by Lisa DeRosa
Have you ever opened your personal email to find that all the unread emails you have are from companies you are subscribed to? When that happens to me, I tend to just mark them as read or delete them and move on with my day. But this week, Christine pointed out an email that we both received from the local sustainability coupon book company called Chinook Book. I am so grateful that she did because it has really impacted how I look forward to this Summer! The particular article that caught our attention was not due to the title (though a great one): 8 Ways to Relax into Summer without Leaving Your Hometown, but the paragraph below it that really sold us on the idea.
“You’ve heard about slow food, but what about slow travel? Slow travel is about soaking in your environment and making real and meaningful connections—with the culture, food, and scenery that immediately surrounds you. Walk out your front door and choose a different direction each day. You don’t need to focus on the destination. Instead, give yourself an opportunity to be guided by your senses. Walk toward the sound of the birds calling. Look for the art that reveals itself on buildings, in parks, and on the ground. Smell the aromas of fresh baked pizza crust. Savor the flavors of your own city and let your mind run wild.”
With staying home and staying safe this Summer, I have focused on what I am missing out on rather than what I can do even in this different season. It wasn’t that long ago that I wrote Practices for a Distant Socializing Difference, yet I seem to have forgotten about those wonderful opportunities! I can choose joy and embrace the beauty around me instead of focusing on what could have been. This idea of “slow travel” sparks a new sense of wonder for me and I am delighted to see how this shapes my Summer.
My husband brought this idea home, literally, when he set up a 12 station “road to reminiscing” date night for me in our home. I came through our front door to discover a trail of string leading to a note and numbered index card. The note explained that each station had an activity to remember and reminisce about our last five years together. He wrote the next destination on the bottom of the card and the string led the way. The journey included looking at framed photos, our wedding album, old blogs we made to update family on our travels, and a personalized snack for the remainder of the “road trip” when I made it to the kitchen. The final destination was my husband dressed in his wedding tux offering to dance with me in a circle that he created with the string. I must say, it is my favorite date that he has planned for us so far!
photo by Lisa DeRosa
This activity can be adapted for a date at home, for when traveling is not an option for celebrating that special occasion, or for yourself to experience joy in a tangible way when distant from family.
“Road to Reminiscing”
Materials:
- index cards or pieces of paper
- something to write with: pen, markers, pencil etc
- tape
- string/yarn.
What to do:
- Number your cards as you go along so you can keep track of the order
- Write the activity on the card and the next destination on the bottom
- Tape to whatever prop or item that corresponds with the card
- Use the string (and tape as needed) to direct to the next card/activity
Possible ideas:
- Start with a note about the experience and explanation of the activity
- Wear your favorite outfit or what you would wear out to a fancy dinner or trip
- YouTube music that will help you set the scene
- In the kitchen, prepare a favorite meal or specific food from the time you are reminiscing about
- Utilize each room of your home and yard (if applicable) to map out the road
- If you have a memory associated with an item on a shelf or table, wrap the string around it
- Dust off old year books and read the comments there
- Photo albums are great stations, but if you only have digital photos, your laptop/computer/tablet will work, just open to the folder with the photos you want to view
- Art or photos on the walls of your home can be a station to take time to stop and remember
- Prepare an outdoor activity in a similar fashion to what you are reminiscing, make sure your string leads outside!
My hope and prayer is that you allow God to walk you through the experience, feelings and joy, as you reminisce!
A friend of mine says that her doctor usually monitors her blood pressure. But when she called her doctor’s office recently, the receptionist discouraged my friend from coming in, and suggested that she instead purchase her own portable machine and take her blood pressure at home. “Besides,” said the receptionist, “with this pandemic, everyone’s blood pressure is high now anyway!”
In my part of Canada, hair salons, restaurants, and other services are open again, but with new health protocols in place and with a great deal of uncertainty. The government-declared state of emergency due to the novel coronavirus continues, so if cases surge, we could face another round of closures. The protests in the United States calling for racial justice have affected us here too, with some insisting that systemic racism must end and others refusing to admit that it exists in Canada at all.
