Tuesday, June 29, 2010

+==Sermonizing {008}==+

Fragility and Power

Text: 2 Corinthians 4:7-12

How many times have we heard the verse from scripture that tells us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength? A lot, right? And how often do you find yourself loving God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength? It’s really taxing but it is our existence that depends on these.

Our mind, soul and heart are typically exercised in church and fellowship all the time. But what about our strength? What about our bodies?

Paul says that death is at work in us… death is at work in us, around us, all the time, and everywhere.

We have bodies carrying extra weight.

We have bodies carrying infected cells.

We have bodies that are broken from injuries.

We have bodies that are broken from arthritis and bone loss.

We have bodies that are struggling to hear well and see clearly.

These physical limitations and problems are everyday reminders of Christ’s death. Paul says in the text, we are “always carrying in the body the death of Jesus.” This DOESN’T mean we should be upset with Jesus because since he died, HE’S the one causing all of our physical issues… we can’t be upset because Jesus didn’t let death have the last word and as can be seen by the text, Paul doesn’t either. Paul goes on to say that we carry the death of Jesus “so that the LIFE of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.”

Sometimes our limitations are fleeting or short-lived. Other times, an injury limits our mobility for the rest of our lives… or perhaps an illness brings us to monthly doctors visits. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try to be healthy and keep in shape, a party comes along and the dessert tempts us, throwing us off the diet bandwagon for what seems like the umpteenth time. Sometimes no matter how hard we try to fight it and no matter how many vitamins we take, or orange juice we drink, we still get sick.

Some days it seems that no matter how hard we try, the world is working against us. We are afflicted in every way, perplexed, persecuted and struck down.

We are, as Paul says, clay jars... fragile and weak… more vulnerable than we would ever like to admit. As we will discover in our prayers in motion, we all have our own stories of fragility and vulnerability, life and death. But let me first share my own experience.

Last summer, I went with a group of youth and young adults to Guatemala. On the third day of the trip, following lunch, my group went up a mountain just a little way to install stoves at the house of a few families. After installing the outdoor stove I went to lean on the concrete wall to get a breath of fresh air and as I was leaning looking over the cornfields and at the mountains in the distance, my vision got blurry, my hearing started to fail me and I collapsed, hitting my head on concrete… twice. I was out cold for 45 seconds. After I came to, they got me back to our hostel and with the help of the doctor on our trip, I was rehydrated, given medicine to stop the nausea and make the pain in my head and neck go away… all the while wondering if I had a closed head injury or if I was going to wake up the next morning. All afternoon I had demanded doing things on my own, wanting to be independent, but I realized that I couldn’t do anything on my own……… That night, I was so upset about missing devotions that everyone gathered by my bedside to do them. You could feel Emmanuel, God with us, in the overwhelming sense of community that the group provided as we sat in the dark recalling the days events. Fortunately, that day, I was struck down, but I was not destroyed. Praise be to God.

It is when our clay jar is shattered… when we are in our most fragile moments, we experience God. And it is in those moments we realize that our brokenness matters not, because it is God’s power that works through us—no matter how fragile… how weak… how delicate we may be. It is in those moments that we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. That power belongs to God and does not come from us.

One of my favorite songs comes from a small community called Church of the Beloved and in their song entitled, “Broken,” they sing the following words:

You are broken, I am broken, everyone is broken

Stay, there is peace beyond anguish


life beyond death, love beyond fear


Bless, bless and do not curse. 


Pull brokenness far from the shadow of curse


put it under the light of the blessing.



Praise, praise to you Lord for I never realized 


broken glass could shine so brightly.

We are broken. Broken in every way. Christ’s death is visible in us in our ailments and our disabilities and our illnesses and our everyday struggles. And that is real. There is no denying it and no getting around it. It is discouraging and infuriating. But it is a part of who we are, whether it is short-lived or ongoing. Everyone is broken.

Through those experiences, we come to various conclusions about our bodies, both positive and negative… but the conclusion to which we should arrive is the one in which we realize our ability to understand more about ourselves and about each other through those conditions. We share in our joys and sorrows as we move through the various stages of life. And as we share with each other, we reveal truths about who we are as humans and as people of flesh. We reveal strength and hope, courage and love.

