Last night we used our first garden beefsteak tomato to make a salad. It was absolutely delicious. Savoring the flavours of the garden is one of my August delights. Tomatoes, squash, and basil are at the top of the list but there are also beans and the peaches we picked last week. Talk about the lavish generosity of God and in the midst there are fun opportunities for creativity. I love to take a recipe and adapt it as I did with our beans this week – Beans, red pepper, mushrooms, and onions stir fried with garlic, cumin, coriander and a touch of cayenne pepper made a mouth watering accompaniment to the salad.
In August I also find myself gearing up and planning for the rest of the year. This year I am looking forward to an exciting series of virtual retreats. Retreats shape my life, and I believe they are an important component of all our lives. This series begins with Seasons and Rhythms on September 2nd. Now is the time to establish a new rhythm for our lives. In this retreat we will learn to make space for God and discover the Christ-like pace that liberates us from a culture enslaved by time. This coincides with the celebration of the Irish saint Fiacre, the patron saint of gardening and has become a popular time for gardening groups in the Northern Hemisphere to gather and celebrate. Though this retreat will not focus on the garden, there is no way I can talk about the seasons and rhythms without sharing some of what I have learned from my time outside. It promises to be a lot of fun. We already have several people signed up and I hope you will join us. The other retreats are A Season of Gratitude October 14th and An Advent Quiet Day December 9th. Both of these focus on my own spiritual rhythm which I encourage you to adopt – October and November are my season of gratitude, and the liturgical season of Advent in December, such an important celebration for our Christian faith. Sign up for all three and receive a very special discount. This series of retreats promises to be a great way to maintain a rhythm of peace and quiet throughout the frantic season ahead. Check them out. It would be great to have you join us.
This week my Meditation Monday: To Deconstruct or Reconstruct That is the Question revolves, not surprisingly, around my thoughts on deconstructing and reconstructing our faith. These are both very important aspects of our faith, but I really am concerned that most of the recent conversations I have heard focus more on deconstruction than reconstruction. I would love to hear your thoughts on this one.
Lilly’s Freerange Friday: You Are Loved once more inspires me with Lilly’s ability to provide practical ways to enter into the love of God. I love her suggestion to wrap ourselves in a beach towel, a blanket, or a shawl today. Imagine Jesus wrapping you in his unending love.
Karen Wilk’s poem Air was a delightful read and focus for reflection on Thursday, and for National Play Day on Wednesday, June Friesen posted a delightful article on our need for play. Such a great reminder for us all.
I also want to remind you that the Godspace community extends far beyond our website. The Facebook Godspacelight community page continues to grow and is constantly active with a number of diverse voices. I love June Friesen’s daily reflections, Bob Trube’s book reviews and Judith Greenfield’s contemplative videos to mention but a few. This is a great place to interact with other parts of the Godspacelight community. I invite you to join and become part of the conversations.
I am ending today with a poem by Drew Jackson, whose poetry is one of those unsettling but important voices I am listening to. This poem is from his book Touch the Earth: Poems on the Way.
The Faces of Blessing
(Luke 17:16-19)
I guess blessing means entitlement.
I have been told my birthright is a curse.
My birthright, to be cursed because of genetics.
Ethnicity determines my access to healing.
I am right to think healing will pass me by
As it has done before in the faces of the blessed.
The faces of the blessed expect the world.
Anything less is an affront.
It is an affront to turn and say thank you –
An insult to show gratitude for what is rightfully theirs.
Rightfully theirs, they are the frightful heirs
Of every privilege of mercy.
Privileged to receive mercy, I say thank you.
I guess blessing means entitlement.
God go with you this week and throughout the month.
Join Christine for all three virtual retreats to build on what you learn from lesson to lesson, learning practices and patterns that increase the gratitude, joy, balance, and creativity in your life. Register for three seasonal spirituality retreats. September 2, October 14, and December 9.
There is a discount for registering for all three retreats at once.
