The Inimitable, Limitless God

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My Christian Fellowship group at church has just started reading Karen Armstrong's A CASE FOR GOD.  In her introduction, she states her intent to show through history that humans have always wanted to know more about the transcendent, no matter what it is called or how it is defined. 

To prepare for reading more, I listened to a radio interview Ms. Armstrong gave to NPR in September 2009. This is the final exchange between Terry Gross of "Fresh Air" and Ms. Armstrong:

GROSS: Now, you know, your view of religion isn't that there's a personal God who has some kind of physical manifestation and who can appear to you and speak to you. But some people have - say that they've experienced that manifestation of God. They've had some kind of direct contact or message from God. How do you - how do you process that?

Ms. ARMSTRONG: Far be it for me to decry anybody's religious beliefs or religious experience. And if religion - your experience of God speaking to you or whatever, compels you to live a more compassionate life, then it's doing its job. And if it's filling you with respect and awe for the natural world and for all God's creatures, it's doing its job. What we call God comes to us in many ways. I couldn't make the personal God work for me. But that's not to say it won't work for other people. We all experience the inimitable, limitless God in as many different ways as there are human beings.

Along with the other observations and information Ms. Armstrong shares throughout the interview, this last statement struck deep. After years of exploration, discussion, and prayer, the author describes something of my own perception of Transcendence in our world. What about you?

Listen to the complete interview on the NPR website.

The Joy of ... Snow!

When I lived in Michigan, snow was a way of life. It came in the Fall, stayed into Spring, and if you lived in or visited the Upper Peninsula, you were likely to see snow in July. In the Triangle of North Carolina, snow is ... different.

We had our first snowfall today. Tomorrow is the first day of Winter, so right on time. The snow came in big, fluffy flakes and fell slowly, gently, in no rush at all. Each flake landed and disappeared. The ground is still too warm to hold such a small offering. The whole snow event  took place in the early morning, around 7 AM, and lasted 15 minutes.

My husband hurried into my home office where I was writing and pulled the blinds open. "It's snowing!" he said with the excitement of a little boy. To which I replied, "Will you look at that!" and we stood for long minutes, an arm around each other, watching.

In those moments, I experienced the Joy that Sister Wendy talks about in her Book of Meditations. She says that Joy is not constant, but flashes suddenly upon our shadows and darkness, illuminating and transforming our interior landscape. In joy, the world becomes different, marvelous, unique.

And so it was for those few minutes this morning.

As we finish this third week of Advent, Laudete Week, the week of joy, I pray that you find such joy in your life. Often.

Blessings on your day!

What Does Love Look Like?

During this second week of Advent, the theme is Love.

For my Advent reflection, I often use Sister Wendy's Book of Meditations in which Sister Wendy uses art, mostly paintings, to visualize four topics. One of these topics is Love. As I consider the different paintings and the author's perspective, I am amazed how often we use the word "love" and to how many different things we refer--Bromance, friendship, romantic attachment, sex, casual affection for humankind, parental love, significant engagement in another's welfare. We talk about being in love with nature, family, books, sports, movies, celebrities, pets, spouses, new shoes, our homes.

Some people who swear they are in love can be greedy, clingy, secretive, blind, obsessive, exclusive, angry, possessive, controlling, dramatic, self-indulgent (which is different from self-care), confined and insular.

Other people say they are in love and are patient, kind, inclusive, expansive. They find joy in the truth, look for what others are doing right, acknowledge blessings, make allowances, trust with their intelligence engaged, work actively for the other's welfare, repent when they hurt someone, relate to others with open-eyes and open-hearts.

Simply put, Sister Wendy offers:

• If it is love at all, the happiness [I would add, the welfare] of the other comes first.
• Love is a verb. It is an action verb. Love displays itself by putting the other first.
• If love is a verb, then it is a choice. Day by day. Hour by hour.

Paul sent a few words on the subject of Love to his boasting congregation in Corinth (1 Corinthians 13).

Read Sister Wendy. Read Paul. Then make your choice.

May you choose Love.

Prepare To Be The Light

There are many phrases and words associated with this Season of Advent -- getting ready, waiting, reflection, looking forward, anticipation, the coming, meditation.

Today, what came to the forefront of my thoughts was PREPARATION.

Many Christians talk about preparing for what or who is coming. The baby Jesus. The Light. The Sun. All Love. The image is of a Coming from the outside, from the Heavens, from somewhere else to save us from our brokenness, wrongness, suffering. History and the Bible shows us that for that ultimate Coming, we're going to be waiting a long time.

And what do we do in the meantime?

During Advent, we prepare. Not for a power outside ourselves to bring the Kingdom, the Beloved Community. We prepare ourselves by stirring up the Divine power within us so we can be the change during the rest of the year.

The Eternal Birth must take place in you....The birth of Christ in our souls is for a purpose beyond ourselves: it is because his manifestation in the world must be through us. ~Meister Eckhart

Celebrating the birth of Jesus honors a human who shows us the Way to manifest the Light and Love of God. Another model is St. Nicholas whose feast day we celebrate today. We don't need to wait for something or someone outside of us. It is through us that Light and Love are brought into the darkness of the world.

Let us take this time in Advent to learn how to transform our inner lives so that we will consistently reflect what Jesus taught us about how to live. Let's prepare ourselves for our mission -- to bring God's Light into the world every day for the rest of our lives.

Blessings on your day!

The Source of Your Significance

I was sharing with a friend this week that I sometimes struggle with the feeling of being overlooked in life. It comes from some childhood experiences, but remains a consistent piece of my personality. I continue to recognize this feeling and work with it. My friend asked a question that stopped me in my tracks:

What is the source of your significance?

Rephrase. What reminds you that you're important in the world? What provides a gut-deep knowledge that you are significant?

My first reaction was, "Well, God is the source." But a moment later, I wasn't sure that was true. Yes, true out in the world, but perhaps not a truthful answer to this question of my significance and what is the source in reality. We often see ourselves as sources for change, pushing change into the world through our will and perseverance. Is that our significance, our personal contribution?

The darkness of this season may keep us a little closer to home, a little less eager to rush out and be a change agent. In the dark, no longer able to see clearly, we may be more ready to stop, to receive, to listen, to wait.  To focus on our Inner Light. To let silence and meditation bring forth an understanding of our true significance. In the dark, that Inner Light can smolder, refuel, recharge. When the longer days come, we'll be ready with a better comprehension of our purpose, a way forward.

May you find your way. Amen.