by Jeannie Kendall – originally posted here on January 17, 2017.
The wise men have always intrigued me. Of course the tradition is there – a named three kings bearing no resemblance to the quiet restraint of the Biblical account. There is an air of eastern mysticism that captivates us our imagination and the shiny colours of the children’s nativity costumes charm us.
I wonder if the reality, perhaps, was more prosaic. These were serious scholars, spending hours in quiet solitude, with a deep-rooted belief that the universe is profoundly connected with the fate of humanity and therefore events with a transforming effect on human history must be echoed in the cosmos, and specifically in the stars. Perhaps since Daniel had been given authority over the Persian scholars (Daniel 2), there had been a folklore passed down through their culture of the hope of a Jewish Messiah who would change history.
However erudite however, these were flesh and blood people: individuals with personal histories, families, thoughts and feelings. The journey was a risky one, wild animals and marauders a continual possibility. What if the culmination of their lives’ work turned out to be a fool’s errand? Where would that leave them: their life purpose running out like sand through their fingers? Were there moments of heart-jerking doubt in the middle of the night? Any moments of regret at missing a milestone in their children’s development?
As they knelt (extraordinary in itself that they would prostrate themselves before a child) what mix of feelings must have whirled around their battered and tired psyches? Perhaps amid the joy and relief there was a moment of “What now?” Where do we go when all we have looked towards has been fulfilled? I have so many questions…
Yet, yes, in the end these are the stories of people who, like us, make a journey into an unknown future. Here are my reflections on two of them:
The Magi
I still remember the day I first saw it.
Like nothing we had ever witnessed
For all our hours of study.
It was as if heaven had breached earth:
A dazzling display
Signalling something, surely, to change history.
We could not miss it.
Our wives: well, that was a different story.
Varying from incredulity at our fool’s errand
To outright anger at our desertion,
Hard as it was to explain
The yearning in our souls
That would not be assuaged
By continuing in our ease and security.
The journey was fraught:
One of our party nearly succumbing
To some mysterious ailment:
Reviving only with his desperation
To finish our quest.
Then the curious interlude:
Arriving at the palace
Thinking at last our mission complete:
Hoping our goal was in reach.
Eliciting information we needed,
Yet somehow a stench
More pungent than the camels,
Filling not our noses
But our souls.
The last miles
Seemed never-ending;
And, creeping like a fog
Not seen until obscuring vision,
My doubt sneaked in.
But then I saw Him,
And, in simple wonder,
I knelt
And felt the breath of heaven
On my cheek.
Wife of one of the Magi
I have no appetite
For politics or religion.
The first the refuge
Of the power hungry
The second for the desperate.
I married him
Because I loved him
The rest just came with it
Like an unwelcome guest
Who would not leave
And must be tolerated.
He never talked
About his work
Which suited me fine
I knew my place
The kitchen and bedroom
My domain
But not the altar.
And then he left
On some foolish quest
And my simmering resentment
Burst into energising flame
Planning with every day
Of absence
All that I would say
On his return.
A thousand conversations
In my head
In the waking hours
Of the night.
And then he came home.
And all of them
Were silenced.
Want to experience more of the awe and wonder that God offers us? Check out the Gift of Wonder Online Retreat by Christine Sine. This retreat allows for 180 days of access for only $39.99 so you can move through the sessions at your own pace.
At our Following the Star Retreat this past Saturday, I led a Prayer Mediation helping us to look back at our past year in order to help us move forward into the new year.
You will need these props to pray with and you can also journal from the questions….
- Something that is smooth
- A couple of rocks or a stones
- Something from your trash bin or recycling bin…an empty cup, can, carton etc
- Something that represents celebration to you… a bow, glitter, sparkler, party hat
THE EPIPHANY PATH.
FOLLOWING THE STAR….Looking back before you walk forward.
Consider your Journey in the Past year…
Consider the path you’ve been walking.
smooth places
What were the smooth spots ?(hold your smooth item as you pray and consider the peaceful places in your past year)
Take time to thank God for these spaces of grace and peace on your journey.
Rocky places
What were the Rocky Spots? (hold the stones/rocks in your hand as you pray and consider the rocky places)
Talk to God about them. Did you feel God’s presence or did God feel absent? Tell God your heart.
Trash on your path
What were the times when you felt like you were traveling through trash/garbage? There is always trash on our paths. (hold your item of garbage/trash as you pray)
Who Were the people who threw trash on your path? And it got in your way?
Take time to talk to God about this.
Allow God to help you forgive them.
Whose path did you throw trash on this year?
Allow God to forgive you for this.
What about yourself? How did you get in your own way and throw garbage on your own path with your words or deeds?
Ask God to help you forgive yourself.
Gifts and Celebrations of last year
Now hold your symbol of celebration in your hand. What were the gifts of this past year?
