Melissa has asked if I would do my third World Toilet Day post in a row. How could I refuse!
Did You Know?
More people in the world have a mobile phone than a toilet. Of the world’s seven billion people, six billion have mobile phones. However, only 4.5 billion have access to toilets or latrines – meaning that 2.5 billion people, mostly in rural areas, do not have proper sanitation.
I want to start with this quote. I do like a good statistic. But the more I look at this I see that there are 1 billion people who do not own mobile phones but 2.5 billion people who do not have proper sanitation. From my reading of this there are people who own mobile phones who do not have proper sanitation. How can one see owning a mobile phone as more important than being able to go to the toilet in peace, safety and hygienically?
Is it lack of knowledge? Is it lack of understanding? Is it lack of awareness of the importance of good hygiene? This really has left me pondering.
All of you who have read my previous posts on World Toilet Day will know how passionate I am about toilets. I am having a bit of a worry at the moment because I am going to stay with a friend who has just moved house and I am wondering about how many toilets she has in her house now, especially as she has told me her daughter and her family, which includes a husband and two kids, might be staying the same time as me.
I decided to google the history of toilets and it turns out they have been around since Neolithic times with an understanding of the need for bodily waste to be somewhere away from where people are living. So why do 2.5 billion people not have access to proper sanitation?
Another quote:
accepted patterns dissolve and uncertainty grows, we become more vulnerable to feelings of insecurity, anxiety and fear
Michael Meade, Mosaic Voices podcast page – healing and making whole https://www.mosaicvoices.org/episode-299-healing-and-making-whole
I think this quote might be of help. As Wikipedia says, the developing world is struggling to get good sanitation. I wonder if the above quote is a clue. All of us across the world are facing a time of “accepted patterns dissolving and changing” which we are all struggling with in the West but imagine if you are in a developing country, a war-torn country, in a refugee camp where you have no stability. War is raging. There is famine. You are displaced from what you know and love. The whole population is dealing with “feelings of insecurity, anxiety and fear”. What is going to be most important – communication or sanitation?
I know if I was fearful for my family, my children, my friends, I would want to be able to contact them so would put my money into making sure I had a good phone that could be charged up quickly and easily. If I could get money through to feed myself and my family via my phone I could see that as the most important thing. When I needed to go to the toilet then I would wish there was somewhere safe to go but for the majority of the time it may not occur to me. And for the men who are very much leading in these countries it is only when they need to defecate that they would probably think about it at all.
Also what is more glamorous if you are a young man wanting to look good in your developing country – making sure there are toilets or carrying a gun and a phone?
So as I ponder this I do not blame the people who have the phone but no toilet. I think of the unstable world we all live in and pray “Your Kingdom come, Lord” as well as “please help us all to forgive ourselves and each other”.
And then I will donate some more money to https://www.toilettwinning.org/ or https://www.wateraid.org/stories/toilets-save-lives or https://www.christianaid.org.uk/ or other charities like this.
Photo by Gabor Monori on Unsplash
Did you know? Godspace has many resources available for the season of Autumn and the season of Thanksgiving! From harvest helps and reflections, holiday guides, an online retreat, litanies/liturgies, prayers, and more – check it out on our Seasons & Blessings page!
Many of you know that the house church we host in Nashville is called thinplace. We have led a thinplace gathering in three different states and in many different forms including a zoom church group on Tuesday nights that started during covid and is still going strong.
The history of thinplace begins back in 2001. My husband Rob and I went on our first trip to the UK that summer. We were going on a three week adventure to experience some of the alt worshipping communities (creative worship communities) we’d heard about and to study at Wycliff Hall at Oxford. It was an amazing trip and truly the first pilgrimage we ever took, even before we really understood what going on pilgrimage and being a pilgrim was all about!
During our time at Wycliff Hall we encountered the word “ thinplace” for the very first time! It just happened to be that while I was in a workshop doing contemplative painting, Rob was in a class led by Esther De Waal. Who is one of the godmothers of Celtic Christianity.
So what’s a thinplace?
Thinplace: the Celtic Christian term for the places that are thin, the places where heaven and earth touch, places where you can and do experience The Holy…experience God’s presence.