Leonard Cohen once said, “There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” Let the light shine in through your fragility. Love God with not just your heart, soul and mind, but Love God and love people with whatever strength you can muster because even when our brokenness makes us feel incapable, it is evident that the power enabling our lives comes only from God. We must accept the fact that our bodies are a place of truth and revelation for others and when we do, we will begin to see the life of Jesus in each others lives.


Let it be so.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

[[slow me down]]

My prayer for the world and for myself...

Slow Me Down (by Emmy Rossum)
Rushing and racing
and running in circles
Moving so fast, I'm forgetting my purpose
Blur of the traffic is sending me spinning
Getting nowhere

My head and my heart are colliding, chaotic
Pace of the world
I just wish I could stop it
Try to appear like I've got it together
I'm falling apart

Save me
Somebody take my hand, and lead me
Slow me down
Don't let love pass me by
Just show me how
'Cause I'm ready to fall
Slow me down
Don't let me live a lie
Before my life flys by
I need you to slow me down

Sometimes I fear that I might dissapear
In the blur of fast forward I faulter again
Forgetting to breathe, I need to sleep
I'm getting nowhere

All that I've missed I see in the reflection
Passed me while I wasn't paying attention
Tired of rushing, racing and running
I'm falling apart

Tell me
Oh won't you take my hand and lead me
Slow me down
Don't let love pass me by
Just show me how
'Cause I'm ready to fall
Slow me down
Don't let me live a lie
Before my life flys by
I need you to slow me down

Just show me
I need you to slow me down

The noise of the world is getting me caught up
Chasing the clock and I wish I could stop it
Just need to breathe, somebody please
Slow me down

---Here's an incredible lyrical dance to accompany it...

amen.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

{Inevitably}

Change is gonna come
It's inevitable
So what we choose to do
with it
is what makes our life full

Resistance seems so easy
on the mind at least
But as for the heart
no matter what
uneasiness does not cease

Two roads diverged
and I took one
knowing not the other
But on that path
I found myself
thinking not to fear

For fear seems reckless
but then again
it is what makes us cling
to so much in our lives,
too much in our lives

Our souls embark on
new adventures
change is in them too
we just don't recognize it
for fear of something new

So what will you do with change
combat and feel uncertain
embrace with positivity
either way it will come
inevitably.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

{essentials}

Creator
water
breath
Word
music
passion

love.

without these
i am nothing

Sunday, June 20, 2010

{where do we find ourselves}

where do we find ourselves
in this chaotic world
full of grace and hope
where souls collide
and people die
and birth gives new life

where do we find ourselves
in this place of struggle
where the self is found
and lost again
when we don't seem to be
enough

where do we find ourselves
in this space with life
when our hearts leap for joy
and cry through pain
discovering love
overwhelming

where are we?
but more
who are we
in all of this?

Monday, June 14, 2010

~my introvertedness~

as much as I love being around people and being in community and being a part of something larger than myself... I LOVE... i mean really LOVE my "me time." Today I ran by myself, read by myself, played basketball by myself, read (again) by myself, worked out by myself, folded laundry by myself, sorted ALL my books by myself... it was superb.
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Now, let's see how I hold my boundaries and maintain my "me time" over this next year...

*No Man Is an Island* Asceticism

Well, I have to admit-- reading this chapter was hard and I basically skimmed it. It was about asceticism and ultimate self sacrifice. I figured I should probably NOT skip it entirely because Merton is wise and so there may be something in there that is helpful for me or a nugget of wisdom that is hidden among the rocks. And there was! But let me quote what is basically the essence of this chapter:
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"We have to be detached from health and security, from pleasures and possessions, from people and places and conditions and things. We have to be indifferent to life itself, in the Gospel sense, living like the lilies of the field, seeking first the Kingdom of Heaven and trusting that all our material needs will be taken care of into the bargain. How many of us can say, with any assurance, that we have even begun to live like this?"(110).
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So. many. things.wrong. with that statement. I tried really hard to sort of take it and figure it out in a different way, but he means this literally. I can finally understand Catholic guilt. However, seeking the Kingdom of Heaven also means being in community with each other, understand the conditions and lack of security that exists in developing nations, understanding the idea of enjoying the little things and taking care of our bodies. We cannot transcend all of that. They are all important factors. I may agree with him some on the "pleasures and possessions" bit, seeing as Christ calls for us to sell everything we own... and yes, trust is a very important factor in all of this, but still. Understanding the world and the world's beloved people is integral to our lives as Christians.
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What is your view of asceticism?
How do you practice self-sacrifice?

