by Christine Sine

What on earth are we doing to creation? We have disrupted the ecological balance of all God created on earth, and we owe it to God, to each other, and to all species to restore the balance. This is the greatest physical and spiritual challenge humanity has ever faced together. Caring for creation is key to receiving the full blessings of the Creator. Awareness of the Infinite opens us up to protecting the immediate – the very planet on which we live.

I read this quote from the Eco Bible : Volume One: An ecological Commentary on Genesis and Exodus, by Rabbi Yonatan Neri, and Rabbi Leo Dee, just after reading this very sobering article: A Clear Message from Science in the Climate Forward Newsletter from the New York Times about the latest report from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The report states that we probably only have a decade in which to secure a sustainable and livable future for our planet.

We feel overwhelmed by this challenge and think there is little we can do, yet as Christians we are perfectly positioned to make a difference. Rabbi Yonatan Neri, and Rabbi Leo Dee in the Eco Bible quote Gus Seth, former dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies as saying:

I used to think that top global environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought with 30 years of good science, we could address these problems, but I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed, and apathy, and to deal with these we need spiritual and cultural transformation. And we scientists don’t know how to do that.

Climate change requires spiritual transformation. We need to transform our view of the Bible to see the ecological underpinnings of the story. Pope Francis voices a call for repentance, extremely important during this season of Lent, that requires reconciliation with creation.

“We come to realize that a healthy relationship with creation is one dimension of overall personal conversion, which entails the recognition of our errors, sins, faults and failures and leads to heartfelt repentance and desire to change. (Pope Francis in the papal encyclical Laudatory Si)

Centuries before that, the apostle Paul asserted that the call to turn towards God, is entwined with God’s regenerative activity through Christ in “new creation”, reconciling the world and all that it contains to Godself. Pauline theology focuses on the world-transforming act of God in Christ, an act with cosmic dimensions and implications.  In 2 Corinthians 5:20 we read:

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away: see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the work to himself.

The gospel of John also seems to have an ecological focus. Some scholars see it as rewriting the Genesis story of creation in all its glory, ending with the birth of the new creation. Here too there is a garden, and Jesus is its gardener. This was the focus of the retreat I conducted on Saturday. The creation story of Genesis moves from a garden paradise to our present world of pain and suffering. Jesus walk from Gethsemane to Easter moves from a garden of pain and suffering to one of resurrection and new life. (The Garden Walk of Holy Week)

What I love about living in Seattle is that spring emerges as Easter approaches. All around me as signs of new life,  of new creation. I read about the death and resurrection in the Bible, but in the bursting forth of spring I experience it.

When we grab hold of these truths, our worldview is changed and we are compelled to take action to make a difference. And we can make a difference. It is probable that the Paris Accord of 2015 restricted the predicted 4-5C rise in temperature to the current 1C rise. Though change is needed at a government and corporate level to keep that from rising further, there are still things that all of us can do to make a difference. Some are very simple. Some require sacrifice. Heidi Roop in her book The Climate Action Handbook  has great suggestions for ordinary people like you and me. “From food and fashion choices, rethinking travel, greening up our homes and gardens, to civic engagement and championing community climate planning, Dr. Heidi Roop shares 100 wide-ranging ways that readers from all walks of life can help move the needle in the right direction. ”  Some are within the each of all of us – like using the cold cycle on our washing machines and reducing our driving speed. Others like electric cars and solar panels are a little more challenging.

We can all make a difference in God’s world and move toward the completion of God’s new creation. which came into being at the resurrection of Christ. How exciting and yet how challenging that is.

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One of our writers, Joy Lenton, has written a wonderful series of poems that reflect “voices” from each section of text from Luke’s gospel. She has generously offered for anyone to use for daily readings or a resource, but please attribute her as an author if you use them. Her poetry from the first chapter is included below, but the full document with poems for the entire book can be found in a link at the bottom of this post, as well as under our Prayer, Practices, & Directions resource page.

by Joy Lenten

Luke 1:1-4
The voice of Luke
I am no writer.
Words are not my medium,
But stories are.
I listen to my patients
Hear their pain and fear,
Do my best to diagnose,
And, if I can,
Alleviate their suffering.

This story
I have to share.
My own Physician
Has made his analysis
Of all that ails me
And brought me
Wholeness
I had never known.

Luke 1:5-25
The voice of Zechariah
I felt less of a man.

Not because I could not
Give her a child –
Though that was painful
Beyond explanation.

