tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239025572024-03-14T01:30:14.921-07:00Marginal ThoughtsAn attempt to reconstruct the world with God at the center...Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.comBlogger260125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-43768468635849974392012-09-02T14:42:00.001-07:002012-09-08T21:45:11.608-07:00Maine Day 7: Penobscot and Moose PointDay 7 found us on our way out of Acadia and back down south... the first leg of our long journey's home. We had learned a bit on this trip, deciding to take a more direct route home that allowed us time for just a few more restful stops along the way.
We had seen the Penobscot Narrows Bridge on our way into Acadia. A quick stop before crossing. Suddenly taken in by the beauty of the bridge. Cathy pulling out her camera, rolling down the window, and trying to capture the effect. Luckily there was only one car behind us at the time as we inched across the bridge! On the way back, we turned off before crossing to take a few more scenic pictures...
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To be honest, whenever I hear the word "Penobscot," I immediately think of the television show MASH. Major Houlihan was, of course, married to Donald Penobscot, most likely of the Maine Penobscots... quite an upper crust family, if I remember correctly! Which reminds me of evenings sitting around the coffee table in the family room eating dinner and watching television with the family... for some reason MASH and Hogan's Heroes are what I remember best. Mixed memories... a love of television and classic tv, shared family experiences, time with Dad combined with memories of passive meals spent watching rather than talking or sharing together. I suppose most memories are mixed... even this vacation will have mixed memories associated with it. There are very few moments in life that are pure joy... or pure sorrow. I realize that with travel and vacation I am so much more likely to filter out the bad, to just remember the good. I don't think it is a false way of remembering, unless of course you completely romanticize the experience! I think sometimes it is a choice, a choice to see the good, to see the positive, to see what built one up rather than pulled one down.
If only I could apply my travel filter to the rest of my life... to my childhood, my family, my years in junior and senior high... To see the gifts in each moment rather than focusing on what was missed or lost.
Of course, we couldn't complete the drive home without stopping at at least one park to do a bit of rock hopping along the shore. Moose Point (no moose, unfortunately) was a quiet little park with amazing rocks along the shore that looked like petrified wood.
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An amazingly friendly park employee kept us entertained with his stories and background. He loved what he did and his joy was contagious. Do I ever talk about my work like that? What a privilege to work... what a privilege to love what one does...
And then... the long drive home. Well, home to my parents for one more night of looking at pictures, blogging, and relaxing in front the television... yes, some things never change in my family! But now they are a joy, shared interests with extended family that keep us connected through the generations.
And one last stop... a coffee roasting factory just a few miles from my parents called Carpe Diem. Fair Trade. Locally processed. We walked in and found a stack of coffee bean burlap sacks stacked on the floor by the door. We asked how much they cost and the woman behind the counter looked at us as if we were crazy! They were trying to get rid of them... would we be willing to take some??? One persons trash is, as always, another persons treasure... and so we found one's with the names of our favorite countries: Peru, Costa Rica, Kenya... one more item to drag home.
Is it strange that something not at all connected with Maine or Acadia may be one of my favorite finds along the journey? As always, it is the unexpected that often brings me the most joy... so why do I keep trying to plan to much! O Lord, help me to continue to make space for the serendipitous moments you bring into our lives. Give me the eyes to see!
Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-79843244620957565892012-08-26T15:14:00.001-07:002012-09-02T14:11:26.192-07:00Maine 6: The Quiet SideOn our last full day in Acadia, we headed to the quiet side of the island... out to Southwest Harbor and the Bass Harbor Lighthouse.
Southwest Harbor was a cute town with an art fair going on outside the town visitor center. The main street was full of shops and small restaurants. Off the main street, down a small winding road, past some beautiful old mansions that are bed and breakfasts, we pulled up to a dock near the US Coast Guard Station.
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The docks and pier were open to the public. There were families fishing off the end of one of the piers. There were lobster boats docked and the dinghys that they used to go back and forth from shore. There were lobster traps stored on floats out on the water. Plastic bins floating alongside the dock filled with live lobster. A great place for photos... I wish I had better shots from that morning!
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I imagine it is strange for lobster fisherman to have us running around taking pictures of their work. Imagine someone walking into your office and taking pictures of your desk, your phone, your stapler. Taking pictures of you typing or talking on the phone. I know that a part of me romanticizes lobster fishing, but I know it is hard labor. I know it requires risk and tenacity and faith in the sea. And that at times it doesn't pay an awful lot.
I wonder why we are so prone to do that. To romanticize the ordinary in the life of those who are other, those who are different than us. The good part is that we do sometimes see the beauty in what has become ordinary to others. The bad part is that we pretend things are beautiful as a way to avoid the harsh realities of another person's life.
After we left the lobstermen/women to themselves, we headed farther around the point. We were looking for tidepools, but the tide was not quite low enough and it was rainy and misty. The rocks were slippery. I suppose after such beautiful sights the last few days, were ready to pass a few by. We did, however, stop at Bass Harbor Lighthouse.
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Just a word of advice, from the parking lot, as you face the water, don't take the main path to the right down to the light. Head left, on the path that heads into the woods and then sends you down a set of steps to the rocks below. I much better view!
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We finished the day by heading into Bar Harbor... the hub of Acadia. Full of tourists shops. The streets are just so crowded! Cruise ships parked at the wharf. Restaurants. Some cute buildings, but so hard to appreciate after the majesty of the coast. We did hang out at a tiny coffee shop for an hour or so, just relaxing, writing, looking at photos. Then decided to pick up some dinner and take back to our room. We found a little pizza/pasta place just off the main drag that Cathy claims had the best blueberry? pie that she had ever tasted!
To be honest, I am glad we didn't stay in Bar Harbor... I wish we had been in a bit more picturesque inn, but glad for the peace and quiet which went so well with our experience of Arcadia.
Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-8196204429252480772012-08-21T20:34:00.000-07:002012-09-02T14:11:10.928-07:00Maine Day 5: Cadillac MountainAfter a long day on the Schoodic Peninsula, we were headed back to our room for the evening when suddenly, for the first time since arriving in Acadia, the clouds began to clear and the sun came up. We could hardly believe it! And we seized the moment deciding to head up to the top of Cadillac Mountain, the highest point in Acadia. Of course we stopped at the local gas station/pizza place on the way up. Honestly, I was surprised that no one else had dinner with them! It was a beautiful evening and what a great location for a picnic... Okay, no picnic tables or garbage cans... not really anywhere to sit... but that didn't stop us from settling down on some of the rocks to enjoy the sunset.
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What a beautiful view... from a rocky mountaintop... out over the islands and oceans that were wrapped in fog. It made me miss the Bay Area... Berkeley was such a great place to watch the fog rolling in over the Golden Gate Bridge and across the bay. Driving into San Francisco from Marin on foggy days was a magical experience as the fingers of fog reached down from the tops of the hills and over the highway. And you never knew what view would await you as you exited the final tunnel leading into the city and the bridge and panorama of the city opened up before you.
I love unexpected moments like that evening on Cadillac Mountain. Totally unplanned. No expectations. Just a serendipitous gift. I wish I had more space in my life for those. And that I took more opportunities to enjoy them. It seems that most of my favorite moments in travel have occurred unexpectedly. So why do I try so hard to plan them? Why can't I just let God unfold the surprises of the day? And trust that in God's creation there will be miracles and wonders and beauty?
To top off our evening on Cadillac Mountain... a Scottish bagpiper showed up as the sun was setting and began playing for the crowd. Singing the sun down beyond the horizon. That beautiful, eerie music drawn from a heritage that was so tied to the earth and nature. So fitting... a little benediction to the evening. And as the music played, silent prayers of praise were lifted up all around.
