Finding God in Child Like Wonder

Standing the top of North Mountain, I gazed out across the rolling and lush green hills of the Shenandoah Valley. In the distance, like unmovable bulwarks were the Blue Ridge Mountains, while far bellow us on the valley floor the sunlight glimmered and bounced off the tin roof tops of Shrine Mont and the community of Orkney Springs, Virginia. With incense burning on our make-shift rock altar, we lifted our voices up to the highest heaven in song to the energizing rhythm of an acoustic guitar. As I prepared to celebrate the Holy Eucharist in this natural cathedral, God’s Living presence was overwhelming and very real. Along with eighteen middle school campers and several councilors we praised God as one voice, and one people. In that holy moment as deep shadows lightly danced across the valley floor then leapt over the mountains beyond, all I could think was that God is surely in this place; the Incarnate Christ is an integral part of all creation. How could he not be?

For ten days during the month of July, I had the wonderful experience of serving as chaplain to Explorer’s III Middle School Youth Camp at Shrine Mont. I went to camp not knowing what to expect, hoping I would be able to provide some sort of spiritual guidance to these eighteen youth and their councilors. Today as I reflect on my time spent with these wonderful young people, I hope I was able to give them half as much spiritual nurturing and substance as they gave me. I arrived at Shrine Mont tentative and a little uneasy, I left full of the Spirit with an incredible reminder of just how many gifts our children have to offer our community of faith. Like all generations of people in the parish, our children and youth provide a unique and delightful perspective of God’s church and the world. Like a bright ray of sunlight bursting forth through dark and heavy clouds, my ten days of ministering to these young people reinvigorated the absolute importance of never losing the need or ability to play, to act a little crazy and have fun in this life. While life’s burden’s will always be around, attempting to weigh us down, I was reminded by these children that life is simply too short and too important to allow stress and worry to overwhelm us. When we become like children we touch that often hidden or even forgotten place in our hearts that is still full of innocence, vulnerable and hungry for what is new.

While I realize that it is unrealistic for most of us to go off to summer camp, it is very feasible to seek out the child like wonder and love that still exists in every one of our hearts. Through an old but long forgotten lens we may just find a renewed hope and child like freedom in an often troublesome world. We may also encounter the Incarnate Christ, who says, “Bring the children to me. Anyone who wishes to enter the Kingdom of Heaven must first become like one of these.”

For Heaven's Sake Someone's Sitting in my Pew!

I recently came across an article that I read a year ago in the Alban Institute’s quarterly publication, Congregations entitled “Seven Habits of Highly Effective Churches.” In an era of individualism in which our faith is constantly challenged, communities of faith divided and churches struggling to gain new membership, this article left me inspired and enthusiastic. We church folks are such creatures of habit, especially Episcopalians! (Remember the old joke? - In the Episcopal Church if we do something more than once then it becomes tradition). How true! We often miss the joy in life and new opportunities for ministry because we are so consumed with preserving our own needs, or those of the institution. I'll never forget one Sunday morning in church, my Grandmother insisting that someone move because they were sitting in "her" pew! Good grief! We get so bogged down in the silly minusia!

This list, composed by the United Church of Christ, is a beautiful reminder of how God calls us to live in community. It illumines the beauty of healthy change, and reminds us just how easy it is to become stuck in spiritual ruts.

It reads as follows:

1. Strive for excellent service to Christ. In other words, give God our best and continue to have fun, enjoying our ministry.
2. Cultivate a spirit of innovation and experimentation. Try new ministries and different approaches. Perhaps even try sitting in another pew on Sunday morning. Its really OK!
3. Take initiative to build relationships with people and groups in the wider community beyond our congregation.
4. Accept responsibility for mistakes; learn from them, and in all things LET GRACE ABOUND. Mistakes happen, so give each other a break and ourselves too! Our achievements are secondary to God’s abundant grace.
5. “Always be prepared to give an account of the hope that is within you.”
(I Peter 3:15). Find the places where love, energy and life flow and trust God to find ways to meet life’s challenges, even when we feel we can’t.
6. Find the willingness to allow folks have their feelings, and stay focused on the core mission of the parish. Love, compassion and acceptance of diversity are important spiritual elements in the life of a healthy congregation.
7. Splash it on! Finally, God loves cheerful givers. Spend your time, talent and money wisely, well and freely in God’s mission and ministry.

(For more inforamtion go to www.alban.org)

I express my sincere thanks to the United Church of Christ, the Alban Institute and it’s publication, Congregations for providing us with this simple but most effective way to grow and thrive spiritually in challenging times.