The Celtic Christians believed that there were physical places where the Spirit could be felt, where God’s presence was tangible, where the veil between heaven and earth is THIN.
The Celtic saints built their monasteries at these places.
Places like Iona in Scotland, the Holy Island of Lindesfarne in England, and much of Ireland would be considered thinplaces.
For you, a Thinplace might be by the water or in the woods, hiking or taking a walk in nature, at the ocean, at a river or waterfall, in the mountains, or other places of beauty where it’s easy to feel the presence of the Spirit… like watching a sunset or the stars at night.
Finding Your Thinplace….
We all have places where we experienced the presence of God…experienced being close to The Holy, but how do we experience more of this in our everyday lives? Rob and I came home from that first trip to England asking just this question. What would that look like?
One of the things we did first was think about how our home might become a thinplace for our family and for other people. We began to pray that God’s peace would fill our home and that guests would feel this. We took the TV out of our family room/livingroom/lounge so it wouldn’t be the first thing that got turned on when we came home from work. We started choosing art that spoke to us, rather than things we’d inherited from our families. We wanted the environment in our home to fell peaceful and have beauty. Just so you know we had two young sons, a dog and a small house and a clergy budget, so this wasn’t extravagant change all at once, but rather a process and a process of thinking differently about our lives. More Silence, more Rest, more Intention.
Iona
Finding Your Thinplace Retreats and Pilgrimages
In spring 2022, I made a pilgrimage to Iona in Scotland for an artist retreat. I just knew I needed to go. I knew I needed to be on Iona, one of my favorite places on the planet. AND I knew I needed to do art, to create art in this amazing place! The two years of covid and lock down had taken it’s toll on this extrovert with anxiety and depression issues and I needed to be on pilgrimage in the worst way!
My cup was empty. I needed to find ways to refill it so I could keep pouring it out!
I traveled to Iona with my husband Rob and my sister Lucy. For some reason, Rob traveled with one of the oldest suitcases we own, the one we took on our very first pilgrimage in 2003! In it, he found one of my business cards from the early 2000s and our days in Cincinnati. It was interesting that it didn’t say “freerangeworship” on the card, instead it said
“Thinplace. A Pilgrimage of Discovery and Creativity.” on the front…
The concept of finding your thinplace and experiencing thinplace has been a part of me for almost 20 years!
Later that week, sitting in the abbey, writing in my journal and praying, God reminded me that thinplace came way before freerangeworship and my current business focus.
The Spirit reminded me that I’d longed to take people on pilgrimage and help them experience the beauty and wonder of God outside their normal everyday life.
Jesus reminded me that I’ve wanted to take people on pilgrimage since our family took our first pilgrimage to Lindesfarne in 2003
Going on Pilgrmage
So I decided to JUMP.
For over twenty years, I’ve helped people engage and experience God using all their senses. I have helped people get outside their box and go outside literally in order to see the wonder of God in all creation, in art, in places and people.
I’ve spent twenty years designing and creating sacred space prayer room experiences and leading workshops on creative worship and retreats on silence and sabbath. All involving experiential learning and participation .
What I know is that we really don’t need more information about God . We need time to experience more of God .
I took a big leap of faith and decided that it’s time to rediscover thinplace and invite others to join me!
I’ve booked space on Iona in August 2023 and planned a retreat for February 2023 in California Wine Country at The Bishops Ranch in Healdsburg, CA a thinplace on it’s own, that happens to be near my other favorite spot called Goat Rock on the Pacific Coast.
The Bishops Ranch
Finding Your Thinplace Retreat in Wine Country February 7-10, 2023 Staying at The Bishop’s Ranch in Healdsburg, CA REGISTER TODAY
Finding Your Thinplace Scottish Pilgrimage August 28-Sept 4th, 2023 staying at the St. Columba Hotel on Iona August 30-Sept 4th.
What is a Finding your thinplace retreat?
After the past few years of craziness, I think we all have empty cups. Finding Your Thinplace Retreats and Pilgrimages will have space for you to get away and find rest. Space for you to refill your cup and rediscover the things you love.
A place to process some grief.
A place to reflect and recharge in a place of beauty.
