by June Friesen
THE BURNING BUSH – 5:45 A.M. 5/15/20
I looked!
I saw!
I stopped!
I said, “Do you see it?”
“It is as if the center of the tree is afire!
I looked some more…….I pondered……
How beautiful this is…….
The needles are green as if they are not affected at all….
Hmmmm……
I wonder…….
For one thing, I know I will never be the same.
I will never see that tree as before –
But…could I ever know how I would never be the same –
How could I have ever known that three hours later I would realize a powerful reality –
A reality – that in all truth –
I had just had a meeting with God –
Literally my own spiritual ‘burning bush/tree experience!’
And how the rush of emotions, the myriad of feelings,
The wonderment of what had been orchestrated not by me but by God.
But first let me stop and look at Moses and his burning bush experience:
For Moses – God needed his attention –
God knew there was someone who needed to be freed from their present captivity,
God knew someone needed to be alerted in a profound way,
And certainly God needed someone who would not be distracted or deterred;
Yet, Moses was not so sure of all of what was happening –
And then he heard a voice from somewhere –
But he was in the desert – alone – no one was there –
And then as the voice spoke that he was on holy ground –
Moses realized he was in the presence of God –
And he listened – and God spoke.
I do not know the time span of Moses experience –
I do not know how it was that God accomplished all the details with Moses –
I do not need to know all the details to know
That it was a life changing experience for Moses –
And it began a whole path for Moses in his walk with God as well as his life work on earth.
Profoundly affected by the experience of that tree I saw –
And how unusual it was, and why was it that I saw it –
And how I absolutely had to stop…………..
I stopped………
I looked……..but I wonder – did I really see?
Oh, I saw….but what? Why? How Come?
One thing like Moses – I was on a high ‘spiritual alert!’
And THEN…..THEN……
As I was typing ‘it was like a burning bush’ in a text in my phone –
My phone buzzed with a text –
“Good News. I am being moved.”
The tears fell, I choked up….God that was you this morning –
You wanted me to know You had not forgotten your little broken lamb –
He was going to be moved to a place where he could get the care that he needed.
I trembled – I shook – my voice quivered as I tried to share –
“God, how I thank you that you have ways to begin to prepare us to see your presence and power at work, not only in our lives personally but also the lives of those close to us. God, I thank you that there are often times we can refer back to your Scriptures and see that you indeed are the same yesterday, today and forever even though things may not be orchestrated in exactly the same way. And now O God may I be faithful to You even more so that your power will be able to not only work in me but through me- may your power also be in work in the life/lives of those immediately a part of this experience. Amen and amen.
And yes, this happened in the midst of the pandemic – and even if this time many feel imprisoned so to speak, some inside their homes, some inside care facilities, some one the outside not being able to go in, some who have actually contracted the disease (may have recovered or now family members experience a loss if recovery did not happen)….. The people tried to imprison Jesus as well first of all by their own rules and laws and finally in a tomb. But God Almighty had the final word with that final earthly imprisonment of His Son Jesus – and that was new and resurrected life. Today I am encouraged because of this resurrection of Jesus. And while I still endure imprisonment in several ways because of earthly circumstances and most of all this virus, I am going to choose living my life to the fullest that I can at this present moment. I encourage you to do the same – and by the way don’t miss those ‘God-surprising moments’ along your pathway.
June Friesen 2020
The photo above is my daughter and her friend at the BLM protest in Cardiff on Sunday 31st May.
There are many prophetic posts and articles about how the next “wave of revival” will be led by young people. Revivals are always led by young people and I believe this is because God wants to stay relevant to the prevailing culture, whether us oldies like it or not.
In North Wales, where I live, last year we commemorated the hundredth anniversary of the last big revival in Wales. That revival was led by young people, and interestingly curtailed by older people. But the majority of the people who led these services and gatherings calling for a new wave of revival were older people, middle aged, my age. The services were conducted in a way we all like – words, prayers, songs, talk, all led by the man/woman at the front, with little space for someone else to react, question or interject. It is how we have grown to know and expect church to be. Are we willing to change not only what we think church services should look like but to let this expect “wave of young leaders” mould church their way? There’s more to it than faster, louder songs and a more catchy preach.
