By Sue Duby —
I’m normally a “glass half full” kind of girl. I love trying to see the best in others and to give grace. Bad news just makes me jump to find the positive. I work my gratitude muscle hard, hoping it will become more automatic and natural in my daily. As I said, “normally. . .”
2020 entered with a bit of a whimper, rather than a bang. A head cold hit hard. For me that translates to LOTS of sleep, a fuzzy head and not so grateful heart. The glass begins to empty. I’m grumpy and quickly convinced I’ll never have energy again. The world looks more gray and small irritations simmer ready to erupt with vengeance. My actions are not to be trusted. Case in point… leaving the car in Drive with ignition on, while I shared tea with a friend!
Chuck and I look forward to our tradition of “pause and reflect” every New Years. Reminding ourselves of joys and challenges from the past year and then praying for insight and direction for the coming year. A simple time without a formula. No pressure. No specific ritual. Just giving ourselves time to be still and God time to whisper. Most often, we sense nuggets of encouragement to lead us with hope and excitement in to the months ahead.
Sitting on the couch together, I sighed, expecting no hope for any revelation through my brain fog. After a few minutes of quiet, we looked at each other hesitantly…”Well, anything?”. Chuck: “Nothing…except one word… Anticipation”. Me: “Nothing… except a list of words… Listen. Trust. With. Watch. Let Me. Stand By. Embrace.” I quickly scribbled in my journal to mark the not-so-momentous meeting and we headed out for a walk. No further pondering. Trying to shake off disappointment in lack of uncovering a big “game plan”.
A week later, still under the grip of my cold, I felt a nudge to go back to my notes. And it hit me. Sometimes road maps and next steps are so very simple and plain that I miss them! Simple words… packed with direction. Forcing a re-focus. Stirring hope. Anchoring faith in the midst of ______ (make your own list!).
Listen. A dear friend reminds us often, “Everybody has a story, but nobody is listening. Just listen!”. I’m working that muscle. Growing in grace when conversations don’t focus on me. Trying to hear hearts behind the words. My challenge for the year… doing the same for those closest to me. Chuck. Our kids and grandkids. Show me Lord how to listen to THEIR hearts well.
Trust. This one spooked me a bit. Right away, my thoughts went negative…”Lord, is something going to happen where I need to trust you more?”. Now, I know it’s just a whisper from Him saying, “Keep trusting Me… in all… at all times”. A reminder that He is Lord… in charge… all knowing… no matter what things look like. He’s there.
With. Simply…you ARE with me Lord. Always. Every moment. Present and with me.
Watch. Another reminder whisper… “Keep watching for Me… my presence and My hand”. Keep attentive. Expect to see Him in the midst of whatever is unfolding. Often, the simplest of moments. Even today, a lady at the checkout finishing with a “Have a blessed rest of your day”. Her genuine smile and twinkling eyes translated the message clearly …”He has you honey!”.
Let Me. Very simple. I get it. But actually doing it? Truly keeping my hands off. Remind me often Lord that you are able in all things. Your wisdom so far outshines all my crazy figuring and scheming to control, fix and change things. I can Let You!
Stand By. Often, God has things for us to do. Action to take. Hard steps to make. Plans to follow. That’s’ the easy part for me, as a “get ‘er done” girl. The challenge is to stand by… to trust in His work, timing and ways.
Embrace. This one confused me. Embrace what You bring Lord? Then, another whisper brought a smile… “Rest in My embrace”. In the midst of whatever a day brings, my desire is to do just that. Find deep refreshment in grabbing hold of His extraordinary love and affection for me.
With enough nudges and reminders to set my course for 2020, I can feel Anticipation bubbling up. I sense peace and confidence in His presence, plans and purposes. My heart says, “Yes, Lord… I will see Your goodness, grace and mercy unfolding in the months ahead. Have Your way Lord.”