I invite you to join me. Give yourself permission to reconnect with your soul. Give yourself permission to reconnect with yourself and your God.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. 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.” Matthew 11:28-30 THE MESSAGE
findingyourthinplace.com
Give yourself the gift of a Finding your Thinplace Retreat or Join us on Pilgrimage in 2023. Like the Celtic Saints of old, we will have 12 spots available for each trip. So book soon!
I am happy to chat with you about each of these experiences. Just email me Lilly Lewin at findingyourthinplace@gmail.com
by Rev. Brenda Griffin Warren; the icon of St. Hilda of Whitby written by Iconographer Bonnie Wiltz Fairbanks of Houston, Texas
A Cat, An Icon, and A Calling
Have you ever received an unexpected gift? If you have, you know the joy and sweetness this unexpected gift can bring. May I share with you three unexpected gifts I have received? Unexpected gifts of a cat, an icon, and a calling.
A Cat. Four years ago, I received a call from a Maine Coon cat breeder of whom I had earlier purchased one of her magnificent cats. She asked if I would like a full-blooded ginger Maine Coon who was four years old. His Mom had become severely allergic to him and could not keep him any longer. Of course I said yes and the unexpected gift of this huge cat with an equally loud, almost roaring purr arrived to our home along with his awesome “castle.” What a wonderful and unexpected gift this precious, very loving twenty-four pound cat has been to our home. I thank God every day and sometimes several times a day for this unexpected gift.
An Icon. Two years ago, another unexpected gift arrived. I opened my mailbox and discovered a manila package with bubble wrap from someone to whom I was only acquainted. As I opened the carefully wrapped package, I was taken by surprise to find the most magnificent icon of my patron saint, St. Hilda of Whitby. I was stunned beyond words and tears overflowed and my soul was both overwhelmed and overjoyed. I could hardly believe that someone paid enough attention on Facebook to notice my admiration of St. Hilda and then to use her exceptional gift of icon writing to make something so breathtaking and meaningful to me. An unexpected gift that is a treasure. I tell my family, if I end up moving to assisted living someday, I won’t be taking much, but the icon of St. Hilda of Whitby is going with me!
It was an unexpected gift when I met St. Hilda for the first time. I was in a mostly male, very theologically conservative seminary and was reading our assigned church history text when my life was turned upside down. The text stated that a woman named “St. Hilda of Whitby” was an Abbess and founder of a monastery in which both men and women lived. Monks and nuns living and serving in her Whitby Abbey in northeast England were under her spiritual and physical rule. After being shocked, stunned, and secretly delighted, this former librarian began researching everything I could find on this religious leader. What an unexpected gift of discovering that women could be religious leaders.
It seems that St. Hilda in some mystical way introduced me to other Celtic and Anglo-Saxon saints of her era of the 7th-8th centuries. I became obsessed with finding out more about these remarkable men and women religious leaders of whom I had never read or heard about. It has been an unexpected gift to research these saints and to develop a website (www.saintsbridge.org) of their life stories. What an unexpected gift to now have friends on the other side of the thin veil.
A Calling. The week that I graduated from a Southern Baptist seminary, I received a call from the Interim Pastor of a Christian Church(Disciples of Christ) in the city where I live. I had never even been in that church nor knew anything about their denomination. He said that my dear Episcopal priest friend, Rev. Dr. Carol Petty had recommended me to him as he needed to go on an extended visit back home. Would I come and serve as the Interim Senior Pastor of the church for the next several months? I accepted that very unexpected gift. I discovered how much I loved pastoring this sweet flock. Later the Interim Pastor returned and I became the Associate Pastor.
When the Interim Pastor’s contract was up and he returned to his home, the church called me to become their permanent Senior Pastor. Wow, what an unexpected gift for this former Southern Baptist woman to become a settled Pastor. It was a joy and an honor to serve this precious congregation for eleven years and then serve several churches as their Interim Pastor. The Spirit works in amazing and mysterious ways, knocking down locked doors, breaking down impenetrable walls, and often sending unexpected gifts.
Unexpected gifts are graces. Have you ever received an unexpected gift? How did it make you feel? Have you ever given an unexpected gift to a friend, co-worker, or maybe even an acquaintance? Unexpected gifts have the power to transform a life, heal a broken heart, or bring a much-needed blessing.
