In his book, Desert Solitaire, Edward Abbey observes life in what was then Arches National Monument. He uncovers the immense spiritual matter that is revealed in the material life of the desert. Here is a description of the prickly pear flower and its irresistible attraction for the honey bee.

            I have yet to look into one and not find a honeybee or bumblebee wallowing drunkenly inside, powdered with pollen, glutting itself on what must be a marvelous nectar. You can’t get them out of there – they won’t go home. I’ve done my best to annoy them, poking and prodding with a stem of grass, but a bee in a cactus bloom will not be provoked. (Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey)

 The honeybee in the cactus flower is the position in which God wants us: to be so completely covered and infused with the love of God, to be so completely cradled and secure in God’s Spirit that we cannot be provoked, we cannot be annoyed.

 The work of prayer, of worship, of meditation is like that of the honeybee filling up on the nectar of God. When we fill up enough and frequently enough, we can be sustained through the poking and prodding of life’s varied circumstances. We will have the vigor to sustain our spirits through difficulty and trials.

I invite you to participate in one or more of the opportunities during the season of Lent to fill yourself up with the Spirit of God.

The picture below is full size. Please move the horizontal cursor to see a close up of the bees in the prickly pear flower and notice how they are covered in pollen.

The walk takes anywhere from 20-40 minutes. Please wear socks as shoes and barefeet are hard on the canvas. Quiet music is played during the period the labyrinth is open.

A “Share Event” is a great way to get introduced to Reiki and also for people with Reiki experience to get a tune up. We begin with a brief introduction followed by a Healing Prayer.  The rest of the time is spent in the practice of Reiki, giving and receiving for those who are interested. Wear comfortable clothes. Reiki is given through gentle touch or simply holding the hands over the body.

Come to the office entrance. We meet in the Conference Room. Questions? Call Julie Roberts-Fronk at the church, 622-1144.

Wanting spirituality without the trappings of church is like wanting democracy without the trappings of representative government. It’s like wanting an education without the trappings of a school or university. It’s like wanting the love and community of family without having to clean the toilet or take out the trash.

I understand that there are countless people who are turned off by “the church” for countless good reasons. What I don’t understand is how people can blithely believe they are providing the so-called spirituality people seek without any trappings. Recently I read on Disciples News Service a story about a couple, a minister and his wife, starting such a venture. He left a Disciple congregation feeling a call to a new kind of ministry. It’s called Pneu Project. Pneu is a Greek word for life, spirit and breath.

The main tenants of the project are:

• We exist to share Jesus with people who don’t go to church.
• We believe God deserves better. (followed by something about becoming the most creative, caring and effective organization….which means INFRASTRUCTURE; more about that later.)
• We believe everyone is included. . . No restrictions, no politics, period. (Okay, that is REALLY political. Everyone means gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgendered, etc. Everyone means Libertarian, Democrat, Republican.)

 Infrastructure: Without infrastructure, the trappings of church:

1. There would be no seminary where the pastor got his theological education
2. There would be no Committee on Ministry to insure he was “safe” to do ministry.
3. There would be no Pension Fund for him to have a secure retirement.
4. There would be no legal protection for him if ever accused of unethical/illegal actions.
5. There would be no accountability to be related to the whole body of Christ beyond the one circle of community.
6. There would be no accountability to actually be the body of Christ in a hurting world which does require Christians get up off our butts and do something about the poverty and hunger in the world. It’s not enough to feed the hungry; one must also ask WHY people are hungry. That, my friends is a political question. We cannot get off that hook so easily as to say, “Well, we’re just not going to be political.”

 I’m weary of the way criticisms are launched from catapults of casual arrogance with ammunition of vague generalities like, “trappings of church”. Yes, congregations have allowed committee structures to supersede ministry. There are also congregations whose committees are DOING ministry, getting things done for the sake of building the kingdom of God.

Yesterday I was reminded by the words of a colleague that one important part of infrastructure that helped our congregations stay in tune with Global Ministries has weakened over the years: Disciples Women. Congregations and the Global Ministries relied on this part of the body to keep the connection strong between missionaries and church partners around the world and the people in local congregations in the U.S. and Canada. Our collective effort to be a presence in the world is weaker because this “trapping of the church” no longer functions in more and more congregations. And nothing else is filling the vacuum in these congregations, ours included.

Other words for trappings include: accessories, trimmings, frills. I don’t know precisely what Pneu Project will look like, but I hope it will include the accessories of lay Elders and Diaconate, the trimmings of valued musicians who are paid for their time and creative efforts, the frills of a group of committed, visionary lay leaders with gifts of administration (yes, that’s a spiritual gift!) who will spend time meeting together to manage the often unexciting but necessary bits and pieces of community life.

