Pen and Paint Ponderings with Karen and Karen
by Karen Wilk (writer) and Karen Tamminga-Paton (painter)
Karen Tamminga-Paton has done numerous paintings of hands and there is something about them that invites us to consider all of life, and in particular our relationships with one another and creation. Take a moment to look at her painting. Take another moment to pay attention to your own hands and perhaps those of others around you. Think about all the bones, muscles, joints, veins and all the other intricacies and abilities of hands! What do you notice? What do they do well? With what do they struggle? How do they bless? How have they treated whatever they touch and how have they been treated? Ponder the painting again and read the following out loud. How will you receive and use the gift of hands today?
Hands
Worn, wrinkled
Worked, working,
Stained.
God gave us hands
Hands to make and mold
Hands to have and hold
Young hands, soft and bold
Aching, cracked hands, grown old.
God gave us hands
To raise in praise
To clap and sing, write and play
To cook, to wash and point the way.
God gave us hands
To garden and gather
To lend and to share
To till and to tend
To reach out and care.
To feel and to grow
To make right
and seek to know…
But we have taken those hands
Misused and abused them
Hurt, enslaved, and refused them
They’ve been squeezed too tight
Cuffed, cut, burnt, and made to fight
Rolled up from open, to fisted
Gone from giving to grabbing
Selfish, savage, twisted…
And still, Creator loves those hands
And holds them wholly close to God’s heart
Each unique, embodied Holy art
Cherished, precious, irreplaceable
Full of potential, fully valuable
So much so that God made them
His Own
Gathering heaven and earth in One
Healing, helping, embracing Son
Suffering all,
til all is done.
God gave us hands-
Beauty and opportunity
Creator’s creativity
Spirit’s possibility
Incarnate Infinity
Tangible Divinity
Inviting our receptivity…
God gave us hands.
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What do you need this Lenten Season? What are you longing for as you look towards Easter? How can we create Beauty from the Ashes of the past two years?
Please join Christine Sine and Lilly Lewin in this virtual retreat as they guide you to lay down grief and gather joys through the journey of Lent!
Join Christine Sine for Preparing for the Garden Walk of Holy Week, a quiet reflective retreat the week before Palm Sunday that will prepare us for the challenging week ahead. The retreat will be online Saturday, March 25th 2023 from 9:30 am PT to 12:30pm PT.
This retreat is not just for gardeners. It is for all of us who want to follow Christ into the resurrection world of Easter. Jesus’ journey from garden to garden as he moves through the last few days of his life from suffering to resurrection has long intrigued Christine. Recognizing the strong connections between the life of Christ and the beautiful creation God gifted us with has become an essential part of Christine’s walk during Lent and Easter.
When Mary Magdalene encounters the resurrected Jesus as depicted in John 20:15, she was coming to the garden tomb looking for Christ’s body. Instead she finds a very much alive Jesus and she thought he was the gardener. This phrase is not a throwaway line. It is of cosmic significance! Jesus is indeed the gardener of the new creation and his journey from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday is an inspiring revelation of who he is in relation to creation. When we disconnect his story from its ecological roots, we suffer a dislocation that cuts us adrift. It is time to restore the missing connections.
We hope you will join her for this inspiring and revelatory time of scripture reading, quiet reflection and creative fun.
Click here to register! We are once again offering several price points to aid those who are students or in economic hardship.
Today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Some of us may be looking forward to the season with great anticipation. But others among us may be dreading what can feel like an extended season of depriving ourselves, being overly serious, and thinking negatively about ourselves. And after everything we’ve been through, that may be last thing we really need. You may want to take a moment now to consider what you are feeling about the coming Lenten season. And you may want to ask yourself what you really need to make Lent meaningful and life-giving for you this year.
One of the ways I like to think of Lent is as an extended examen. I’m sure you’re familiar with the Ignatian practice of examining ourselves daily in the light of Christ’s values and priorities. The heart of the examen is to take note of where we are doing well at aligning our lives with God’s reign and where there is room for improvement.