Join Christine Sine for a time of quiet reflection on December 3rd, 2022. Slow down the busyness of the season and nourish your soul with contemplative focus and reflection. All the details can be found here:
https://godspacelight.com/event/advent-quiet-day/
words and photos by June Friesen; all scripture passages from The Message translation
National Caregiver’s Day/Month. This is a month-long awareness and if and when one becomes a caregiver or needs a caregiver it is then one realizes just the magnitude of this commitment.
“Celebrated every November, National Family Caregivers Month (NFCM) is a time to recognize and honor family caregivers across the country. It offers an opportunity to raise awareness of caregiving issues, educate communities, and increase support for caregivers.
The national observance is led by Caregiver Action Network (CAN), a nonprofit that provides free education, peer support, and resources to family caregivers. CAN selected the 2022 theme, #CaregivingHappens, to acknowledge the reality that family caregiving is not always convenient or expected.” (Taken from Administration for Community Living Website)
The theme chosen for this year is so appropriate to this topic/theme – #CaregvingHappens. If you have not ever been one who has needed a caregiver or been called upon to provide caregiving it may be hard to understand all of the things involved in it.
Thirteen years ago I found myself in a difficult situation due to an unfortunate accident when I was hiking. I shattered my ankle and not only was I hiking but I was in another state visiting my son and his family. This was a real challenge for me as I had always been the caregiver for and of others and now I literally had to have others care for me because of the severity of the injury. Two little girls, my granddaughters, were able to come and visit in the hospital. For both of them crawling in bed with grandma was filled with caregiving love – and probably gave me courage as well as encouragement to do my best to recover from this injury. The first action it took was a total surrender of myself to God – allowing Him to be in charge. Then it took a spirit of surrender to the instructions of the physician which was rather stern and overwhelming as he stood by my bedside and said, “Mrs. Friesen, in my 25-plus years of orthopedic surgery I have never seen such a severe ankle break. You will not be able to use that leg for 2-3 months.” In my mind I thought he does not know me very well … but within 24 hours I learned how right his words were. I went from the hospital to the airport to home where a young adult lady friend met us at the airport with this greeting. “June, I have moved my things into the house and I will be staying with you and Mr. Friesen. I will help take care of you.” Humbling, maybe even a bit humiliating but I learned that it is not always easy to be on the receiving end of being cared for as things are not always done the way you like or want them – but nonetheless they get done and it is okay. I recovered faster and way better that any orthopedic doctor/therapist ever expected. Having good caregivers and people who cared plus a cooperative attitude on my part was key. I left behind two little ones as I returned home, my granddaughters, who would have no doubt spent much time keeping me occupied but not really able to help care for me. They knew how to keep me distracted in the beginning stages of learning my limitations. Now I am able to walk, run and hike without any real limitations at all. These steps on one of our favorite hiking trails are able to be mastered quite easily along with the ups and downs, rocks and loose dirt as we climb.
So why do I share this story?
One of the passages that I thought of when thinking about caregiving was John 19 when Jesus entrusted his mother into the care of his disciple John just before He died.
John 19:25 Standing close to Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there; so he said to his mother, “He is your son.” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “She is your mother.” From that time the disciple took her to live in his home.
For many of us we may not find ourselves in the place of being a caregiver or having need for a personal caregiver. However, for some it is something that is a regular part of their life for one reason or another. For Jesus here, he knew that after His death and resurrection His time on earth would be short. As an oldest son he took his responsibility seriously and provided someone to meet the needs of his mother for the rest of her time on the earth. Oftentimes, when we think of caregiving, we think of elderly people who may have some kind of disability. It may be physical, mental or just growing older and the body kind of wearing out. In our country people are living longer and dementia and Alzheimer’s along with physical issues require many people to be in need of some kind of care and some need 24/7 care. Oftentimes, families think that they can and will be able to do it but then find it to be overwhelming physically as well as emotionally. The struggle and stress of what to do with a loved one in need of care much of the time or all of the time can take a toll on the complete family. It can bring frustration in many ways, it can lead to disagreements and sometimes it sadly leads to fractured relationships that are not easily repaired. John took Mary into his home and provided and cared for her. Sometimes we may be called upon to do that for others on a part-time or a full-time basis.