By Hilary Horn —
Something that I really value about my denomination is as we step into each new year, we dedicate the first 21 days to prayer and fasting. I think it’s a beautiful way to set apart the first weeks of the new year to seek the Lord in a fresh way. To seek him for not only our personal devotion, but with our families, church, for our city and global community. Much like planting a seed in ready soil, we envision God will water this foundation we lay before him as 2020 unfolds. It’s also an incredible thing to reflect on the global body praying some of the same petitions to God together.
I took the following from our church website that I found insightful for briefly explaining the what and why of fasting:
WHAT IS A FAST?
Fasting is when someone or a group of people abstain from food either fully or partially for a specific period of time in order to seek God through prayer. Many people in Biblical times practiced fasting as a spiritual discipline or in response to a specific need. In the Old Testament, Israel was required by God to fast collectively at least once a year on the Day of Atonement as well as other occasions. In the New Testament we have records of the early church fasting and praying together for specific reasons and reliable church history tells us that Christians practiced fasting at least twice a week.
WHY DO WE FAST?
Knowing what a fast is doesn’t necessarily mean we understand its purpose. We can find many good Scriptural reasons for fasting and below you will find a short list that may be helpful. It’s important to remember that we not only fast and pray for ourselves, but also for those around us.
1. To humble ourselves to God through repentance – (Psalm 35:13, 1 Samuel 7:6, Ezra 9)
2. To draw closer to God – (James 4:8)
3. To receive revelation from God’s Word – (Ephesians 1:17-22)
4. To know God’s will or direction – (Acts 13:1-2)
5. To seek healing/deliverance – (Isaiah 58, Matthew 17:21)
6. To seek God’s intervention – (2 Samuel 12:16-23, 2 Chronicles 20:3)
7. To intercede for others – (Daniel 9:3)
DIFFERENT TYPES OF FASTS
There are many different ways to do a fast. The most important part of fasting is the time we spend with God in prayer. If we deny ourselves food and do not pray then we will accomplish nothing. The following types of fasts are simply references to what we can do as we seek the Lord in prayer.
1. Full Fast
A full fast is where you go completely without food for a specific amount of time. There are at least four references in the Bible where people fasted food and water; however we are only referencing food as a ‘full fast’ for obvious reasons. If you choose to do a full fast then we recommend you consult with others prior to doing so, especially if you take any kinds of medication.
2. Partial Fast
A partial fast is to simply go without a meal or two during the day of your fast. For example, you could fast from breakfast and lunch and spend an extended amount of time in prayer in place of that meal. There are no rules to this kind of fasting but you should decide beforehand what you will do and stick to it as with all fasts.
3. Daniel Fast
This kind of fast comes from Daniel chapter 10, where Daniel had a terrifying vision that caused him to abstain from all pleasant food and drink. If you choose to do this kind of fast then essentially you will be abstaining from all “meats, sweets, and treats.” Most people stick to fruits, vegetables and nuts or similar kinds of protein. There are many resources online that could provide healthy options with this fast.
4. Media Fast (Daniel 6:18)
Sometimes we are unable to participate in abstaining from food for various reasons, however, this does not mean we cannot fast and pray. We strongly encourage you to fast by replacing some forms of entertainment (TV, movies, internet surfing) with prayer and intentional time with family. God often uses this kind of fast to quiet the noise in our life and increase our ability to hear His voice.
Whatever you choose to fast – food, a lunch, social media, TV — whatever it is sometimes it can be jarring in many ways. What I am fasting from this month was disorienting at first. It kind of wakes you up to some of the time you waste or put energy into that isn’t always best. It also helps to reset your focus. Fasting took a while to fully get into the rhythms and practice to focus on God in deeper levels and in consecrated energy. Yet, once you get past the initial reaction (often a very hard thing to give up!) the deeper revelations and breakthroughs come. I am excited to continue this journey of 21 days of fasting and to press into more of what God has – even if I don’t see it right away, but trusting those seeds have been planted.
Maybe you want to consider a fast into the new year to get 2020 on the right foot. It’s not too late to begin. What else can be matched to start off your new year with set apart time with Jesus?