On a more personal level, some friends are struggling between his job, her job, and caring for their pre-school children. Another has had her hours cut, so is looking for extra work. Members of my church are dealing with various health issues unrelated to COVID-19, the loss of family members and friends, navigating changes at work and different family dynamics.
What will the next days, months, and years bring? How can we adjust to the “new normal,” when even the new normal keeps changing? For all these reasons and more, maybe our collective blood pressure is higher than usual these days.
On the night of Jesus’ arrest, Jesus’ disciples also faced an uncertain future with many questions. Jesus had just told them that he would be leaving, but what did he mean by that, and where was he going? After three years of close companionship and ministry, why couldn’t they go with him? What would they do without him?
At the time, Jesus’ disciples didn’t realize that he was about to be arrested, put on trial, and crucified. They didn’t understand that he would rise again. So they were understandably confused by Jesus’ words. Their little band of disciples was about to change. The world as they knew it was about to change, but they weren’t sure exactly how.
Jesus reassured them with these words: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me” (John 14:1, New Living Translation). After all, they knew Jesus. They had seen him in action as he turned water into wine, healed a man who had been blind from birth, even brought Lazarus back to life after he had been dead for four days. “Just believe,” Jesus said, “Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do” (John 14:11).
To the disciples’ troubled hearts, these words of assurance pointed the way forward. They could place their trust in Jesus because they knew God’s work in him. For us today as well, whatever crises we may struggle with, whatever uncertainties we face, we can trust God because of who Jesus is and the work that God has done in him.
That work includes all of Jesus’ teaching and miracles recorded in the gospels. It includes his death and glorious resurrection. It includes his daily presence in our lives today. The work of God in Jesus Christ goes all the way back to creation, as the opening of John’s gospel tells us about Jesus as the Word of God, who existed from the beginning:
God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone. (John 1:3-4)
So trust in God, trust in Jesus. As the divine Word, Jesus continues to bring life and light to us even in these days of uncertainty.
by Rodney Marsh
He who dwells in the Most High’s shelter, in the shadow of Shaddai lies at night — I say of the LORD, “My refuge (safe place) and bastion (fortress), my God in whom I trust.” For He will save you from … from the disastrous plague. (trans: Robert Alter THE BOOK OF PSALMS – A Translation with Commentary)
The insecurity of a pandemic creates fear of loss or even death . Can I and my family be kept safe from the pandemic? Will I lose my income? Will people close to me die?
From an historical perspective, plagues, famine and war, have been features of every age. In the 20th Century we seemed to have tamed the first and third horsemen of the Apocalypse (Plague(s) and famine) but we failed miserably to stop the second (war). It was a false confidence. In the COVID19 pandemic and in the poverty, and social turmoil we see in its wake, we see all four hosemen on the horizon, galloping toward us at full tilt. Marvel comics used the fourth rider “Death” (Thanatos Rev 6) as the inspiration for the the super hero Thanos. Thanos is a powerful image for the 21st Century and is a metaphor for the universal insecurity of our age – a fear of death. With COVID19 Thanos has become Thanatos and scarily real. Reality has always been that death is the destiny of every one of us and COVID19 has brought this reality to the fore of the minds of individuals and the communities of which we are part. This reality brings with it a new relevance for Christian Faith.
COVID19 is a worldwide plague of Biblical proportions. Fear stalks our lives, our homes, our communities, our countries and our world and in the midst of the current pandemic, the images of Lord in the Psalms: our Rock, Hiding Place, Refuge and Fortress have become more relevant. The Lord who is our Sheltering Place will become our sheltering place when we learn to pray.
There is only one letter difference between the instruction to “Shelter in place” and “Sheltering Place”. The letter “g”! God, begins with the letter “g”. The Lord is our Sheltering Place.The “shelter in place” instruction is designed to stop the spread of COVID19 and as a command is resented as a restriction of our supposed ‘freedom’. However, the instruction can be seen as a reminder to seek shelter in the One who is the only dependable “Sheltering Place” in times of trouble. For example, Psalm 91:1-3:
He who dwells in the Most High’s shelter (hiding place), in the shadow of Shaddai lies at night — I say of the LORD, “My refuge (safe place) and bastion (fortress), my God in whom I trust.” For He will save you from … from the disastrous plague.
