Dear Urban Abbey Members and Friends:
Last week I listened to a lengthy unedited interview of Krista Tippett with the late Joe Carter, a celebrated performer, educator, and traveling humanitarian who took the Negro Spiritual to audiences around the world. It is a wonderful interview and gives a marvelous insight into the culture of the slaves: their roots, their spirituality, and their outlook on life.
One of the things that struck me most, though it wasn’t particularly articulated, was the way the people lived in the present moment. Their songs were the expression of the great pain and sorrow. But at the same time, they were always looking upward, always reaching. There was always some level of hope, always the glory hallelujah someplace saying, "Oh, and on that glory hallelujah, then we fly."
They lived life to its fullest and weren’t afraid of death. Some of the songs give a prescription for how to live and yet be ready when called home. Here are a couple that spoke to me.
Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus
I've got to steal away, steal away home
I ain't got long to stay here
Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus
I've got to steal away, steal away home
I ain't got long to stay here
My Lord He calls me, He calls me by the thunder
The trumpet sounds within my soul
I ain't got long to stay here
Green trees are bending, poor sinner stands atremblin'
The trumpet sounds within my soul
And I ain't, I ain't got long to stay, to stay here.
Let the work that I've done speak for me
Let the work that I've done speak for me
When I come to the end of this road
And I lay down this old heavy load
Let the work that I've done speak for me
Let the life that I've lived speak for me
Let the life that I've lived, Lord, speak for me
When I come to the end of this road
And I lay down this heavy load
Let the life that I've lived, oh, Lord, speak for me.
These remind me to keep my focus on the Lord: be open to God’s call, live unafraid, help those in need, show joy in my life. I’m reminded that my ultimate home is in Jesus and with God.
There are 11 of Joe Carter’s spirituals on the web site at http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2010/joe-carter/gallery.shtml. I encourage you to download them to your music library and listen to them when you need a lift.
I invite you to share your thoughts and insights to enrich our Community.
Shalom and blessings, George
Monday, August 29, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Take up Your Cross
Dear Abbey Members and Friends:
WOW! What a marvelous approach to the Love of God and what it means to be a follower.
I have to admint that when I'm confronted with the phrase, "Take up your cross", I'm drawn to the things that trouble or irritate me -- the annoying aunt, the neighbor who doesn't like me, illness or some disappointment in life.
As I read the words Steve has this day, I realize I am called to a joyful service, not a grudging one. This call is one I've heard before -- to take up my cross by opening myself to God's will. When I am able to be vulnerable, to yield my will to God's, to try and be as I percieve God's call, that is true joy. I experience a deep, soul-filling joy and closeness to God. To be sure that doesn't happen to me often, but it is something I strive for.
To me, Steve's words give an ideal I can work at -- be a channel for God's love and reconciliation, a listening presence for those who need to be heard, the hands of God that bring comfort and healing. Taking up this cross is not an easy task, but it is a joy-filled one.
What does Steve's meditation have for you? What call do you find in his words? I invite you to share your thoughts and enrich our Community.
Shalom and many blessings, George
_________________________________________
Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
If you want to become my followers, deny yourselves and take up your cross and follow me.” —Matthew 16.24
The aunt who annoys you is not your “cross to bear.”
The cross is not an annoyance, nor something thrust upon you.
It is your free, willing and unresentful choice to be gentle,
to be nonviolent for the sake of justice,
to be vulnerable for the sake of healing,
to open yourself to other people's suffering,
to enter into the shame of the world with the enormous grace of God.
To take up your cross is to enter into God's fierce longing for healing and justice,
even at your own loss,
confident that being wrapped in God's love,
even amidst the suffering of the world,
is heaven.
To take up your cross is to trust that God alone is our security and our power,
that grace is absolute and death is relative,
that the world can get along without us but not without our love,
that forgiveness is more powerful than force,
that love is stronger than fear,
more lasting than death,
more real than anything else.
To take up your cross is not to go alone,
but to follow the Humble One, the Trusting One, the Gentle One,
the one who already bears your cross, your sin, your suffering, your death,
who wants to bear your light, your blessing, your soul, in love.
To take up your cross is to die with Christ
and to rise with Christ into a new life that can't be killed,
in which you can suffer but not be hurt,
and die but not be dead,
in which you are truly alive,
because it is no longer you but God living in you—
wholly present and infinitely loving,
and deeply joyful.
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net
WOW! What a marvelous approach to the Love of God and what it means to be a follower.