Sometimes there are children born who have some kind of disability which means they will require some kind of extra care/treatment/supervision throughout much and maybe all of their lifetime. Sometimes families can manage themselves, sometimes the family can manage with some extra help whether in-home or respite caregivers, sometimes it is special day programs that help challenge the ‘special needs person’ in learning how to do some things for themselves. In my circle of friends I have two families with autistic children. When we have gatherings we all work together to help as much as possible so we can all have a good time, including the family with the special needs child. I believe that this is very helpful for those who are the regular caregivers as it allows them to also enjoy some time just to relax and fellowship. One more passage of Scripture from Paul. It would seem that Paul had some need to be cared for at some time even though we are not sure what that may have been.
Philippians 4:9 Put into practice what you learned and received from me, both from my words and from my actions. And the God who gives us peace will be with you. 10 In my life in union with the Lord it is a great joy to me that after so long a time you once more had the chance of showing that you care for me. I don’t mean that you had stopped caring for me—you just had no chance to show it. 11 And I am not saying this because I feel neglected, for I have learned to be satisfied with what I have.
Some historians believe that Paul had an issue with his sight but that was never really confirmed. Another need for care that I thought of when it comes to Paul is the care his wounds would have needed after his imprisonments. Paul was appreciative of the care and for the most part I believe that people who need caregivers or have caregivers are appreciative, sometimes they just do not have means to know how to communicate it to the caregiver.
So what are some ways we may show appreciation for caregivers? If you know someone who is a caregiver, maybe offer to give them a break for an hour or two or more. One could ask the caregivers themselves what can I do for you that would be the greatest help? Little handwritten notes of appreciation are always good. And when I think of caregivers don’t forget those who work in care homes, nursing homes, hospice centers, or in their own home caring for a family member. The world is large, the amount of people involved in caregiving in one way or another is far more than one ever thinks or realizes. But saying thankyou as you leave when visiting someone in a hospital or another facility is always welcomed. So let us be grateful not just today, not just this month but always for anyone who shows care for others. And might I also repeat – nearly everyone is a caregiver in some way for someone – many are not even aware of it. Jesus cared for others, He welcomed all and remember He cared to make sure His earthly mother would be cared for after He was gone.
Give the Gift of Wonder this holiday season. With bundles, retreats, the book itself, and downloadable study guides, there are so many lovely ways to interact with this invaluable resource. Check it out in our shop!
All photos and writing are by June Friesen
World Diabetes Day is celebrated each year to draw attention to issues of utmost importance to the diabetes community. This day became a global day of recognition in 2006 designated by the United Nations. I was fascinated to find a day that would bring diabetes to the forefront as it has been a disease that I have known about since my childhood. I had an uncle who was diagnosed as a young child with diabetes Type 1, and then my grandfather was diagnosed with diabetes Type 2 when I was a teenager. I remember the monitoring of what foods they could eat, and the various times they had to test for blood sugar and depending on the results of the blood sugar levels they took a certain amount of insulin.
I did not understand completely all that was involved but I knew it really involved a lifestyle change from just eating what one wanted, when one wanted, and how much one wanted. Since I was a part of a family who loved sweets of all kinds, not just candy but cookies, cakes, ice cream, pies etc. I soon learned that my uncle and grandfather had to make certain adjustments to their diets. Because checking the accuracy of blood sugar was not as good as it is today they also had to have something very sweet easily available in case they had a sudden drop in blood sugar. With this introduction let us look at a passage of Scripture that does not necessarily address Diabetes, but does talk about disease that is wearing and tiring.
Job answered: “If my misery could be weighed, if you could pile the whole bitter load on the scales, it would be heavier than all the sand of the sea! Is it any wonder that I’m howling like a caged cat? The arrows of God Almighty are in me, poison arrows—and I’m poisoned all through! God has dumped the whole works on me. Donkeys bray and cows moo when they run out of pasture— so don’t expect me to keep quiet in this. Do you see what God has dished out for me? It’s enough to turn anyone’s stomach! Everything in me is repulsed by it— it makes me sick.