There are three separate Hebrew words used here and each brings a different emphasis to the metaphor of the Lord as our Sheltering Place:
- The Lord as our hiding or secret place – Our enemies may search but they cannot find us, hidden within our secret cave (as David hid from Saul in the caves of Adullum, 1Sam 22:1)
- The Lord as our refuge or place of safety – Even if our enemies do find our hiding place it is impenetrable and we are protected and safe (“my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield” Ps 18:2 NRSV)
- The Lord as our bastion or fortress – Here the image is an open display of strength to our enemies (Jerusalem was a fortress city captured by David and it’s walls and fortress towers became a symbol that “Our God is like this forever and will always guide us.” Psalm 48:14 CEV)
These metaphors, and many more in the Psalms, when first prayed, referred to local places and real events and they have comforted believers throughout the sufferings of the ages. When we pray we experience the one God as “Our God is like this forever and will always guide us” and in God we trust.
In times of uncertainty, our anxiety gives rise to two responses in us: worry and fear. Jesus commented on both. He told his followers, “Do not worry”. Why? Partly because worry is unproductive. As Corrie ten Boom said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.” Corrie knew what she was talking about because her family created a Sheltering Place for the Jews of Haarlem fleeing Nazi persecution. Corrie and her family were imprisoned for their ‘crime’. Corrie’s sister and father perished in detention but God preserved Corrie to remind succeeding generations that the only truly safe place is with and in the Lord. Jesus also asked us to trust in the God who has counted the hairs on our heads. During tough times, being a follower of Jesus manifests itself in deep faith in a God who cares. As Corrie said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God”. Truly, the Lord alone is our Sheltering Place in this and every age.
However, it is one thing to know about antidotes to worry and fear, and another to make faith real through prayer. This takes a lifetime of discipleship, discipline and commitment. Fear and worry take root in our hearts during a pandemic, but, as John points out (1 John 4) when God’s “love has the run of the house… we’re free of worry… (because) there is no room in love for fear” (MSG). Prayer is always a real and deep encounter with God’s love for the one who prays.
When the prayer of the heart, or contemplation, becomes the effective basis for our lives, then fear and worry flee. Fear concerns loss. Loss of income, wealth, health, food supply, family, reputation or even life. However, life teaches us that the only certainty in life is that suffering and death (and so fear), will find us, wherever our hiding place, refuge or fortress, and we will be asked to surrender our life and attachments. Our fortress, on this earth, will fall just as the walls and towers of Jerusalem fell. However, just as we all die, we will, like Jesus, be raised to a new life. Death always precedes a resurrection and, through faith in Christ, resurrection follows death.Therefore, we can stand firm and face the charge of the four horsemen knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ Jesus. That is our faith.
Uncertain times and suffering are the call of Love to rest in the love in which we were formed and for which we are destined. In suffering love calls us saying, “come”. That love is already in our hearts, where the Lord waits to meet us. In our hearts, Jesus will meet us with the perfect love which drives out fear. Prayer is the inward journey to this rest in our being. The path to this love is prayer. But prayer comes with a warning. The genuineness of God’s love, in uncertain times, can also be seen in that love also which will say to us, “go”, for God’s protective love cannot be separated from God’s serving love. Many people in our COVID19 world do not have a physical place of hiding, protection and security. At such a time, when we pray, we can expect Love to say “go” and serve the children, friends and neighbours who have no place to hide. Do what you can to provide a safe place for them and help them to discover, for themselves, the love and acceptance already resident in their hearts. In the times of silent prayer we face our own anger and fear and are healed. Without such daily prayer we project our fear and anger onto to those whom we serve and those with whom we work, or those with whom we disagree.