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Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-74630011814312321232012-08-20T20:22:00.001-07:002012-08-20T20:22:28.609-07:00Maine Day 5: The Schoodic PeninsulaIt would have been enough to spend three days exploring the main park at Acadia. There was so much to see and it is one of those places where you can just hike and wander and climb and explore for days. But, of course, I love to get off the beaten track. While Cathy and I were looking for places to stay, we had come upon information about the Schoodic Peninsula, just 45 minutes from the main park. And it did not disappoint!
It began as quite an adventure. Google Maps, taking the direct route, had us winding down a small road that turned into a gravel road that turned into a dirt road through the middle of some sort of quarry. Not sure we were really supposed to be there, but it was quite on a Saturday morning, and I didn't feel like backtracking and finding the long way around... so through the quarry we went. A short cut to the Schoodic Peninsula.
We were hoping to hit the Lobster Festival at Winter Harbor on the way, but poor planning on our part and poor weather on God's part made that a very unproductive side trip. Except, of course, the Winter Harbor Visitor Center. Beautiful. Fairly inexpensive sandwiches, salads, and coffee. Free wifi. And a great view of the water.
So, on we went out to the Peninsula. It seemed that with each bend in the road, we would come upon another beautiful vista and move farther away from civilization. Each stop was a new beach, each unique, each stunning and so interesting! I have heard of sand beaches and rock beaches... but never a beach that was covered entirely with shells! Okay, there were some rocks and a lot of seaweed...
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A beautiful beach off in the distance... the sound of two loons calling to each other. A family fishing off the pier. A few picnickers on the shore.
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The next stop was a true rock beach... not pebbles and not boulders... baseball sized rocks... of course in a cove between larger boulders... with a view of our first lighthouse off in the distance.
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And then out to the point. The one place that was slightly crowded on the whole peninsula. As with most of Acadia, it seemed as if rocks had just erupted from the ocean, pushed up from the sea floor, and formed this beautiful barren coastline.
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The mist and the wind were perfect on this day... waves crashing. I realize they were probably minimal compared to what might occur during a storm. I would love to be there on a stormy day! I don't know what draws me to the coast on storming days. I love the power and the beauty. I would much rather go to the beach during a storm than on a sunny day. Something about sitting in silence just listening, feeling, sensing...
On the way back we passed a misty cove with a single lobster boat docked in the middle. A bit farther up was the boat house at Wonsqueak Harbor, stacks of lobster traps on the shore. A beautiful final scene on our way out of Schoodic.
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There is more to the day... if you can believe it. A surprise at sunset, but that will need to come in another post.
Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-84314785104961295252012-08-16T16:29:00.000-07:002012-08-16T16:29:53.750-07:00Maine Day 4: AcadiaFinally, after the long and winding road up the coast, Day 4 of vacation found us in Acadia National Park. Amazing. Beautiful. And, for our trip, very misty. Grey days with the fog rolling in and hovering over the ocean, winding its way up the mountains, over the islands, and onto the shore.
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We had tried not to overplan for the day. Just a drive around the main loop in Acadia with a stop at the four major sights: Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Jordan Pond, and Cadillac Mountain. We received excellent guidance from the two women who ran the visitor center just outside the park... (Just a word of advice, stop at the smaller center outside the park rather than the main center. Much less crowded and excellent help!)
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As it turns out, we did overplan... but luckily two of the sights were not really worth seeing that particular day. Thunder Hole was but a whisper with no waves to be seen thundering into the cave. And Cadillac Mountain was shrouded in mist. No view at all. Which makes it all the more fortuitous that we began our exploration of Acadia off the beaten path. We stopped at a pull out wondering what all the fuss was about. As we walked down the path towards the water, we were told to check out the cave.
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Anenomie Cave it was called. We scrambled over slick rocks, slipping and sliding, trying to keep from dropping our cameras, to find a series of tide pools filled with wonders! (Well, wonders to someone who once dreamed of being an oceanographer!) Starfish. Snails. A few anenomies. Seaweed that seemed to glow in the dark. Beautiful. And a young girl, her mother, and father, a former oceanographer, to share in the wonder.
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It was near the cave that we got our first view of a working lobster boat... off the coast, in the midst, with a real lobster woman!
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We could have... and probably should have spent more time here. It was a great spot for taking pictures, scrambling on rocks, exploring tide pools...
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But we did eventually make our way around to the famous Jordan Pond for popovers and chili... sitting out on the lawn overlooking the lake.
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In between, we stopped at Sand Beach and built our own little rock tower, an ebenezer or sorts. I need to do more of that in my life. Stop along the way to build ebenezers, markers of those moments when you experience God's presence. I tend to pass by them so quickly. Failing to mark them. And in doing so, they pass so quickly from my memory. May I learn to do that in my life... take more time to mark God's presence.
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Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-91650978479383725972012-08-14T08:01:00.001-07:002012-08-14T08:02:28.722-07:00Maine Day 3: The Long WayDay 3 found us taking the long and winding road up Rte 1 from Wells to Trenton. We got a late start in the morning... it was vacation after all! And had to make a few stops as we headed out... gas, a few items we still needed for the trip. And, of course, Freeport, was on the way. But neither Cathy or I were here to shop... at least not for long.
Our plan was to stop at Bowdoin College, Cathy's alma mater, and then quickly head up the coast to a few small towns in the north, Castine and Blue Hill. Bowdoin had some beautiful buildings and it was great to hear stories from Cathy's college days. Go Polar Bears!
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Perhaps my favorite part was when two security guards saw us wandering around the chapel taking pictures and offered to let us in...
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And then... we started up Route 1. We wound through great little towns, saw some wonderful views, pointed out landmarks that people had told us to look for along the way, but didn't stop. We had a destination to get to. But as we drove, the time seemed to fly by... and the next thing we knew, it was already 5:30 pm and we felt like we were nowhere near the inn we were staying in. Panic set in. Would we get there on time? Would be able to find it in the dark? We ended up skipping our planned stops and booking it to Trenton.
I am not sure what the lesson is hear. Should we have stopped earlier on the trip and simply enjoyed ourselves, not worrying about when we would arrive? Should we have planned ahead more to make sure we reached our destinations in time? The one thing I do know... our expectations got in the way of our enjoyment. Expecting the trip to go faster (thank you very much, google maps... for making us think it would take just a few hours!) Expecting great iconic small fishing towns with great photo ops. Expecting a drive along the coast to be relaxing. Expecting ourselves to be much more together before we left for the drive.
I've struggled with expectations in life in general. Especially my expectations about what God has for me in life. Especially those promise that God seems to be holding out there for me. Promises that cause me to look ahead rather than enjoying the moment. It would be easy to say that I should let go of those "false" promises and simply enjoy what God has for me each day... but what if those promises really are from God?
I imagine Israel struggled with many of the same feelings as they wandered through the wilderness making their way to the Promised Land. They lost sight of God providing for them along the way. They lost sight of God's promises for them. They became myopic in view, neither farsighted nor nearsighted... just focused on what was lacking.
May I learn to somehow remain both farsighted and nearsighted in my life... continuing to cling to God's promises (even if the answer is a generation away!) while recognizing God's presence every moment of every day.
Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-23248672173278184842012-08-12T17:42:00.001-07:002012-08-12T17:42:33.122-07:00Maine Day 2: Walking on the MarginsDay two in Maine found us waking up to my Mom's fantastic breakfasts... a dutch baby (actually a puffed pastry pie... not a little child from the Netherlands!) with apples and blueberries. She is a great host and I wish I had inherited some of her love of cooking (and good food... and gardening... and her energy... and a few other things!).
Then began the first of many changed plans on this trip. Three options for the day that we eventually widdled down to two... trying to be more realistic about time. Eventually widdled down to one, because we were still being unrealistic. But, it was not the one we originally intended to see. We actually began our day at the beautiful Laudholm Farms in Wells, ME. An old barn and farmhouse. Rolling meadows. A hike through the meadows and woods to a long sandy beach.