Everywhere I looked this week it seemed I was faced with yet another person talking about deconstructing their faith. Deconstruction is a phenomenon within evangelicalism in which Christians rethink their faith and jettison previously held beliefs, sometimes to the point of no longer identifying as Christians. And it seems to be on the increase. Jesus followers are increasingly disillusioned with their beliefs, their churches, and the behaviour of their fellow believers. To be honest I don’t like the term deconstruction, primarily because it does imply a breaking down of faith in such a way that there may be nothing left. There is often no encouragement to rebuild or reshape ones belief. I like to use the work reconstruction because it implies there is a positive outcome in which our beliefs are remade rather than jettisoned. Sometimes moving from deconstruction to reconstruction means reorienting our thinking and the questions we ask. Rather than “Why does God allow suffering?” asking “How does God expect me to help alleviate the suffering of others?” At other times it means actively looking for God in our midst. Every time we see an act of compassion, love and generosity, that is God in our midst, almost as though the goodness of God is built into our DNA.
My own reconstruction began when I worked in the refugee camps on the Thai Cambodian border in the mid 1980s. In the midst of the pain and the suffering I found myself asking “Does God care, and if so what is my responsibility for those who suffer?” That questioning changed the trajectory of my life. However my reconstruction did not stop there. In fact it has been a slow process of rethinking, reimagining and reshaping that continues to this day. Every time I start to get complacent and feel that I know everything there is to know about God, faith and what to believe, God starts to nudge me about another false belief I hold that needs to be transformed and reconstructed.
It seems to me that this journey I am on is a normal process of maturing. If our faith doesn’t change then we stagnate. If we are not open to new ideas and interpretations that stretch us and question our beliefs, then our thought processes become rigid and our boundaries brittle. It seems to me that when we first become Christians we often believe in a very small God, a God whose interests revolve around our needs and our inadequacies. As we grow in our faith the God we recognize should become larger, more inclusive of others and of our responsibility towards those less fortunate than ourselves. It should expand to recognize the sacredness of creation and our responsibility as its stewards. If we are not listening to voices whose opinions are very different than our own and asking questions whose answers may push us outside the safe but sometimes suffocating box in which we live, then we are not in a healthy place.
So here are a few basic thoughts with which to start:
- What voices are you listening to? This year I expanded my Bible collection to include the The First Nations Version New Testament and The Second Testament by Scot McKnight but I also added Black Earth Wisdom by Leah Penniman, Kindling the Celtic Spirit by Mara Freeman, Church of the Wild by Victoria Loorz and Original Blessing by Matthew Fox. These are but a few of the voices that have made me think and rethink my faith this year. Then there are the voices of poets who seem to speak truth to my soul in penetrating and often unexpected ways. Drew Jackson’s Touch the Earth was particularly impacting for me and many others that I listen to through social media channels. Some of them are far from Christian faith as I understand it. Some of them are advocates for other religions, all of them are worth listening to and reflecting on. There are the voices too of those who have been unjustly treated, abused and abandoned within our society. I am currently grappling with the implications of the founding of our countries – for me both the U.S. and Australia where the doctrine of discovery played such havoc amongst indigenous people. I am learning a lot from the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery, and listening to the Spirit guide me into the actions that are necessary. Last but not least there is the voice of creation that resounds louder and louder in my mind as high temperatures and the groans of climate change painfully play out against the backdrop of God’s beautiful world, teaching me, nurturing me and transforming me.
- What are the unchangeable foundations that undergird your faith? This is one we all struggle with. When I first started talking about stepping outside the lines of evangelical faith I was often asked “How do you know what is true?” We are always nervous about misstepping and unfortunately that often means we don’t take any steps at all. And identifying truth is not an easy question to answer, because as our view of God grows, our perception of what is true changes and the foundations we rely on shift. My basic statement now is “God is love, Jesus is my example, the Spirit dwells within as my guide.” I was very impacted this week by a comment from Jack Burton in The Gap. The test is never ‘How clever am I?’ but ‘How loving am I?’ That seems to sum up what is increasingly at the centre of my faith.
- Who walks with you on your journey? We all need wise guides, mentors and counsellors, companions who walk with us, not always in step, not always even on the same journey, but always able to speak words of wisdom and truth to us.
