reflections – Hear what the Spirit is saying

Wind Chimes: 3 Nov 2012

Ruth said [to Naomi], “Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die—there will I be buried. May the Lord do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!”

Ruth 1:16-17 NRSV

The next two Sundays offer readings from the Book of Ruth. One commentator sets us on a deeper understanding of one of the treasures found in the Book: “Near the end of the book, the Bethlehemite women will articulate to Naomi what has been evident all along, that Ruth’s love is worth more than seven sons. Grace is walking right beside Naomi, unseen, yet refusing to leave her.” Let’s explore “being present.” ~dan

Persistent, pleasant, reminding us of the graces we receive through no effort of our own, the chimes sound. What do you hear?

Being Present

Being present in the spiritual life always has a double meaning. There’s present, as in here, in attendance. And there’s present, as in now, a moment of time. What is the spiritual practice of being present? Being here now.

The world’s religions all recommend living in the moment with full awareness. Zen Buddhism especially is known for its emphasis on “nowness.” Hindu, Taoist, Jewish, Moslem, Christian, and other teachers urge us to make the most of every day as an opportunity that will not come to us again.

Also under the rubric of being present is the traditional spiritual exercise called practicing the presence of God. This means recognizing that God is here now moving through our everyday activities, no matter how trivial they might seem.

“Being Present” a spiritual practice on Spirituality & Practice

Nature: ever present

“The last debate of the presidential season belongs to Mother Nature. Uninvited, unmentioned throughout the political debates on this most important of election seasons, Mother Nature, incarnated by Guabancex, Caribbean deity of weather systems, invites herself.” Read more on Indian Country Today Media Network

This understanding of Nature and the Creator is remarkably like the discovery of Job (see God’s ‘speech’ in Job 38 and Job’s response in Job 42). ~dan

Give to the Hurricane Sandy Response Fund
administered by Episcopal Relief and Development

One great thing about growing old

One great thing about growing old is that nothing is going to lead to anything. Everything is of the moment.

Joseph Campbell in A Joseph Campbell Companion edited by Diane Osbon and quoted on Spirituality & Practice (Quotations for the Spiritual Practice of Being Present)

Commentary by Patricia Tull A.B. Rhodes Professor Emerita of Old Testament Louisville Presbyterian Seminary (Jeffersonville, IN) on WorkingPreacher.org

Photo: By Jkadavoor (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons ~dan

Wind Chimes: 2 Nov 2012

Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about people who have died so that you won’t mourn like others who don’t have any hope. Since we believe that Jesus died and rose, so we also believe that God will bring with him those who have died in Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 CEB

We continue to remember those ‘saints’ known mostly to us and to our families on this day. Though gone from this earth, who is it that continues to shape you because of their love? ~dan

The loveliness of the sounds from the chimes catches our attention today. What do you hear?

Commemoration of All Faithful Departed (Nov 2)

In the New Testament, the word “saints” is used to describe the entire membership of the Christian community, and in the Collect for All Saints’ Day the word “elect” is used in a similar sense. From very early times, however, the word “saint” came to be applied primarily to persons of heroic sanctity, whose deeds were recalled with gratitude by later generations.

Beginning in the tenth century, it became customary to set aside another day—as a sort of extension of All Saints—on which the Church remembered that vast body of the faithful who, though no less members of the company of the redeemed, are unknown in the wider fellowship of the Church. It was also a day for particular remembrance of family members and friends.

Though the observance of the day was abolished at the Reformation because of abuses connected with Masses for the dead, a renewed understanding of its meaning has led to a widespread acceptance of this commemoration among Anglicans, and to its inclusion as an optional observance in the calendar of the Episcopal Church.

Holy Women, Holy Men introduction for the “Commemoration of All Faithful Departed,”

Bishop Mathes encourages our helpful response in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

“As we continue to absorb the news about Hurricane Sandy, I ask your prayers for all impacted by this powerful storm. We are the one body of Christ, which means we all suffer when one suffers. Let us reach out to those who have lost electricity, homes, businesses and loved ones. And let no one face the storm alone.” Read his statement

Give to the Hurricane Sandy Response Fund
administered by Episcopal Relief and Development

The Collect for the Commemoration of All Faithful Departed

O God, the Maker and Redeemer of all believers: Grant to the faithful departed the unsearchable benefits of the passion of your Son; that on the day of his appearing they may be manifested as your children; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Holy Women, Holy Men, p. 665

Photo: The cemetery at Mission Santa Ysabel in San Diego County (CA) on Google Maps. ~dan

Wind Chimes: 1 Nov 2012

… you are no longer strangers and aliens,
but you are citizens with the saints
and also members of the household of God …

Ephesians 2:19 NRSV

Today is All Saints’ Day. A great day to remember those in every ago and circumstance, known to many, known only to a few, or known only to you, who have helped (or are helping) shape your faith, your service, and your love. ~dan

The chimes are glorious with sounds today. What do you hear?