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But... after standing at the overlook, gazing out at this view for about 5 minutes, I looked over at Cathy and saw a mosquito. Well, not one mosquito, but several. Not just on Cathy, but on me as well. We swatted a few away, tried to keep going, but it was useless. We finally turned around and went to plan b. A wise choice considering I still woke up from all the itching two night later!)
Plan B was a walk along the Marginal Way. One of my favorite places in Southern Maine. A paved path along the edge of the cliffs in Ogunquit. There are benches along the way to sit and contemplate the view. Rocky beaches to climb down to. Just amazing.
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The way ends at a pier filled with little shops, cafes, and a pier where tour boats, sailboats, and lobster boats dock.
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Cathy and I have struggled throughout the trip with plans that did not work out... a thundering hole that barely whispered, days full of mist and rain, a drive in which we bypassed great little towns in order to reach towns further up the road... only to arrive too late to actually stop. Missed opportunities. Unmet expectations. Too much to do and too little time... sounds more like day to day life for each of us than a vacation. It left us grumpy and complaining, stressed rather than relaxing.
I am not sure how we missed God speaking to us early in the trip... telling us to relax, enjoy Plan B. At least that is how I see it now looking back. On our first Plan B, walking the marginal way, we came upon three small stone towers built upon the beach. In the Old Testament, people often erected towers of rocks as a sign of praise to God, marking a spot where God had been particularly present. We were a bit enamored by these three towers. Then my mom, who was up ahead a bit, said, "Just wait until to you round the corner..." An amazing scene. An entire rocky beach covered with towers.
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I realize this may have not been the original intention of the builders, but we experienced them as a gift from God. And I see them now as a sign. God is present in Plan B. Why can't I just see that? In fact, sometimes Plan B is exactly where God wants us... walking not along Main Street, but along the marginal way. May I learn not to look at the missed opportunities and unmet expectations in life and instead look for the signs of God's presence, the rock monuments along the marginal ways.
Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-9284359070644875972012-08-11T06:15:00.001-07:002012-08-11T06:15:17.430-07:00Arriving in MaineOn Tuesday, my friend, Cathy, and I flew from our two respective cities and landed at Logan International Airport in Boston where my Mom and step-dad arrived to pick us up. Four people, from three different states all arriving in Boston within fifteen minutes of each other! Amazing! And worlds colliding...
My parents have heard about Cathy for years, seen our travel photos, read our blogs, but have never actually met her. It is strange getting older and realizing that our parents only know about the intricate details of our lives indirectly. And even a bit disconcerting for one like me who has moved around so much. To realize that there is noone who really holds the continuity of my history. Noone who has walked with me through all the places I have been, through most of the experiences I have lived. My history is a patchwork quilt scattered across the country, and the world even... I suppose it makes the knowledge that God has known each of us since before we were born... and will walk with us throughout our lives both on earth and in heaven even more amazing. In a world where we are only partially known, in God we are fully known. Scary, overwhelming, comforting, and deeply moving.
So, imagine the contrast of walking into my parents old farmhouse build in the 1700's, taking a stroll to a historic home on the water just a mile or so down the road, and visiting my mom's church, the first major institution in town and the center of a community that sprang up here over 300 years ago.
Historic Hamilton House
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View from Hamilton
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The Federated Church in South Berwick
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9L6pVesbtwt3d76usnUvVpt7kPpkm4N5rpVTw9yRnXq2YCKEWvAe0fTCx42iC_UFPGM-crB6UBKPsCt-l4XPQz7ZU7by7tqJeHLdRn4gdAhjWo1e4SRSM9U5ElrH-nm_xsX9ZxA/s1600/IMG_1079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="256" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9L6pVesbtwt3d76usnUvVpt7kPpkm4N5rpVTw9yRnXq2YCKEWvAe0fTCx42iC_UFPGM-crB6UBKPsCt-l4XPQz7ZU7by7tqJeHLdRn4gdAhjWo1e4SRSM9U5ElrH-nm_xsX9ZxA/s320/IMG_1079.JPG" /></a></div>Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-89679030832697687772011-12-25T18:20:00.000-08:002011-12-25T20:02:02.211-08:00A Not So Silent Night<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFdaDoMiqPV25O6aXJtD8iIpnxJg9sUux4sV8lDSuv-kwUSRBI6cDjFPAnm6hShl5pVMPt0d0X8tqTM1497iUzCBNJaSzU6XjNC5NbjJYWKylh3q-8-zkIPuqpX3CRCOZJweEXQ/s1600/IMAG0087.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFdaDoMiqPV25O6aXJtD8iIpnxJg9sUux4sV8lDSuv-kwUSRBI6cDjFPAnm6hShl5pVMPt0d0X8tqTM1497iUzCBNJaSzU6XjNC5NbjJYWKylh3q-8-zkIPuqpX3CRCOZJweEXQ/s400/IMAG0087.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690279031966615682" /></a><br /><br /><br />Merry Christmas! I'm sorry I missed yesterday's posting, but our Christmas Eve service and Christmas Day preparations sort of snuck up on me. I have to say that I am very grateful that I have a church that allows me to make adjustments on the fly during a service... and so, when the pastor forgets a detail or two, like asking someone to take the offering, she can just call on someone from the front and they step in.<br /><br />We end this advent season with a photo similar to the one from my first reflection... focusing on the baby in the manger. We ended our Christmas Eve service with the song "Silent Night," but for some reason it seems to me that the evening was anything but silent. A young girl's screams as she gives birth to her first born child. The cry of Jesus' first breath in this world as a human being. Joseph rushing about. The animals restless. A band of rowdy angels shouting "Glory to God in the Highest" right outside of town. A group of shepherds showing up unexpectedly... I just can't imagine them arriving quietly, these hard working people making their way in from tending their flocks to take a peak at this new baby. <br /><br />We often imagine God in the silence. It is quite a biblical image. God coming not in the roar of thunder or the crash of lightning, but in the still small whisper. We focus many of our spiritual practices on reaching that place of quiet and solitude where we can hear God's still small voice. But I wonder if sometimes in our desire to seek quiet and solitude we miss out on the presence of God in the midst of the ordinary noise and chaos of the day. <br /><br />God was just as present as Mary cried out in labor as God was in the quiet that followed. God was just as present as the heavy footsteps of the shepherds arrived as God was in the few moments of peace right after Christ's birth. God was just as present in the triumphal singing of the angels as God was in the stillness of Mary's heart pondering it all.<br /><br />As we go forth in this Christmas season, may we seek to see God not just in the silence and the solitude, but in the chaos and noise of our lives. May we have eyes to see when God is speaking in the midst of our ordinary every day living and breathing. May we recognize God's presence... not just in some distant silent place or deep within us, but right there on the surface. God with us. Immanuel.Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-60870740488822117732011-12-23T20:46:00.000-08:002011-12-23T21:19:33.501-08:00No Room<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuQnfvwnWVmduvH1iE7dHou751hlVKxwq6PZ_KvzNfUXTu6IS0-xF2hGNAOFqseWW9PAm7w_Pcb38sh9lWOUgWqz6jFPFN7TRI6zkqEM47qQivXKMq2LdioBk9qU-mod-c5saaQ/s1600/DSCN7440.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuQnfvwnWVmduvH1iE7dHou751hlVKxwq6PZ_KvzNfUXTu6IS0-xF2hGNAOFqseWW9PAm7w_Pcb38sh9lWOUgWqz6jFPFN7TRI6zkqEM47qQivXKMq2LdioBk9qU-mod-c5saaQ/s400/DSCN7440.