Did you get your dose of awe and wonder over the weekend? Did you have the opportunity to look up in wonder at the glory of the heavens? I woke at midnight on Friday night to the sound of laughter in the neighbourhood and decided to go outside to see what all the fuss was about. I looked up and then I saw it. Hazy, not very spectacular to the naked eye, but when I got behind my camera lens it was unbelievable. The sky was full of red and green and blue and yellow. Changing patterns whirled across the heavens. I almost felt I could hear the angels sing as the aurora borealis burst upon us in all its splendour.
On Saturday I was mesmerized by the myriad of photos posted on instagram and Facebook. They came from Sweden, Norway and Spain, from England, Scotland and Ireland, from Canada and the U.S. and even Mexico. And in the southern hemisphere from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. All around the globe. Our brains knew that it was was explosions of plasma and magnetic material shooting out of the sun, colliding with Earth’s magnetic field but our hearts and our spirits told us this was the glory of God dancing through the heavens. It was one of the most awe inspiring sights I have ever seen, worth waiting a lifetime for. A firework display like no other, and unlike the fireworks humans create this wonderful display caused no pollution or nasty smoggy haze.
This global display in the heavens, followed so closely on the solar eclipse which already had many of us looking up in wonder and considering the awesome nature of our God who created these vast heavens beyond our planet Earth. We are so small and insignificant in the great expanse of our universe and yet God cares for each one of us. I love the way this is expressed in Psalm 8, especially in The Voice translation and heartily recommend that you spend time meditating on this scripture as I have done this week.
Sunday is Pentecost, one of my favourite celebrations of the year as we celebrate the emergence of the church and our call to “love one another” out into the world. I suggest you check out the vast array of posts and resources we have for this season. Melissa has been working hard to update the links as we realize lots of people take advantage of our resources as they look for help with creativity, sermon writing and worship. I must confess my favourite post is the one I wrote last year Meditation Monday – Pentecost Has Come in which I comment “Pentecost Sunday is about far more than wearing a splash of red to church. For some it is about celebrating the birth of the church, for others its about the infilling of the Holy Spirit, and for still others it is about praying for peace, but for me it is an invitation to see the world differently.”
This week’s Meditation Monday – Life Lessons from the Garden has a different focus. My life lessons include learning to share, live sustainably, plan for surprise, look and listen, and build up the soil. My favourite however is the recognition that “there is no failure in the garden”. The garden has given me the confidence to experiment without worrying about whether the outcome will be “successful”. This week the audio for this post is only available to paid contributors to Substack. I really appreciate those of you who have taken the plunge and upgraded to a paid subscription. However, if you would like to access the paid subscription and cannot afford to pay please contact me about a complimentary subscription.
My 2 recent ventures – moving to Substack and the launch of my podcast “The Liturgical Rebels” are for me great examples of the “no failure” principle. I started them both very nervously as I was not sure how well they would go. Fortunately they are both proving to be very successful. I am thoroughly enjoying these new ways to engage my followers and hope that you are enjoying them too. Make sure you don’t miss my recent interview with author and activist Shane Claiborne which was posted on Wednesday last week. It is very thought provoking and inspiring. Coming up next week is my interview with Tony Jones and after that Brian McLaren. I encourage you to help me spread the word and let your friends know about this podcast. If you have missed any episodes check them out here: https://liturgicalrebels.
Godspacelight continues to thrive too, in spite of the ongoing challenges with links. Melissa’s task to fix these is monumental. On Saturday we posted the Mother’s Day litany which I posted on Substack on Friday. This has been extremely popular at both locations and I would hate you to miss it. I love the “Maternal Images of God” video which concludes the post. Make sure you read and listen to the end.
Yesterday we posted another beautiful litany Devotions for Springtime by Carol Dixon’s friend Margery Tate. I love these litanies for different seasons which help us ground ourselves in the world in which we live.
On Friday, Lilly Lewin posted Being Still in the Land of Waiting about living between Ascension Day and Pentecost. I love her question “What do you think the disciples thought they were waiting for?” And her follow up questions “Is your waiting room filled with worship or worry? Is it filled with hope or fear?” Great questions to spend time reflecting on this week.
On Thursday we posted June Friesen’s post in honour of Arbor Day admittedly a little late, for Arbor Day. Like her, I love trees and the gifts of beauty, hope, strength and healing that they provide for us. I enjoyed reading her reflection and poetry. Another great post to read, re-read and reflect on.
NOTE: We have now disconnected from MailChimp so you will not get any daily or weekly emails from there. All future correspondence will come through Substack. Thank you for your patience as we negotiate these changes.
Many blessings on you as you negotiate the week ahead. Let me end with a poem that flowed out of my reflections on the aurora borealis this weekend.
The skies above
Are full of reds and gold and green,
Flickering beneath the stars.
Changing patterns of breathtaking beauty
Dance across the heavens.
Aurora borealis
Bursts across the skies,
And fills us with delight.
I sense the angels sing,
And all of heaven shouts
A joyous chorus
Of unending praise,
To God eternal.
Christine Sine
Gift of Wonder
Gift of Wonder Book
“Can you imagine a God who dances with shouts of joy, laughs when you laugh, loves to play, enjoys life, and invites us to join the fun? I couldn’t until recently. I grew up with a very serious, workaholic God. Even when my theology changed, I struggled to live into my new way of thinking. Then Jesus words, ‘Unless you become like a child you cannot enter the kingdom’, began to resonate in my head.”