Why would I choose these verses? Sometimes people feel that a diagnosis of a particular disease makes them feel somewhat like Job may have felt. Recently, in fact in June of this year my husband got a call from the doctor on a Saturday morning telling him he had a very high blood sugar result the day before and he needed to get to the hospital ER immediately. And we received the news that now his diabetes type two was going to need to be managed much more closely not just with pills and diet but also with insulin. I admit that I was a bit overwhelmed but I also knew that to make this work it would take both of us. Since I do the cooking and baking it would be up to me to change my cooking habits.
Drawing on my experience growing up that I already shared as well as my nursing career I made the necessary adjustments. Within 4 weeks his daily amount of insulin was reduced, and we had his blood sugar under control. And after nearly three months he can cheat a bit occasionally and have a special treat. Exercise is a very valuable part of the therapy as well. We walk regularly every morning and late afternoon as well as hike 2-3 miles in nature at least once or twice a week. Here are some photos of our arrival at the bottom of this canyon area to the creek – the full hike up and down was about 2 miles. So, while it is a life change and adjustment it is not a ‘death sentence’.
12-13 My dear friends, what I would really like you to do is try to put yourselves in my shoes to the same extent that I, when I was with you, put myself in yours. You were very sensitive and kind then. You did not come down on me personally. You were well aware that the reason I ended up preaching to you was that I was physically broken, and so, prevented from continuing my journey, I was forced to stop with you. That is how I came to preach to you.14-16 And don’t you remember that even though taking in a sick guest was most troublesome for you, you chose to treat me as well as you would have treated an angel of God—as well as you would have treated Jesus himself if he had visited you? What has happened to the satisfaction you felt at that time? There were some of you then who, if possible, would have given your very eyes to me—that is how deeply you cared! And now have I suddenly become your enemy simply by telling you the truth? I can’t believe it.
I added these verses from Galatians as we know that Paul had some kind of illness or struggle that was a part of his life. Some people believe that it had to do with his eyes yet there was never any real description of it exactly. Paul continued on with his ministry in spite of his issue. And there are others in the Scriptures who struggled with physical and/or emotional issues even though they were not never described in detail. So, what am I trying to say in this? First, I trust that you will find some of this informative and maybe it will even make you do a bit of research yourself. Second, if you know people who struggle with diabetes, do not shy away from them but include them in your circle of friends. Diabetes is not a death sentence – it is very manageable. With the great technology we have today checking blood sugar and getting rather accurate testing results can be done more accurately at home. Sir Frederick G Banting, Charles H Best and JJR Macleod at the University of Toronto in 1921 (and it was later purified by James B Collip) discovered insulin and worked to develop it as a treatment for diabetes. As I was studying this I realized that insulin was discovered not long before my uncle would have been diagnosed as a diabetic. What a blessing for him and my grandparents. Along with insulin today there are other medications that can be taken alone or with insulin to control blood sugars.
Third, and maybe most important – a person with diabetes does not need to get rid of all sugars, sweets, desserts etc. from their diet. Today there are many sugar substitutes that are available. The key is controlling amounts of carbohydrates (as they turn to sugar when digested) and the amount of refined sugars, as well as controlling portions of foods and eating more often. We have adapted quite well as there is so much education on the internet. Just this past week in making zucchini muffins I used a sugar substitute and it was fine. Let us remember that God has gifted us with a bounty of different kinds of foods within four food groups. Some are more friendly to our bodies than others and especially when we struggle with certain physical diseases etc. It is my prayer that if you think you may have symptoms of diabetes, please either see a medical provider or you can order the testing equipment on the internet without a doctor’s prescription. And remember it is not a death sentence, it is not food deprivation, but rather it is a change of lifestyle.
Scripture is from The Message translation. Factual information was obtained from the internet.
We will have a special Facebook Live on Thursday November 17th at 9 am PST (check my timezone) to launch the Godspace Community Cookbook! The cookbook contains recipes and stories from those in our community, and we are thrilled to show the final product to the Godspace community for the first time. Join Graham Kerr and Christine Sine as they introduce the cookbook and share their own experiences with cooking and hospitality.
Seeing this theme for 2022, I must admit I was a bit startled. It seemed to me to suggest an “out”. When is it not possible to be kind?
Kindness. We are tempted to wonder where this simple, basic trait has gone.
Watching the news, we seldom see simple kindness exhibited unless we are looking for it. Whether in scenes of war and murder or just plain rudeness and the refusal to listen to a different point of view in the opinion pieces, (is there any news that is not mostly opinion anymore?), the world appears a rather cold and unyielding place.