Don’t let Prayer Interfere with Life’s Interruptions…. Say What?

Making time for prayer and contemplation is often challenging and even difficult for many of us. Schedules, and more schedules along with the intrusion of life’s daily requirements and responsibilities often interfere with our best prayerful intentions. I can’t count how many times I have told myself, “This time I am determined to do this prayer thing right!” Yet all too often those well meaning, sincere and heart felt intentions fall way short. Why? Well, life happens! Am I alone in this or what? Answer: Probably not.

I have found over the years that my prayer time has had to adapt to my crazy life and its often busy schedule. I have come to the reality that I do not live, work and worship in a monastery; therefore I don’t have the benefits of solitude, silence and intentional time for prayer. Instead, I have learned to give myself a break. I have learned to use life’s opportunities to pray. Often while running, I am able to use that time to reflect and focus my mind on God’s presence and prayer (that is if my heart rate is not topping 170 or if I don’t have some rock tune blaring in my ears from my ipod). Depending on traffic and my subsequent mood, driving in the car is an occasional good time to pray, although I don’t recommend closing your eyes! The best place I have found to pray at home is in that brief island respite known as the shower. It is one of the very few places I can escape and relax for at least 10 minutes (OK let’s be honest – 20 minutes). Although even there I am bound to be interrupted by arguing children or even the nosy cat!

It is important for us to understand that prayer is not just words (or demands) spoken to God; prayer is active listening and looking for God in everyday life. Believe it or not, prayer happens in the ordinary and mundane daily tasks. It is an integral part of how we live, inner act with each other and form relationships. Real prayer often exists in our lives, yet its presence goes unnoticed. So many of us are children of structure; we love our formulas. I grew up believing that God only spoke the language of Kings and Queens (King James Bible) and if we were not in certain prayerful positions (on our knees) with the ambiance just right, then the prayer was null and void. Arrrrgh! What a trap I found myself having to exist! I spent more time trying to set the prayerful mood, along with choosing every word perfectly than I did experiencing God’s holy presence.

Today, intentional prayer still has its challenges, but I have learned that God is always with us and I can listen or talk with him any time. The Incarnate Christ is a deep and genuine part of each and every one of us. My active ministry has opened my eyes to the fact that we often experience and profoundly encounter God in life’s daily interruptions. After all if we think about it for a moment, isn’t that what God does best – interrupt our lives by calling us out in our busy daily tasks and work? Think of Moses, the Prophets, the Disciples and Paul. God interrupted their busy lives, transforming them forever. Perhaps we should stop trying to do everything so perfectly and let God interrupt our lives, allowing him to meet us where we are in life.

Freaking Out on a Sea of Despair.....Someone Wake up Jesus!

The church nave (the central part of the church) is often referred to as an upside down ship. In a traditional setting if we stop and look at the high pitched roof with beams crisscrossing the space inbetween, we can easily imagine the parish building itself as a vast ship; a ship named Casa di Dio (God’s House). God’s House is a refuge that often rides the stormy waves and perilous seas of life, tossed about by the winds of fury. And while God remains faithful, it is the crew and passengers that seem to consistently fall into fear and disarray. The winds and violent storms of life often arise out of nowhere, raining down doubt and ambiguity upon our lives. Yet despite the fact that God’s House takes on water and on occasion appears to ride low in the waters of despair, Christ is our ever present Captain and source of strength. Jesus will keep us afloat providing us with comfort and peace (when we allow him too!). We often forget that in Christ Jesus the storms will pass and the seas will calm. But just like the disciples on that frightening evening as they were caught in a vicious storm in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, we too find ourselves in panic mode and experiencing a whole range of terrifying fear.

The disciples were mostly sea worthy men. Several of them were seasoned fishermen and would certainly know and have experienced the temperamental mood swings of the sea. The Sea of Galilee is notorious for storms which brew and move in literally out of nowhere. As the Wind blows south down the Jordan River and through deep canyons that feed into the large lake, it picks up intensity and speed which it ravenously releases onto the open water. Fishermen in this region are all too familiar with the fickle nature of Galilee. It can be calm one moment and in the very next, a literal rain of terror. This is why it is so perplexing in Mark’s Gospel that these seasoned fishermen who are now Jesus’ disciples would so easily panic in this storm. One would think or assume they would be right at home on the temperamental sea. Obviously this was no ordinary storm.