By Jeannie Kendall —
Like most of the Godspace writers, I suspect, I always await the new themes with interest. Is this one that particularly interests me, or will it need a little more thought or imagination? Have I something to contribute?
For the first time ever, the new theme, Starting the 2020s on the Right Foot, made me laugh out loud. It might seem a curious reaction. However, this month I am due an operation on my left foot, so for some weeks the right foot will be the only useable one I will possess! Hence my amusement.
Not that the prospect is a happy one. I am a do-er, and so a period of forced inactivity will most certainly be a significant challenge. It also coincides with the change of the seasons here in the UK, as winter turns to spring and I would normally continue the ongoing – and near impossible – task of taming the garden here – literally an uphill task as we are on a steep slope. To lie with my foot elevated when I could be outside cutting back dead growth and starting to battle the weeds with be very frustrating.
Some while ago I read something about the emergence of butterflies. The writer suggested that the confinement and restriction of the cocoon was necessary, and that in the same way, the limitations of our lives might be the key to something beautiful emerging. Those constraints might be temporary –such as the care of pre-school children or my approaching operation. Or they might be longer term, which is of course much more difficult. At such times we are called, I suspect, to hold on to hope, to trust that God can bring something out of that very confinement which he could not have done if life were smoother, even though, and perhaps especially because, he weeps with us. It is always his speciality to take the broken pieces of our lives and make the most beautiful stained glass window through which his light can shine.
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January is my dreaming month – not just for my life but also for my garden. This year I am really into the rhythm as I am not only planning a garden but am also thinking about a new book project on rhythms and seasons. I received a couple of wonderful books for Christmas, a few more in anticipation of my birthday next week and another few that I pulled off my shelves. So I have quite a stack of reading to keep me busy in the snowy weather we are expecting next week.
Rhythms and seasons – a lot of books to read.
My dreaming also encourages me to go outside and look at my garden and at the neighborhood with fresh eyes. This has been motivated by the book that is on the top of my pile Morning Altars by Day Schildkret. Talk about a treasure. Not only a feast of images but also of words, in many places language that had me wishing again that I read this book before writing The Gift of Wonder. No wonder I want to write another book. My initial foray into the life of children has left me thirsting for more and it is books like this that open my eyes even further to that wide eyed wonder we need to be rebirth into.
Schildkret describes a 7 step process for creating a morning altar that begins with exercising our capacity “to be enamored by the ordinary and to behold the insignificant”, a process that he explains begins with learning once more to recognize the wealth of beauty and wonder littered all around us by regaining the effortless seeing of childhood where everything is a playground and we can spend hours playing in the sand and chasing butterflies.
His steps are not only good for creating morning altars. They create a wonderful ritual of discovery, creativity and sharing and letting go that the seasons of the year also beckon us towards. So I have adapted Schildkret’s steps – leaving out some and changing others so that they are more flexible not just for creating art and ritual but for my exploration of the natural world in all its dimensions.
- Wander and Wonder: As Schildret suggests this is indeed a treasure hunt, a little like the gratitude scavenger hunt we examined last year. Yesterday, I walked around my wintery garden and noticed for the first time that all my hellebores are flowering. These are the queens of the winter garden here in Seattle. Such a delight and I almost missed them. Where is God calling you to wander today searching for hidden treasure?
- Place: “Practice listening to the place that calls you…witness the place come alive as it might have never before.” For me, this was a very profound step. Looking around my neighborhood in particular and the path that Tom and I walk 4 or 5 times a week up to and around the local reservoir park as though it were the first time I have ever walked, it is very special. I notice trees and gardens, mountain vistas and fellow walkers in ways that I have never noticed them before. Most special of all, I notice them as part of the unique landscape of this season, a special gift from God to me to be embraced for this short period of time. What special place calls to you as part of the unique landscape of this season?
- Create: Here, Schildkret talks about creating patterns and nature art but for me this creation step extends to whatever form of creative expression God is wanting to birth at this time. It might be an art form. It might just as easily be a song, a poem or a painted rock. What form of creative expression bubbles up from within you as a way to express the awe and wonder of your wandering?
