moonsong

Oh mystic moon,

before we knew what you were,

you gazed on us

lovingly,

pulling us with you

into some great unknown.

We gazed back,

and were gifted with

sacred glimpses

of God.

We danced,

as the waters of the oceans,

moving to your mysterious rhythm.

Then science explained away

your incredible patterns

and we,

disenchanted,

no longer followed your lunar dance.

But oh glorious glowing globe,

you still gaze on us

lovingly,

mournfully? hopefully?

and waltz with the waters

to the music of an unending

universal

heartsong

Nature as Metaphor

God happened to Suzanne and me yesterday.  We were sitting in the chapel for morning prayer with heaving snow falling all around us and a forecast for 7 inches on our minds, when I opened the bible to the day’s assigned reading from Isaiah (55: 10-11):

“For as the rain and snow come down from heaven,

and do not return there until they have watered the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose

and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

What a stunningly beautiful metaphor of God and life to read in the 3rd month of winter…

We had no choice but to follow it by singing Rain Down (“rain down, rain down, rain down your love on your people, rain down, rain down, rain down your love, God of life”)!

The trees, the water, the flowers and stones, the birds, the ice – nature constantly provides us with metaphors for the spiritual life: trees bending, flowers blooming, seeds sprouting, birds singing and soaring, ice melting, water filling…

But they aren’t trying to do any of this, they aren’t doing it for us, they are simply being.  Being themselves, being what they were created to be.  They are not thinking about it, not choosing to be an example, not wondering if they are correct; just simply living and being. 

And that makes it all the more powerful.

fireboxes

I am a firebox.*

The fire is the Spirit of God alive within me, “luminously glowing,” keeping the “house” of my life warm and vibrant.

To keep a fire going, you must pay attention to it, tend it, stoke it. If you forget about it, it will go out, and if the ashes get cold, it will need to be completely restarted, which is not an efficient use of energy. and meanwhile the house gets cold.

Be always mindful of holding the light of Christ, of God, within you.

*Brayton’s terms for woodstove

first impressions

I went to church in Ware today for the fourth time.  The pastor stood on his head.  The 60-something balding man did a head-stand on the cement floor of the fellowship hall. 

It was his first Sunday.  Which is the only reason we were in the fellowship hall in the first place – because there was actually a coffee hour (!) to welcome him. 

I think the congregants were shocked, or at least highly amused at his antics.  But all he was doing was making friends with the 5-year-old girls who were jumping rope with a pink scarf (which was amusing in itself!)   Reminded me of Dad.  :)

It was nice to finally get to meet some of the members of the congregation, actually talk to people, introduce myself, learn some names, and be welcomed into the community as more than just a guest.  How is a guest supposed to be drawn in to a congregation if there’s no fellowship time after worship?  Thank goodness for new pastors, I guess…

Welcoming the new year

What a wonderful way to end one year and begin another – a reflective mass with 6 other people in the chapel, sharing our prayers and hopes for the coming year.  So much more meaningful and purposeful than your traditional New Year’s Eve celebration, which often seems to be just another excuse to have a party.

I can hear fireworks going off, echoing through the valley.  It would be quite a sight to see them from the edge of the Quabbin, looking out across the water…but I will enjoy imagining the beauty of it, and not think about the fact they are really imitations of exploding bombs…

Happy new year, and may this one be filled with more love, more spirit, more peace, more hope in our lives and our world.