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689552096610333410" /></a><br /><br />"and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:7<br /><br />I spent a few hours this afternoon at the homeless warming center that my church hosts on Fridays. We sat around and watched movies, ate popcorn, played checkers, and talked about sports and travels. <br /><br />One of the men asked again if we had work for him. Which we don't. He has been looking for months. <br />One of the women showed me a final notice for the storage space she left all her belongings in back home in Georgia before coming up here to look for work. It goes up for auction in a few weeks. <br />Another is hoping to get into an apartment soon, but he doesn't have proper id yet and with his criminal record he is finding it difficult to get work.<br />Many speak of family they left behind, or who left them behind... the pain caused by one or the other was too much.<br /><br />I realize that things are much more complicated than they appear on the surface, but still... I wonder about a world that leaves so many people out in the cold. Where addiction and mental illness can leave one alone and homeless for weeks, months, or even years. Where one can lose a job and then lose everything because there are no more to be found. <br /><br />I wonder about Mary and Joseph... ending up alone in a barn to give birth to their firstborn. Forced by the government to travel to Bethlehem for a census. Didn't Joseph have relatives who also had to go to Bethlehem? Couldn't they have helped him find a place to stay? Welcomed them in when they arrived? Looked out for a young girl who was 9 months pregnant making a difficult journey?<br /><br />And Mary's family... was there no one to travel with them? Where was her mother? An aunt or a sister? Did they have to leave her on her own?<br /><br />Mary and Joseph, it seems to me, were alone and without resources when Jesus was born. The first sign that this Messiah was one who would walk with those on the margins, reaching out to the poor and working class, the homeless and the alone. His first visitors a group of scruffy shepherds making their way in from the fields. The second a group of foreign dignitaries, not even Jewish!<br /><br />May our eyes be opened up to those who are left in the cold this Christmas season. To those who are without work or without family. To those who are living far from home. To those to whom the world says, "there is no room for you at the inn."Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-85151848013200374522011-12-22T19:01:00.000-08:002011-12-22T19:16:18.949-08:00Songs of Justice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoJAxIVMH8k_E4zpQM-Y-DHkHvdf0VhcMihvm0zlfKCGkNqPtLTdaCDhRGGZu7VlhPoHHkPrCJxe37Y-a7FAnX9aQ9VdqiJST7njCs2pq9tAc2FgiCp4aMxp6c4XeaSNxLrGVmA/s1600/DSCN7435.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoJAxIVMH8k_E4zpQM-Y-DHkHvdf0VhcMihvm0zlfKCGkNqPtLTdaCDhRGGZu7VlhPoHHkPrCJxe37Y-a7FAnX9aQ9VdqiJST7njCs2pq9tAc2FgiCp4aMxp6c4XeaSNxLrGVmA/s400/DSCN7435.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689153950246062450" /></a><br /><br />I remember first learning "Where Justice Rolls Down" at CHiC (our denominational triennial youth conference) quite a few years ago. Perhaps what I remember most vividly is thousands of teenagers jumping up and down singing at the top of their lungs about a longing for God's justice in this world. I wonder how many of us really understood what we were singing about?<br /><br />I didn't realize at the time how unique that song was. But now, after trying to choose contemporary music for worship services over the last year and a half, I recognize how rare it is for contemporary musicians to write about justice. Or several other key theological ideas, for that matter. We've tried to find songs about our ecclesiology, about how we relate to one another as Christians, about forgiveness of other people not just asking God to make us "whiter than the snow." If I had been choosing hymns, I'm not sure I would have found many more justice oriented songs and while there are few more about the church, there still seems to be vast areas that are missing.<br /><br />What caused this particular shape to our musical vocabulary? When did we move so far away from scripture? From the full scope of the Psalms? From the songs of Miriam and of Mary? <br /><br />Mary, after the tremendous greeting she received from Elizabeth and the baby, John, in her womb, after the affirmation that God is at work in her own pregnancy, breaks forth in worship... a song that sings of God's might and justice.<br /><br />"My soul glorifies the Lord and my Spirit rejoices in God my Savior... He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but the sent the rich away empty." (Luke 1:46b, 47, 52-53)<br /><br />May our songs of worship reflect the full breadth of God's character and our life together as Christians. Cries for justice. Laments for our sin. Pleas for grace and mercy. Praise and thanksgiving. What it is to be the church and the people of God... especially as we draw close to Christmas... in Mary's honor.Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-35020527272211045782011-12-21T19:23:00.000-08:002011-12-21T19:46:58.382-08:00More Leaping Needed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUnZmrGxaPgSOuv2klP2m0R2JxQ3iuxlwvufiD7q4xHCed35C0DPuKYfsOqKu3mL-1zMh3n17TemNLYyuU8oeq2VTdRiq-k2eeD7ia-FQo4SnaNHedrTrQ-w7SbhOt6d8VkicQA/s1600/DSCN7433.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUnZmrGxaPgSOuv2klP2m0R2JxQ3iuxlwvufiD7q4xHCed35C0DPuKYfsOqKu3mL-1zMh3n17TemNLYyuU8oeq2VTdRiq-k2eeD7ia-FQo4SnaNHedrTrQ-w7SbhOt6d8VkicQA/s400/DSCN7433.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688793852773226370" /></a><br />Okay... I realize it may not look like it... but really... it is a jump. It is supposed to be a leap, but I live in a small flat and my back has been bothering me and I am actually quite reserved about such things, so even a jump like this is quite expressive for me. But it is in homage to one of my favorite scenes in all of scripture:<br /><br />"When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." (Luke 1:41)<br /><br />I'm not sure why the moment captures me so. Is it the unbridled joy that Elizabeth and John (in the womb!) express in the presence of Christ (in the womb!). That little spark of life in Elizabeth responding with such joy to that little spark of life in Mary. John seems to live his whole life that way. Over the top expressiveness... in the clothes he wore, the food he ate, his hygiene, his preaching, his devotion to Jesus. <br /><br />I wish I had a little more of that in my life. Apparently I was a bit like that as a child... even perhaps with the same lack of social skills as John seemed to exhibit. Perhaps I should have just started preaching repentance to those bullies in junior high! What I wish most is that I would be able to recognize the presence of Christ in the same way that John did. I wish that... in spite of all the suffering and evil in the world, in spite of all the things I struggle with, in spite of unanswered prayers both big and small, I wish that I would just leap for joy in the presence of Christ more often.<br /><br />That is my prayer for this Advent Season, for Christmas, for Epiphany, for the coming year. May God open me up to leap for joy more often, to celebrate the divine presence of Christ in this world.Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-85327090086483096922011-12-20T18:04:00.000-08:002011-12-20T18:34:20.819-08:00Kick Butt Angels<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLV6eL9_FXfYrrWftiLZdFsKQ8z6VegVKUV2LtfkKUSvxVq9FBZKOK6YiWXhYVDQXTU5VAgeB24TYQWNF856ePZihNLsZi-Tx3cZfBM26HLVqYbGqS-PJ8ZcJsv39lmGJIVcnGA/s1600/DSCN7428.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 167px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLV6eL9_FXfYrrWftiLZdFsKQ8z6VegVKUV2LtfkKUSvxVq9FBZKOK6YiWXhYVDQXTU5VAgeB24TYQWNF856ePZihNLsZi-Tx3cZfBM26HLVqYbGqS-PJ8ZcJsv39lmGJIVcnGA/s200/DSCN7428.