- Share: As Schildkret suggests photographing and sharing your creations is a way of gifting it to the world. Obviously these days places like Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook make this form of sharing easy, but you might like to restrict your sharing to family and friends in more intimate ways. How could you share your creative work in order to bless those around you?
- Let Go. “Practice walking away”. This is such important advice. The impermanence of each day, season and moment is a reality we rarely like to face. But accepting and incorporating this impermanence in our rituals enables us to embrace change in a healthy and liberating way. At the end of each season, I like to think about the blessings it has brought and the joy it has created. Then I let go, turning towards the next season and the anticipation I have of the new perspectives, blessings and joys it could hold. What habits or rituals help you to walk away from the season that are past and anticipate the ones that are coming?
Hellebores in bloom – the queens of the winter garden
By Lilly Lewin
In January, I like to continue to remember the childhood of Jesus and realize that even though the lectionary grows him up quickly, we don’t have to do that in our own devotions and reflections. Like Mary, we can continue to ponder all the wondrous things that happened around the birth of Jesus and consider the shepherds, the angel’s visits, and later the visit of the Magi. With the drama and tragic losses happening in places like Puerto Rico, Australia, and Iraq and Iran, we can take time to consider the horrific murder of all the boys under two that resulted from Herod’s jealousy. Remembering that the joy and wonder of the Incarnation happens in the midst of pain and suffering, loss and tragedy even now.
Read again the story of the visit of the Magi in Matthew 2
Am I disturbed by the arrival of Jesus? Does the announcement of a NEW KING disturb me, or terrify me? Am I afraid or jealous like Herod of the new king? Am I numb like the scholars in the palace who didn’t seem to be paying attention to the signs in the heavens? One definition of disturb is “disrupt the normal pattern.” Am I willing to let Jesus disrupt my normal patterns this year? Am I willing to be willing?
It’s always bothered me that the chief priests and the religious scholars just stayed stuck in the palace. Herod asked them where the king, the Messiah was supposed to be born, and they told him Bethlehem; yet we don’t have any record of any of them joining the search. Wouldn’t you think someone would be a little curious about these foreign visitors? Wouldn’t you think someone would follow along to see if the Star was true? Were they so caught up in the vortex of the palace, so into power and wealth, the splendor of it all that they just stayed stuck?
Sunday night at thinplaceNASHVILLE, we did what I call a “Duct Tape Confessional.” We passed around a roll of duct tape and some sharpie markers. Everyone tore off a piece of tape and then folded the sticky sides together. We wrote on the tape, all the things that were keeping us stuck and keeping us from following the Star in 2020. We wrote down the things that were stopping us from worshiping Jesus. And we laid these in the centerpiece of hay, giving them to God to have and asking Jesus to help us see His Light and Follow the Star in 2020. 
What things are keeping you stuck in the palace right now?
What things are keeping you stuck and not allowing you to follow the Star?
Use some duct tape to help you get “UNSTUCK.” Allow Jesus to have these things and hold them for you.
We also talked about the people and places that need the LIGHT of Jesus this year.
Each person had a sheet with an outline of 4 large stars. On two stars we wrote down the names of friends, family, co workers, or people groups who need to see and know the LIGHT OF JESUS.
On the second two stars, we wrote down the places where the LIGHT of Jesus needs to be seen this year. The places could be countries like the Bahamas, still recovering from the hurricane, or places like the White House, Congress or Parliament. We prayed for these people and places to experience the great LIGHT AND LOVE of Jesus in 2020.
Some people cut out their stars and put them in their journals, some people did extra designs and artwork on their stars. The idea is to use the stars as reminders to continue to pray for these people and places in the weeks ahead.
Who are the people and what are the places you want to pray for today and in the days ahead? Create your prayer stars to help remind you to pray.
In my tradition, the season of Epiphany, celebrating the LIGHT coming to all people, continues until Shrove Tuesday and the beginning of the Lenten Season. So we still have time to celebrate.