As we read the Gospel of Mark a reality begins to surface and take shape. Perhaps this was no ordinary storm. It was made more intense and terrifying because the disciples were increasingly seeking and finding security in the presence of Jesus, and not their own selves. A subtle spiritual transference was quietly occurring as Jesus’ followers began to place their true reliance on him. The Adversary would certainly wish to have derailed God’s divine mission of hope and freedom found in Christ. Even though Satan couldn’t trick, intimidate or mislead Jesus, there was always the human element that was most vulnerable and susceptible to the Devil’s deception. Since he couldn’t tempt or derail Jesus and his mission, the old Adversary attacks what he perceives to be the weak link in God’s creation. You got it! The Church; the very place of refuge and hope is now the primary target of assault by Satan. And believe me, the Adversary often has a “field day.”

Riding on the stormy seas of gossip, schism, rumors and personal motive, the Adversary swoops down on God’s House like a sudden and violent storm. I imagine out there on the Sea of Galilee as Jesus rested peacefully in the stern, the storm that arose probably brought out the worst in the disciples personalities. These men remind us that in times of trouble and fear, if we are not spiritually grounded in a life of faith and service to Christ Jesus, the very brokenness of our humanity surfaces, causing the strong personal desire to control our environment. I’m certain that on that fishing boat there were more than a few barbs exchanged between the disciples. I am sure that the anxiety created out of faithless fear and self-preservation brought every raw emotion and hostile remark to the surface. This became an intense and driving storm, one that threatened the very life of the crew and ship. The Adversary threw a huge tempest in their path and waited for the crew and passengers to self-destruct. But as we all know, Jesus didn’t allow that to happen. With only a two words, “Be still” the rough seas calmed and the storm was dispelled.

How often do we call on the presence of Christ to calm the storms we face in and outside of the church? The disciples intuitively turned to Jesus in their despair, which speaks well of their reliance on him, yet they still struggled to understand his identity as the Messiah; the Christ; the One to Come; the Divine Liberator and Pioneer of Faith. They continued to struggle with that innate need to control their environment. They continued to struggle with the concept of faith. And guess what? 2000 years later we still do the exact same thing. Its easy to claim to love, follow and have faith in Jesus; particularly when life’s seas are smooth. Its easy to get along with one another in the church when life is calm and folks go unchallenged or unthreatened by change, authority or conflict. However, at the first sight of rain this fine balance is easily upset, as we often forget that Christ is in the stern with us.

Most of us are familiar with John Wesley; the great 18th c. evangelist to the American English colonies. He spread the Good News of Jesus faithfully in the age called “The Great Awakening.” Trust me; John Wesley could hardly have been called a faint-hearted or easily intimidated person. But there were times when even he lost his nerve and struggled with his faith. During one of Wesley's several Atlantic crossings, a frighteningly fierce storm broke out. The violent nature of this storm was terrible. It pitched and tossed the ship about on its rough seas; threatening to sink her along with the crew and passengers. While Wesley and others clung to their bunks in fear and doubt, a community of Moravians, traveling to their new homeland, calmly gathered to hold their daily worship service. Despite the vicious storm and its fury, they gathered in sincere faith to sing praises to God. Watching these Moravians, who were unperturbed by the hounding winds and crashing waves, Wesley realized he was witnessing a truly “waterproof faith.” From that moment on, John Wesley prayed that God would give him the ability to likewise ride out life's storms with the same confidence he witnessed in the Moravians.

Whatever storms we face in our personal lives; whatever tempests threaten those of us sailing aboard this vessel called the Church; know this – Christ is our faithful Captain who calms the winds, restores peace and brings comfort. Trust in Christ and allow him to be our navigator. The storms will come and go, yet Jesus is calm and steady. Throw all your personal desires for control overboard and embrace the winds of change. Unencumbered, Jesus will lead us into a deeper, richer and more nurturing life of faith and service.

Giving It Away to Keep It…Living a Christ Centered Life

I think most of us in the Church would agree that a Christ centered life is a gift worth sharing with others (a spiritually demanding gift I might add). Yet sharing of ourselves without condition or assurance is often challenging and difficult. Giving without concern for the self, and sharing through our vulnerability are rather alien concepts in today’s world – but so often that is how Jesus’ counter cultural teachings are perceived – outlandish! We live in a very individualistic society; one that teaches us to put ourselves first, seize as much power and control as possible, and a society that often teaches us to measure our self-worth based on the opinions of others. Think for one moment - how many times do we seek validation from outside sources? How many times do we base our success and failures on the reaction of our peers? This is just another form of self-centeredness and completely contrary to a life in Christ. Yet what are we supposed to do? We are after all human beings! Perhaps we should look deeper into what it means to live a Christ centered life.

