -

Yes indeed, God does -

And in that there is nothing to fear

Because God knows me

And God loves me.

In the love of God

There is nothing to lose,

And everything to gain

God has searched me and known me -

I believe this to be true

I believe this is good news

And so,

As I face the coming days

I will trust

The God who knows me

To see me through,

To be with me,

To give me the strength and the courage

That I need.

Thank you,

God.

Psalm 139:7-12

Where can I go from your spirit?

  Or where can I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, you are there;

  if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.

If I take the wings of the morning

  and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,

even there your hand shall lead me,

  and your right hand shall hold me fast.

If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,

  and the light around me become night’,

even the darkness is not dark to you;

  the night is as bright as the day,

  for darkness is as light to you.

How often do I

Not even think about

The presence of God?

So often,

God is simply not on my mind-

It’s not that I am malicious

Or mean-spirited,

Or antagonistic toward God -

It’s just that

Life is so full

There is so little time.

I study and

I work

And I try to find time for myself -

I try to get everything done

That needs to be done,

And I forget about

Even thinking about

God.

But God is everywhere -

In all things

All people

All places

And even when I forget God -

God does not forget me.

And so I am humbled,

And grateful,

And astonished at God’s

Commitment to me,

Thank you,

God.

Psalm 139:13-18

For it was you who formed my inward parts;

  you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

  Wonderful are your works;

that I know very well.

  My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

  intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.

In your book were written

  all the days that were formed for me,

  when none of them as yet existed.

How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!

  How vast is the sum of them!

I try to count them—they are more than the sand;

  I come to the end—I am still with you.

Am I

Who I am supposed to be?

I often wonder that -

Am I “okay?”

Is it “okay”

To be me?

Am I doing the right things?

Am I making the right decisions?

I’m sometimes

Not like my friends

Or my family members.

I sometimes disagree

With what others

Say

Or think

Or believe -

I’m sometimes unsure

Of my own convictions -

Or if I will ever

Be certain

About anything

But God says

I am fearfully

And

Wonderfully

Made.

Fearful.

Wonderful.

I will trust

That it is so.

I pray that God will help me

To embrace

The “me” that God has made,

The “me”

That I am working to become.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Thank you,

God.

Psalm 139:19-24

O that you would kill the wicked, O God,

  and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me—

those who speak of you maliciously,

  and lift themselves up against you for evil!

Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?

  And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

I hate them with perfect hatred;

  I count them my enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

  test me and know my thoughts.

See if there is any wicked way in me,

  and lead me in the way everlasting.

What do I do with

The hurts I have experienced -

The pain that others have caused me?

How do I live anew

When others have wronged me,

Sinned against me?

How do I move on -

Not be held hostage

By hurt or sorrow,

Remorse or sadness?

I want to be free

Of anger

And regret

And feelings

Of disappointment

And guilt

And shame

I trust that God will lead me -

Lead me to places

Of healing and wholeness -

That God will fill me up

When I am empty,

That God will restore me

When I am broken,

That God will lift me up

When I am weighed down.

I am not left

To do it all alone,

To make my way

Each day -

Or through my whole life -

By myself.

God will lead me

In the way everlasting.

Yes -

Yes, it will be so,

Yes,

It

IS

So!

Yes -

I am known -

I am not abandoned -

I am fearfully and wonderfully made -

I am led -

Thank you,

God

AMEN.

(Brief silence)

The light shines in the darkness,

And the darkness has not overcome it.

Jesus Calms the Storm

A guided meditation on Mark 4.35-41

 

Sit comfortably in your chair.

Quiet yourself in this space.

Lean into the silence.

Close your eyes

Or focus your attention on your candle

Or the Christus Rex

Or the altar

Or anything that you choose

That will help you

Experience the presence of God.

Think for a moment

Of the things that might distract you,

Beg for your attention,

Cause you to lose focus -

And then set them aside.

One, by one by one.

Set aside your homework.

Set aside your worry.

Set aside your conflicts.

Set aside your doubts.

Set aside your anxiety.

Set aside your stress.

Set aside your loneliness.

Now,

Breathe in.

Hold.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Hold.

Breathe out.

Be still.

Quiet yourself in this space.

Breathe in.

Hold.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Hold.

Breathe out.

Lean into the silence.

Now imagine

It is evening.

The sun is beginning to set.

You are standing with Jesus

And your friends

On the edge of a large lake.

The air is cool

Damp.