Growing our faith can be an uncomfortable business but one that should be the goal of our lives no matter where we are at and no matter it might make us struggle. Ask yourself “Where has your belief system been reconstructed in the last few years? Are there other places where God is nudging you to step outside the boundaries of the comfortable?
As I contemplated that this week, this is what came to mind:
I have not deconstructed,
but reconstructed.
Kingdom focused,
Not the cross.
Practice more than doctrine.
Community care,
More than individual advancement.
All together or not at all.
Love is at the centre.
Interdependent not independent.
Earth matters,
All is connected,
God is everywhere revealed,
All creation shimmers with divine light.
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Join Christine Sine for one or all of her three seasonal retreats: Rhythms & Seasons, A Season of Gratitude, and An Advent Quiet Day. Save the dates – September 2nd, October 14th and December 9th at 9:30-12:30.
by Carol Dixon
St Oswald image: © aidanharticons.com (Used with permission)
Opening words (Prayer of St Oswald- Northumbria Community Alt.)
Almighty God, when the future seems unclear help us to be faithful in prayer, trusting that at all times and in all places we are held in your hand. Give us courage and perseverance to play our part well and serve you in joy and fortitude from the beginning of our life to the end.
Hymn Awake my soul and with the sun
Awake, my soul, and with the sun
thy daily stage of duty run;
shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise
to pay thy morning sacrifice.
By influence of the light divine
let thine own light to others shine;
reflect all heaven’s propitious rays
in ardent love and cheerful praise.
Lord, I my vows to thee renew;
disperse my sins as morning dew,
grant my first springs of thought and will,
and with thyself my spirit fill.
Direct, control, suggest this day
all I design, or do, or say;
that all my powers, with all their might,
in thy sole glory may unite. [Thomas Ken]
Some thoughts on St Oswald. I first learned about St Oswald as a pupil at the Duchess’s Girls Grammar School, Alnwick where our ‘houses’ were named after Northumbrian Saints. I was in St Aidan’s where we wore blue sashes (symbolising Aidan’s journey across the sea from Iona to Lindisfarne) and my best friend was in St Oswald’s house and wore a red sash (symbolising that Oswald was a Christian martyr).
In his wonderful book Flame in my Heart about the life of St Aidan, David Adam tells the story of Oswald who became a king and then a saint. Here’s what he says: Oswald is one of the great heroes of the north. As a young child he grew up in a palace. His father, the mighty warrior Aethelfrith had united his own kingdom of Deira (Durham and North Yorkshire) with Bernicia in the north, laying the foundations of the kingdom of Northumbria, which became the mightiest military power in England. This was a time of small petty kings and regular warfare, mostly tribal skirmishes. When Oswald was 12 (around AD 616) his father was killed in battle by Raedwald of East Anglia (of Sutton Hoo treasure fame) and Oswald’s uncle Edwin became the ruler of Northumbria. Oswald and his 3 siblings were forced to flee for their lives and they escaped to the Irish Celtic kingdom of Dalriada in Argyle where the younger children received a Christian education on the Isle of Iona. Their exile lasted for 17 years during which time the young men grew up and we’re trained to be leaders of people.
Edwin was killed in a battle with the pagan Penda of Mercia and Cadwallon of Wales and the way was clear for Oswald’s eldest brother (who had married a Pictish princess) to claim back Northumbria. He met with the victors to sue for peace but was treacherously murdered so it fell to Oswald to claim their father’s kingdom. He marched south with a much smaller army than that of the enemy and the night before the battle to decide the fate of the kingdom he found himself in the field that came to be known as Heavenfield where they pitched their camp overnight. During the waiting, as he slept, Oswald had a vision of the Cross held by St Columba, the founder of Iona who announced that Oswald would be king, reminding him of God’s words to Joshua as he stood before the Promised Land. ‘Be strong and of good courage for I will be with you. You will be the leader of these people and they will occupy this land.’ Like the great Christian emperor Constantine (who won his battle after seeing the Cross) Oswald arose, confident and full of faith, and prayed that in this sign he too might overcome the enemy. A cross was quickly put together from two young, roughly hewn trees and Oswald himself bore the weight of it as his men filled in the hole it was set into then they advanced upon their enemy in the swirling mists of early morning with the cross looming large on the hill. Oswald won a great victory and set about ruling Northumbria with justice and fairness, true to his vision as a Christian leader.
