September 11th is approaching and our thoughts once more turn to the remembrance of this horrendous act, which was for many a very sad and gruesome awakening to the horrifying impact of terrorism. Tragically, since then violence and terrorism has escalated, the death toll continues to rise and the displacement of people grows.
Today there are 60 million refugees in our world, many of them fleeing from war, terrorism and violence as documented by this very sobering article in the New York Times. This is the highest number since World War II. And it seems to me that the animosity towards them is as great as it is towards those who perpetrated the violence from which they are fleeing.
Last year I compiled this resource list for 9/11 prayers, and have just updated it. In the post I wrote:
At a time like this it is important to turn to prayer – to pray for those who still grieve, for those who are still angry, for those who see this as a time to plan further acts of terrorism. Above all it is a time to pray for those whose lives are still vulnerable because of war and terrorism. It is a time to pray for peace, reconciliation and understanding across the seemingly impenetrable barriers that separate us.
My heart aches for those who have been impacted in any form of war or terrorist attacK. I have worked with refugees in both Asia and Africa. Their agony, vulnerability and horrendous plight tears at my heart strings and this growing crisis is what my mind tends to focus on at a time like this. My response has also been shaped this year by watching Russell Crowe’s movie The Water Diviner which shows more clearly and painfully than any other movie I have watched the horrors of war for people on both sides of a conflict.
Yes – lets remember the horrendous acts of 9/11 but lets remember too those for whom this type of terrorism seems to be an ongoing life filling reality today too.
God so much violence, so much pain, so much heartache.
May our remembrances of this day instill within us a horror of war,
And help us stand against the atrocities caused by terrorism and violence.
As we grieve with those who still mourn,
And share memories with those who cannot forget,
May we be stirred by your love and compassion for all,
especially for the vulnerable and displaced.
As we remember those who bravely responded,
And gave their lives to save others,
May we draw strength from their selfless sacrifice,
And be willing to go and do likewise for those still in harms way .
As we stand with strangers who became neighbours that day,
Sharing and caring with generosity and hospitality for people they did not know,
May we remind ourselves of the call to be good Samaritans,
And willingly reach out across race and culture to other victims of violence.
So many in our world have lost loved ones to terrorism and war,
So many have been displaced from homes and country,
May their plight fill us with compassion, a longing for peace,
And the desire to seek for understanding and reconciliation.
Let us not be overcome by our fears and anxieties,
Which sometimes prompt us to turn from your kingdom ways,
Let us remember God’s faithfulness when we were lost and alone.
And learn to trust in God’s unfailing love for all the peoples of the earth.
Amen
Don’t you love it when a friend gives you a book that is a delightfully rich discovery of humour, life and of course our shared love for dogs.
Such is Mary Oliver’s poetry book Dog Songs. I highly recommend it, not just to my dog loving friends but to anyone who appreciates Mary Oliver, poetry or humour.
What a delight to also find this youtube video of her reading one of the poems which speaks for itself.
This morning’s post is something of a confession.
As my blog and facebook prayers continue to grow in popularity I find myself constantly wanting to harness my thoughts, to remember my prayers and confine my imaginings so that I can share them with others. I love writing and I love sharing and I know that this is a ministry that God has called me to, so this is not a burden for me, but what I am realizing is that it can be a distraction. Sometimes God wants to speak to me alone. I was very aware of this over the last week as i spent time refreshing and renewing myself. There was much that happened that was for me alone.
Sometimes God wants to touch my heart in a special way but I want to grab hold of that thought and fling it to the winds – share it on my blog, make it into a facebook prayer, expose its energy and rip it from the private place of God’s intention.
So I am learning to sit in the presence of God’s sharing and cherish the words, savouring their flavour, listening for their intent. I am learning to pause and ask Who is this for, is it for me alone?
We live in a world where it is not uncommon for people to air their intimate lives on TV or the internet. We can easily lose the boundaries between private and public thoughts. We walk in the woods and beautiful poetry streams out of our mouths. We feel frustrated because we do not have a place to write the verses down and by the time we get home we have forgotten them. Yet the beauty of those words can revolve in our minds for days. It is lodged in our hearts in a way that it would not have been if we had written the poetry down. The words hover on the edge of our consciousness, touching an intimate place of closeness to God, a place that is more precious because it so intangible, so much beyond the written word.
So this morning I encourage you to take time to savour what God is saying to you alone. Be quick to listen but not to speak. Relax in the wonder of intimacy in that place in which you alone can encounter God.
God may I remember that sometimes you speak to me alone, thoughts not meant to be shared. May I relax in the wonder of intimacy with you, that special place that only I can enter. Amen
I have always loved to wander the beach admiring the sea creatures in the tidal pools and collecting interesting shells and rocks. Last week as Tom & I relaxed in our seaside cabin on Mayne Island British Columbia, was no exception. I quickly headed to the beach and soon had my head down focused on the amazing variety of rock colours, shapes, and sizes. Soon my pockets were bulging and I headed back to our cabin.
My friend Kim had also been out collecting, not rocks but sea glass, small pieces of weathered, frosted looking glass that have weathered over 30 years or more. Some pieces were as much as 100 years old. It was something totally new to me.