Lent, then, can be practised as a season of taking stock of our lives, noting where we are, where we want to be going, and how we might need to change course to get there. And after the last three years, I suspect we can all use time out to reflect and reset our faith, our perspectives, and our lives.
As a result of the pandemic, it can feel like so much of our humanity has been lost. So many of us have been overtaken by grief, anxiety, fear, physical distancing, polarisation, and emerging into a world that is very different from the one we left behind in lockdown. We have endured the greatest crisis of our generation. But now we have a unique opportunity to recapture our humanity, choose dignity and compassion, and move forward intentionally toward a gentler, kinder, and more united world. And, as followers of Christ, we may not have the power to change our world, but we do have the capacity to change ourselves—which positively affects our corner of the world.
The season of Lent is traditionally rooted in confession and repentance, which can sometimes feel negative and depressing- especially when we’ve already been through so much. But this is a very narrow view of this season. Lent is actually meant to be a time of reflection and preparation. It’s an invitation to enter the cycle of death and life through releasing what quenches our aliveness and receiving what raises us into a new fullness of life. It’s about getting ready, consciously and deliberately, for a new resurrection.
For decades, when I’ve tried to define my calling into ministry, I have turned to John 10:10: “I came so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest.” And so I have expressed my life’s work as ‘seeking to be, and to help others to be, fully alive.’ This is, I believe, at the heart of the work we do in the Lenten season.
What does Lent mean to you? How has it helped you to experience a richer and more vibrant life? What do you find helpful about this season and what do you struggle with? And what would it mean for you to make this year’s Lenten journey one in which you recapture your essential, vibrant, creative and compassionate humanity? There’s still time to prepare yourself for a restorative and life-enriching Lent. Don’t miss this opportunity!
More writing and resources from John can be found on his website, Sacredise. He has also launched a liturgical guide for Lent called “Staying Human in Hard Times” which can be found here.
Preparing for the Garden Walk of Holy Week
In the last few days of his life, Jesus moved from garden to garden from suffering to resurrection.
Join Christine Sine for a Lent retreat that reflects on this journey and prepares for the challenging week that follows Palm Sunday.
Welcome to Lent. Tomorrow we celebrate the beginning of this important season of reflection, fasting and repentance with the observance of Ash Wednesday. During Ash Wednesday a cross made from ashes produced by burning Palm Sunday crosses from the year before is rubbed on our foreheads. However, I thought you might also be interested in the days that precede Lent: Clean Monday and Shrove Tuesday. If you are unfamiliar with these days check out my Meditation Monday – Ash Wednesday, Shrove Tuesday, Clean Monday What Should we Celebrate? and Diane Woodrow’s post World Social Justice Day, Love Your Pet Day, Clean Monday which as she points out all happened on the same day this year.
Last year, Lilly Lewin and I facilitated a wonderful virtual Lenten retreat Finding Beauty in the Ashes of Lent during which we created artwork out of ashes produced by burning masks. It was therapeutic and renewing. This theme seems even more important this year as we confront the ongoing war in Ukraine, the horrors of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria and the growing impact of climate change around the world. I really do encourage you to take advantage of its availability now as an online course. Alternatively, check out the new YouTube video Ashes Into Beauty I created last week explaining this practice. We all need the renewal that creating beauty out of ashes can give us, and the journey through Lent is one way to find that. I hope you will join us in the journey.
I also planned to create a new “Breaking Down Walls contemplative garden” for my desk over the weekend, but because of the pressure of getting ready for my trip to Australia on Wednesday as well as celebrating my husband’s birthday, I never got around to it. However two articles I read this week made me realize just how important and timely this theme is. In the Guardian’s article: Tear Down these Walls or Get Used to A World of Fear, Separation and Division I read that “the EU/Schengen area is now surrounded or crisscrossed by 19 border or separation fences totalling 2,048km in length, up from 315km in 2014. Similar trends are discernible worldwide.” Walls that split nations in half, or that surround nations to keep out refugees and displaced people are more common than ever. This morning I looked back at my 2019 reflections relating to my Breaking Down Walls garden I created for Lent that year. Then in YES magazine an interesting article about the possibility of tearing down highways made me aware that what divides our communities and our countries may not be a physical wall. Highways often create divisions that displace families and businesses and leave residents whose homes are spared with an increased exposure to pollutants, higher asthma rates, and other health problems, such as cardiovascular disease.