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688398881073486370" /></a> ""When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah, your prayer has been heard.'" (Luke 1:12-13)<br />"Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.'" (Luke 1:20-21)<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAq1hNi9KPBoW6K7nB-_rNQJCXHBW7M3A6dx-WBtOcb4jyn9cxHby0Ij4uiIAHas3lOXiuTbqIrKmQJhJd66arCrxMlyDxkneA9PBeE79pEe_G4LSum1ClFGDlnLn9kgbeFvMTA/s1600/DSCN7427.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 182px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAq1hNi9KPBoW6K7nB-_rNQJCXHBW7M3A6dx-WBtOcb4jyn9cxHby0Ij4uiIAHas3lOXiuTbqIrKmQJhJd66arCrxMlyDxkneA9PBeE79pEe_G4LSum1ClFGDlnLn9kgbeFvMTA/s200/DSCN7427.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688397728570465922" /></a> "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified." (Luke 2:8-9)<br /><br />For some reason, I don't think angels are quite how we picture them... the angels I have on my tree play cellos and sing sweet songs. They are always smiling and often look like children.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBx5AEgmAw3o_zZgyYw0F2rl2xJFQq4ZjoddYS03Zj3c0hIR76GSKXoOg__xKFEQzci8VQNjl9pRl2w2U0y99YrwuJv4bZXC6ubJT5jmLXr9554wFKgMIGWuviKjdJJfMQGwvy_A/s1600/DSCN7424.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 175px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBx5AEgmAw3o_zZgyYw0F2rl2xJFQq4ZjoddYS03Zj3c0hIR76GSKXoOg__xKFEQzci8VQNjl9pRl2w2U0y99YrwuJv4bZXC6ubJT5jmLXr9554wFKgMIGWuviKjdJJfMQGwvy_A/s200/DSCN7424.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688397495817927922" /></a> You would expect people to respond with oohs and aahs when an angel appears. An "Oh, how cute!" or "Isn't she adorable!" Instead, people fall down on their knees trembling in fear. Terrified. Often afraid to speak or move.<br /><br />When I was traveling with friends in Guatemala, we saw statues of angels that seemed a bit more appropriate... we called them "kick butt" angels. One of them is pictured below. They wore armor and carried weapons and arrived with power and might. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3AHDjvnZilG8x5MB1qJA6A6XrPYeI-Qf-4ZhOjUnKiTfnm4d09n6NqXk9yOxxoOl3KlcR2AnKvQFBao86sQqte00ObWNqgmXihriITSi9IrHkvk6BhH9ODpgYAITlhVk_cFzpA/s1600/DSCN7422.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 156px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3AHDjvnZilG8x5MB1qJA6A6XrPYeI-Qf-4ZhOjUnKiTfnm4d09n6NqXk9yOxxoOl3KlcR2AnKvQFBao86sQqte00ObWNqgmXihriITSi9IrHkvk6BhH9ODpgYAITlhVk_cFzpA/s200/DSCN7422.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688397333817577186" /></a> <br /><br />We have domesticated angels. Made them our pets, our fairy godmothers, sweet friends that sit on our shoulder and speak words of encouragement. And perhaps they do some of that... watch over and encourage. But more often, they come bearing news from God... a plan that is about to be revealed, a child that will be born, a new king who will arrive and change everything.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pmDc_h4nL1YyZl5lA8hdgbokiEIhZgCz_Zuhxx_WTjXC4UtiBpibHqphXiaYLexIWDqvEuQ-Qi9VQFySOY3H_w0ahC6-igiH1htMdc-M_01OKcz5tyoFbIrHGmao-FrcMn5Jnw/s1600/DSCN7421.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pmDc_h4nL1YyZl5lA8hdgbokiEIhZgCz_Zuhxx_WTjXC4UtiBpibHqphXiaYLexIWDqvEuQ-Qi9VQFySOY3H_w0ahC6-igiH1htMdc-M_01OKcz5tyoFbIrHGmao-FrcMn5Jnw/s200/DSCN7421.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688397112611186802" /></a>They arrive telling us that we are about to take part in God's plan of redemption for this world. And that it may not be easy... for Zechariah it meant months of silence followed by the birth of a son who was beheaded when he was still a young man. For Mary, pregnancy out of wedlock, a son who would soon leave home to follow his calling, and bearing witness to the scourging and crucifixion of her son. For the shepherds... well, that seems to have gone a bit better.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqWd_5E-DHXKUFTR0slH1BXttPSBmOUCpIyzmQG70oJCN7E3dBUyKGYL1sDGPZ50U2kFwXXeOUhtm_iv3lJNJUbCJKgFcaxY7p0egunuPHIs8m8FZkat7XQIqV_Bxp7coUENWAQ/s1600/DSCN0404_0070.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 190px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqWd_5E-DHXKUFTR0slH1BXttPSBmOUCpIyzmQG70oJCN7E3dBUyKGYL1sDGPZ50U2kFwXXeOUhtm_iv3lJNJUbCJKgFcaxY7p0egunuPHIs8m8FZkat7XQIqV_Bxp7coUENWAQ/s200/DSCN0404_0070.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688399185974653682" /></a><br />Have we domesticated God as well? God, the great Santa Claus bearing gifts and good cheer? God, our own personal Jesus, answering all our prayers, always encouraging us and affirming all that we say and do? <br /><br />This Christmas, may we remember that the birth of Jesus requires the same response as Zechariah, Mary and the Shepherds had before the angels... fear, trembling, awe, and great rejoicing that God's presence invites us into God's redemptive work in this world.Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-22051162339064241252011-12-19T18:59:00.000-08:002011-12-19T19:18:33.046-08:00Serving in the Midst of Doubt<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnUdta-MkujIjdfPB8zOBNt8ls9s9RTDun-yU0Izj1JULSaotvIUe3WsyzR9UQDFDw6xxh_8VjyJzPHQl21NEs6j28Ty7Z4bMwjkD-kGwqZYGfcEw3ySTVODyGw_emZ92yrs30w/s1600/DSCN7417.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 346px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnUdta-MkujIjdfPB8zOBNt8ls9s9RTDun-yU0Izj1JULSaotvIUe3WsyzR9UQDFDw6xxh_8VjyJzPHQl21NEs6j28Ty7Z4bMwjkD-kGwqZYGfcEw3ySTVODyGw_emZ92yrs30w/s400/DSCN7417.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688039992894008370" /></a><br /><br />Our church has finished its series on the prophecies in Isaiah... so my reflections this week will move to the pre-Christmas stories in Luke.<br /><br />I have to admit that the text I picked for this morning has more to do with where I am at than with an appropriate text for this close to Christmas.<br />"Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years." (Luke 1:6-7)<br /><br />I am having a "feel sorry for yourself because of all the waiting in your life" kind of day. Frustrated at the long wait to find the right job after finishing my doctoral degree. Waiting for people to realize that even though I don't fit the current models of professors, I might actually do a good job! Frustrated at waiting for enough healing or for the right person or for God's timing or for whatever else has kept me single so long. Wishing I knew how much of it was me, how much is society, and how much is God. Frustrated that my biological clock is ringing incessantly and adoption takes so long... that I waited so long thinking I was waiting for something else to happen first... <br /><br />The story of Zechariah and Elizabeth should in some ways give me hope. They had done nothing wrong. Zechariah served among the high priests. Elizabeth was upright, observing all the Lord's commandments. And yet they were considered cursed... or at least not blessed... by God because Elizabeth was barren (at least they assumed it was Elizabeth). <br /><br />I wonder if Zechariah and Elizabeth were even praying for a child anymore? They were past child-bearing years. Did they still cry out to God each night? Or was their prayer something different... something deeper. The faithfulness to walk forward one day at a time. To continue keeping the Lord's commandments and regulations. Zechariah's willingness to continue leading in worship and prayer, to step into the holy of holies. Zechariah, serving faithfully, yet still doubting when God appears with a promise.<br /><br />It gives me hope that faith doesn't always have to be something I feel. It does not always have to be something I even believe or trust in a the moment. It does, however, ask of me to keep walking forward in faith. To live out what I cannot for the moment feel. <br /><br />Advent is not always about a feeling. It is sometimes... God does want us to feel hope, to believe, to trust. But sometimes, instead, Advent is about an action. About walking faithfully in the darkness. Holding on to what appears like a sliver of light... yet it is the light of the world. And holding on to that light will lead you into bright shining joy.<br /><br />Oh... and the picture... it has very little to do with the reflection. Though they do remind me of the rosary and of the way praying the rosary is a way to continue walking faithfully even in times of doubt and darkness.Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-25886754405488195092011-12-18T19:00:00.000-08:002011-12-18T19:08:55.713-08:00Holding Out Hope<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0yxaIBu9PlxwErP-qMMc6MHs1IFYTmOuUfYFmgmY9hOsej3eRK9G2kKyr6J2lIuf5jIBjPvSnS_nQEiQJtTz_yFvmbM4GHQePiYn_s2C-wWILG4qs-XcMOIfTnVq9jQI8WX3sQ/s1600/DSCN7413.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0yxaIBu9PlxwErP-qMMc6MHs1IFYTmOuUfYFmgmY9hOsej3eRK9G2kKyr6J2lIuf5jIBjPvSnS_nQEiQJtTz_yFvmbM4GHQePiYn_s2C-wWILG4qs-XcMOIfTnVq9jQI8WX3sQ/s400/DSCN7413.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687669367434377650" /></a><br /><br />Our preacher this morning, Una Lucey-Lee, did a wonderful job finishing up our Advent series on the prophecies regarding Jesus found in Isaiah. She spoke of the ridiculous nature of the promise given in Isaiah 9 (and 7...) to Ahaz... faced with war on all sides, God promises a baby. And Ahaz must hold out hope until the baby arrives. <br /><br />The baby will grow into a king. And Ahaz must hold out hope until the baby grows into this king. <br /><br />The king will just be a sign of the eternal king to come, Jesus. And God's people must hold out hope until that eternal king arrives.<br /><br />And that king will be born as a baby. And God's people must wait for that baby to grow into a king.<br /><br />And that king will give his life for us and promise to return. And God's people today must hold out hope for that return.<br /><br />Advent is about holding onto hope.<br /><br />My mom sent me a baby blanket she made for me while I was in high school. I am assuming she was thinking of some far off future event at that time! Holding out hope until her baby grew into a mature young woman. And though that woman is now in her 40's, still single and without children, she still holds out hope. <br /><br />And as I enter into the adoption process, she sends the sign of that hope to me. And we all once again hold out hope for the arrival of a baby.Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-40669881231126348932011-12-16T19:36:00.000-08:002011-12-16T19:58:50.977-08:00What if Mary was A Man?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQkVoM79Do-3_6qWH2nWOVbcxrKMlekul3tImcEk9IPa-S-yRfTJp0M9oKqFj160ntnIDyUM9gLZltEomsOiSygHq_fh0vX-C3r27mPGM7gfK-YqOa04X4UDBmfHBjiZkWvamcw/s1600/DSCN7411.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQkVoM79Do-3_6qWH2nWOVbcxrKMlekul3tImcEk9IPa-S-yRfTJp0M9oKqFj160ntnIDyUM9gLZltEomsOiSygHq_fh0vX-C3r27mPGM7gfK-YqOa04X4UDBmfHBjiZkWvamcw/s400/DSCN7411.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686936468417730114" /></a><br /><br />"... and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isa. 9:6b)<br /><br />God as Father... it is a central image in scripture that becomes even more prominent around Christmas time. After all, Mary was the mother of Jesus... God was the Father. And Jesus himself is in this passage called "Everlasting Father."<br /><br />Is God called Father because God is male? Or is God more like a man? Or is a man more like God than a woman? Most people... not all, but most... would strongly oppose these ideas. We are all created in the image of God. God is neither male nor female.<br /><br />But why did God have to choose to be the Father in this Christmas scenario? Why not the mother? I have been thinking about this a bit today. Most of what I have thought about is significant, but perhaps a bit too graphic for my blog. But if God was the mother of Jesus, physically, then God would have had to preexist as a woman... an adult womb was needed for the little fetus Jesus to grow into a baby. It is a bit of a chicken and the egg scenario. Which came first? And it seems that it is extremely significant for the incarnation that Jesus' life began just like any other human being, at conception.<br /><br />Having said that... it is Mary's act that seems to me so reflective of who God is. Bearing life... carrying life within her and giving birth to a new creation. Becoming one with God, knit together in the womb, providing sustenance out of her own being. Isn't that so much of who God is? The life giver? The one who feeds and nourishes us? The one who gives birth to new life, who creates and recreates?<br /><br />The Everlasting Father, the Mother who gives birth to new life, the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace.Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-85734073645837595762011-12-15T20:24:00.000-08:002011-12-15T20:37:09.306-08:00Why Don't You Lead Already?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5BLCPBcQNlmmM66i9kNCCgBXy7r0GSjhnGJ55X_aD3aLpNTP8uH5TDKiGtonwuNJaDyysfqGFOMxmVoig5yYSXKjndwkNv_bNwyT9ppHNKPT75vp-oNavhvtMkRE8SOBfTGLnQ/s1600/IMAG0091.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 397px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5BLCPBcQNlmmM66i9kNCCgBXy7r0GSjhnGJ55X_aD3aLpNTP8uH5TDKiGtonwuNJaDyysfqGFOMxmVoig5yYSXKjndwkNv_bNwyT9ppHNKPT75vp-oNavhvtMkRE8SOBfTGLnQ/s400/IMAG0091.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686577621376960434" /></a><br /><br />"For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders..." (Isa. 9:6)<br /><br />Jesus... you were born with authority, the power to rule, the right to be king, to ability to overthrow governments and uphold justice and righteousness. So, what happened? Why don't you get to it? Why don't you just take control? Step in? Use your supernatural abilities? Change the created order? Rule, why don't you!<br /><br />Oh, wait... I think maybe that is what they were shouting about on Palm Sunday. Jesus didn't seem to be ruling the way they wanted. There was no revolution. No end of Roman oppression. No visible immediate kingdom here on earth, at least nothing that we could recognize. <br /><br />God doesn't seem to rule that way. So frustrating at times! And yet... to realize that God has entrusted so much to us, that God desires to work in and through us, that somehow God and I, we are in this together. Perhaps that was part of the point of the incarnation? That we are in this together. That God loves us, trusts us, wants us to live into who we have been created to be... humanity in God's image, male and female, with power and dominion, to lead all of us under God's loving care.<br /><br />All authority rests upon the baby Jesus... and he uses it to empower us.Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-8679983539731873292011-12-14T21:02:00.000-08:002011-12-14T21:15:47.135-08:00Bringing Justice at Christmas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-sqxkMhacBOhs3jC768OjhcB-3FyhSQrLg_xqHtw4SYPsqgdpgFxudYGSUe_iynqRUXjfXunE_2P04G6NXCUUhRFeC9_n830Y6B1oSMUBTRVCWFIIDOH1l9WoQ48K-SwEN3Nyw/s1600/DSCN7407.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-sqxkMhacBOhs3jC768OjhcB-3FyhSQrLg_xqHtw4SYPsqgdpgFxudYGSUe_iynqRUXjfXunE_2P04G6NXCUUhRFeC9_n830Y6B1oSMUBTRVCWFIIDOH1l9WoQ48K-SwEN3Nyw/s400/DSCN7407.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686216296376931010" /></a><br /><br />I had the chance to spend part of the day wrapping presents today at the YWCA. The presents were going to children who were currently living with their mother's in a home for those fleeing from domestic abuse. <br />Today I saw a report on the news that one in five women in the United States has experienced rape and one in four have experienced domestic partner violence.<br />When I speak on advocacy for women in ministry, I often hear people claim that women are no longer the victims of sexism or anything else in the United States.<br />And the statistics around the globe are even more frightening.<br /><br />"... they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian." (Isaiah 9:3b-4)<br /><br />Christ came to bring righteousness and justice in our world, to bring redemption, joy and peace. May we work to do the same this Advent Season.Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-13668469328209309652011-12-13T20:07:00.000-08:002011-12-13T20:25:50.342-08:00Terrifying Joy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimrSFALzK3nXSpYXahv94-7VX47Sxo5tomCMuek7dtfmBBz844POOjvtjMDQr3vm_CChm7ozU1BagJ3qey0cvflP_hpvfLaANo0IqkSYT_1bJyiLEeQCeNRTIf3AcuYFZrGfeNug/s1600/DSCN7405.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimrSFALzK3nXSpYXahv94-7VX47Sxo5tomCMuek7dtfmBBz844POOjvtjMDQr3vm_CChm7ozU1BagJ3qey0cvflP_hpvfLaANo0IqkSYT_1bJyiLEeQCeNRTIf3AcuYFZrGfeNug/s400/DSCN7405.