Take Elijah. He faced up to evil and then had to flee for his life. Depressed and frightened he fled to a cave (a hiding place, a safe place, a refuge) on the mountain of the Lord. However, the Lord was not in the mighty wind, earthquake and fire which followed. The Lord was in the silence and Elijah heard a whisper. He moved out of the cave, was strengthened and commissioned to go continue his work for the Lord. Love is like that. In the turmoil of our thoughts and fears, Love calls us in, and in the silence Love protects, heals and strengthens us and sends us out. These are the marks of God’s love and true prayer.
A good place to start this journey inward would be to view Christine’s video on contemplative prayer, for prayer is not a matter of knowing, it is doing.
My Sheltering Place
Come
I open the door of my heart
To seek shelter
In the stillness and silence
My heart becomes
the guest
My God, my host,
becomes my protector
My heart, my home
A sheltering place
Love is at home
In my sheltering place
Here fear and anger
Cannot enter
Here I hear a new command
Go
Love as I have loved you
by Christine Sine
Last week I held a zoom conversation with participants in the Spirituality of Gardening online course. I thoroughly enjoy these calls which give all of us an opportunity to review the sessions and learn from each other. This week someone shared about the significance of the dogwood tree. I knew that many plants have been given significance in the Biblical story but must confess that the dogwood is one that I have not previously researched. Not only did the story delight me but it led me on a journey of discovery for other plants that have been given significance in God’s story by missionaries, monks and other followers of Christ who preceded us and I thought that I would share some of these with you.
Dogwood flowers
Dogwood
The legend surrounding the symbolic meaning of a dogwood tree is intrinsically linked to Christianity. It is said that the wood of the dogwood tree is the hardest and that it was chosen to be used in the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Although there are no direct accounts that this is so, it is known that dogwood grew in the areas surrounding Jerusalem during this time period, and it is entirely likely that this wood was used.
Growth of the Dogwood Tree
The legend of the tree continues that because it was used as part of the cross, God cursed the dogwood forever after. Due to this supposed curse, the growth pattern of the dogwood tree is said to be stunted and twisted. Once again, there is no real historic fact to back this up, and there are no notes that show whether or not that the dogwood tree used to grow taller before the crucifixion. However, the tree does now have a growth pattern that is very twisted and short.
Dogwood Flowers
The legend of the dogwood tree also extends to its flowers. Typically, the blossoms are four petaled with two long petals and two short petals, forming the shape of the sign of the cross. The flowers are typically white or pink with dark edging at the tips meant to signify the nails of the cross. The center of the blossom can be described as a crown of thorns and is also typically of a darker color than the rest of the blossom.
Passion flower
The Passion Flower
My favorite representation of the story of Christ’s passion is the passion flower, native to South America, but very common in Australia. It was adopted by Spanish missionaries in the 15th and 16th centuries as a teaching tool. Every part of the flower’s bloom became a symbol of a different aspect of Christ’s crucifixion. The vine’s supporting tendrils represented the whips used to scourge Christ, and the flower’s radial filaments, the crown of thorns. The stigmata and anthers represented the nails and wounds. Even the blue and white colors of most passion flowers were symbolic of heaven and purity.
Symbols of the Trinity
My second area of research was into images of the Trinity.
The most familiar of such symbols is that of the Irish shamrock, Oxalis acetosella, with its three-lobed leaves, which St. Patrick supposedly pointed out to the Irish as a symbol of the true Trinitarian God of whom he preached to them, and in whose name he blessed nature to sanctify it.
There are lots of other plants that bear the Trinity symbolism, many of them with three-petaled flowers that represented Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
My favourite is Trillium grandiflorum, a native of north-eastern and north-western U.S. known as the Trillium lily because it is said to symbolize the Trinity – God is One in three – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Other plants bearing the Trinity symbolism, from their three-petaled flowers. In Europe, the wild pansy, or johnny-jump-up, viola tricolor, was also widely known as Trinity Flower – for the three colors of each of its flowers, from which familiar present-day larger pansies blooms have been bred with one or two colors usually dominant.
hybrid pansy
An interesting aspect of bred pansy strains of a dominant color is that the other two colors are always preserved at the centers of the blooms. Thus, pansies of yellow dominance may be seen to symbolize the glory of the heavenly Father; purple the sorrows of the incarnate Son; and white the light of the empowering Holy Spirit – with the other colors in each instance always retained at the center, serving to remind us that whenever one of the Persons of the Trinity is present the others are present also, in the unity of the Godhead of love.