I have noticed the Black Lives Matters (BLM) protests that a high proportion of the people attending aren’t just going along to the protests but are reading and researching the issues. They are then posting and sharing on social media the things they are learning. Things are very different from my protesting days! Sharing and connecting and finding information is so much easier and more varied. Interestingly I noticed that many of those protesting against the BLM marches were white middle aged men, who did seem ignorant of some of the facts.
I believe, if we really do hope for this revival that has been prophesied, not just the older generation, but the younger ones who’ve got used to “how to do church”, need to back off, let go, and also gain some in-depth and varied knowledge on our faith, [which I do see happening in some ministries] because when these young people grab hold of God they will want to know the whys and hows and whats. Are we ready for that? Are we ready to let go? Are we ready to educate ourselves in what we believe? As it says in 1 Peter 3:15 “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” Note it says “to everyone who asks”. We need to learn to wait until the questions are ask and only answer what is being asked not what we have our stock answers already prepared.
The crux of the BLM protests seem to be about changing attitudes to race but if you listen there is more. There is a challenge to look at our attitudes regarding sexuality, relationships, and life in general. All those things many of the older generation, especially the white middle classes, are stuck in thought patterns of what’s right and what’s wrong that have never been questioned. I have noticed if I spend time with a radical young person I am pulled up on things I didn’t even realise were racist or sexist. How are those who have been in Church for a long time going to able to cope when this rising younger generation talking of God as She or It or They?
BLM Cardiff, May 31st, 2020
The young people will not only lead but they will revolutionise how we think and feel if we let them. I believe some older church members, church leaders and even those who prophesied this wave, may not be willing to accept these changes.
A prophetic word that came out at the outbreak of Covid-19 was that this would be a time to “reset”. Perhaps this is part of the rest – a rethink of our attitudes to each other. Maybe this is a subject for my next blog?
(All photos by Tabitha Cromie, used with permission)
Welcome Diane to the Godspace Team of Writers! Check out her bio here.
The above post was taken from Aspirational Adventures. Diane’s blog is Barefoot At the Kitchen Table.
by Tom Sine
Can Your Church Respond?
This spring, as parents across the country lost their jobs and schools closed their doors, the number of households with children who weren’t getting enough food due to a lack of resources surged. In April, about 41% of mothers with children under 13 reported recent food insecurity, the highest level since at least 2001, according to an analysis of survey data from the Brookings Institution. The nonprofit Feeding America projects reports that some 18 million children could be food insecure in 2020…
Congress took some early steps to address childhood food insecurity during the pandemic, but with need soaring, nutrition advocates say more support is required to address child hunger over the summer and throughout the economic crisis.
‘What we are staring at is extraordinarily high rates of childhood food insecurity now, even with an ongoing policy response,” says Lauren Bauer, an economics fellow at the Brookings Institution who conducted the Brookings analysis. “And looking toward the summer… I anticipate that childhood food insecurity is going to get worse.’”
The same thing is happening now, nutrition advocates say.
‘It’s not as easy to reach kids when you don’t have a captive audience in the cafeteria,’ says Crystal Fitzsimons, who directs the center’s work on child food assistance programs. ‘For example, there’s transportation barriers, families need to know where they can access meals, (and) the hours need to work for families so that they can pick them up.’”
First Day of Kid’s Summer Lunch Program!
Felicia is a 17-year-old with a “can do” attitude who, with her grandmother Ella, organized to host a large number of kids in their community whose families have very limited resources to feed themselves during this pandemic. This is a very welcomed new program hosted by First Methodist Church in Pittsfield, MA.
Share Summer Meals Program in Vancouver, WA has worked out an arrangement with St Joseph’s Catholic Church to use their kitchen as well as enlist some of their members to prepare thousands of grab-n-go meals from June 22 to August 14 to respond to the needs of 20,000 children in Clark County. All children under 18 are welcomed to a grab-n-go meal. They even provide transportation to the kids that need it.
