Wednesday, February 28

FORGIVENESS

As we start off the new year of 2018, I wonder why we need, every December, to watch “The Christmas Carol,” and look at the chains we might be making for ourselves. I have to really work at forgiveness not just for others but myself. Why did I do such and such as friends remind me to reach for my higher self; not grovel in the pain. I wonder if God forgives me for loving thrift shopping more than churching. For many years as the pain of life bothered me, I would roam the isles of a neighborhood thrift shop. I forged my chain link by link of slights real or imagined. A canister filled with receipts that could prove a wrong done to me, kept for many years, finally thrown away. When all is said and done not to forgive only hurts me. The chain becomes something that weighs me down, stops my laughter and clouds my dreams. To be truly free, I must forgive and forget real or imagined wrongs. I must forgive myself and hear that still small voice inside my head that says, “God forgives you for everything, even that thought or things undone.” So I watch “The Christmas Carol” again and am inspired to try once more.

Let’s have a large bonfire 
That’s the only thing to do
Of course memories don’t burn 
Be nice to lose a few

I once had a canister of papers
All signed with “not” my name
It looked like mine but on close inspection 
Was not at all the same

The canister got heavier
As I trudged it through my days 
So I gifted it a dumpster
Before becoming crazed

“Off with her head,” said the matriarch 
She’s as crazy as a loon
So I packed my bags and ran away 
And not a day too soon

Starting my life over

In a new place and time 
But the memories remain 
Like fermenting wine

Be nice if one could burn them 
Or tip them down the drain 
Without them would I be me 
A smile without the pain

Jane Williams 

Tuesday, February 27

THE COMFORT OF PSALM 139

When I first read Leslie Brandt’s translation of the 139th Psalm (Psalms Now, 1973), I was overwhelmed by a feeling of total awe. The Psalm begins “O God, You know me inside and out, through and through.” How was I supposed to act before this all knowing God? I thought I needed to reconcile myself to the divine mystery which I had for so many years denied existed. I had been alone and afraid of the world I was living in. Yet when I first read the words of this Psalm, I felt in my heart that they held truths which I could barely understand. Over time, with each reading, new meaning opened to me from inside the words.

Further into the psalm are these verses. “If I ascend to the heights of joy, You are there before me. If I am plunged into the depths of despair, You are there to lead the way. I could walk into the darkest of nights, only to find You there to lighten its dismal hours.”

Looking back I have known many dark places before I thought that God was with me. As I have looked more honestly at my own inner dark places, reading this psalm told me that God has always known these places in me and always loved me unconditionally. I have never needed to reconcile with God. I have just needed to reconcile with myself.

I am comforted by these last verses of this psalm which Brandt phrases in this way, “Nothing about me, from beginning to end, was hid from Your eyes. How frightfully fantastically wonderful it all is! May Your all-knowing, everywhere-present Spirit continue to search out my feelings and thoughts. Deliver me from that which may hurt or destroy me, and guide me along the paths of love and truth.” This 139th Psalm has helped me to love my whole self leading me into greater compassion for my fellow life journeyers.


Fran MacEachren 

Monday, February 26

Barukh ata adonai elohenu melekh ha’olam, shehecheyanu, v’kiyimanu, v’higiyanu la’z’man ha’zeh

Blessed are You Lord our God, Sovereign of the Universe who has given us life, sustained us, and allowed us to reach this moment.

I repeat this often recited Jewish blessing “The shehechiyanu” at the beginning of my daily prayer routine.

This helps remind me of the Jewish foundation of my Christianity. As a lifelong Episcopalian, old testament readings represent an integral aspect of the liturgy. In addition, through bible study I have read the Old Testament twice, and have studied the Jewish Kabbalah. Nevertheless, I find it easy to ignore and forget that Yahweh God chose the Jewish Jesus to become our Messiah. And the first recorded language between man and God is Hebrew, while Jesus and his disciples spoke Aramaic. So it seems intimate, respectful and historic to begin this way, and to follow it with the Lord’s Prayer. It’s taken me quite a while to learn to say the Hebrew words, but there is no impelling reason to always quote these Yiddish or Hebraic words. The freshness and directness of the English translation is enough to honor my faiths’ old Testament connection.


Jim Bickford 

Sunday, February 25 - Second Sunday in Lent

REJECTION, REDEMPTION AND RECONCILIATION

I was amused that the translation of the word “Lent” is “Spring” from old English. Lent, with its fasting and extra prayers and liturgies does not form a picture in my mind of flowers blooming and warm breezes.