We believe … in the communion of saints …

What is the communion of saints?

The communion of saints is the whole family of God the living and the dead, those whom we love and those whom we hurt, bound together in Christ by sacrament, prayer, and praise.

“An Outline of the Faith,” The Book of Common Prayer, p. 862

The companionship of the dead

As we grow older we have more and more people to remember, people who have died before us. It is very important to remember those who have loved us and those we have loved. Remembering them means letting their spirits inspire us in our daily lives. They can become part of our spiritual communities and gently help us as we make decisions on our journeys. Parents, spouses, children, and friends can become true spiritual companions after they have died. Sometimes they can become even more intimate to us after death than when they were with us in life.

Remembering the dead is choosing their ongoing companionship.

Nouwen, Henri J. M. (2009-03-17). Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith (p. 252, August 29). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

I sing a song of the saints of God

I sing a song of the Saints of God sung by the Choir of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco to the tune “Grand Isle”. From the album “Hymns of Grace”~

St. John on Patmos: Wikimedia Commons

Wind Chimes: 30 Oct 2012

Accelerator — The Large Hadron Collider. Image: National Geographic

I had heard You with my ears,
But now I see You with my eyes;
Therefore, I recant and relent,
Being but dust and ashes.

Job 42:5-6 NJPS

We’ll stay with these verses one more day. Where does wonder begin? Where does relationship become more important than information? ~dan

Do the chimes sound humble? Defiant? Confused? Harmonic? What do you hear?

As civiliaation advances

As civilization advances, the sense of wonder declines. Such decline is an alarming symptom of our state of mind. Mankind will not perish for want of information; but only for want of appreciation. —Abraham Joshua Heschel

Meet Wicahpi Cavanaugh, a “Garden Warrior”

“When Wicahpi Cavanaugh (Cheyenne River Lakota) was 14, he seemed headed in the wrong direction. … But all that was before Cavanaugh took up … gardening.” More

In a garden, building relationships with Nature and with co-workers, experiences even more wonderful than splitting the atom become possible and even more life-giving. A sense of wonder is born and nurtured. ~dan

Read more: ‘Garden Warrior’ Credits ‘Dream of Wild Health’ With Transforming his Life, Receives Scholarship on Indian Country Today Media Network.

The beauty of the trees

The beauty of the trees,
the softness of the air,

the fragrance of the grass,
speaks to me.

The summit of the mountain,
the thunder of the sky,

the rhythm of the sea,
speaks to me.

The faintness of the stars,
the freshness of the morning,

the dewdrop on the flower,
speaks to me.

The strength of fire,
the taste of salmon,
the trail of the sun,

and the life that never goes away,
they speak to me.

And my heart soars.

—Chief Dan George

Roberts, Elizabeth; Amidon, Elias (2011-04-26). Earth Prayers: 365 Prayers, Poems, and Invocations from Around the World (p. 42). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

I encourage you to read more about and more from Indian Country Today Media Network: Serving the Nations. Celebrating the People. ~dan

Wind Chimes: 29 Oct 2012

I had heard You with my ears,
But now I see You with my eyes;
Therefore, I recant and relent,
Being but dust and ashes.

Job 42:5-6 NJPS

Job responds to God from his new knowledge of God, not his knowledge about God. There is a difference. We’ll explore that this week. ~dan

Sometimes the sound, sometimes the movement of the chimes catches our attention. What do you see? What do you hear?

A posture of wonder

As we listen and enter into the conversation ourselves, could it be that God’s Word, God’s speaking, God’s self-revealing happens to us, sneaks up, surprises and ambushes us, transforms us, and disarms us—rather than arms us with “truths” to use like weapons to savage other human beings? Could it be that God’s Word intends not to give us easy answers and shortcuts to confidence and authority, but rather to reduce us, again and again, to a posture of wonder, humility, rebuke, and smallness in the face of the unknown?

McLaren, Brian D. (2010-01-21). A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith (p. 93). HarperCollins e-books. Kindle Edition.

An update on naming the next Archbishop of Canterbury

“A secretive group choosing the next Archbishop of Canterbury, spiritual leader of the world’s 80 million Anglicans, is under pressure to break a deadlock in their talks and reach a decision, nearly a month after an announcement was expected.” —from Reuters. Read the article. Please continue your prayers for this group and our Worldwide Anglican Communion.

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you:
wherever he may send you;

may he guide you through the wilderness:
protect you through the storm;

may he bring you home rejoicing:
at the wonders he has shown you;

may he bring you home rejoicing:
once again into our doors.