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685831202828327170" /></a><br /><br />"You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder." (Isaiah 9:3)<br /><br />"Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.'" (Luke 2:9-10)<br /><br />Joy to the World, the Lord is come... Let earth receive her king! We sing this song every Advent and Christmas season. Though it should be something we sing all year round. But reading through Isaiah has reminded me of the strange way that joy and terror can sometimes go hand in hand. For the coming of the Lord is nothing less than pure holiness entering into our world. Pure holiness entering into the imperfect beautiful and awful mess that is humanity. It should terrify us, being in the presence of the holy. But, of course, that is the joy of it all... the fact that we are not consumed, that we stand in God's presence and yet live, that God walked among us and did not destroy us but instead brought light and life. <br /><br />I'm not sure I quite understand the holiness of God... not really. Not in the way the shepherds did. Terrified, yet falling to their knees in worship. I'm not sure I could actually live in that knowledge day to day. It would be marvelous and exhausting all at the same time. To know your own sinfulness, even if it is forgiven, in the presence of the holy. I suppose in many ways that is what the promise of heaven is all about... to be so transformed that we can stand with the cherubim and seraphim around the throne singing praises to God in complete joy. And, of course, that is what is accomplished with the coming of Christ into the world. <br /><br />Joy to the world... the Lord is come.Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-43391148333231218572011-12-12T18:02:00.000-08:002011-12-12T18:13:22.484-08:00What's so bad about being in the dark?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECDv-nkQcc9onmre-z-tONraounXBBMzePK4i9WEAyhcwp1kVSAgiDGJGVXFNaMAKJAnxjCWPpkHIqqEUm1K4vrs8K41BynvxscvqcsqXDTMSS4760EU0O1iG0GYieZrue7oYFQ/s1600/DSCN7390.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECDv-nkQcc9onmre-z-tONraounXBBMzePK4i9WEAyhcwp1kVSAgiDGJGVXFNaMAKJAnxjCWPpkHIqqEUm1K4vrs8K41BynvxscvqcsqXDTMSS4760EU0O1iG0GYieZrue7oYFQ/s400/DSCN7390.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685427810932343170" /></a><br /><br />"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness-- on them light has shined." (Isaiah 9:2)<br /><br />The general interpretation of this text assumes that dark is a bad thing and light is a good thing. That all people want to move from darkness to light. That light will lead people out of the darkness of their lives... <br /><br />Now, I am not a big fan of the dark. In fact I have always been quite scared of the dark. It took me years to live alone without waking up in panic during the night... and sometimes I still wake up afraid. But, to be honest, these days I kind of wish I could live a bit more in the dark.<br /><br />I have always envied those people who could walk through life oblivious to what is going on around them... always in the dark, so to speak, but seemingly much happier than I am. I, unfortunately, see things... when things are wrong, when someone is angry, when their is hurt or sorrow, when injustice is taking place. <br /><br />Well... most of the time. As a white person in the United States I have become painfully aware that most of us have lived most of our lives in the dark about much that takes place in the world. I have worked hard to educate myself about issues of racism, sexism, classism, and other injustices taking place in the world around me. I have read about and experienced systems that discriminate against people... occasionally against me for my gender... more often against others for a wide variety of reasons. I continue to try to enlighten myself on these issues, make myself more aware of where they reside both in the world and in my own life.<br /><br />It seems to be a part of faithfully growing as a disciple of Christ. Allowing God to continually enlighten you, to reveal to yourself the sin present in your own life and in the world around you. The light shines not only to reveal the good, but to reveal the bad.<br /><br />And so... to be honest, there are times I want to flee back into the darkness. The light hurts my eyes... and my ears and my heart.<br /><br />During this Advent Season, God grant me the courage to stay in the light, to move deeper into the light, to have the courage to continue walking forward with eyes wide open knowing that in doing so I will come to know you and all you care about in a deeper way.Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-33135569224175794292011-12-11T19:03:00.000-08:002011-12-11T19:19:22.959-08:00A Garter Belt of Faithfulness?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTlSD1PR9UtcB1csx6kLevQUTMSekQTDFTPbmpDM9BfY8MZ0thVD4y-7k3fGZZL903PlWlsZATSUN-k691y3JIWsaIMN853_Nxb6QlHcWvA2AA2U8bSwS9WIXAV07wcEzsvxEyzw/s1600/DSCN7385.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 289px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTlSD1PR9UtcB1csx6kLevQUTMSekQTDFTPbmpDM9BfY8MZ0thVD4y-7k3fGZZL903PlWlsZATSUN-k691y3JIWsaIMN853_Nxb6QlHcWvA2AA2U8bSwS9WIXAV07wcEzsvxEyzw/s400/DSCN7385.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685072477374898850" /></a><br /><br />"Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins." (Isaiah 11:5)<br /><br />Isaiah speaks of one God will send who will bring justice and peace to the entire created order. The Spirit of the Lord will be upon this person and they will be characterized by righteousness and faithfulness. Righteousness will be the belt around his waist... outwardly all will see this persons righteousness. It will be like an accessory to all they wear. A belt around their waist. I love the fact that commentaries describe faithfulness as his undergarment. If the he was a she, it would be a garter belt of faithfulness.<br /><br />It seems that central to this text is the idea that the insides and the outsides of this person will match. They will do the right thing for the right reason, faithfulness to God. Their outward actions will be a reflection of their relationship with God. <br /><br />If someone were to look into the wardrobe of my life, what would they find? What characteristics do others see in me? Do they reflect an understanding of a God who is just and merciful? And what characteristics are hidden beneath it all? What are those core values that direct all that I do? Is it faithfulness to God? Or something else? How often am I truly motivated by a desire to be faithful to God?<br /><br />Thankfully we don't have to dress ourselves. God promises to cloth us in righteousness, giving us new garments to reflect a new life in Christ. May I allow God to cloth me in righteousness and faithfulness this Advent season.Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-70493651524318712352011-12-09T19:47:00.000-08:002011-12-09T19:55:36.809-08:00Oh Christmas Tree...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAgMhBxgd2fjUg1lMtqMeumLIDq-COuMvg2xhO_XZR9p9UVFwU3_GaotD54484dtEECIsmJrj3Oyc0s8FQuEM5DmqIwDVsIyAe2XNnNMAxanXqcXCSQFGwVezrOInkKMM2FH6ztQ/s1600/DSCN7384.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 337px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAgMhBxgd2fjUg1lMtqMeumLIDq-COuMvg2xhO_XZR9p9UVFwU3_GaotD54484dtEECIsmJrj3Oyc0s8FQuEM5DmqIwDVsIyAe2XNnNMAxanXqcXCSQFGwVezrOInkKMM2FH6ztQ/s400/DSCN7384.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684341533427076706" /></a><br /><br />I'm a big fan of trees. Especially in the winter. There is something about the bare branches that I find strong and beautiful. They seem to represent life and hope. Renewal and second chances. Each winter they seem to almost die only to be resurrected again in the spring full of new leaves and new life.<br /><br />Trees serve a similar purpose in Isaiah. They are a sign of resurrection, new life and new hope... even if they are first the sign of Assyria's power. The great oaks that are eventually leveled as a sign of God's judgment. Leveled after Assyria showed its power by leveling the trees of Israel and Judah. Leveling. Destroying. Burning over. Attempting to wipe out all life and sustainability.