But - wait a minute - what of those in the world, the rejected ones - who are crying for redemption.

Redemption in this and other countries would bring hope and a stable life without fear of even more rejection.

So many are rejected for their country of origin, the color of their skin and even the clothes they wear.

Can we not take their hands spiritually or actually, and offer hope of redemption and reconciliation?

What a blessing Lent, as Spring, could be!

Lord, we know with your ever present Love and our acceptance of it by our actions, at least a small part of our world could be Spring. Amen


Jane H. Strauss 
Roman Catholic Church of the Incarnation
Charlottesville, Virginia 

Saturday, February 24

REJECTION

R ebuffing
E motional wounding J ealousy
E xclusion
C old shoulder
T urndown
I nsecurity
O stracism
N onacceptance

This word, even deconstructed, is filled with the ingredients for painful negative emotions and actions. We humans seem to repeat the use of it today just as we did thousands of years ago. We reject each other for slights and oversights. We are, in turn, rejected by others.

To break this never-ending cycle, we need only to focus on the One who himself was accused by his own as a false Messiah and prophet.

He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. (John 1:11)

Despite repeated rejection, Christ nonetheless gave himself as the ultimate sacrifice for us. Let us now during this time redirect all thought to that most exquisite example of perfect love.  

Lord, accept our humble thanks!

Barbara White 

Friday, February 23

John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

I need friends who love and support who I am. That smile when I brag on my newlywed friends, who hug me when I grieve, who even if they don’t understand my aloneness (lucky them), do not question it.

I do not need eye rolls and loud put downs when I bare my soul.

Recently I’ve experienced these behaviors from longtime friends I’ve held through the stages of life (unsure to call them friends any more).

Why can’t they be there for me in the simplest of ways? When I calm my anger at their slights, I conclude it is their fear, their grief, their aloneness. It has nothing to do with me; I’m just an observer.

Hence, Jesus forgave and loved his own countrymen, race, and friends - all of whom did so much more than eye-roll his power and dismiss his tears. They put their hands on him and nailed him to a cross.

Like Jesus, I distance myself from cruel hypocrites and fearful bullies. Their time is up, leaving Jesus and those who follow his footsteps more time to embrace those who accept our love.


Sharon Keene 

Thursday, February 22

Hope is a word that has always resonated with me in a way that I can’t really explain. It seems that through whatever rejection life may throw my way, I am able to rely on God’s hope to see me through. After a family member or friends’ death, I am able to lean on God and ask God to fill me with the hope that can only be fulfilled by God’s promise of eternal life. When a situation seems dire and no solution is in sight, I am able to look for the light at the end of the tunnel: God’s hope. When I fall short of an expectation, I can pick myself back up, knowing that God is by my side. During this Lenten season, join me in intentionally making space for God to fill us with a calm that can only be described with one all-encompassing word - hope.

Dear God,
Be present with us as we continue to experience rejection. We know that we are perfectly made in your image, but all too often, fall short of your plan. We make mistakes, we have struggles, we experience pain and suffering, and we need your gentle reminder that you are holding us in the palm of your hand. Help us to be filled with the everlasting hope, joy, and peace that only your love can supply.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. - Romans 15:13


Katie Blanchard 

Wednesday, February 21

“PUT LOVE FIRST” (St. Paul)

Most Christians believe that Jesus had to die on the cross in order to pay God back for the injury of Adam’s sin. Sin had pawned our lives to Satan, and Jesus’s death was the price to get them back (“redeem”) from hock. Jesus offered his life instead of ours, and since he was divine, his payback was sufficient to absolve us of our sins. And what a price it was! With cause the Church sang in the Easter Liturgy, “O lucky sin that was worthy of such a wonderful Redeemer!”

This view of the death of Jesus is called “substitutional atonement,” because it substitutes that death for our lives. It is one of the five foundational beliefs proclaimed by Fundamentalists as defining Christianity. But Marcus Borg, in his last book, Convictions (2014), says it is “seriously deficient,” partly because it turns God into a stern businessman, partly because it ignores the historical reasons for the crucifixion of Jesus, and partly because there are other models.