Claiborne, Shane; Wilson-Hartgrove, Jonathan; Okoro, Enuma (2010-11-09). Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals (p. 73). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

Photo: IdyllWildThings. Click the image to see more from IdyllWildThings, Idyllwild, CA. ~dan

Wind Chimes: 26 Oct 2012

Has the rain a father
who brought forth drops of dew?

Job 38:28 CEB

We look into the world again with the eyes of the Creator. May wonder be born anew with this day. ~dan

The whirlwind continues. There is softness to the sound today. What do you hear?

Luminous web that holds everything in place

Barbara Brown Taylor

You are like an exquisite spider web
With transparent dewdrops of dawn.
You sparkle like crystal in our hearts
Joining one wet bead with another.
Every part of the gossamer netting
Connects with you through the web.
Even though we feel apart from you
Or disengaged from one another,
We are the jeweled dewdrops of beauty
Joined as one with you, Luminous Web.

Today: I am joined to all in the Luminous Web.

Joyce Rupp. Fragments of Your Ancient Name: 365 Glimpses of the Divine for Daily Meditation (Kindle Locations 850-853). Kindle Edition.

A Genealogy

Son of the elements, Son of Vapours Son of Wind Son of Air.

Son of the elements, Son of Light Son of Heat Son of Fire.

Son of the elements, Son of Rain Son of Waves Son of Water.

Son of the elements, Son of Land Son of Soil Son of Earth.

Son of the elements, Son of Stars Son of Planets Son of Moon.

Son of the elements, Son of Creatures Son of Man Son of God.

David Adam. Border Lands: The Best of David Adam’s Celtic Vision (p. 49). Kindle Edition.

Athrist for God

As the deer longs for the water-brooks, *
so longs my soul for you, O God.
My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God; *
when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?

Psalm 42:1-2, BCP, p. 643

Image: Office Clip Art, Photo Gallery

Wind Chimes: 25 Oct 2012

Deep sea vents — Hydrothermal deep sea vents have been fascinating the scientific world ever since their discovery in 1977. Image via deepseacreatures.org

Have you gone to the sea’s sources,
walked in the chamber of the deep?

Job 38:16 CEB

Our technology permitting us to ‘walk in the chamber of the deep’ raises as many questions as it answers and opens new possibilities of wonder and awe.. ~dan

The whirlwind continues. The chimes sound almost liquid. What do you hear?

From the deep to you and me

Water flows from high in the mountains.
Water runs deep in the Earth.
Miraculously, water comes to us,
and sustains all life. —Thich Nhat Hanh

In: Roberts, Elizabeth; Amidon, Elias (2011-04-26). Earth Prayers: 365 Prayers, Poems, and Invocations from Around the World (p. 154). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

“I am Life”

In a vision, Hildegard saw a fair human form who spoke of its identity in these words:

I am that supreme and fiery force that sends forth all the sparks of life. Death has no part in me, yet I do allow it. Wherefore I am girt with wisdom as with wings. I am that living and fiery essence of the Divine Substance that glows in the beauty of the fields. I shine in the water, I burn in the sun, and the moon, and the stars. Mine is that mysterious force of the invisible wind. I sustain the breath of all the living. I breathe in the grass and in the flowers, and when the waters flow like living things, it is I … I am life!

Hays, Edward M. (2007-10-01). Pray All Ways: A Book for Daily Worship Using All Your Senses (p. 35). Ave Maria Press – A. Kindle Edition.

Yonder is the great and wide sea

O Lord, how manifold are your works! *
in wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.

Yonder is the great and wide sea
with its living things too many to number, *
creatures both small and great.

There move the ships,
and there is that Leviathan, *
which you have made for the sport of it.

All of them look to you *
to give them their food in due season.

You give it to them; they gather it; *
you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.

Psalm 104:25-29 (BCP, pp. 735-736)

Wind Chimes: 23 Oct 2012

Dawn — Good Morning Everyone and Everything! via Indian Country Today Media Network

Have you ever commanded the day to break,
Assigned the dawn its place,

Job 38:12 NJPS

We continue to consider the words of the Creator from the whirlwind. Let the sounds go with you into the week (and beyond). ~dan

The whirlwind continues. The chimes swirl differently. What do you hear?

Infinite Majesty

Am l too independent to bow to you,
To admit to your sovereignty
Over my heart, over my entire life?
Am I too proud to acknowledge
Your ultimate powerfulness?
Am I too ignorant to recognize
Your authority in the cosmos?
Am I too blind to see your grandeur
Etched in the landscape of creation?
If so, shake loose my arrogance.

Today: I bow to Infinite Majesty.

Joyce Rupp. Fragments of Your Ancient Name: 365 Glimpses of the Divine for Daily Meditation (Kindle Locations 1087-1090). Kindle Edition.