Photo Aaron Burden Unsplash
When Oswald grew up on Iona he would have been taught many of the great Celtic prayers, the best known being St Patrick ‘s breastplate, the armour of God, based on St Paul’s words in his letter to the Ephesians chapter 6. (J B Phillips translation v 10-20).
Reading Ephesians 6 10-20
10-18 In conclusion be strong—not in yourselves but in the Lord, in the power of his boundless resource. Put on God’s complete armour so that you can successfully resist all the devil’s methods of attack. For our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organisations and powers that are spiritual. We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil. Therefore you must wear the whole armour of God that you may be able to resist evil in its day of power, and that even when you have fought to a standstill you may still stand your ground. Take your stand then with truth as your belt, righteousness your breastplate, the Gospel of peace firmly on your feet, salvation as your helmet and in your hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Above all be sure you take faith as your shield, for it can quench every burning missile the enemy hurls at you. Pray at all times with every kind of spiritual prayer, keeping alert and persistent as you pray for all Christ’s men and women.
Hymn Give me O Christ the strength that in me lies (Tune Chilton Foliat )
Give me, O Christ, the strength that in thee lies,
that I may stand in every evil hour;
my poor heart faints unless to thee it flies,
resting its weakness in thy perfect power.
Give me to see the foes that I must fight,
powers of the darkness, throned
where thou should’st reign,
read the directings of thy wrath aright,
lest, striking flesh and blood, I strike in vain.
Give me to wear the armour that can guard;
over my heart thy blood-bought righteousness,
faith for my shield, when fiery darts rain hard,
girded with truth, and shod with zeal to bless.
Give me to wield the weapon that is sure,
taking, through prayer, thy sword into my hand,
Word of thy wisdom, peaceable and pure,
so, Christ my Conqueror,
I shall conqueror stand.
Henry Child Carter (1875-1954)
© United Reformed Church in the United Kingdom
Copied from HymnQuest 2.4: Standard Version
HymnQuest ID: 53079 Used with permission
Further thoughts: When Paul wrote those amazing words he was a prisoner, awaiting a trial before the emperor and as such an important prisoner he would have been guarded day and night by a Roman soldier and he would possibly have even been chained to his guard. It’s easy to see therefore where he took the imagery from when he wrote to his friends in Ephesus who were having a difficult time.
Oswald too faced many forces of evil in his life. Despite his best efforts the country continued to be torn apart by different petty kings vying for power. As Oswald faced his biggest battle at Maserfelth in the kingdom of Mercia against the pagan King Penda 8 years after he had defeated him at Heavenfield, he knew his beloved Northumbria was in good hands. St Aidan who had come from Iona had made great inroads in sharing the Christian faith with the ordinary folk – King Oswald himself had accompanied him, translating for him until Aidan learned the local language – and the school of learning which had been set up at the king’s request on Lindisfarne was progressing well.
Oswald faced what was to be his final battle knowing he had done all he could to keep the faith and if he was to die the next day he willingly offered his life to save his Christian kingdom. I like to imagine that he spent the early hours of the morning in prayer as he had before Heavenfield and as dawn broke he committed the future to God. Perhaps he used again the prayer for protection attributed to St Patrick, (who had lived a couple of centuries before Oswald) which he had learned on Iona. This prayer, known as The Deer’s Cry leads us into our prayers.
Music: The Deer’s cry https://youtu.be/hoXUdur_-PI
Prayers of intercession (from An Australian Prayer Book)
Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ has promised that you will hear us when we ask in faith: receive we pray, the prayers we offer for those in need in our world today.
We pray for… Christians in other countries, especially where there is suffering, danger and persecution; Strengthen your people for their witness and work in the world. Fill them with your Spirit, that they may faithfully preach the gospel. Unite in the truth all who confess your name, that we may live together in love and proclaim your glory in all the world.
We pray for… the peoples of the world and their leaders; countries in crisis; Give wisdom to those in authority in every land and give to all peoples a desire for righteousness and peace, with the will to work together to seek the common good and to share with justice the resources of the earth.