What were the celebrations that you can be thankful for?
The People, the Places, the Opportunities…..
Take some time and remember.
Take time to feel the joy and the pleasure of those gifts.
Take time to be grateful.
What about the New Year?
What about the year ahead? How does your path look?
What things do you need for your Journey in 2023? Take time to consider this.
What path are you walking today?
Where are you with your walk with Jesus?
Are you following His Star…willing to go where He goes?
Are you stuck in the Palace afraid to leave it?
Are you stuck in old habits afraid you’ll never get out?
Are you willing to leave your comfort zone as the Magi did and go on an Adventure?
Are you walking with Jesus by your side?
Have you even invited Jesus along …is He chasing you? Are you chasing Him? Have you left Him far behind.
Talk to Jesus about where you are today and where you want to go this year.
HOMEWORK: You can also take this prayer meditation outside and actually take a walk and consider your path from last year and the path of the year ahead. Use the trash you see, or the rocks, and the things of beauty to help you pray.
by Christine Sine
In my Tuesday newsletter I commented that this last week was really crowded with events and celebrations. One that I did not want to leave unnoticed, is the celebration of George Washington Carver. He is one of the few African Americans to have a day dedicated to his memory and he is a man we all need to celebrate. What he accomplished is awe inspiring.
George Washington Carver was born into slavery in 1864. His enslaver, Moses Carver, was a German American immigrant, who was obviously very dedicated to his slaves. When George was a week old, he, his sister, and his mother were kidnapped by night raiders from Arkansas and sold in Kentucky. Moses Carver hired John Bentley to find them, but he found only the infant George. After slavery was abolished, Moses Carver and his wife, Susan, raised George and his older brother, James, as their own children. They encouraged George to continue his intellectual pursuits, and “Aunt Susan” taught him the basics of reading and writing
George did continue his intellectual pursuits and became a prominent American agricultural scientist and prolific inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent black scientists of the early 20th century and a man ahead of his time in many ways.
While a professor at Tuskegee Institute, Carver developed techniques to improve types of soils depleted by repeated plantings of cotton. He wanted poor farmers to grow other crops, such as peanuts and sweet potatoes, to provide their own food and improve their quality of life. The most popular of his 44 practical bulletins for farmers contained 105 food recipes using peanuts. Although he spent years developing and promoting numerous products made from peanuts, none became commercially successful. Contrary to popular belief he did not however invent peanut butter.
Apart from his work to improve the lives of farmers, Carver was also a leader in promoting environmentalism. He received numerous honors for his work, including the Spingarn Medal of the NAACP. In an era of high racial polarization, his fame reached beyond the black community. He was widely recognized and praised in the white community for his many achievements and talents. In 1941, Time magazine dubbed Carver a “Black Leonardo”.
Want to experience more of the awe and wonder that God offers us? Check out the Gift of Wonder Online Retreat by Christine Sine. This retreat allows for 180 days of access for only $39.99 so you can move through the sessions at your own pace.
As the year comes to a close and 2023 begins, we’d like to celebrate our brilliant and wonderful writers and their accomplishments during the past year! Thank you to all the people who contributed their thoughts and writings to the blog this past year, as well as the larger Godspace community who read and interacted with the blog.
What Happened on Godspacelight?
This has been a very good year for us. The daily posts on Godspace, contributed by 15 writers in 6 different countries, drew an average of over 1,000 visitors a day to the site, with the season from Advent to Easter averaging more than 1,500 visits per day. The fortnightly Facebook live sessions with Christine and Lilly Lewin were also very successful. Not only did we have a chance to discuss topics close to our own hearts like hospitality, Celtic Christianity and pilgrimage, but we also interviewed several fascinating practitioners – Tom Sine, Mark and Lisa Scandrette and Randy and Edith Woodley. Christine enjoyed these so much that she plans to start a podcast in the next few months. Prayers appreciated as she works out the best way to do this.
One of the fun projects for the year was the publication of our Godspacelight Community Cookbook. I loved the way that this brought out new contributors from the broader Godspacelight community. We also published Christine Sine’s new book Digging Deeper: The Art of Contemplative Gardening . We also expanded our Godspacelight Resource centre with easy links to both Godspace posts and resources on other sites. I know I find this valuable when I am looking for a post on a specific topic and think many of you do too. The hardest part of 2022 was the recurrent crashing of the website during Advent. Fortunately fixing this problem will not be as difficult or as expensive as we expected. We appreciate your prayers as we work to update and make Godspacelight an even better place for you to visit.