Aloe Vera – a Different Trinitarian Symbol
I was amazed to discover that Aloe vera, that great healing plant, also known as a miracle plant, burn plant, first aid plant, lily of the desert, jelly leek, plant of life and plant of immortality because of its many uses can also be seen as a symbol of the Trinity. Its Trinity symbolism refers to the characteristic successive emergence of new foliage spears from the base of young plants in groups of three – first two beginning spears, and then a third one between them – reflecting the emergence of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son in the interior of the Trinity.
Aloe vera
There are many other plants that have Biblical significance – some of them because they are mentioned in the Bible, others because they have been associated with various aspects of the Biblical story, and now I find that every time I look at a flower or the arrangement of new leaves on a plant that I am looking for that trinitarian pattern. How about you? When was the last time that you looked intentionally at a plant with the hope of once more finding the imprint of our Triune God?
Once again I am posting the Taize style contemplative service from St Andrews Episcopal church in Seattle. I love listening to these services each week. Quiet contemplation like this really nourishes my soul and I very much appreciate my church giving me permission to share these services with you on Godspace too.
Carrie Grace Littauer, prayer leader, and music by Kester Limner and Andy Myers.
Permission to web stream or podcast music in this service is granted under One License number A-710-756.
“On Christ the Solid Rock” – public domain hymn, arrangement and additional verse by Kester Limner Shared under the Creative Commons License, Attribution (CC-BY).
“Even in Sorrow,” and “Kyrie” composed by Kester Limner in March 2020 for the people of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Seattle, shared under the Creative Commons License, Attribution (CC-BY). “My Peace”,
“The Lord is My Light,” copyright and all rights reserved by GIA/Les Presses de Taizé
I do not have a service of lament to add this week but was inspired by this song and thought that you might enjoy it too.
Love is Greater than Fear is the title song of our 2019 album. And we wrote this song because of fear. Because there is so much fear in the world right now. And so much inside each one of us. And it’s not helping. We don’t want to be so afraid, but how can we let go of fear? We want to believe that what Jesus taught is true – the Love is greater than fear, and when we remember we are loved fear loses a little of its grip on us. When we can practice love – for ourselves, for God and for everyone on this aching planet, fear doesn’t win, That kind of love drives out fear. That’s our hope and prayer.
Find more info on this song (including sheet music) at: https://www.pluralguild.com/lovefearsong Learn more about The Many: Website – www.themanyarehere.com Patreon: www.patreon.com/themanyarehere Facebook/Instagram/Twitter – @themanyarehere Church Resources website – www.pluralguild.com Get music by The Many: Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2ZpUGMG iTunes/Apple Music: https://apple.co/3cR0AKC Website: pluralguild.com/music or themanyarehere.com/music
by Tom Sine
There is an urgent need for Christian leaders, in this Pandemic driven decade, to learn how to anticipate and creatively respond to a range of new challenges in a time of accelerating change!
In 2020s Foresight: Three Vital Practices for Thriving in a Decade of Accelerating Change, Dwight Friesen and I outline how Christian leaders can learn from both environmental planners and business innovators:
- To anticipate incoming waves of change in their own communities;
- So you have lead time to create innovative new responses.
Anticipating an Enormous Housing Crisis
“Mass unemployment over the coronavirus could lead to a 45% jump in homelessness” says the Los Angeles Times. “The Covid-19 Crisis and the current recession loom large….setting the stage for potentially record numbers of individuals experiencing homelessness.”
Church Responses to the Escalating Housing Crisis
Church leaders have for decades responded to the usual housing crisis by paying a months worth of rent for a family in need or a week long stay in a motel while they are seeking to get settled in a new community. This occasional charity can often help a family through a rough patch.