Awaken me Lord

Awaken me, Lord, To your light, Open my eyes To your presence.
Awaken me, Lord, To your love, Open my heart To your indwelling.
Awaken me, Lord, To your life, Open my mind To your abiding.
Awaken me, Lord, To your purpose, Open my will To your guiding.

David Adam. Border Lands: The Best of David Adam’s Celtic Vision (p. 16). Kindle Edition.

God, the source and destiny of the cosmos

Author of creation: In wisdom you brought forth all that is, to participate in your divine being, and to change, adapt, and grow in freedom. You make holy the matter and energy of the universe that it may delight you and give you praise. We thank you for gathering all creation into your heart by the energy of your Spirit and bringing it through death to resurrection glory; through the One in whom all things have their being, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music of The Episcopal Church. “Liturgical Materials Honoring God in Creation and Various Rites and Prayers for Animals.” [2012 ‘Blue Book,’ p. 319]

I encourage you to read more about and more from Indian Country Today Media Network: Serving the Nations. Celebrating the People. ~dan

Wind Chimes: 22 Oct 2012

Bless the LORD, O my soul; *
O LORD my God,
how excellent is your greatness!
you are clothed with majesty and splendor.

Psalm 104:1 The Book of Common Prayer

Today, let’s explore God’s limitless grandeur, a point God made in the ‘speech’ to Job (Job 38). ~dan

What glorious sounds do you hear in the chimes today?

Where were you when I …

… enclosed the Sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment, the dense clouds its wrap, when I imposed my limit for it, put on a bar and doors and said, “You may come this far, no farther; here your proud waves stop”? —Job 38:8-11 CEB

You never enjoy the world aright, …

You never enjoy the world aright, till the Sea itself floweth in your veins, till you are clothed with the heavens, and crowned with the stars: and perceive yourself to be the sole heir of the whole world. —Thomas Traherne, Centuries of Meditations, First Century, Section 29

A prayer celebrating the God and water

Blessed are you, O God, whose Spirit hovered over the deep and filled it with all manner of living things. May the sea continue to teem with abundant life. May those who move upon the face of the waters rejoice in its beauty and find safety in its perils. May Christ, who calmed the storm, and filled the nets of his disciples, bring us all to the harbour of light and peace. Amen.

“Blessing of Fisheries” in Occasional Celebrations of the Anglican Church of Canada, p. P54

Photo: Office Clip art, photos

Wind Chimes: 21 Oct 2012

Can you send forth lightnings,
so that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’?

Job 38:35 NRSV

In Sunday’s appointed reading (Job 38:1-7, 34-41) God answers Job. It is not what Job expected to hear. ~dan

it is a new sound in the chimes. What do you hear?

Today’s reading from The Message

I often find wonderful new ways to hear the Word by reading different translations. Eugene Peterson’s translation of the Bible, The Message, is one of my favorite sources. ~dan

And now, finally, God answered Job from the eye of a violent storm.

He said: “Why do you confuse the issue? Why do you talk without knowing what you’re talking about? Pull yourself together, Job! Up on your feet! Stand tall! I have some questions for you, and I want some straight answers.

Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me, since you know so much! Who decided on its size? Certainly you’ll know that! Who came up with the blueprints and measurements? How was its foundation poured, and who set the cornerstone, While the morning stars sang in chorus and all the angels shouted praise? And who took charge of the ocean when it gushed forth like a baby from the womb? That was me! I wrapped it in soft clouds, and tucked it in safely at night. Then I made a playpen for it, a strong playpen so it couldn’t run loose, And said, ‘Stay here, this is your place. Your wild tantrums are confined to this place.’

“Can you get the attention of the clouds, and commission a shower of rain? Can you take charge of the lightning bolts and have them report to you for orders?

“Who do you think gave weather-wisdom to the ibis, and storm-savvy to the rooster? Does anyone know enough to number all the clouds or tip over the rain barrels of heaven When the earth is cracked and dry, the ground baked hard as a brick?

“Can you teach the lioness to stalk her prey and satisfy the appetite of her cubs As they crouch in their den, waiting hungrily in their cave? And who sets out food for the ravens when their young cry to God, fluttering about because they have no food?”

Job 38 The Message on Bible Gateway

When God speaks in praise of this ‘wild’ creation …

Either you look at the universe as a very poor creation out of which no one can make anything or you look at your own life and your own part in the universe as infinitely rich, full of inexhaustible interest, opening out into infinite further possibilities for study and contemplation and interest and praise. Beyond all and in all is God.

Merton, Thomas (2003-02-01). When the Trees Say Nothing: Writings on Nature (p. 6). Ave Maria Press – A. Kindle Edition.

A prayer to step into creation with the Creator

O merciful Creator, your hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of every living creature: Make us always thankful for your loving providence; and grant that we, remembering the account that we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of your good gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer, p. 259

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