<br /><br />But among the ruins, a shoot emerges. God who brought judgment in the end leaves a remnant, a stump that will once again bring life.<br /><br />Trees. A sign of hope. Of renewal. Of second chances. Of the faithfulness of God to trim and cut back. Passing judgment. Yet never destroying. And one day, finally... everlasting renewal. That is the promise of Christmas.Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-82057254527972339052011-12-08T19:38:00.000-08:002011-12-08T19:55:49.213-08:00Help Me to See the Invisible<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnVgfiAeCSIDg-CCBAT874g6osCG9PByvjAJN0TCnWrE009Tvnyk8m_h2pWivK5S5rJ4qCOrvNl4X5W8-MkGS9GabRkONjRgwqlCzBOqtL2rSSyDjkTpgcgKrdSbDUvJp7EoI0w/s1600/DSCN7379.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 344px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnVgfiAeCSIDg-CCBAT874g6osCG9PByvjAJN0TCnWrE009Tvnyk8m_h2pWivK5S5rJ4qCOrvNl4X5W8-MkGS9GabRkONjRgwqlCzBOqtL2rSSyDjkTpgcgKrdSbDUvJp7EoI0w/s400/DSCN7379.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683968180860180290" /></a><br /><br />"... and He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears, but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth." (Isaiah 11:3b-4)<br /><br />Learning how to discern right from wrong, truth from fiction... to make decisions and pass judgments has been one of the harder things I've had to learn how to do as a pastor or as an academic dean of students. The passage from Isaiah cautions us against judging by what we see or what we hear. Isaiah recognizes that our sight and our hearing are often clouded by prejudice, power, or cultural assumptions. And in a day and age when images and sounds can be so easily manipulated by technology, it has become even more true that what we see and what we hear are not always the best basis for a decision. Often we have only the partial truth, only one side of the story, only our limited understanding.<br /><br />In the end, of course, God is the only one who can pass judgment on anyone. And yet each day we must make decisions about people, we decide between right and wrong, we act justly or unjustly... to the best of our ability. What can this text teach us? The first previously reminds us that we must rely on the Holy Spirit, that we need to listen to God, to know God, to be in relationship with God so that God may lead and guide us. <br /><br />This verse reminds us that in whatever we do, whatever decisions we make, we must do so with an eye to those in need, the poor of the earth. We must strive to see those the world would render invisible. We must not let power, prestige or position impact our decisions. Those in power should not face less consequences because "they have more to lose." We must protect those without power even though the world tells us they have less worth. All people are created in the image of God. God values all people equally... perhaps even raising up those who seem to be less in the eyes of the world.<br /><br />This week, Lord, open my eyes to those who have been invisible in my life, to those I have forgotten or ignored. May my decisions be informed by a care and concern for all God's people, especially those in need.Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-58147844320045227102011-12-07T20:38:00.000-08:002011-12-07T20:51:49.082-08:00A Balance of Power<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4FAhIgVMG0hyzhDM5p5BpfBdv6RdJc-aZ0xVXsKkCK2YhyphenhyphenOk0UuAj7OFQdQxS3yM1MZRco-i0eKiSjW89BdmUC5sxYdvvlj5siFhoaaqSguf0ss0CwAGXHJXkCFtnrl0aZnf0A/s1600/DSCN7369.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4FAhIgVMG0hyzhDM5p5BpfBdv6RdJc-aZ0xVXsKkCK2YhyphenhyphenOk0UuAj7OFQdQxS3yM1MZRco-i0eKiSjW89BdmUC5sxYdvvlj5siFhoaaqSguf0ss0CwAGXHJXkCFtnrl0aZnf0A/s400/DSCN7369.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683612572885661090" /></a><br /><br />"The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and power, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord." Isaiah 11:2<br /><br />The text I am working with this week in Isaiah begins by telling us that a new king will be coming and then goes on the describe this king in the words listed above.<br /><br />As a pastor, I am by no means a king... a shoot of Jesse... a savior to my people. But I love the pairings that describe this king's rule and they seem appropriate for pastoral leadership as well. Actually, they seem appropriate for all of us. And I think it is how they go together that is so important. <br /><br />It is not enough to be wise... to think deeply or have all the right things to say... you must also have understanding. I can't prove that this is what it means in the Hebrew text, but it seems to mean that wisdom can in some ways be an abstract idea, it is something that at times sounds lofty or distant. Understanding, however, seems to be rooted, connected to the world around us. We must be wise without ever losing touch with people and the reality of their circumstances. Wisdom must be connected with care for and love for people.<br /><br />It is not enough to recognize your power as a leader... pastor's do have some power by virtue of their position, their training, their calling. But that power must always be tempered by counsel, by a willingness to listen to others. I would argue that we must believe that the Spirit is moving through the congregation and we must be attentive to that as leaders. Otherwise we abuse our power.<br /><br />It is not enough to have knowledge. We can read all the books we want. We can learn Greek and Hebrew. We can know theology and history and memorize every key text in the Bible... but if we do not fear the Lord, if we do not believe that God is a living being that we are in relationship with, if we do not understand God as both loving and Holy, then our knowledge is empty and useless.<br /><br />And I don't think this is a word just for pastors... I think it applies to parents, spouses, friends, supervisors... maybe all of us. Because these ways of being... wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and fear of the Lord... they are not just for a few, but the gift of God to all people through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23902557.post-27337517026854669062011-12-06T19:51:00.000-08:002011-12-06T20:04:40.539-08:00Who is the Lion?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAk41UX2l9_wcc9UbppRsAXGw3Bh8L-8ACKIOwwEv-gvetTFEjbHUg2Nm1_xYQobU-_gduSxcKUZa0K4O4GehnHc_OVZpJAylhyrVKqR6q61AOt1r4JpJAbFoQmxelBGqNBWADg/s1600/DSCN7364.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 367px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAk41UX2l9_wcc9UbppRsAXGw3Bh8L-8ACKIOwwEv-gvetTFEjbHUg2Nm1_xYQobU-_gduSxcKUZa0K4O4GehnHc_OVZpJAylhyrVKqR6q61AOt1r4JpJAbFoQmxelBGqNBWADg/s400/DSCN7364.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683229793290365778" /></a><br /><br />"The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them." Isaiah 11:6<br /><br />We discovered recently that a homeless man was sleeping on the back porch of our church community house. As we've talked about how to respond, we've decided we have to ask him to leave. We wish we could just give him a security t-shirt and call him the night watchman or something, but we are just not sure what else to do.<br /><br />I'm sure many of you will have ideas about how to respond, but my reflections for tonight have more to do with the passage for today. A picture of the peaceable kingdom, a future God promises where the aggressive and the meek with live together in peaceful harmony, where the powerful and the vulnerable can lie down together without fear, where we can follow the idealistic innocence of a child. As a reflect on this neighbor of ours who has moved in, I wish for that day. A day when all will have clothing and shelter. A day when there will be no need to fear one another. A day without violence and without want. <br /><br />As I think about our homeless neighbor, I wonder which one of us is the lion and which the lamb? It seems that in this particular passage, God's main concern is to protect the poor and the needy, the bring about justice for the weak and the vulnerable. So I am left to wonder, am I the lion? Are we the wolf? The leopard? The powerful and aggressive?<br /><br />God help us to bring about this just kingdom...Jo Ann Deasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521173837183026545noreply@blogger.com3