I also spent a lot of time reflecting on the post Noticing Our Blindness and Seeing Differently. Breaking down walls whether physical, emotional or spiritual changes our perspectives in so many ways. It is very liberating.
I am already very excited about my Lenten retreat Preparing for the Garden Walk of Holy Week on March 25th too. This retreat is not just for gardeners, it is for everyone who is concerned about our impact on our garden home called earth. Recognizing the strong connections between the life of Christ and the beautiful creation God gifted us with has become an essential part of my walk during Lent and Easter. When Mary Magdalene encounters the resurrected Jesus as depicted in John 20:15, she came to the garden tomb looking for Christ’s body. Instead she finds a very much alive Jesus and she thought he was the gardener. This phrase is not a throwaway line. It is of cosmic significance! Jesus is indeed the gardener of the new creation and his journey from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday is an inspiring revelation of who he is in relation to creation. When we disconnect his story from its ecological roots, we suffer a dislocation that cuts us adrift. It is time to restore the missing connections. I hope you will join us for this time of scripture reading, quiet reflection and creative fun.
Last but not least, I want to highlight a few Godspacelight resources that are perfect for this season. Ana Lisa De Jong’s recently updated collection of beautiful poems Ashes: Poems for Loss are not specifically for Lent but are very appropriate for the season. Ana Lisa provided them free for our enjoyment. Jeanie Kendall’s collection of poetry Gospel Eyes is also available as a free download. There are lots of great poems to check out on the blog for this season too. Thomas Merton’s most famous prayer My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going is a perfect read for this time.
Many blessings on you as you enter this season of Lent,
Christine Sine
Preparing for the Garden Walk of Holy Week
In the last few days of his life, Jesus moved from garden to garden from suffering to resurrection.
Join Christine Sine for a Lent retreat that reflects on this journey and prepares for the challenging week that follows Palm Sunday.
Click here to register! We are once again offering several price points to aid those who are students or in economic hardship
Oh, the utter joy they bring us. Regardless of what kind of pet one has, many of us cannot imagine life without a member of the family with fur and four legs or even with scales and fins.
For all my 73 years there has seldom been a time I have been without such a pet. I remember our cat Smokey. I purchased my first coffee maker with a timer that would have my coffee waiting for me as I awakened each day. My idea was that I could set it so the coffee would be down and warming, about a half hour before the alarm went off. Smokey had other ideas.
At the first drip, he would come to the head of the bed, my head to be exact, and start gnawing at my scalp to wake me up. Of course, he won the race for that first cup, and I would sip the dark brew, watching the sun rise, stroking his beautiful silver-grey coat. Those were some of the most peaceful mornings as God spoke through the sunrise and Smokey comforted me through the most challenging of times.
I never thought I could love a rodent. Then came Slinky, my sons’ gold and black brindle Guinea Pig. Once the boys had gone to bed, it was Mom’s time with the family pet. I would bring Slinky out of his cage away from his beloved gerbil’s wheel, and he would climb on my shoulder burrowing under my long hair and sleep next to my neck as I read. Again the peace that is delivered by God through even the tiniest of his creatures was present.
Well…there was the time that the poor lady canvassing for Heart and Stroke very nearly had one as I answered the door forgetting Slinky was on my shoulder. He poked his little head out to see who was there and the dear woman was startled to say the least. Some of the memorable times our pets give us can be questionable, but it seems, at least in my case, those are caused more by my poor judgement than what the pet does naturally.
Undeniably, my favorite pets have always had a panting tongue and a wagging tail. Yup. I’m a dog person.