Church Opportunity for Summer 2020
Since many families all over the the US have been counting on school feeding programs, many parents were not prepared for what to do when it ended. It is important to realize there is no certainty of how long the present level of government assistance to those who have lost their jobs will continue.
Fortunately, there are a number of churches and non-profits in many parts of the United States that have stepped in to fill the gap. It is not too late for your church to join this 2020 summer opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of kids where you live.
Join your neighbors all over America and put those under-utilized church kitchens to work with those who are creating Grab-N-Go Meals for kids in your community and see the difference you can make in the lives of kids where you live in these troubled times!
We would love to hear and share your stories. Email us.
PRE-ORDER~ Tom Sine and Dwight Friesen’s book called 2020s Foresight: Three Vital Practices for Thriving in a Decade of Accelerating Change will be released in September 2020 by Fortress Press.
by Christine Sine
Over the last few months I have been experimenting a lot with contemplative prayer and what method suits me best for this present time and circumstance. I am not an expert in contemplative prayer practices, and am not formally trained in its methods but still felt you would appreciate hearing about some of my experiences so I have put together this video of some of my thoughts on contemplation combined with a short contemplative exercise.
An Introduction to Centering Prayer
Like many of us I have felt a strong need for silence in the midst of the chaos around me and have been attracted particularly to centering prayer.
There is much that attracts me to this method of contemplative prayer and its purpose of helping us get in touch with the activity of God in our inner being. It helps us both let go of external circumstances and their turmoil as well as of the interior noise of our thoughts and feelings.
I love its use of a sacred word as an expression of my intent to leave behind external concerns and welcome the divine presence into my inner being. It’s a great tool for directing me towards the interior silence in which God dwells. Thomas Keating’s book Open Mind, Open Heart has been a particularly valuable resource for me and some of the steps I talk about below are adapted from this book.
More than anything centering prayer has directed me toward the inner experience of God’s love deep within me, making me very aware that God is indeed my beloved and I am beloved by God.
God’s Love – The Focus of My Contemplation
This focus on the love of God has become the center of my contemplation over these days in isolation and I find myself hungering more and more for an awareness of the divine love. I am very aware that I am not worthy of being loved by the Eternal God of the universe, but I am also aware that God dwells in my innermost being hidden and invisible yet waiting for me to acknowledge and surrender to. In that surrender I don’t just dedicate myself to a deeper union with God, but I surrender also to the outpouring of God’s love and compassion in service to others.
I hunger for God’s love but God also hungers for relationship with me and with all humankind.
As I read in Psalm 136 a couple of days ago “God’s tender love continues on forever.”
I have read that God’s first language is silence but for me silence is more a pathway that enables me to understand God’s language. For me, God’s first language is love. I expressed that in a poem I wrote several years ago that has become something of a mantra for me:
Love is God’s language
Let us learn to speak it fluently.
Love is God’s culture
Let us learn to live it joyfully.
Love is God’s nature
Let us learn to practice it faithfully.
So now I thought I would introduce you to the process that I have found helpful over the last couple of months to enter into that love and go deeper each day into the presence of the Eternal One.
Practicing Contemplative Prayer.
First, let me walk you through the process I use and then we can practice it. I should mention that at the point when I asked people to relax and get comfortable our dog lay down on the floor, gave a big sigh and went to sleep – what we call “doggie meditation”.
- Find a quiet place with minimal distractions. The idea of contemplative prayer is to focus on God and the more we are distracted by the world around us the harder that becomes. If you can’t find a quiet pace or find it difficult (as most of us do) to block out the outside noise, consider wearing a pair of headphones.
- Sit comfortably and relaxedly in your space. Sitting comfortably decreases the discomforts of our bodies, another distracting element. So find the most comfortable chair in your house, or do what I did and invest in cushion that makes your chair more comfortable. You may also like to hold something like a small hand cross, a heart shaped stone, or prayer beads. For many of us holding something like this helps us maintain our focus. I will use my favorite heart shaped stone today as my focus object. Alternatively, you might like to light a candle.