I want to make sure I’m paying attention in 2020! I don’t want to miss the signs of the Incarnation around me! I don’t want to stay stuck in the palace, too afraid, too busy, or just too distracted by the news of the day to go follow the Star!
let’s pray for the LIGHT and LOVE of JESUS to fill each of so that we may take and be this LIGHT to the World! AMEN
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
By Michael Moore —
It is January 9th and we have moved into the season of Epiphany.. It has been 16 days since we commemorated the birth of our Lord. What was the song of the angels on Christmas Eve? The angels who appeared to the Shepherds shared this hope and promise. “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”–Luke 2:14
And on earth peace… ten days after many congregations sang these words bombs dropped and the call to war became shrill and noisy. The lines are being drawn as politicians echo soundbites and tweets for and against the bombing and killing in Iraq. Sadly I have seen this before. Politicians rattle their sabres while the ones who serve and the innocents caught in the line of fire will die. A heavy decision with incredible consequences was made behind closed doors without hearing all perspectives.
And on earth peace… On the tenth day of Christmas I picked up Bruce Epperly’s book, The Work of Christmas: The 12 Days of Christmas with Howard Thurman, which has been my companion during this time between Christmas and Epiphany. Imagine my shock when I read these words of Howard Thurman on January 3rd:
Where refugees seek deliverance that never comes,
And the heart consumes itself, if it would live,
Where little children age before their time,
And life wears down the edges of mind,
Where the old person sits with mind grown cold,
While bones and sinew, blood and cell, go slowly down to death,
Where fear companions each day’s life,
And Perfect Love seems long delayed.
CHRISTMAS IS WAITING TO BE BORN:
In you, in me, in all humankind.
Epperly continues in his commentary to discuss the heartache Thurman referenced in the above poem.
Christmas comes to those with their backs against the wall, as Thurman asserts: working-poor shepherds, a family having to migrate to satisfy a dictator’s need for riches despite a mother’s pregnancy, infants murdered by a local ruler in his quest to destroy the Holy Child and his way of peace.
And as we celebrate the twelve days of Christmas, we too witness wars and rumors of war. Swords are not beaten into plowshares but fashioned into drones, automatic weapons, and missiles. Nations continue to study war and encroach on their neighbors’ territories. Whole communities are annihilated, often inspired by religious ideology that separates faithful from infidel and “saved” from “unsaved.” (Epperly, pp. 72-73)
My heart is still heavy in this season when we remember how Christ was made manifest to the Gentiles with the visit of the Magi. To be honest, I am seeking light in this time of darkness. I am seeking the Spirit’s guidance as I attempt to walk the way of peace.
In the conclusion of his thoughts on the 10th day of Christmas, Epperly shared the story of the poem Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote following news of his son’s serious wounding in the Civil War. This portion of the poem, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, struck me:
And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
I pray that I can follow my friend Episcopal Bishop Steven Charleston who shared these words with our community on January 3rd:
I will not submit to the tyranny of despair or surrender to the threats of fear. Whatever I face in this life I face with the strength of the Spirit by my side. I am not afraid. I am not alone. Not even death itself can cause my heart to waver, for I have seen the far side of that river and I know I can cross it by the bridge of an everlasting mercy. Love is my shield and hope my expectation. Therefore, as long as I draw breath I will speak the words of welcome to any who will join me in the search for peace. I will strive to give as much as I can for the sake of those who have so little and I will rejoice in the happiness of others. I am a believer: a soul awake to its calling and a spirit alive to its full promise.
Will you join with me in prayer, dear reader? A prayer that involves words and action. Perhaps we can begin the task of beating swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. Perhaps then we can make the final words of Longfellow’s poem come to life.
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
God is not dead, nor doth He sleep,
The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”
In the words that close many of my Evening Prayers, I will close this blog:
Dona Nobis Pacem et in Terra
Grant Us Peace on Earth
To read more about Longfellow’s poem, please follow this link:
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