First were Tippy Tail Turner I and Tippy Tail Turner II. They were Beagles, thus the names. We ran the country roads playing together and hid when things were rough at home. Then came Sandy, a golden Heinz 57 variety mutt. Her owner had passed away and she had been bequeathed to live with my sister’s landlady. My sister was away at Teacher’s College at the time. The landlady’s dislike for her inheritance was obvious through her mean treatment of the dog, and Liz came back one weekend begging our parents to bring the dog home.
They agreed and we all thought the landlady would be thrilled. However… she wanted to ask the original owner first…and she was dead. My sister was asked to sit in on the séance with her friends, where the permission of the previous owner was apparently to be secured. Liz did so for the love of Sandy. A Sunday School teacher, my sister said she sat at the table, eyes closed, head lowered, praying every minute that God would forgive her and let Sandy come home. God won.
Sandy was such a comfort to me in my early teenage years. When life got tough, we would walk over to the local ice cream stand. She ate her ice cream and delicately nibbled at the cone and listening attentively, cocking her little head, as I recited all my teenage angst. I never doubted that God had spared Sandy through all her trials, so she could help me through mine.
As a Mom, I made sure my sons got to experience the same. Shepherds and mutts, we loved them all. Each had their own personality and served us well.
Wendy Francisco freely shares the perfect song to describe our experience.
I look up and I see God, I look down and see my dog.
Simple spelling G O D, same word backwards, D O G.
They would stay with me all day. I’m the one who walks away.
But both of them just wait for me, and dance at my return with glee.
Both love me no matter what – divine God and canine mutt.
I take it hard each time I fail, but God forgives, dog wags his tail.
God thought up and made the dog, dog reflects a part of God.
I’ve seen love from both sides now, it’s everywhere, amen, bow wow.
I look up and I see God, I look down and see my dog.
And in my human frailty…I can’t match their love for me. C2009 Wendy J Francisco
Today, my husband and I have the companionship of what could be our very last canine companion. Mr. Muggles is our third Bichon Frise and he carries on the tradition of representing God’s daily comfort to us proudly.
For all of us who share a love for our pets, we honor them and their unconditional love for us today. We thank God for the tender mercies he shows by giving us such a tangible way to understand that he too is always loyal, always forgives our oh so human errors, and always is glad to welcome us home.
I invite you to enjoy Francisco’s wonderful little video.
Whether you are praying the stations of the day, in need of resources for rest, hoping to spark joy and find wonder, or simply want to enjoy beautiful prayers, poetry, and art – our digital downloads section has many options! Christine Sine’s book Rest in the Moment is designed to help you find those pauses throughout the day. Praying through the hours or watches, you may find inspiration in our prayer cards set Prayers for the Day or Pause for the Day. You may find your curiosity piqued in the free poetry and art download Haiku Book of Hours. All this and more can be found in our shop!
by Christine Sine
Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent for Western churches, and though most of us have heard of Ash Wednesday and are getting ready to celebrate it with the imposition of ashes on our foreheads, many of us are a little confused about the days that precede it. However I thought that this was a good time to think about adding Clean Monday to our liturgical calendar even though it is not a celebration most Western Christians are aware of.
For Eastern Orthodox Christians, Clean Monday, the Monday before Ash Wednesday, is the first day of Great Lent. In Greece it is a public holiday. Because Orthodox celebrations still follow the Julian calendar rather than the Georgian calendar we are familiar with, this year Clean Monday is on February 27th as Eastern Orthodox Ash Wednesday is March 1st. Clean Monday is a reminder that we should begin Lent with good intentions and a desire to clean our spiritual house. It refers to the leaving behind of sinful attitudes and non-fasting foods, a day of strict fasting for Eastern Catholics and orthodox, including abstinence not only from meat but from eggs and dairy products as well.
Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent in the Western Church. “Shrove” is the past tense of the word “shrive,” which means to hear a confession, assign penance, and absolve from sin. Shrove Tuesday is a reminder that we are entering a season of penance.