There seems to be fewer individuals who truly seem to possess dignity, integrity or even kindness. Or is the harshness of the world so loud we choose to apply a deaf ear not only to cruelty, but to muffle out the good as well?
Do we take time to seek out kindness? Are we capable of shutting out so much we miss the opportunity of opening a door for another or surrendering our seat on the bus to the elderly? Big events, or those made to seem bigger than life, screech at us from all forms of media. From our TVs, radios, computer screens and phones, they demand attention. The pushy and relentless “what about me” intrudes on our daily lives from honking cars, those insisting their own view is so much more relative than our own, and those who sound more like petulant teenagers and crying children, taking attention away from those who actually deserve our consideration.
All these things combine to make it, at times, difficult to be kind ourselves; like when our spouse requires an answer to much put-off question, or the teenage son or daughter want us to listen to an elaborate reason as to why they need the car—NOW, or when the broken-hearted child, who’s shunned by a playmate, longs to know they are the center of our entire world.
Weary of the world, we turn to scripture. What does kindness truly require of us? Setting aside our own emotions can really seem cruel too. “Why me,” we pout, “why is it up to me?”
If we still ourselves, we hear a small voice whisper, “If not you…who?”
Anyone who has attended a wedding has likely heard 1 Corinthians 13:4.
“Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gently and consistently kind to all…” (TPT)
So, patience coupled with kindness. Does being kind require patience? Of course it does. Whether it is in a heated argument or with a crying child, we cannot be kind until we, the giver, calm down within the storm. The slowing down allows us patience for the other and ourselves. If we cannot find understanding for ourselves, we will never identify with the pain of another. We will only find guilt.
Once we find Patience, we can move on to Ephesians 4:32.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (NIV)
Ouch! Here kindness is coupled not only with compassion, but God wants us to forgive one another as well!
But…then comes Matthew 18:21-22.
“Later Peter approached Jesus and said, “How many times do I have to forgive my fellow believer who keeps offending me? Seven times?”
Jesus answered, “Not seven times Peter, but seventy times seven.” (TPT)
Seventy-seven times? And you just know that Jesus in all probability hopes we will have stopped counting by then. And further, who isn’t pretty sure that he does not limit it to fellow believers but certainly those who may not know him at all. We recognize that forgiveness is not optional if we wish to be kind in all areas of our lives.
God knows it is actually easier on us to be patient, forgiving, and kind if we practice these constantly in our lives rather than trying to pick and choose when we will bless others. Kindness needs to be developed as a way of life, as the go-to response to all of life’s situations.
On Kindness Day we can choose. And it is a choice to be kind. To be kind to all on purpose: the cashier at the grocery store, the person on the phone who bumps into us on the street, the co-workers questioning our decisions, the newspaper boy who consistently hits the bushes and our families who need it the most after a long day in their world.
When is it “not possible” to be kind? Never.
I am a liturgical rebel. I am aware of this more and more each year. I love the seasons of the liturgical year but I find many of the established practices either boring or irrelevant to my life. I have a growing urge to apply my creativity to each season and come up with practices that are relevant for me personally. I love the freedom to change my practices each year based on my own emotional and spiritual condition, the state of the world and the grief I bear because of the climate catastrophe unfolding around us, and the wonder of being a child of God in the midst of our ever-changing world.
Tomorrow, November 15th, marks the beginning of Celtic Advent, a season I embrace a few years ago when I recognized the need for a longer preparation time for Christmas. Celtic Advent begins 40 days before Christmas, about 2 weeks before the start of traditional Advent. I love this extended period of preparation. I also love that there are no set rules to follow. No known symbols specifically for the Celtic Advent season. So I can invite the Spirit to stir my imagination and creativity to create my own.
I spent the weekend reading through the section about creating a contemplative garden in Digging Deeper – The Art of Contemplative Gardening – refreshing my memory of the process that so often underlies my creation of a new contemplative garden. This process, based on one I discovered in Day Shildkret’s beautiful book Morning Altars, is – as I comment in Digging Deeper – a very sacred process. It encourages me to dream inviting the Holy Spirit to direct my dreaming. I then wander my house and garden to gather significant items and small plants to incorporate in my garden. The creation step is always a fun and often protracted one. My garden tends to change and morph over the time I use it for meditation. New thoughts, ideas and inspiration prompts the addition of new elements that draw me closer to the heart of God. The last step will be letting go. When the season for which I created the garden ends, I find release and freedom in dismantling what I created.