The smell of fish is in the air     -

The sky dense with clouds

And color.

It has been a full day

Exciting,

Filled with Jesus teaching

And the crowds gathering.

But the crowds, they have pretty much gone now.

You can see the last of them

Turning and walking away.

There are boats on the shore

And it seems like a good idea to make an evening crossing to the other side.

You and your friends get into one of the boats

And Jesus gets into the same boat with you.

Can you see him, there in the boat,

In the stern,

Reclining on a pillow?

Looking at Jesus,

Your thoughts turn

To all that you have already learned from him.

The days that you have followed him

Have been long,

But good.

Others in the boat

Push it off from shore,

And you settle in against a cushion.

Others are rowing

Your eyes focus on the horizon

And what seems like

Endless, rolling waves between you and there.

The rhythm of the waves

Rocks the boat to and fro,

And you feel yourself

Relaxing into the crossing.

What a day!

What a time!

Back and forth

Back and forth

The boat rocks.

The voices begin to quiet

And the only sound is the sound of the oars slicing the water

And the waves carrying the boat forward.

Some of your friends fall asleep.

You notice that Jesus is now asleep.

You wonder about him

As you look at him there on the pillow.

Who is this man?

Can he be trusted?

The boat keeps moving across the lake.

You think about the day.

Jesus’ words about a sower

And a lamp under a basket

And a mustard seed.

What does it all mean?

“Jesus,

Who are you?”

You wonder.

You have been so deep in thought that you hardly notice

When the wind starts blowing.

You feel it on your face before you really realize how strong it is becoming.

You look to your friends, and

You can tell it is becoming harder to row now.

They are straining,

Pulling.

Fear flashes across their faces.

The current is choppy.

The sky is now black –

Both with the descending darkness

And the swirling clouds.

You move to relieve one of your friends at the oars,

And you are almost knocked over by the force of the heaving sea.

Straining now as you row

The sudden storm

Bears down upon your boat.

The waves are white

With fury

And the wind is angry as it howls.

The water begins to crest the edge of the boat

As it rises and pitches

Into the swelling sea.

Nearly everyone is working now,

Against these forces that have arisen from the deep.

Your own heart is beating so loudly in your chest

That it mingles in your mind

With the sound of the storm,

And then through the chaos

You hear a voice yell,

“Someone wake up Jesus.”

How he can still be asleep you do not know, but

You move over so a friend can take your oars,

And staying low in the lurching boat

You move toward him,

Trying desperately not to lose your balance

“Jesus,”

You call.

“Wake up!

The storm is upon us.

The wind

The waves –

Surely we will die.

Wake up, Jesus!

Help us!”

Jesus stirs at the sound of your voice.

As his eyes blink open,

He looks out to the sea and with

Force,

Strength,

And power he says,

“Peace! Be still!”

And just like that,

The wind stops.

The waves quiet.

The rain disappears.

All is calm.

You are stunned speechless.

You look at your friends

You all look at one another

Not sure if you should be relieved

Or terrified.

The wind and the waves

Obey this man.

What just happened?

You wonder.

And then you hear Jesus,

“Why are you afraid,”

He asks.

“Have you still no faith?”

He speaks into the dead calm.

No one says a word,

But the space between heaven and earth

Thins in mystery.

You wonder,

“Who is this Jesus?”

Sit with this wonderment

For just a moment –

Who is this Jesus?

+++

In the post-storm silence

Your friends look from one to another

And then take their places,

And resume the work

Of rowing across the sea.

Tentative,

You move over to where Jesus is resting once again.

Carefully,

You inch closer to him.

And then you ask him,

“Who are you Jesus?”

Listen to his answer to you.

And then you begin to

Tell him about something in your life

That is raging.

You tell him about

A storm in your world,

A situation that needs his words of

Peace

And stillness.

As you tell him of your storms,

You lean into his presence

And his peace wraps around you

Like a holy blanket.

Can you feel it there on your shoulders?

His stillness

Settles the tumult of your heart.

Can you feel it, this settling of your own storm?

Help me, Jesus  -

You say.

Peace!

Be Still!

You hear Jesus say to you.

The shore now approaches.

It is time to

Leave that journey behind.

You have crossed the lake

You step out of the boat

You ask Jesus to lead your way

Now on land.

You look back across the water

One last time –

And you look anew at Jesus

And you carry on -

But you will always carry with you

The way that he stilled the storm.

Amen.