We exist in a world in which we consistently experience a tug towards superficial achievements where success tends to be measured by worldly standards. Perhaps we have days in which we feel torn in several directions all at once. Those are the kinds of days in which I often feel it is everything I can do to take care of myself, much less give of myself to anyone else! It is hard not to put ourselves first in a society that teaches us might makes right, success is measured by how much worldly wealth we can accumulate, or how many goals we can accomplish in a day. Yet in contrast to the hustle and bustle of this world and it's standards, Jesus calls us to a life of complete and utter humility, poverty and a lifestyle of continuous self-giving (one without expectation of return or pay back). The counter culture love of God is radical in its nature. It knows nothing less than complete surrender and self-abandonment.

The very mystery and nature of God as Trinity celebrates self-abandoning love in diversity. And while we can debate and discuss the mystery of God, what is most important is to not lose sight of God’s pure benevolence; a gift that expects nothing in return. The economy of God is unconditional and ecstatic love for the other. In God there is no individual, but community. So what does that mean for us? Well, a life in Christ is all about acceptance of the self; the person God made us. It also means the acceptance of the beautiful diversity of all God’s people. The economy of God is not based on a fiduciary system, trade or the stock market. Instead the economy of God is the rock solid gift of life that is lived, shared and grounded in the community of faith. When we are initiated into the Body of Christ and immersed into the community of faith we die to our old selves and take on a new life, not only for ourselves, but for the sake of others as well. Just as the mystery of God is three divine “Persons” yet one being, so too do we become one with each other, yet remain personally valued and blessed with unique spiritual gifts. In other words, God calls us to build and rebuild relationships with others through the sharing of ourselves without condition. God invites us to celebrate our individual gifts as pieces of the puzzle that complement the community as a whole. Life in the community of the church recognizes that while we are diverse in nature, we need each other! A life in Christ is an immersion into unconditional love for God and our neighbor. Where many of us balk is that a genuine life in Christ requires nothing less than total self-sacrifice and self-abandonment. That is hard! Yet a life shared with others is a life that is constantly receiving the blessings of others and then selflessly passing along the gifts we receive. In the economy of God this exchange is a perfect cycle. But for human kind and our relationships, let’s just say we fall way short.

In this Ordinary time in the liturgical life of the church (the season of Pentecost), it is my sincere hope we will all continue to practice this cycle of self-giving love, even though we are far from perfect. The more we share of ourselves, the more vulnerable we all become as a community. It is in that vulnerability that sweet surrender occurs. It is in surrender that we find the meaning of unconditional love and service, sharing from our very poverty rather than excess.

Making Time for God

Most recently I had a meeting with a diocesan consultant at the former Catholic Convent of Richmond Hill, Richmond, Virginia. The convent was originally built after the War Between the States in the 1860’s. Situated on a hill overlooking the city, Richmond Hill's primary purpose was to watch over the city in careful, methodical and unceasing prayer. Richmond, like many southern cities was in utter chaos and destruction after its fall. The Southern troops and local inhabitants actually did most of the damage to the city as they fled the Union army. They burned all of the warehouses and anything else that might provide comfort and support for the enemy. To say the least, the city was in shambles and suddenly under Union control as well as marshal law. The sisters, who were moved to Richmond Hill by their bishop, had one mission – to pray without ceasing over the devastated city.

Richmond Hill, like so many monastic or former monastic facilities is a place that is rich and immersed in prayer. While Richmond Hill is no longer a convent, it is a place of spiritual retreat and solitude. So much sincere and faithful prayer has been lifted up to God within that small but beautiful compound; there is a genuine presence of stepping onto Holy Ground.

We all need respite from the daily grind of life. We all need a few moments to simply stop and pray and listen to that still small voice of God. We live in a fast paced world that demands immediate results, and as much of our time as it can steal. Work ethic has transformed in many places to ‘the more we do in a day, the more productive we are in that day.’ Never mind taking care of oneself spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally; the world demands a price to function in our modern day society and if we don’t pay the piper then we are taught the consequence is utter failure and ridicule. What a terrible way to live! Many of us have experienced the challenge of balancing work, family and self-care. The first item that usually goes by the way side when we are under pressure is the one thing we need the most – healthy lives committed to a solid spiritual formation. Trust me, as ironic and strange as it may sound the church and her clergy, lay staff and volunteers often fall into the exact same trap. The church is made up of human-beings and not immune to our brokenness.