However, I suspect most church leaders are not aware that the COVID-19 Crisis is creating a huge housing crisis in the US. As a consequence they also don’t realize that a little token charity to many in need will no longer make a difference.
Creating Innovative Housing Responses for a New Housing Crisis
Jodi Koeman is a remarkably creative leader in empowering congregations in the Christian Reformed Church to shift from the charity model to creating innovative responses to these rapidly changing times. She described a church that has drastically shifted from the charity to a new empowerment model.
Jodi just sent me an example of Highland Park Christian Reformed Church in New Jersey that recently chose to move from charity to empowerment. They created Highland Park Affordable Housing Corporation in 2008. This non-profit corporation has decisively shifted from offering a little charity to those facing a housing crisis to reasonably priced housing. Here is a description from their website of what housing for empowerment can look like.
Housing For Social Empowerment
“RCHP-AHC owns 20 properties in seven different municipalities in central NJ that house diverse low-income tenants, including veterans, women aging out of foster care, developmentally disabled adults, homeless youth, chronically homeless individuals, and others with significant life challenges. We also rent an additional 30 units and serve as a temporary intermediary for families – including refugees and asylum seekers – who would otherwise be unable to secure an apartment rental due to poor (or no) credit history, temporary unemployment, or other factors.
Mission Statement:
The Reformed Church of Highland Park Affordable Housing Corporation (RCHP-AHC) provides affordable housing, supportive services, and connection to meaningful community to low-income individuals and families in central New Jersey.
Recently the Reformed Church of Highland Park Affordable Housing Corp. (RCHP-AHC) held a ribbon cutting to celebrate new homes for very low-income families in the borough, according to a news release.
The two new properties consist of two two-family homes, three three-bedroom homes and one two-bedroom home. They are the result of a collaboration between the state, county and RCHP-AHC, the release said.
The first tenant for one of the units was in attendance and said that she felt overwhelmed with emotion by the support and encouragement of RCHP-AHC staff as she applied for the house with her four children, the release said. After many months in a hotel, she and her children are ready to settle into the borough, where the mayor and superintendent of schools.”
Anticipating and Innovating
Clearly not all churches can afford to create a non-profit corporation to provide reasonably priced housing for the exploding number of homeless. However, in a time of accelerating change, every Christian leader can learn how to anticipate new waves of change, in the turbulent 2020s, and then join those that are creating new ways to make a real difference that reflect the way of Jesus.
2020s Foresight: Three Vital Practices for Thriving in a Decade of Accelerating Change is available on Amazon for pre-order.
“Emotions are not right or wrong, good or bad. They are merely indicators of what is happening, and must be listened to, usually in the body. People who do not feel deeply finally do not know or love deeply either. It is the price we pay for loving. Like Job we must be willing to feel our emotions and come to grips with the mystery in our head, our heart, and, yes, our body too. To be honest, that takes our entire life. My emotions are still a mystery to me, and without contemplation they would control me.” ~Richard Rohr
I am sad and exhausted today. The trauma and uncertainty of this season have taken their toll. I drew the pic above as I processed the emotions I am feeling about life right now.
I am angry and unproductive. I was exposed to Covid19 and now I wait to see if I have it or not.
I was just starting to be more peaceful and less afraid…. and then this.
Maybe you need to draw out your feelings too. Find some crayons and paper and just begin… see where God takes you. Let your drawing become a prayer.
And as I drew, I realized I’ve been harboring resentments towards folks who aren’t taking the pandemic seriously. My anger at this is deep.
So this week, I am confessing that sin and drinking from my love mug… asking Jesus to help me to love as he loves. Asking Jesus to help me drink from the cup of love, not hatred, not bitterness, not fear. For Perfect love casts out all fear! 
What CUP are you drinking from today? What cup do you want to drink from instead?
O Christ of the Road of the wounded
O Christ of the tears of the broken
Be in me and with me
Hold the needs of the world
Grant me my prayers of loving and hoping
Grant me my prayers of yearning and healing
Fill me with your peace
and thank you for holding me in the palm of you hand.
AMEN
(modified from a prayer by J. Philip Newell in the Celtic Prayers of Iona)
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