Sea glass from Mayne Island
On my next trip to the beach I felt as though I had been given new eyes with which to see. Suddenly the rocks faded into the background and the sea glass danced before my eyes – white and brown and green and yellow fragments of it. As I turned for home I made my most unique discovery of all – a rock of fossilized evergreen needles – a new prize to add to my collection that I probably never have noticed that first day out.
Fossilized rock
As I reflected on my discovery that evening I was reminded of the blind man that Jesus heals in Mark 8:22-26
Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?” The man looked around. “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.” Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly.
How often I wonder do we miss the best of what God has for us because we don’t see clearly? And how often I wonder do we fail to see clearly because our eyes are focussed on the wrong things? We like this blind man often need a fresh touch from Jesus or like me on the beach a fresh word from a friend, so we can see everything clearly in the way that God intends us to.
What is your response?
Sit quietly in the presence of God and think back over the last week. Are there situations that come to mind in which your vision was clouded or your judgement faulty because you were focussed on the wrong things. How did Jesus rub spit in your eyes as it were? What or who helped to clarify your vision? Is there something more that God is prompting you to do so that you can see more clearly?
Sunset Mayne Island
An old story tells of a godly monk who was training young men to become priests. He asked the novitiates: What do you see when you look at the sun? They puzzled over his question for hours. When I look at the sun I see a golden orb one responded. The old monk shook his head. What I see depends on the time of day another said, and yet another, it depends on whether or not there are clouds in the sky.
To all their answers the monk shook his head. Finally he gave his own answer to the question: When I look at the sun I see the host of angels singing Alleluia glory to God, he said.
This old monk had learned to focus on a godly reality rather than an earthly one. The clarity of his vision, refreshed and renewed to see as jesus sees, not just what was visible but also what was invisible.
What is your response.
When we allow Jesus to fully open our eyes our vision of all things is transformed. Sit quietly in the presence of God and ponder the question: What would it take for me to see with Godly eyes? Allow God to speak to you. What response does God ask of you?
Watch the video below. Is there any further response God would ask of you?
Today’s prayer flows out of my reflections this week on walking with Jesus and my renewed sense of focus on God’s purposes for our lives. To draw close to God and neighbour we must open our eyes to the world around us and to the hoped for and much anticipated shalom and wholeness towards which God is guiding all of us.
Mayne Island sunset
Tom and I have been away for the last week on Mayne Island BC. This is an annual trip for us – part vacation and part retreat time, an opportunity to refresh ourselves and renew our sense of purpose. It is also a time to listen intently to God, to evaluate where we feel we are on track and where we feel we have gone astray.
These last few months have been extremely busy and I feel that I have allowed myself to be distracted by the busyness of the urgent without taking the time I need each week to reset my priorities and refocus my life. It has been good to remind myself that there is ample time for all God intends me to do, without rushing or getting pressured. But I am still learning to hear God’s voice saying to me – This is for today, say no to everything else.
My focus for the week has been three questions which came out of my reading of Pope Francis’s book Walking with Jesus:
First:What am I doing to draw closer to God each day? This has been a good time of reflecting on my own spiritual observances and the disciplines I need to keep me intentionally on the journey toward greater intimacy with God. Maintaining Sunday as a day of rest is probably the one I struggle with the most and I need God’s gently reminders at times like this to set me straight.
My second question is: What am I doing to draw closer to neighbors? – and by neighbors I mean all those who are around me, starting with my husband Tom, the small community at the Mustard Seed House, those I work with, those I mentor and those I interact with through this blog, social media, speaking, and mission as well as those who are literally my neighbors near and far on this planet Earth – those I live around, meet in the grocery store and interact with through the news. Our opportunity for neighborly interactions is huge these days, which in itself can be overwhelming.
My third question How do I encourage others to become all that God intends them to be? is in many ways the hardest. It encompasses both of the above – being a good example and mentor to others, supporting endeavors that enable people to earn a just wage, improve their health, housing and economic wellbeing all come into this. But there is more. It is easy for all of us, intentionally or unintentionally, to focus on our own ambitions and promotion to the detriment of those around us. So what I have had to grapple with is: What do I do each day to get beyond myself and protecting my own interests to secure my neighbor’s interests first? (Philippians 2:4) It is a question worth asking ourselves on a regular basis.
So my challenge for you today – what are you doing to draw closer to God and neighbour, and what are you doing to enable others to become all that God intends them to be?
Over the last few days I have been reading Walking with Jesus by Pope Francis. In the introduction, Archbishop Blasé Cupich reminds us that “All is walking” which means that every single action of a Christian is to be a step closer and closer to God and to one’s neighbour.
These words have revolved in my mind throughout the week, encouraging me to reevaluate what I give my time and energy to. They were emphasized by my further reading of this book. As Pope Francis say:
Faith does not merely gaze at Jesus, but sees things as Jesus himself sees them, with his own eyes; it is a participation in his way of seeing (3)
To me these comments are closely linked – we cannot see things as Jesus sees them without being willing to walk the sometimes challenging path that leads us closer to both God and neighbour. Faith is not just about what we believe but even more about what we do with that belief?
The question this all raises for me is: How do I structure my day, my week, my year, so that all that I do intentionally draws me a step closer to God and to my neighbour? In the busyness of life it is very easy to forget that this is the central purpose of the Christian life.
What do you think?
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