We pray for… those in need: for those who suffer; the sick; the poor; the distressed; the lonely; the unloved; the persecuted; the unemployed; those who grieve; and those who care for them…
Comfort and heal, merciful Lord, all who are in sorrow, need, sickness, or any other trouble. Give them a firm trust in your goodness; help those who minister to them; and bring us all into the joy of your salvation.
We pray for…our community: for those caring for people in need, We commend to your keeping, Father, ourselves and each other, our families, our neighbours, and our friends. Enable us by your Spirit to live in love for you and for one another and people known to us. In silence we mention them by name before you…..
We praise you Loving God for your faithful servants in every age, thinking especially today of the faithfulness of St Oswald who lived in such turbulent times yet never forgot his faith in you. We ask that we may share with him and all the saints in Christ’s resurrection glory, through his death and rising again for the salvation of the world.
Accept our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to pray: Our Father…
Conclusion: Oswald was killed in the battle and his body was displayed by Penda on a tree which became known as ‘Oswald’s Tree’ – the town of Oswestry takes its name from it. His younger brother, Oswy who was also brought up on Iona, became king and Northumbria continued in the Christian faith. (Their sister Ebba became Abbess of the Abbey on the clifftop at what is now known as St Abb’s Head, in southern Scotland, then part of Northumbria). In a daring secret night raid on Mercia, Oswy collected Oswald’s mutilated body from ‘Oswald’s Tree’ and brought it home for burial on Lindisfarne. According to Bede’s History of the English Peoples, various relics were removed from his tomb and miracles were attributed to them. His head now rests inside the tomb of St Cuthbert in Durham Cathedral and he is still venerated as a saint and martyr and many churches are dedicated in his name. His example as a true warrior for Christ kept Christianity alive in Northumbria through some of its darkest days and his vision of God’s kingdom on earth is a shining example to struggling Christian communities to this day.
Our final hymn is based on an ancient Irish hymn.
Hymn Be thou my vision https://youtu.be/6CMclLT_Hjg
Closing prayer: (© Christine Sine) Let us go forth today, In the love of our Creator, In the strength of our Redeemer, In the power of our Sustainer. In the fellowship of witnesses from every tribe and nation and culture. Those who are present, those from the past, those who are yet to come. Let us go forth today, United with the Sacred Three, In harmony with the Holy One, Compassion in our hearts, Gratitude in our thoughts, Generosity in our deeds, Justice as our passion. Let us go forth today Carrying God’s image Into our hurting world. In the name of Jesus, Our Lord. Amen.
Heavenfield Cross
Battle field looking north
Join Christine Sine for one or all of her three seasonal retreats: Rhythms & Seasons, A Season of Gratitude, and An Advent Quiet Day. Save the dates – September 2nd, October 14th and December 9th at 9:30-12:30.
We are excited to offer three virtual retreats with Christine Sine in the next few months.
In Rhythms and Seasons, on September 2, join Christine Sine as we move towards the end of the year when life gets busier and busier until December has most of us living at a frenetic pace. But that’s not the way God intends us to live and now is the time to establish a new rhythm for our lives. In this retreat we will learn to make space for God and discover the Christ-like pace that liberates us from a culture enslaved by time.
Jesus said: “Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matt 11: 29,30 The Message)
Jesus exhibited a way of life that flowed between work and rest, solitude and community, feasting and fasting. We will explore these rhythms that governed Jesus life and learn to use them to connect more intimately to God.
Through reflection, contemplation, and creative explorations, Christine Sine, will assist you to rediscover God’s sustainable rhythms that provide balance between work and rest, effort and waiting, doing and not doing. Using the seasons of the year and the liturgical pattern of life they gave birth to we will explore how to reconnect our lives to God’s patterns and the practices that should undergird them.
Then for A Season of Gratitude on October 14, as we enter the gratitude season between Canadian Thanksgiving and American Thanksgiving, join Christine as she encourages you to enter into the practice of gratitude in this interactive retreat that will help us enter this season of gratitude with joy and delight in our hearts. It will be a fun time of interaction, creativity, and reflection.