- Close your eyes. We tend to focus on what we see. Closing our eyes reinforces our intent to leave behind the exterior world and its distractions to focus on the invisible but very present God of the universe. This is why a guided meditation can be so helpful – it means that you can sit with your eyes closed during the whole process.
- Acknowledge the reality we are immersed in, yet rarely think about – God’s presence is everywhere – around us, in us, embracing and holding us. It is present in every moment and available at all times. When I close my eyes and focus on this thought, it become very real and enveloping.
- Scripture reading – I will read a short scripture to ground our time of silence in the God who is love.
- Read a prayer – If you are like me, I need lots of help focusing so I will read a prayer I have written especially to calm my spirit and focus my inner being more deliberately on God. Reading it aloud is, for me, a very centering exercise. Listening to it resonate throughout my body and especially in my mind helps to calm my soul.
- Pause in the presence of this reality silently, savoring the presence of God for a couple of minutes. At this point, I will strike a resonant sound on my singing bowl. And we will hold 2 minutes of silence. It is good to mark an intentional silence like this with a sound at the beginning and end to make your spirit aware of the boundaries. At the end of the silence I will sound the singing bowl again,
- In this place of reverence and quiet I will read another prayer and a scripture as we end, then close in silence.
Let’s begin.
Sit comfortably in your quiet place, relaxed and comfortable.
Close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths in and out to calm your spirit.
Acknowledge God’s presence in you, around you and radiating out from you.
Welcome the Holy One into the inner place of your being.
Psalm 97:10-12 The Passion Translation
Listen you lovers of God! Hate evil,
for God can keep you from wrong and protect you from the power of wickedness
For he sows seeds of light within his lovers,
And seeds of joy burst forth for the lovers of God!
So be glad and continue to give him thanks,
For God’s holiness is seen in everything he does.
Prayer
I sit in the place of quiet
Breathing in, breathing out
I close my eyes to distraction
I close my ears to the world’s noise.
I center myself on God today.
I sink into the presence of the Eternal One.
Divine love in me,
Holy love around me,
Omnipotent love embracing me,
Holding me,
Penetrating the depths of my being.
Divine love,
The center of my life,
The goal of my journey,
The power of my transformation.
Divine love,
Changing me and making me whole.
Pause in the presence of this reality silently savoring the wonder of God for a 2 minute silence.
Contempative experiment
Psalm 136: 1-5 (The Passion Translation)
Let everyone thank God, for he is good, and he is easy to please!
His tender love for us continues on forever!
Give thanks to God, our King over all gods!
His tender love for us continues on forever!
Give thanks to the Lord over all lords!
His tender love for us continues on forever!
Give thanks to the only miracle working God!
His tender love for us continues on forever!
Give thanks to the Creator who made the heavens with wisdom!
His tender love for us continues on forever!
Closing prayer
God we thank you that your tender love continues on forever,
Love is your language,
Let us learn to speak it fluently.
Love is your culture,
Let us learn to live it joyfully.
Love is your nature,
Let us learn to practice it faithfully.
Amen
Each week I post the Taize style service from my home church St Andrews Episcopal here in Seattle. Last week I also posted a service of Lament which was streamed on Facebook by The Many and it made me realize how much people are craving this kind of service. Both these services are created weekly, so with the gracious permission of both these groups I will continue to post both of these on a Saturday afternoon for you to enjoy on Sunday or in fact at any time during the week.
Contemplate with St Andrews
Contemplative service with music in the style of Taize from St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Seattle.
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.
“Christ Be With Me” text from the Lorica, or the Prayer of St. Patrick. Song by Ruth Cunningham, used with permission. All rights reserved.
www.ruthcunningham.com
www.youtube.com/ruthreid/ Instagram:
@ruthreid11 www.saintandrewsseattle.org
Lament with The Many
As many of us continue to struggle with our pain and the pain of others, we feel the call to lament. The Many, an indie, intentionally diverse music collective from Chicago singing music of faith and doubt, hope and lament sing new songs made for reflection, for protest, for healing and worship. Together, this unique group of musicians, songwriters, poets, activists, uneasy prophets and unsaintly saints, remind us over and over again that we aren’t alone, that God so loves every one of us, and we all belong here.