No, it was because
I could not reach her.
Each month
I saw her retreat,
Withdraw into
Some internal
Place of pain,
Somewhere
I could not decide
If I was unwelcome
Or simply unable to go
Into its depths.

But I had my work;
A place to feel worthy,
Somewhere
To drown out
My inner voices
Of accusation.

So when that one-time
Invitation came
To burn the incense
I left, trying to disguise
My relief at a respite
From the shroud of sadness
Encompassing our home
And the sense of failure
Which was nipping
At my heels
Like a wild dog.

And as I spoke
My words of farewell
I little realised
They were the last words
I would speak to her
For many months,
And that God was about
To change the world
Not just for us
But for everyone,
And for all time.

Luke 1:5-25
The voice of Elizabeth
In the end
It is easier
To let go
Of hope,
To simply uncurl
Your fingers,
And gently
Let it drop
Into the abyss
Of might-have-beens,
Feeling its absence
Almost
As a kind of peace.

And now he stands
Gesturing like a madman
Or a fool.
Yet somehow
I see the light of heaven
In his eyes
And I wonder
If I have the courage
To let hope
Be reborn.

Luke 1:57-80
The voice of Zechariah
My boy:
Words I thought
I would never say.
A day I thought
I would never see.

Our John:
Yet not ours:
Even the name
Not of our choosing
Yet we do not mind,
Glad simply
To be a part of God’s plan.

God’s spokesperson:
And as he grows
And I see the Spirit
In his eyes
I fear for his future:
An audacious prophet
Is so rarely
Welcome
And truth
Does not always
Bring acceptance.

The full text can be accessed as a pdf here:
Luke’s Gospel in Poetry

Explore the wonderful ways that God and God’s story are revealed through the rhythms of planting, growing, and harvesting. Spiritual insights, practical advice for organic backyard gardeners, and time for reflection will enrich and deepen faith–sign up for 180 days of access to work at your own pace and get ready for your gardening season.

by Joy Lenten

Luke 1:1-4
The voice of Luke
I am no writer.
Words are not my medium,
But stories are.
I listen to my patients
Hear their pain and fear,
Do my best to diagnose,
And, if I can,
Alleviate their suffering.

This story
I have to share.
My own Physician
Has made his analysis
Of all that ails me
And brought me
Wholeness
I had never known.

Luke 1:5-25
The voice of Zechariah
I felt less of a man.

Not because I could not
Give her a child –
Though that was painful
Beyond explanation.

No, it was because
I could not reach her.
Each month
I saw her retreat,
Withdraw into
Some internal
Place of pain,
Somewhere
I could not decide
If I was unwelcome
Or simply unable to go
Into its depths.

But I had my work;
A place to feel worthy,
Somewhere
To drown out
My inner voices
Of accusation.

So when that one-time
Invitation came
To burn the incense
I left, trying to disguise
My relief at a respite
From the shroud of sadness
Encompassing our home
And the sense of failure
Which was nipping
At my heels
Like a wild dog.

And as I spoke
My words of farewell
I little realised
They were the last words
I would speak to her
For many months,
And that God was about
To change the world
Not just for us
But for everyone,
And for all time.

Luke 1:5-25
The voice of Elizabeth
In the end
It is easier
To let go
Of hope,
To simply uncurl
Your fingers,
And gently
Let it drop
Into the abyss
Of might-have-beens,
Feeling its absence
Almost
As a kind of peace.

And now he stands
Gesturing like a madman
Or a fool.
Yet somehow
I see the light of heaven
In his eyes
And I wonder
If I have the courage
To let hope
Be reborn.

Luke 1:57-80
The voice of Zechariah
My boy:
Words I thought
I would never say.
A day I thought
I would never see.

Our John:
Yet not ours:
Even the name
Not of our choosing
Yet we do not mind,
Glad simply
To be a part of God’s plan.

God’s spokesperson:
And as he grows
And I see the Spirit
In his eyes
I fear for his future:
An audacious prophet
Is so rarely
Welcome
And truth
Does not always
Bring acceptance.

Explore the wonderful ways that God and God’s story are revealed through the rhythms of planting, growing, and harvesting. Spiritual insights, practical advice for organic backyard gardeners, and time for reflection will enrich and deepen faith–sign up for 180 days of access to work at your own pace and get ready for your gardening season.

by Lilly Lewin

A couple of weeks ago,  President Biden went to Selma, Alabama to REMEMBER. It was the 58th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday.  On March 7th, 1965, John Lewis ( who was a leader of SNCC at age 25!) and a group of 600 regular people known as The Foot Soldiers, attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge to walk from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.  “ The activists were protesting the denial of voting rights to African Americans as well as the murder of 26-year-old activist Jimmie Lee Jackson, who had been fatally shot in the stomach by police during a peaceful protest just days before.” @eji_org

State Troopers and sheriff’s men attacked the peaceful protesters with billy clubs, dogs and tear gas sending 16 people to the hospital. This was the first of 3 marches that week in March of 1965, and a turning point in the civil rights movement that led to the VOTING RIGHTS ACT signed by President Lyndon Johnson August 6, 1965!