Gratitude should be a part of our life every day, yet we all suffer from a gratitude gap. We need to take time to intentionally give thanks. What could we transform from unpleasant to enjoyable by a change in attitude? How do we approach the world with gratitude and delight at all times? How do we find joy in the midst of the most challenging situations? These are some of the questions we grapple with as we look ahead to the changing seasons. What about you?
Christine will encourage you to enter into the practice of gratitude in this interactive retreat that will help us enter this season of gratitude with joy and delight in our hearts. It will be a fun time of interaction, creativity, and reflection.
Finally for An Advent Day of Quiet on December 9, join Christine for a morning of scripture reading and quiet reflection that will be for many of us a much needed oasis of quiet in the midst of this chaotic season.
The Advent season is meant to be a time of waiting, a time for quiet reflection and contemplation, yet for most of us it is the busiest season of the year. Unless we intentionally set aside time for quiet and reflection it doesn’t happen. Often without the encouragement of others it is impossible.
You can sign up for each retreat singly, or if you prefer, we are offering savings on purchasing all three retreats at once.
These links go to pages where you can register and pay for each retreat, or for all three at a discount!
“We Belong to God and We Belong to Each Other” Pastor Kara Root
sit with this quote….what does it mean to you?
The Bible says we all are created in the image of God. We are all children of God.
Do you see yourself as a beloved child of God?
Why or why not?
What things stop you from truly believing you are a beloved child of God?
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
How do view people who don’t look like you do? Or live like you? Are you curious? Or are you judgemental?
How hard is it for you to see the image of God in others?
Often we cannot view others in the love of God because we don’t truly believe we are loved by God.
WE NEED TO REMEMBER WE ARE GOD’S BELOVED! God loves us just as we are, right where we are today. Whether or not we are tired or too busy, hurt or discouraged, or angry or just can’t see straight, Jesus is loving us right where we are! And Jesus is inviting us into this love, inviting us to join him on the Road of Love in order to transform us and transform the world.
“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
God sent his only Son into the world
so that we might have life through him.
In this is love:
not that we have loved God,
but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.” (1 JOHN 4:7-11)
ACTION:
Wrap your self in a beach towel, a blanket, or a shawl today. Imagine Jesus wrapping you in his unending love.
Sit there for a bit and receive that love. How have you felt the love of God this week?
Consider what you need in order to experience more of the Love of Jesus. TALK TO JESUS about this.
Ask Jesus to show you who needs to know his amazing love and take time to pray for them. Then take action. How can you practically love someone this week? Write a card, make a phone call, take someone to lunch or coffee. Offer to babysit or help someone with cleaning or yard work….showing God’s love in practical ways.
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on
the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls
that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your
purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your
heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
– Prayer for the Human Family (Book of Common Prayer, p. 815
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
by Karen Wilk
Air, we can’t see it
Yet we need it, yet we breathe it
Deep breath, gentle sigh
In-Out, Out-In, every moment
Cloud thick, mountain thin
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Just so, Spirit in the wind
Breathe on me, Breath of life
Amidst pollution, climate strife
feels hopeless: Quality diminished,
Tornado, tsunami, hurricane, wildfire punish
Sometimes swirling, sometimes whirling
Sometimes too much, so much, in the atmosphere hurling…
“Stop, stop!”- all nature, rock, tree and sea rant!
Loss of breath, holding breath, masking, pant.
Yet air like grace, over chaos, over earth hovers
Sustaining life, reveals, recovers
For there is God, freely wholly
in the breeze blowing
Like a leaf, like a feather
softly floating, flowing
Gently with redemptive Love always knowing…
In the storm, in the darkness, in the jitters
Even now, Three-in-One, in Spirit’s breath whispers:
Air is Grace.
