May 15, 2022 – Easter +4C

“When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:31-35

Have you been experiencing G-d in new ways recently? If you haven’t – why do you think you aren’t experiencing G-d in new ways?  Let me suggest that G-d has been active in your life, every day, but you just haven’t pieced it all together. Let me explain…I once read a book titled “An Atheist in Heaven: The Ultimate Evidence for Life After Death.”  In this book the author writes about a phenomenon called synchronicities. According to Psychoanalyst Carl Jung, Synchronicities are “meaningful coincidences” if they occur with no discernable relationship, yet seem to be meaningful.”

Let me give you an example of a synchronicity from Carl Jung himself.  He had a patient once who was a difficult case.  She was an educated woman whom Carl Jung found to be a tough case because she knew better about everything.  Have you ever known someone like that?  I am sure you have.  Anyway, one day she was going on and on about a dream she had the night before in which someone handed her a golden scarab, a costly piece of jewelry. As Carl was listening to her story, he overheard a tapping at the window behind him. When he turned around to see what was the source of the tapping, he noticed a large flying insect trying to get inside. He opened the window and caught the insect as it flew inside. It was a Scarabaeid Beetle – its colorings almost nearly resembled the golden scarab – a beautiful gold, green coloring. He handed the beetle to the woman and said “Here is your scarab.” She had no idea how to respond. 

In the Upper Room, Jesus kneels to wash the feet of the disciples and they too do not know how to respond. How can the teacher kneel at the feet of his students and do such a demeaning task? The message is clear – at least to me – that we must constantly be prepared for G-d to do the miraculous, the mundane, the surprising, and the synchronous in our lives – because G-d can, G-d will, and G-d loves us beyond all measure.

Take time today to listen to what G-d is saying to you, to see where G-d is leading you, and then do some soul searching, some thinking, and of course a lot of prayer. When you do, you open yourself up to G-d working in new and surprising ways in your life.

Pastor Dave

May 14, 2022 – When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chodron

Groundlessness

“Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. The Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” Deuteronomy 34:1-5

“…anyone who stands on the edge of the unknown, fully in the present without reference point, experiences groundlessness. That’s when our understanding goes deeper, when we find that the present moment is a pretty vulnerable place and that this can be completely unnerving and completely tender at the same time.” (Chodron, Pema. When Things Fall Apart, (P. 6)

Groundlessness

Pema Chodron talks about the time she was first introduced to meditation. A friend of hers in the class said to her “…please don’t go away from here thinking that meditation is a vacation from irritation.”

Notice in our text that Moses is being introduced to the Promised Land – but also introduced to the news that he will not be able to enter into the same land. Because Moses had struck a rock at Meribah to produce water for the Israelites rather than speaking to the rock, the Lord had determined that Moses would not be allowed to continue on this journey (Numbers 20:11-12). I have to believe this was a moment of groundlessness for Moses. After all of his efforts to lead and guide these “stiff-necked” people, because of one indiscretion, he would not be allowed to complete the journey.

You see, just because we are faithful does not guarantee us life without groundlessness. There will always be times when we feel as if the current struggle of life is going to finally be the one to pull the rug right out from under us. And we determine just to quit. However, if we are willing to stop struggling, not give up, and just stand in the moment of whatever we are encountering – refusing to act out, to blame others, or to blame ourselves for failing in this way or that – rather than be ruled by fear, we will encounter the courage we need to take one more step – and then another, and another, being led by G-d into an unknown future. When we get out of our own fear, and out of our own way and allow G-d to lead us, we begin to realize that the Lord considers us precious beyond all measure – and has secured our unknown future through the Son, Jesus Christ.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, we come to you in good times, and in bad. We come to you with praise, and we come to you in fear. Help me today to stop, take a moment and consider again that I am a loved child of G-d. Whatever I may encounter today, that reality cannot be taken from me. Amen.

Pastor Dave