I have to admint that when I'm confronted with the phrase, "Take up your cross", I'm drawn to the things that trouble or irritate me -- the annoying aunt, the neighbor who doesn't like me, illness or some disappointment in life.
As I read the words Steve has this day, I realize I am called to a joyful service, not a grudging one. This call is one I've heard before -- to take up my cross by opening myself to God's will. When I am able to be vulnerable, to yield my will to God's, to try and be as I percieve God's call, that is true joy. I experience a deep, soul-filling joy and closeness to God. To be sure that doesn't happen to me often, but it is something I strive for.
To me, Steve's words give an ideal I can work at -- be a channel for God's love and reconciliation, a listening presence for those who need to be heard, the hands of God that bring comfort and healing. Taking up this cross is not an easy task, but it is a joy-filled one.
What does Steve's meditation have for you? What call do you find in his words? I invite you to share your thoughts and enrich our Community.
Shalom and many blessings, George
_________________________________________
Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
If you want to become my followers, deny yourselves and take up your cross and follow me.” —Matthew 16.24
The aunt who annoys you is not your “cross to bear.”
The cross is not an annoyance, nor something thrust upon you.
It is your free, willing and unresentful choice to be gentle,
to be nonviolent for the sake of justice,
to be vulnerable for the sake of healing,
to open yourself to other people's suffering,
to enter into the shame of the world with the enormous grace of God.
To take up your cross is to enter into God's fierce longing for healing and justice,
even at your own loss,
confident that being wrapped in God's love,
even amidst the suffering of the world,
is heaven.
To take up your cross is to trust that God alone is our security and our power,
that grace is absolute and death is relative,
that the world can get along without us but not without our love,
that forgiveness is more powerful than force,
that love is stronger than fear,
more lasting than death,
more real than anything else.
To take up your cross is not to go alone,
but to follow the Humble One, the Trusting One, the Gentle One,
the one who already bears your cross, your sin, your suffering, your death,
who wants to bear your light, your blessing, your soul, in love.
To take up your cross is to die with Christ
and to rise with Christ into a new life that can't be killed,
in which you can suffer but not be hurt,
and die but not be dead,
in which you are truly alive,
because it is no longer you but God living in you—
wholly present and infinitely loving,
and deeply joyful.
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net
Friday, August 19, 2011
A Living Sacrifice
Dear Urban Abbey Members and Friends:
Steve Garnaas-Holmes has returned from vacation and has provided another wonderfully evocative poem on the scripture verse below.
For me, his poem is a call to live fully in the present moment, each moment as I experience it. It is also a call for me to remember that God is in each of those moments holding an outstreched hand to pull me up if I stumble, to embrace me if I need comfort, to touch my cheek and offer acceptance with my 'warts' and all. God's only request, not at all a demand, is that I turn my will to God, open myself to the Spirit's call. God can then take me and make me an instrument of God's love, a reconciling, healing, and comforting presence to others.
I invite you to ponder Steve's poem and share with the Community what you find in it.
Shalom and many blessings, George
____________________________________
Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. — Romans 12. 1-2
God of mercy, source of love, I give you myself today.
My desires, my treasures, I lay before you,
until they are transformed into your desires,
the yearnings of life, the energy of blessing that is you,
that is within me.
The desires of the world, and its expectation that I conform,
I renounce, that I may be transformed into the body of your love.
May all I do today be a living sacrifice, a gift to you of who I am,
consumed and changed in the fire of your grace.
God of mercy, source of love,
each moment I lay myself on the altar of the world.
Take me.
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
http://www.unfoldinglight.net/
Steve Garnaas-Holmes has returned from vacation and has provided another wonderfully evocative poem on the scripture verse below.
For me, his poem is a call to live fully in the present moment, each moment as I experience it. It is also a call for me to remember that God is in each of those moments holding an outstreched hand to pull me up if I stumble, to embrace me if I need comfort, to touch my cheek and offer acceptance with my 'warts' and all. God's only request, not at all a demand, is that I turn my will to God, open myself to the Spirit's call. God can then take me and make me an instrument of God's love, a reconciling, healing, and comforting presence to others.
I invite you to ponder Steve's poem and share with the Community what you find in it.
Shalom and many blessings, George
____________________________________
Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. — Romans 12. 1-2
God of mercy, source of love, I give you myself today.
My desires, my treasures, I lay before you,
until they are transformed into your desires,
the yearnings of life, the energy of blessing that is you,
that is within me.