This new garden replaces the one I dismantled over the weekend. It uses the same beautiful clam shell as its base but most of the elements are new. Many are items I collected on Iona during my last visit. Some distinctive rocks, a few strands of lamb’s wool and a dried piece of kelp. At the back of the garden is a delicate coral frond that reminds me of a winter tree, denuded of leaves but revealing the beautiful skeleton of the tree beneath. Its inclusion comes from asking myself: “What do I grieve as the autumn leaves fall and I let go of the beauty of this passing season? What do I look forward to as winter approaches?” One thing I always rejoice in on my winter walks is the breathtaking beauty of the branches that it reveals. These beautiful tree skeletons only appear for a few short months, but they are worth the loss of the autumn colours to be able to appreciate their full glory.
Beside the garden stands one of my Celtic crosses. It is embellished with scenes from the Bible and the original cross would have been a site of learning. I incorporated this to remind myself that Advent is a season of learning and I need to pay attention to all the stories I hear at this season.
Celtic Advent contemplative garden
My new garden combines well with the practice I established a couple of weeks ago as my early morning devotional time was increasingly spent in the dark. I sit in the dark for a few minutes. Take some deep breathes in and out to focus me on the presence of God, then I recite this prayer adapted from John 1:4,5:
God, it is dark, but in you there is always light.
Christ is the light of the world,
and his life brought light to everyone.
His light shines in the darkness,
And the darkness will never extinguish it.
Then I light the candles in my circle of light. Most of them are battery-operated, but I always end with lighting a real candle. It stands just behind my new garden. As the winter solstice and the darkest day of the year approach, I tend to light more real candles and will definitely add some to my garden so that by Christmas time it is a blaze of light.
I then sit in silent meditation for several minutes. At the end of my time, as the sun slowly adds natural light to my world, I recite another prayer
God I thank you for your light
That gives light not just to everyone,
But to every part of creation.
I thank you that you are present,
In all things, around all things,
Shining through all things.
These kinds of rituals really enrich my life and my faith. And as Christmas approaches I search for more such rituals to strengthen the meaning of the season. This year I sense a yearning to focus on a Blue Christmas celebration, which in the Northern hemisphere, coincides with the winter solstice. So many people are grieving – the loss of loved ones from COVID and other causes, the loss of property from hurricane and floods, the loss of economic security and growing hunger. Deep within myself there is an ever-present grief for the destruction of creation and its impact on all our lives. I particularly love some of the practices that my friend Mark Pierson in New Zealand, shared with me – an arrangement of empty chairs to commemorate those we have lost, or using zip ties and barbed wire to represent our grief for the abandoned and despised in our world. I like to end such celebrations on a note of hope. This year I toy with creating Birdseed wreaths for the birds that flitter around our garden, as part of my Blue Christmas remembrances. They are an ever-present sign of hope for me. Another possibility is creating a nativity scene with a difference.
Another fun ritual for this season is the preparation for Christmas festivities, beginning with my very English fruitcake for which I soaked the fruit this weekend. I love to cook all kinds of goodies at this season. I also love to eat them, and more than anything love to share them with others. We used to hold a Christmas Open house each year, but Tom and I are still not comfortable with large gatherings so will restrict ourselves to small gatherings with friends. I will also send a lot of the goodies to friends and relatives in other parts of the country and world. That too is part of what I delight in at this season. This year it is made even more fun as I will delve into the Godspacelight Community Cookbook for new recipes and inspiration. And a copy of the book will sneak its way into every package that I send.
I encourage you to allow your liturgical rebel to surface as we head towards Christmas. Spend time in prayer allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you. Be willing to let go and create something new. I think you too will be inspired by how much it enriches your faith and draws to close to God.
Join Christine Sine for a time of quiet reflection on December 3rd, 2022. Slow down the busyness of the season and nourish your soul with contemplative focus and reflection. All the details can be found here:
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