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

*No Man Is an Island* Suffering

Wow. I forget, sometimes, how different of a theology Catholics have. I was reminded in this chapter of "No Man.." I should have guessed from the chapter title, "The Word of the Cross" and I suppose I sort of got the idea in the first few lines... but this quote really pulls together what this chapter was about: "The Lord did not create suffering. Pain and death came into the world with the fall of man. But after man had chosen suffering in preference to the joys of union with God, the Lord turned suffering itself into a way by which man could come to the perfect knowledge of God" (89).
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Hm. Well, I could talk about everything I disagree with in this chapter.. primarily the fact that I don't think Jesus' death on the cross, while important, is the key to our lives as Christians. Merton insists that death on the cross overcame death [for us]. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE RESURRECTION!? I don't think it was mentioned once.
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Ok, so, here's what I'd like to ponder. "Suffering without faith is a curse" (83). So, when tribulations and struggles and AWFUL things come our way, we have to keep the faith. We cannot believe for just a day or just in one instance but constantly. As people of faith we are called to be in relationship with God... think about your relationships... are they just a shot here and there? Our relationships are about love and if we love God we keep on going even when the going gets tough because we know God will pull us out of the mire, out of the darkest times, out of the valleys of death because of God's grace, forgiveness and overwhelming love.
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What suffering have you been experiencing lately?
Do you believe God's love overcomes that?
How is your faith doing? Hanging in there?
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Be encouraged.
Know there is resurrection to come.
Know that it is the love of Christ that surpasses all understanding.
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peace be with you

Monday, June 7, 2010

*No Man Is an Island* Mystery, Will and the Kingdom of God

This entry could be about so much... Pure intentions, happiness, truth, divine-ness, fear, being/doing, transformation... so many topics arose in these 20 pages... but there were a couple things that grabbed my attention.
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The will of God "is a living concrete reality in the lives of men [and women], and our souls are created to burn as flames within [God's] flame. The will of the Lord is not a static center drawing our souls blindly toward itself. It is a creative power, working everywhere, giving life and being and direction to all things, and above all forming and creating, in the midst of an old creation, a whole new world which is called the Kingdom of God" (53).
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What is the will of God in your life? Although it's a concrete reality, Merton is also quick to make note that it is mysterious. I don't know what God has in store for the next year of my life. I mean, I know basics, but beyond that? I got nothin. The title of my blog changed a few weeks ago and I think it's ironically appropriate for this entry because we need to learn to "own the mystery"... it is our job to CLAIM it, POSSESS it, ACCEPT it... the mystery is ours to behold and love. If we can't take it and run with it, we're missing out on a lot.
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Also, the fact that God's will is CREATIVE and WORKING and GIVING LIFE/BEING/DIRECTION... I suppose I always knew that, but never fully recognized it. God's will is what is making things happen in our lives. God's will is totally creative, right? I mean, if you look back on things that have fallen into place to make something bigger happen, those steps were pretty creative. It's never a straight shot! God's will is working everywhere in everyone's lives because things happen in our lives that don't really effect us, but they effect someone else and we may never know. And the life, being and direction that comes from God's will is the ultimate goal, right? We hope that God's will for our lives as a whole will be fruitful and helpful and headed in some finite direction.
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But more importantly than our own personal goals and aspirations for God's will (ha.ha.) is that of building the Kingdom of God. The way Merton phrases it, we must believe that our purpose as human beings is to create the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God here on earth. It's not some "other" world. WE are CREATING it. God's will for each of our lives is working together for the common good, for the good of the Kingdom.
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"What we call the 'will of God' is the movement of [God's] love and wisdom, ordering and governing all free and necessary agents, moving movers and causing causes, driving drivers..." (53). While Merton sounds really "predestinationy" here, he has a point. Without God, our lives would be lost, full of wandering, left with no purpose. But because we know "all things work together for those that love God" we know we have a purpose and all of our lives work together. That is why we need each other.
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Own the mystery.
Embrace God's will.
Further the Kingdom of God.
Peace be with you.