Shrove Tuesday is also known as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras (which is simply French for Fat Tuesday). In Italy, Fat Tuesday is known as carnevale – goodbye to meat – from which we get our English word carnival. Traditionally people held one last rich feast, using up perishables like eggs, butter and milk before the fast of Lent began. Now in some places, like New Orleans, this has become a huge celebration that really has nothing to do with the beginning of Lent. Our church, St Andrews Episcopal in Seattle always holds a wonderful Mardi Gras celebration that is also a fundraiser for the youth team’s summer outreach. It is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate together and enjoy New Orleans Jambalaya.
For many however this is still a significant liturgical celebration. Churches often hold pancake suppers, sometimes as a way to reach out to their neigbours. You can find a great collection of recipes and traditions from around the world for Shrove Tuesday in Fat Tuesday Recipes. If your church does not celebrate Shrove Tuesday you might like to consider this wonderfully creative Shrove Tuesday celebration by Lilly Lewin.
The following prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian is a common prayer used during this season.
O Lord and Master of my life, keep from me the spirit of indifference and discouragement, lust of power and idle chatter. [kneel/prostration]
Instead, grant to me, Your servant, the spirit of wholeness of being, humble-mindedness, patience, and love. [kneel/prostration]
O Lord and King, grant me the grace to be aware of my sins and not to judge my brother; for You are blessed now and ever and forever. Amen. [kneel/prostration]
This year World Social Justice Day, National Love Your Pet Day and the Lenten tradition of Clean Monday all happen on the same day. So you can scrub your house clean in preparation for Lent, like spring cleaning but being able to give it a spiritual twist and not feel so fed up about doing it, as you love your pet and ponder social justice. Interesting too that World Social Justice day comes in Black History month. Is it possible to look at Black history without thinking about social justice? Interesting too that Christine suggested “Breaking Down Walls” as the theme for Lent. Perhaps it needs to start beforehand? In fact that isn’t a real question. Of course it should start beforehand. We shouldn’t wait until there is a designated day or month to think about social justice, Black history or even loving our pets.
With Love Your Pet and World Social Justice on the same day I wondered which one more people would focus on. I am suspecting it would be to love your pet. Why? Because that is easy. Our pets give us something back. They love on us too. But social justice? Well that’s a hard one. For a start, what does it mean? And will it give us anything in return? I think too often as human beings in our modern world we expect something in return. I remember when people would come round with a bucket collecting for some charity, but now when you do something for charity – whether a marathon at home, some many push ups, going up in a hot air balloon, walking the Great Wall of China, or whatever – you will get a reward for your efforts to raise that money. You will get something back.
I think of Tyre Nichols and other deaths that happen in the so-called civilized world. I wonder if those policemen love their pets. A bit of me thinks they probably do. Are they bad men? Well they did a bad thing, but if we are going to think about World Social Justice should we be looking at people like them too? Or is it easier to say they are evil and don’t deserve any justice? What would Jesus do?
I’m sure on this day if Jesus was walking in our world he would not have trouble choosing. But then I don’t think Jesus would need a specific day to think about Social Justice, loving a pet or even having stuff in his house that needed cleaning out.
Is the “Clean house” at the start of Lent more of a metaphor for something spiritual as well being a physical thing? I wonder if it is about cleaning out ourselves so that during the season of Lent we aren’t just going through the motions of reading devotions dedicated to the season, going to services, and fasting, but our “houses/hearts” are already cleaned so we can understand what Lent is all about and get close to God, and so when the Crucifixion and Resurrection come our hearts are in a place to fully receive all that is offered in both those amazing events.
If we took seriously the “clean house/heart” and stepped into this Lent season and the fullness of what Jesus has done for us then we would not need a specific day to think about World Social Justice because it would be at the forefront of not just our minds but our actions every single day.
And I do think maybe having a National Love Your Pet day is really unnecessary because most of us with pets love them each and every single day much more than we care about many other things.
Perhaps someone should do a “Love people not of your social group more than you love your pets” day?
So today as we have all these things to think about, where will your focus be? Social Justice and how you can be more involved with that? Spring cleaning your house? Spring cleaning your heart? Or loving on your dog, cat, bird, rabbit, etc? Will you pick the easy one or the hard one? Or is it possible to do them all?
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