Jesus himself gave us a different image of God as a father who forgives his erring son without conditions, and who reconciles him to himself without expecting anything in return; in other words, out of sheer love. This model appeals more to me than the substitutional one, because it underlines the notion of God as lover. The sinful son was not rejected: the door was always open to his return, and he did not have to be “bought back” from anybody. His reconciliation with his father required only that he come back home.

I have always wondered why God created me, who he knew would sin, instead of others who he knew would be saints. I have the merest feeling he did so because he knew I would love him more after my sin, who already loved him so much even while I sinned against him. This is one major reason, I think, why the image of God as loving and forgiving father appeals to me.


Ignacio Gotz 

Tuesday, February 20

REJECTION

Romans 8:1 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

This verse gives the solution to rejection! Rather than “walking under a continuous low-lying black cloud” (The Message) because we feel that we constantly fail at following the path we set out for ourselves, we are freed by God’s gift to us to follow the Spirit of Christ. Rejection is a real downer which leaves us feeling alone, depressed and wondering why life is worth living. We forget that the Word, Spirit, Breath (ruach), Light of Christ have been with us from the big bang (and before) to lead us through the dark times.

But looking at God as “out there” contradicts what Christ came to show us. God is always with us. We are part of the creation formed by God, as are the trees, rocks, snakes, and wildebeests. And not only is God with us, we are “totally surrounded and infused by God.” [Thus,] “we cannot not live in the presence of God.” (Rohr, 1/5/18).

Living into this relationship with God means that we come closer and closer to reflecting God’s image and spirit. Let this be our call for Lent, to live out our spiritual heritage and to see God in those around us, even those least like ourselves. Doing something for others becomes a loving communion with them, not a form of pity or false self-sacrifice. Living in communion is what so many of the outreach activities we do are meant to be. Let us remember to treat those we serve with love and respect and see God in them and ourselves.

Carole Kimmel 

Monday, February 19

REJECTION

Angry words hurt the heart 
The disease sets in once more 
Pain too much to bear

REDEMPTION

Mind clears to accept
Slowly thoughts come back around 
Understanding returns

RECONCILIATION

Time needed to heal
Hope brings us back together 
Love binds our hearts again


Jennifer Adams 

Sunday, February 18 - First Sunday in Lent

Luke 15:20 While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

The son in this story, often called the Prodigal Son, knew about rejection. He rejected everything his family stood for in order to explore life in not such healthy ways. By the time he was through with his rebellion and going through all of his resources, he knew he was worthy of rejection by his father and everyone else. He was ready for that when he came home... but where else would he go? There was at least food and someone who knew him.

But his father ran to him in love, relief, and thanksgiving that he was back. This is what redemption and reconciliation look like. This is an extreme example, but we do this exercise every day that we are in relationships with others.

We may be stuck in the rejection part as we go into judgement of our neighbor, our spouse, our parents, our children, our church friends, and co-workers. We slip into judgement so easily, we are probably not even aware when it first happens. But there is a difference in discerning what we should reject in our friends’ behaviors, and rejecting our friends for their behaviors. Too quickly they often become objects of our desire to feel some justification and need to be superior about ourselves.

But Jesus calls us out. What we see in others is more often than not who we are in some form or another. God tells us to look at the small thing that bothers us in others, and compare it to the huge thing that we know, openly or secretly, about ourselves. No goody-two shoes allowed.

But the wonderful thing is that God already knows about us. It is safe to face whatever small or large issues we have to face in our past or our today. We are already redeemed and can be reconciled now. Thanks be to God for God’s amazing love we can claim as our own.

The Rev. Fran Peel 
Retired Minister 
Presbyterian Church USA 

Saturday, February 17

REJECTION

Have you ever been rejected? I can name a multitude of times in my life – from not being chosen for the team, to having a paper rejected by an editor and more. It isn’t a good feeling.

But, all of my rejections are minor compared to the rejections so many experience. People who are lost to despair; those who struggle to put food on the table or pay the rent; those who find themselves in a community (often a self-proclaimed Christian community) that does not want them. Each of us could name many more.

The Bible has many references about rejection. Some examples:

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. (Psalm 34:17)

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” (Matthew 21:42)

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” (John 15:18)

These can help many see beyond their current situation and provide comfort in the midst of rejection. But I wonder... for those who are in deep despair or in a constant state of rejection, could these words be taken as mocking. When one feels the Creator has abandoned them, what do you turn to? I have recently had friends who have felt that rejection and I struggle to know how to support them. Maybe with just love and being there, quietly being there.