The desires of the world, and its expectation that I conform,
I renounce, that I may be transformed into the body of your love.
May all I do today be a living sacrifice, a gift to you of who I am,
consumed and changed in the fire of your grace.
God of mercy, source of love,
each moment I lay myself on the altar of the world.
Take me.
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
http://www.unfoldinglight.net/
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Love
Dear Urban Abbey Members and Friends:
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve listened to two of Krista Tippet’s On Being podcasts. There were a couple of thoughts that grabbed my attention that I want to share with you.
The first was from an interview with Elizabeth Alexander called Words that Shimmer. A portion of the conversation centered on the word, Love, and how it can exist along with adversity. One of the questions asked was, “What if the mightiest word is love?” In the context of adversity and the difficulties we all experience in life, I believe love is mighty. Love calls us not just in those happy or romantic occasions; but, love also has a grave side to it. We are called to love in the face of disappointment, grief, and adversity. I know in my own life and family there are disappointments. Love doesn’t preempt that disappointment or grief. Love is the enduring power that helps me to get past that grief. When we say we love on a broader, or National, level, Love calls up deep responsibilities. Love calls us to live with different opinions and values, while not relinquishing our own. Love calls us to listen to others and try to understand where they are coming from. Loving in this way is not an easy task; it demands much of us.
The second was from an interview with Frances Kissling called Listening Beyond Life and Choice. The conversation was around the abortion issue, but what I took from it was related to the thoughts from the interview with Elizabeth Alexander. Frances in one sense also spoke to the deep responsibilities involved in loving others. If we look at polarizing issues like abortion, there is probably no room for common ground with those who have very strong and deep convictions on an issue. But Love calls us to forget (at least for a time) the pressure to come to agreement or common ground, and to listen and try to understand where the other person is coming from. If we can do this, we humanize (rather than demonize) the other person. Listening to the other, even on less polarizing issues, may not change them, but it will change us. I know that in my own life, my views have changed a great deal from those I held as a younger person. That change comes from listening and trying to understand. While I still have many beliefs that I cannot abandon, I can live with those who have differing beliefs or opinions. We can then work to find the common ground, the higher truth that we can both support while retaining our differences.
I invite your thoughts and comments to continue the dialogue. If you’re interested in the specific On Being programs I referenced above, you can find them at http://being.publicradio.org/programs/index.shtml
Shalom and many blessings, George
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve listened to two of Krista Tippet’s On Being podcasts. There were a couple of thoughts that grabbed my attention that I want to share with you.
The first was from an interview with Elizabeth Alexander called Words that Shimmer. A portion of the conversation centered on the word, Love, and how it can exist along with adversity. One of the questions asked was, “What if the mightiest word is love?” In the context of adversity and the difficulties we all experience in life, I believe love is mighty. Love calls us not just in those happy or romantic occasions; but, love also has a grave side to it. We are called to love in the face of disappointment, grief, and adversity. I know in my own life and family there are disappointments. Love doesn’t preempt that disappointment or grief. Love is the enduring power that helps me to get past that grief. When we say we love on a broader, or National, level, Love calls up deep responsibilities. Love calls us to live with different opinions and values, while not relinquishing our own. Love calls us to listen to others and try to understand where they are coming from. Loving in this way is not an easy task; it demands much of us.
The second was from an interview with Frances Kissling called Listening Beyond Life and Choice. The conversation was around the abortion issue, but what I took from it was related to the thoughts from the interview with Elizabeth Alexander. Frances in one sense also spoke to the deep responsibilities involved in loving others. If we look at polarizing issues like abortion, there is probably no room for common ground with those who have very strong and deep convictions on an issue. But Love calls us to forget (at least for a time) the pressure to come to agreement or common ground, and to listen and try to understand where the other person is coming from. If we can do this, we humanize (rather than demonize) the other person. Listening to the other, even on less polarizing issues, may not change them, but it will change us. I know that in my own life, my views have changed a great deal from those I held as a younger person. That change comes from listening and trying to understand. While I still have many beliefs that I cannot abandon, I can live with those who have differing beliefs or opinions. We can then work to find the common ground, the higher truth that we can both support while retaining our differences.
I invite your thoughts and comments to continue the dialogue. If you’re interested in the specific On Being programs I referenced above, you can find them at http://being.publicradio.org/programs/index.shtml
Shalom and many blessings, George
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