They say every cloud has a silver lining. This morning I wasn’t so sure. After a wonderful weekend, celebrating the 80th birthday of a good friend, everything seem to fall apart. My flight was cancelled and rescheduled. My seat disappeared and then reappeared. My stress levels which had really diminished over the weekend skyrocketed again. Part of what it made me realize is how bad I am at replenishing my resilience. Yet there are many silver linings. The sun shining through the clouds reminded me of this. This extra travel time gave me time to reflect on the wonderful weekend I had experienced and to save the memories without feeling I was rushing onto the next thing.
I am writing this sitting in San Francisco airport waiting for my flight to Seattle. I have just revisited all the beautiful photos I took during this fantastic weekend. In some ways, I am still basking in the glow of a friendship that goes back over 40 years. In other ways, I am struggling with the simple frustrations of every day life. No wonder I need to enter regularly into God’s sabbath rest. No wonder Lent allowed for our sabbath rests each week. The 40 days of Lent do not include Sundays. We always take a time out on Sundays. Feasting in the midst of fasting is the way of Lent. It is just that I am taking all my Sundays at once as I celebrate my friend’s 80th birthday as I commented in my Meditation Monday: Sabbath in the Midst of Lent.
Holy week is rapidly approaching. Our churches are getting ready for Palm Sunday, stations of the Cross and Easter services. Perhaps it is time for all of us to pause and savour the flavour of what these last few weeks have held. In Freerange Friday – The Wilderness of the Pandemic, Lilly Lewin reminded us that we all carry layers of pain, not just from the pandemic, but also from the violence and the devastation that we have experienced in our world. Lent is a good time to reflect on all of this.
In Desert-ed by God, Carol Dixon reminded us Lent is about the many lessons of patience, waiting, letting go, and the value of walking in the desert in order to learn, and become the people God wants us to be. Karen Wilk in Waking up to God in Our Midst pondered the question. “I wonder if at least in part, that is what the Lenten journey is all about. It’s an opportunity to turn our attention intentionally and steadily to what God is up to in the subversive, small and seed-like ways of His Kingdom.”
Don’t forget that this week, we launched the third episode of Liturgical Rebels, a fascinating interview with artist and storyteller Scott Erickson. Don’t forget to listen to this episode. As well as the intriguing interview with Drew Jacksonfrom a couple of weeks ago. Next week we will be publishing an interview by block artist Kreg Yingst. Thank you for all of those who have listened, commented and enjoyed my new venture. According to statistics, we are already in the top 25% of podcasts. I am thoroughly enjoying the interviews that I get to record. I am meeting some fascinating people.
With Holy Week rapidly approaching we encourage you to check out the many resources we have available on Godspacelight. My favourites are The Maundy Thursday Liturgy and the links to the broad array of Stations of the Cross we have available.
Some of my reflections as I sat at the airport today revolved around the love of God and how easily we misconstrue who God is. This prayer came out of those reflections.
Why Do We Think We Understand
Why do we think we can understand,
A God, who is infinite
and bigger than our universe.?
Why do we think a God of love
Could possibly reject those
Who are flawed and imperfect
In different ways than we are?
We all fall short of the glory of God.
We are all on a journey,
towards the wholeness
that God desires for us.
There is nothing that can separate us,
From the love of God.
It is always above us,
Beneath us, on right and on left
Behind and before.
God is always there.
Loving, caring, drawing us close.
The embrace of God is everywhere.
Many blessings
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