FEMA came late and left early, but the presence that persists is the presence of the faith community. Our church, our denomination continues to send volunteers, money and other resources to the communities still trying to heal after Hurricane Katrina. Entire neighborhoods are still left abandoned with debris piled on the sidewalks, but people of faith continue to face the daunting task and do what they can to help clean up.

Week of Compassion made it possible for you and I to be present with resources from the moment recovery began. This offering provides emergency relief and development resources throughout the whole world. God has the whole world in God’s hands and we take to heart our call to care for all, not just for some.

Every February, the Week of Compassion offering is emphasized. Fortunately for the places where people are hurting, Week of Compassion lasts more than a week and more than a month. Week of Compassion makes it possible for us to provide a presence of healing and hope all year long to people in places we can’t otherwise reach.

The link below will take you to the list of places Week of Compassion has helped us have presence in the year 2011. I encourage you to click the link and simply scroll down. It is impressive and encouraging. It makes me grateful to be part of a company of disciples of Jesus, committed to bring God’s healing to the world, ready to respond to tragedy as it is happening. Jesus met people in their need; we are privileged to stand in his place.

http://www.weekofcompassion.org/2011-responses/

Practicing the Christian faith is indeed an outward expression of an inward reality, so how about that inward reality? Tending to the inward reality is also practicing the Christian faith. I am all for the outward expression, the actions that make Christ’s love more apparent in the world. I am also aware that a sporadic connection to the inward reality of our spirit and God’s Spirit leaves us more susceptible to the strains of doing.

Practicing the Christian faith includes tending your spirit. I continue to contend that quiet listening with God is critical to practicing our Christian faith. Being still to know God must precede all the doing, inform all the doing and even be part of the doing. Sometimes the most productive action we can take is to stop and do nothing. How can God inform and inspire us when we won’t stop long enough to be still and listen, just listen?

I dare you to stop what you are doing right now and listen for one minute. Say to God, “God, I’m listening.” and listen for a full minute. Go on now.

 The man answered, “I’m running to make a living.”

And the rabbi says to him, “How come you’re so sure that the living is in front of you and you have to run to catch it up. Maybe it’s behind you and you’ve got to stop and let it catch up with you.”

 I heard this story told by the chief rabbi of Great Britain, Lord Jonathan Sacks who went on to say, “Which bits of contemporary culture do we stop and let our blessings catch up with us? That is called the Sabbath which we all share: when we celebrate the things that are important, but not urgent.”

 Many of us live according to the tyranny of the urgent, whether it’s a deadline at work or an important appointment with a doctor. Regardless of our age or life circumstance all of us deal with the tyranny of the urgent. Our Sabbath is Sunday; a time to reflect on what is important in our life, individually and collectively in a way that doesn’t give in to what can be the oppressive tyranny of the urgent. Worship is our window of opportunity to breathe in the Spirit of God, to breathe with the Spirit of God, recalibrating our internal pace.

 Go ahead, breathe, anticipate Sabbath rest and let its blessing catch up with you.

            Conviction is not belief, but rather a profound inner knowing that supports us through times of challenge, a compassionate knowing that is steady and deep without being rigid or positional. The process of developing conviction is gradual and developmental. It happens invisibly as we practice consistently over time, and we cannot fast track it.

Christmas approaches and we may or we may not believe in actual angels and a virgin birth. What we SHARE is the conviction, the confidence that God’s eternity intersect our own time, repeatedly. What we SHARE is the conviction, the confidence that the Christ comes into the world over and over again, like the tidal forces of the ocean that cannot be stopped.

Deep down, we know that God is with us. We don’t need to be rigid about it or defend our position. Our position, our location is with God, in the fullness of time. We come to this position and fullness gradually over years of stretching our imagination into the imagination of God.

We are imagined by God as the image of God: imago Dei. We are God made flesh in our time so that Christ is born again and again in every generation, like tidal forces of the ocean that cannot be held back.

The love of God flows through your life and you are swept up in the great ocean current of God’s love made flesh with power. We SHARE this conviction, this confidence that we are invited by Christ to be the substance of God’s tidal forces of love and hope, peace and joy and we cannot be stopped.

Come to church with your slippers if you like, just come and help us adore the one who brings light and life to all.

Join with us in worship as we celebrate the coming of Christ into our world. Light refreshments are served afterwards.

Service begins at 8 p.m. and lasts approximately one hour.