The Spirituality of Gardening Online Course is available for 180 days of access for only $39.99. This interactive course includes video sessions with Christine Sine as well as 8 other guest gardeners! Visit our store page for more information.
by Andy Wade – originally posted here on February 9, 2017
“My granddaddy always said, if you got a problem you can’t solve, it helps to get it out of your head. Pie, it’s good.” These words from Men in Black III caught me off guard. But when I stepped back I realized it’s really a great lesson for us Jesus Followers. Watch the clip then check out my comments below.
Don’t you just love J’s response, “…you know, we’ve been doing smart stuff. We’ve been following clues, doing real police work… it might be time we do something stupid, somethin’ that ain’t got nothin’ to do with nothin’. You know what K, now I want some pie!”
So often our spiritual growth and creativity is stymied precisely because we’ve spent too much time focusing on “the problem”. We need to set it aside and get away. We need to eat some pie!
As K and J are at the diner eating pie, J is agitated. “World class serial killer out there, and we’re having pie!”
“I sense you’re not embracing the concept here” K responds. “Pie don’t work unless you let it.”
It’s a funny line, but how often have I gone on “retreat” only to take all my problems with me and stew over them the whole time I’m away. It’s like I’ve never heard Jesus’ words:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Mt. 11:28-30
Just like pie, retreats, whether extended and away from home, or mini-retreats right where you are, don’t work unless you let them. Too often I’m like the young ox yoked to the mature lead ox. Instead of letting the mature ox carry the weight and let me follow him through the fields, I plunge ahead attempting to lead the way and, as a result, end up pulling his weight and mine until I crash into a heap of exhaustion. Can you relate to that?
I know my tendency is to go, go, go. It’s difficult for me to stop. In fact, it feels “stupid” to stop and do nothing – eat some pie, rest. How will I get everything done if I don’t keep going? Consistent with God’s upside-down Kingdom, forward progress, whether spiritual or on a particular project, requires us to rest.
I rarely solve problems by banging my head against them without a break. In fact, most often breakthrough comes as I let it all go and I’m drifting off to sleep, soaking up the warmth of a morning shower, or outside plunging my hands into garden soil. Like stopping to eat some pie, disengaging from the issue often frees my mind to rest, allowing new insights and creativity to emerge.
There’s a reason God didn’t suggest, but rather commanded, we take a day of rest each week. Our souls need it. Our bodies need it. And if we’re honest, we realize our communities, our churches, our involvements all need us to rest.
During this season of Epiphany, I find the simple reminder to rest a powerful invitation from God. Soon we’ll be transitioning from Epiphany to Lent, a season more noted for times of rest and reflection. Why not begin now? Why not enter into God’s rest today, allowing Jesus to carry the burden of the yoke across our backs? Simply recognizing our need and God’s invitation may be the greatest epiphany of the season.
Will you join me?
The Spirituality of Gardening Online Course is available for 180 days of access for only $39.99. This interactive course includes video sessions with Christine Sine as well as 8 other guest gardeners! Visit our store page for more information.
by Christine Sine
On the first Sunday after epiphany, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Baptism of Our Lord. The Church recalls Our Lord’s second manifestation or epiphany which occurred on the occasion of His baptism in the Jordan. Jesus descended into the River to sanctify its waters and to give them the power to beget sons of God. The event takes on the importance of a second creation in which the entire Trinity intervenes.
In the Eastern Church this feast is called Theophany because at the baptism of Christ in the River Jordan God appeared in three persons. It is celebrated as an integral part of the Feast of Epiphany. The baptism of John was a sort of sacramental preparatory for the Baptism of Christ. It moved men to sentiments of repentance and induced them to confess their sins. Christ did not need the baptism of John. Although He appeared in the “substance of our flesh” and was recognized “outwardly like unto ourselves”, He was absolutely sinless and impeccable. He conferred upon the water the power of the true Baptism which would remove all the sins of the world: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him Who takes away the sin of the world”.
Baptism of Christ – Francesco Alban
Many of the incidents which accompanied Christ’s baptism are symbolical of what happened at our Baptism. At Christ’s baptism the Holy Spirit descended upon Him; at our Baptism the Trinity took its abode in our soul. At His baptism Christ was proclaimed the “Beloved Son” of the Father; at our Baptism we become the adopted sons of God. At Christ’s baptism the heavens were opened; at our Baptism heaven was opened to us. At His baptism Jesus prayed; after our Baptism we must pray to avoid actual sin.
A prayer of proclamation!
John is baptising when Jesus draws near. Perhaps he comes to sanctify his baptiser; certainly he comes to bury sinful humanity in the waters. He comes to sanctify the Jordan for our sake and in readiness for us; he who is spirit and flesh comes to begin a new creation through the Spirit and water.
The Baptist protests; Jesus insists.
He is the lamp in the presence of the sun.
The voice in the presence of the Word
The friend in the presence of the Bridegroom
The greatest of all born of woman in the presence of the firstborn of all creation.