Painting “And the Last Word is Grace” by Karen Tamminga-Paton
We all need the Wholeness of God…this resource includes reflections and activities for coping and thriving during challenges in search of shalom as well as hope for restoration.
by June Friesen
When you read the title what was the first thing that came to your mind? For me I have so many memories of play from my childhood and even now. Oh yes, I still play and if you do not believe me I can have several people give witness to this. From time to time when my husband and I were dating and even after we were married he would ask me, “Why do you do that?” Or “Don’t you know that only children do that?” Would it surprise any one of you to know that even in my mid seventies my grand daughters as well as all of my children in our church family know that if no one else will play with them – I will? As a church fellowship we meet in a park once a month for food and fellowship and sometimes someone brings entertainment for the children. My husband has been known to take videos of us ‘having a good time.’ The first two photos are when my grand daughters were young – we would find ways to play together and explore creatively. Now their creativity is found in baking as well as sports.
Psalm 127
127 1-2 If God doesn’t build the house, the builders only build shacks.
If God doesn’t guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap.
It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don’t you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?
Here in this Psalm even though it does not talk about play it talks about rest. Have you ever been busy doing something for an hour or more and you just say, “I have to sit down and rest?” What do you do when you sit down and rest? I have a number of things that I do when I sit down and rest. Sometimes I read, sometimes I play a game, sometimes I have been known to take a nap, but the main thing is that one needs to take time away from what one does for work. Now if you are one whose work requires much reading, thinking, processing and even writing you may not want to sit down and read a book to relax or play. When my husband and I were young adults, and he was in college, we would go hiking and/or play games. We didn’t always have a television so watching it was not an option. Now we have a television but we may have a sports game on yet we are relaxing/playing and only watching intermittently. Sometimes we may even take a nap as the brain is weary and needs revitalization. There are times when it says that Jesus also withdrew from the crowds – he was known to go off into the hills/mountains by Himself. Other times he would get into a boat with some or all of His disciples and they would go out onto the Sea of Galilee. There are times when one may feel they are indispensable because of so many duties at one’s hands to do – but taking time to rest only enables one to function more efficiently and effectively.
Another thing that comes to mind is vacations. In today’s world for the most part everyone takes time off from their daily work, daily duties etc. to do something where they can relax. For some it means going to visit family and friends who live some distance away, for others it means going and visiting a part of the country/world to enjoy different cultures/nature’s environment, or it may be to attend a special conference etc. Some people choose to go to places like Disneyland, SeaWorld etc. Others may choose to go camping along with fishing, boating, hiking etc. Yes, vacation should be a time of play in that it gives one an opportunity to break the routine of a regular work schedule plus caring for family and others needs. I would like to suggest that when one does take a vacation it is important to make time for playtime for all who are involved as it makes the experience more wholesome and personally rewarding for each one. Let us look at one more Scripture.
Psalm 33:1-3
33 1-3 Good people, cheer God! Right-living people sound best when praising.
Use guitars to reinforce your Hallelujahs! Play his praise on a grand piano!
Compose your own new song to him; give him a trumpet fanfare.
Here you see a photo of a piano that I still have today. It was my grandmother’s piano that her father bought her for her 16th birthday in the early 1900’s so it is well over 100 years old. When I was very young my grandfather gave my family this piano as he bought my grandmother a brand new one. I, as well as my three siblings, took piano lessons on this piano and about 40 years ago my father showed up with it at my door in Phoenix because no one else wanted it. Now one of my favorite playtimes from the time I was probably third and fourth grade was to sit down and play the piano. I could play for hours. In my adult life playtime for me can still find me at a piano and/or keyboard. I have also written songs, sometimes using well known melodies and sometimes I have written my own music.
So as you can see playtime or play can be so many things. I would define it in my own definition as ‘something that gives opportunity away from the normal activities of one’s daily work/life that brings refreshment to the body, soul, and or spirit or all three.’ How might you play today to celebrate and embrace ‘playtime’ into your life and schedule? I will respond when this is posted as to how I chose to play this day – can I challenge you to do the same?
Happy Playtime to All!
Writing and photos by June Friesen. Scripture is from The Message Translation.
Prayers for the Day ~digital download
These beautiful prayer cards include 11 prayers by Christine Sine and crafted by Hilary Horn with watercolor succulent design and contemplative imagery are available for download. Each card provides a prayer on the front with a photo for reflection as well as a scripture and suggested meditative response to the prayer. Allow yourself to relax, refresh, and commune with God through each prayer. Immerse yourself in the reflection as you give yourself space to enter into God’s presence.
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