I learned a valuable lesson regarding my spiritual life and ministry during my brief stay at Richmond Hill. I learned just how easy it is to become so self-absorbed and distracted that we neglect our prayer life and spiritual growth. Standing, kneeling and sitting in a room that was so rich and immersed in prayer was not only incredibly refreshing and spiritually reinvigorating, it was also a blessing and reminder from God about my true priorities and needs.

Christ is the Incarnate God who abides in us whether we take time to recognize his presence or not. I encourage us all to seek out time and places to renew our lives and spirits. I encourage us all to enter into a life of intentional prayer and silence, even if it is for just a brief amount of time. It is amazing how even the briefest time spent in the presence of God has the ability to rejuvenate our lives, calm our spirits and reprioritize our lives in a most healthy manner. Life’s challenges will always be there to confront us as that is simply living life on life's terms. Yet when we take the time to enter Holy Ground we will emerge refined and better able to meet those challenges with a deeper faith and steadfast spiritual foundation. It is in the still silence and quietness of our hearts that we become grounded in God's love and compassion, and much better prepared to meet the daily grind that lies just around the corner.

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, but Words can be Brutal

Relationships are fundamental to our lives not only as Christians but as part of our basic human DNA as well. While relationships provide us with companionship, friendship and colleagues, they also provide us with numerous challenges. The church is certainly not exempt from the complex nature of relationships. A friend of mine used to say in reference to the diversity of human nature and personalities – “It takes all kinds to make up this world.” How very true is this statement when it comes to the complex make up of individual people. Of course what makes our personalities and individuality interesting is when we enter into relationships with others, or become a part of a larger group.

Church folks, especially the clergy often take their fair share of criticism and beatings at the hands (or should I say words) of disgruntled people. The natural reaction for most of us when confronted with difficult behavior is to become defensive or simply withdraw. Knowing this raises several questions, especially when it comes to life in the church. What do we do with the hurt and pain caused to us by others in the church? How do we as Christians transcend the malicious intent of gossip? How do we, the Body of Christ seek out reconciliation rather than revenge? These are difficult questions, but often the reality we face in the corporate community of faith.

From time to time random people outside the congregation approach me in the grocery store, mall, restaurant or some other public place in order to express and explain why they no longer attend church (It must be the collar!). Part of the mantle I bear upon my shoulders as an Episcopal priest is to be a magnet for the disenfranchised, hurt and lost. I listen to these folks as they share their plight and painful experiences in the church. Whether it is due to gossip, power struggles or parish politics, these folk’s stories have a common thread – they left their community of faith with a bitter and disgusting taste for life in the church. Most of these folks leave their church feeling battered and in desperate need of healing and recovery. Many folks seek God elsewhere, while others become so put off by the internal squabbles and unhealthy reactions that they simply drift along as non-active members who only grace the doors of the church when it is absolutely necessary. Is this the Christian life and fellowship that we are called to live? What kind of example are we setting for the world at large when all it ever witnesses is our internal feuds and fights?

We do hurt each other in the church, and often. While it is a sad fact, it is also the broken nature of human-beings to want control their environment, need to be right, and nurture ego-centric and dysfunctional behavior. In his book, Never Call Them Jerks, Arthur Paul Boers explains that unfortunately in the name of Jesus destructive mental health issues are all too often protected and enabled by well intentioned people in the congregation, providing the dysfunctional behavior with a genuine sense of empowerment and validation; no matter what the cost. Of course the clergy are certainly not exempt from these divisive self-serving needs either.

So the real question is – when these divisive, unhealthy and selfish actions occur, how do we deal with them in a healthy, accountable and loving manner? In other words, how do we reconcile with each other and stop the unhealthy cycle of dysfunctional behavior? The key - don't enable the difficult behavior while continuing to reach out and try to build bridges, not walls. Of course this sounds easy but in reality is much harder to do, especially when human emotions are factored into the situation. Yet to ignore difficult behavior or to retaliate only deepens and widens the chasm which separates us. After all, isn't that the nature of sin -to divide? Jesus tells us to go to a person who we have issues, and speak with them directly. He goes on to say if they will not listen then go back to them with a witness. If they still refuse to reconcile then take it to the church. If that doesn't work then we have to let them go in love so that we might move forward with healthy and joy filled spiritual lives. Unconditional love and Reconciliation are after all at the very heart of the Gospel, but so is accountability. As for me, I want to be a bridge, not a chasm. Life is so much better when we are able to let go, and let God!