The one who leapt in his mother’s womb in the presence of him who was adored in the womb
The forerunner and future forerunner in the presence of him who has already come and is to come again.
John is baptising when Jesus draws near. Perhaps he comes to sanctify his baptiser; certainly he comes to bury sinful humanity in the waters. He comes to sanctify the Jordan for our sake and in readiness for us; he who is spirit and flesh comes to begin a new creation through the Spirit and water. (From Micha Jazz)
A Ukranian Theophany hymn.
To Jordan’s water, to Jordan’s water Christ comes to be baptized. John the Forerunner, John the Forerunner, Now humbly steps aside. Christ Our Lord is baptized. Salvation is now realized. Skies of heaven open, God the Father spoken, O’er the Jordan a Dove, Holy Spirit of Love – Revelation from above.
Three Persons in God, Three Persons in God, Are now revealed to us. Father and Son, Father and Son, Holy Spirit – One God. Christ Our Lord is baptized. Salvation is now realized. Skies of heaven open, God the Father spoken, O’er the Jordan a Dove, Holy Spirit of Love – Revelation from above.
Saint John the Baptist, Saint John the Baptist, Foretells release today. The Lamb of God, the Lamb of God, Will wash our sins away. Christ Our Lord is baptized. Salvation is now realized. Skies of heaven open, God the Father spoken, O’er the Jordan a Dove, Holy Spirit of Love – Revelation from above.
by Christine Sine
In a couple of weeks I will celebrate my 72nd birthday. It is almost 60 years since I became a follower of Christ, and as I told a couple of young friends recently my faith is much stronger, more compelling and more nourishing than it has ever been. They asked me why and it has taken several days of reflecting to be able to provide a satisfactory answer. Here are the factors I believe contribute to my strong faith. This seemed such an important topic as we enter the season of Epiphany that I thought I would share my response with you.
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- I never stop learning. One of the most vital aspects of my faith is my desire to keep learning from friends, colleagues and spiritual mentors. Honesty with those around me about my spiritual struggles, my highs and lows, then listening to their advice is a great way to continue growing in my faith. I also learn a lot from reading. The two most stimulating books I read last year were This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley and Sacred Earth Sacred Soul by John Phillip Newel. Both of these books stretched my understanding of God, of who God intends me to be and of how I should act in this world.
- I know God is a mystery I will never fully understand. Like many of us I began my Christian life thinking I understood everything about God, but the longer I am a Christian the more aware I am that I will only ever be able to understand a very small part of who God is and what God is doing in our world. My life must always be open to mystery. I live in the tension of knowing questions are more important than answers. It is both liberating and restful.
- My faith is an embodied faith. I ground myself in creative practices and acts of compassion and generosity that change with the seasons and the times. To be honest, as a young Christian I quickly became bored with the ways I was taught to pray and read scripture. It was very disconnected to my daily life. It was only when I worked in the refugee camps in Thailand in the mid 80s and was confronted with the horrors of war, violence and hunger that I really started to grow. My faith moved from my head to my heart and my soul as I reached out to the needy people around me and began to realize that faith is as much about who I am and how I act as it is about what I believe.
- My faith is not just rooted in scripture, it is also rooted in the earth. When I connected my faith to my gardening and recognized how God was revealed through my sowing, planting, growing and harvesting was another milestone in my faith development. In my book To Garden with God I share some of the lessons that transformed my thinking and lodged deep in my soul. Then I started creating contemplative gardens, another step into garden spirituality and further transformed and nourished me. I shared some of this in Digging Deeper The Art of Contemplative Gardening but continue to learn and to grow in this area.
- My spiritual practices are creative and change with the seasons. It was asking the question at the heart of my book The Gift of Wonder “What are the childlike characteristics that make us fit for the kingdom?” that moved me energetically into creative spiritual practices that made me feel I had entered a new world of awe and wonder. To live in awe and wonder and the creativity it inspires within us is, I am increasingly convinced is to live close to the heart of God.
So now that we are in the season of Epiphany, what are the practices that vitalize my faith?
First, on Thursday, the Eve of Epiphany, I Chalked the Door in a fun process that will continue to bless me and hopefully others as we walk through the door that was blessed by this process.
Second, I walked around the house, blessing each room I walked through. There is something very special about living in a house which one feels is blessed by the presence of God.
Third, partly inspired by Saturday’s retreat “Following the Star Into the New Year” I created a new contemplative garden over the weekend. A wonderful stimulus to further reflection and prayer.
I have also instituted a couple of new practices for the season. In the mornings I use the Pray as You Go App which provides a beautiful 10-15 minute prayer and scripture meditation. Very enriching! I also use the weekly prayers from The World in Prayer which helps me focus beyond myself to the larger world and its needs.
What are the practices that enrich you during this season?
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