Every Wednesday, they are making space for people to grieve losses and name the sorrows we’re all walking through with this pandemic, as well as find community and possibly even some things to be grateful for. I though that for this week’s contemplative service that you might enjoy this service This service, which was posted on June 17th is an example of the good work that they do. Enjoy.
This week, we come together again to lament the losses we continue to experience in our lives and in our world because of the pandemic and because of racial inequity and injustice. And tonight, in honor of Pride month, we will be offering some extra space and time to pray for our LGBTQIA+ siblings who so often have not been loved for who they are. We’re also very happy to be joined by Rev. Shaun Whitehead, Chaplain at St. Lawrence University and to be premiering a new lyric video for our song “These Bodies.”
Learn more about The Many: Website – https://www.themanyarehere.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themanyarehere
Facebook/Instagram/Twitter – @themanyarehere
Church Resources website – https://www.pluralguild.com
Get music by The Many: Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2ZpUGMG
iTunes/Apple Music: https://apple.co/3cR0AKC
Website: https://pluralguild.com/music or https://themanyarehere.com/music
by Lisa DeRosa with music by Sheila Hamil (used with permission)
In honor of their martyrdom in Rome, the liturgical calendar includes the Feasts of Saints Peter and Paul for June 29th. Loyola Press has a wonderful, concrete article that explains further about Peter, Paul and their ministries. We are grateful to them for their contributions in the Bible and their dedication to follow God despite the suffering they endured.
In times of uncertainty, anxiety and fear, I often turn to Philippians 4:6 (NIV) which says:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
It grounds me to remember that there is power in prayer, that I can be thankful in all situations (Paul refers to this in 1 Thess 5:18) and that God hears my requests! What joy is found in that fact alone, the God of all creation cares to listen to my requests. I am thankful that Paul has recorded this and many other scriptures for meditating on.
Peter has an interesting relationship with Jesus. He is the one who Jesus invited to follow him, even to the point of walking on water. Matthew 14:22-36 (NIV) has the full story, but I have provided verses 25-33 below:
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
This story helps me to realize that my faith is just the same. I see the invitation, I attempt to follow, get scared, Jesus tells me not to be afraid but just fix my eyes on him. Sounds simple… but I know that in times of uncertainty, my mind runs straight to doubt. I grow weary and focus more on the storm, the wind, the waves, not Jesus, whose eyes are waiting to meet my gaze. He has the power to calm the storms and raging seas around me and even the fear and weariness in my heart and mind. I am thankful for this example in Peter’s life.
To celebrate them, Sheila Hamil has graciously shared these videos below with us to commemorate these saints. We hope you enjoy them as much as we have!
“If I Have Not Love” (1 Corinthians 13)
“Feed My Lambs”
For more videos by Sheila Hamil, check out her YouTube channel.
By Lilly Lewin
Body Prayer…this is my current favorite practice. It is helping me stay sane in this crazy season.
We are all carrying many heavy things today…things weighing us down.
Fears
Frustrations
People we cannot fix or control
Relationships that aren’t where we wish
Losses
Grief
Anger
Despair
Exhaustion
These are heavy things…
What else are you carrying?
We need to let God hold and carry these things for us.
Cup your hands in front of you and imagine all the heavy things you’re holding in your hands…
Feel the weight.
Imagine each of these things…visualize the words or the images of all the burdens weighing you down today.
Now picture Jesus across from you.
Reach across and place all these things in the hands of Jesus.
Give these things into the hands of Jesus to hold and carry for you today.
And know that Jesus will hold them and be in charge of them, you don’t have to carry them anymore.
Let Jesus hold these for you!
You don’t have to take them back!
Let’s Pray…
Thank you Jesus for holding all these heavy things for me today! Thank you that you understand their weight and my worry. Thank you that you will hold them and care for them, and we are free to let them all go! Help me not to take them back. Fill me with your peace and hope today and help me to know that hold me too in the palm of your hand! AMEN
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
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