May Lent give us time to consider those who are experiencing rejection, to remember the pain of our own times of rejection, and to love and quietly be there.


Gary Kimmel

Friday, February 16

REJECTION REFLECTION

Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

I am writing this reflection on Thursday, January 5. We are experiencing the winter storm called Grayson. It is cold - snowing with blistering winds and the weather guys are calling this weather phenomenon, Bombogenesis. And right now I am feeling rejected by “mother-nature” because I am a warm-weather person!

Nature in our eyes is full of imperfections. So are we as human beings. Perfection is a fantasy. Through experience we learn our faults and flaws, and that others have faults and flaws too. Not everything can be corrected and desiring to do so is a flaw in itself. But the opposite of rejection is acceptance. So as I sit here in front of my fireplace with heat and electricity and plenty of food/drink, I feel very warm, safe, fortunate and loved. I feel accepted.

It is through Faith, even through the blasts of rejection, that we learn that God supplies all our needs if we are willing to turn to Him, listen to Him, and absorb His Love. So now as I sit here in quiet meditation watching the blizzard swirl outside, I feel comfortably aglow surrounded by a light and the Grace of God. Maybe we can accept others and ourselves when we come to realize that winter, too, has a beauty of its own.


Sylvia Wadsworth

“Young man, the secret of my success is that at an early age I discovered I was not God.” -Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. 

Thursday, February 15

REJECTION

Genesis 4:3-5 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

John Steinbeck in his novel of re-imagining of the Cain and Abel myth, East of Eden wrote: “The greatest terror a child can have is that he is not loved, and rejection is the hell he fears. I think everyone in the world to a large or small extent has felt rejection. And with rejection comes anger, and with anger some kind of crime in revenge for the rejection, and with the crime guilt—and there is the story of mankind. I think that if rejection could be amputated, the human would not be what he is.”

Yes rejection hurts, and it is part of life; to paraphrase an old saying “rejection happens.” No one will come to, or through, adulthood without some degree of rejection and jealousy. The task is to view it as a natural event rather than a measure of one's worth. The Bible is a series of stories of rejections by people of God. Jesus on the cross knows the full pain of rejection and his response is to forgive.

A couple years ago, I went to my fiftieth High School reunion and there SHE was; the girl, my date to the Junior Prom in 1963, who threw me over for someone else. I cannot tell you how hurt I was then and how inadequate I felt. Fifty years later, she was still beautiful and as we looked at and talked with, each other, we shared what we had once liked about each other, but we were not able to be right for each other at that time. Over the years, we had learned more about ourselves and learned how to appreciate the other without mourning the loss. We will not be lovers, for who we were as adolescents is far from where we are now, but we thanked God for each other.

Do you have a memory of a rejection? Give thanks that you risked and with God's help you are a different person and the rejection was a learning tool to grow to realize that your worth is not dependent on the opinions or approval of others, but on God's amazing love for you. As Jesus shows us, forgiveness is what helps one to rise again.

Father Tom Wilson+ 
Rector, All Saints Church 

Wednesday, February 14 - Ash Wednesday

FIRE, ASHES, DUST

Authorities in California have concluded that fire ravaged California in unprecedented ways in 2017. The Thomas Fire, California’s largest ever, consumed the month of December – claiming two lives, forcing thousands from their homes, and reducing 300,000 acres and more than 1,000 buildings to ash.

(Fire authorities believe the Thomas Fire started when a campfire in a squatter’s village of homeless souls blew out of control.)

Today, Christians embrace centuries-old disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These acts of seeking God first (prayer), of depriving ourselves of immediate for-the-fun-of-it pleasures (fasting), and intentional sharing of resources (almsgiving) heighten our individual and communal sense of the Christian way. Signed in ashes – incinerated palm held high last April to celebrate “King” Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem – we undertake acts of self-denial in confidence that growth is promised. The ashes we are signed with, and the accompanying words, “...thou art dust,” are NOT offered to worthless lives needing deliverance from damnation, but to God-cherished beings alive and willing to change toward becoming greater creatures of love and life in the world. Freely and intentionally donning ashes is our annual act of accepting our radical baptismal call to die to self while living for others.

Reflection:
Might we consider our feelings and thoughts about the homeless, or about how Pope Francis has tied homelessness, climate change, and the California fires together? Or, consider how we are responding to the divisiveness in our faith and geo-political families. Or, consider that increasing number of scientists believe we are products of STARDUST .


Wayne Barry