Folks this was in MY LIFETIME! And the fight for voting rights & basic civil rights is still happening in America! People of color are still being discriminated against & killed by police!

selma at sunset

I had the honor of visiting the National Voting Rights Museum & walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on February 25th last month,  just at the sun was setting along the river. The juxtaposition of the beauty and the brokenness of our country was on full display! Walking across the bridge was the end of our three day Civil Rights Pilgrimage learning about the history of civil rights and injustice in our nation. My husband Rob and I traveled down from Nashville to join Pastor Kathy Escobar and friends of the Refuge Community to experience this together.  Learn more from last week’s freerangefriday.

A group of us white folks took time out of our lives to REMEMBER our broken history and to REMEMBER the bravery of the men and women like John Lewis who stood up against oppression by peaceful protest and walking!

We’d spent the morning learning about the fight for civil right in Birmingham, Alabama and how over 1000 children stood up against injustice in the Children’s Crusade of 1963  because their parents would have lost their jobs if they’d taken time off to protest. The final part of our Pilgrimage was to go to Selma and walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. I was asked to lead the closing reflection for our three day pilgrimage. And as I drove down to Selma, I knew I had candles we were going to light together to remind us to be Light in the Darkness of our world.  I had also brought some stones/rocks with me that I’d collected on the beach at Lake Michigan, but I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to use them. One of my practices is to bring gear for experiential worship and then listen to what the Holy Spirit is up to and allow the Holy Spirit to lead what happens. Originally, I thought we might throw the rocks/stones into the river to give away our burdens and all the heavy things we’d carried with us on the journey and let Jesus, the living water, have them. But as I prayed and talked with my husband on the drive down to Selma. I thought about one of my favorite passages in Joshua 4

“Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, ⁶ to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ⁷ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” Joshua 4:4-7

 

“When your children ask their parents in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we crossed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty and so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” Joshua  4: 21-24

Like us, the Children of Israel often forgot about all the mighty deeds God does. Like us, they needed to REMEMBER the power of God. So they built a tower of  12 stones on the bank of the Jordan River as a visual reminder of God’s mighty work in their lives. I wanted us to REMEMBER all we’d learned and seen along our journey together.

I had sharpie markers and rocks! I didn’t have time to write REMEMBER on the rocks, so I decided I would let each person pick a rock and a sharpie and write down the word REMEMBER on one side of their rock and then I would invite them to consider another word or phrase they wanted to carry with them from our time together and write that on the other side. ‘

Remember Rock

I wanted each of us to take home a REMEMBER ROCK as a tangible reminder of all the things we’d seen and heard on our pilgrimage together. All the atrocities we’d learned about and all the stories of heroes and the bravery of regular people standing up for justice too. I felt ready for our closing worship.

After we visited the museum together, we crossed the street to start the walk over the bridge.  Rob and I noticed a group of stones in the park at the foot of the bridge. These large stones were engraved with the Joshua 4:21-24

“When your children ask their parents in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we crossed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty and so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” Joshua  4: 21-24

Rob and I both started crying…I had no idea these large stones were at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge! But the Holy Spirit knew! Wow!

selma rocks

Joshua stones

We all walked over the bridge, reflecting on many things and considering the people who’d marched across in 1965. Then we walked back across and met together in the park with the Joshua stones. I got to tell the story about not knowing how I would use these rocks from Michigan that I brought from home. I shared how the Holy Spirit invited me to use them as REMEMBER ROCKS and I passed them around along with the sharpies and we all wrote REMEMBER on our rocks. Then I shared how I had had no idea that there were Joshua stones with the verse carved in them here at the bridge! I still get chills thinking about the beauty of that moment and the power of the Holy Spirit!

I invited them to take home their rocks and put them somewhere where they would see them regularly. To use them as visual reminders to pray for their fellow pilgrims. To use these stones as a reminder of all the things God had shown them on this journey together and as a reminder to fight injustice when they got back home!

What about you? Do you need to remember the mighty works of God today? Do you need to remember that the Holy Spirit is still drying up rivers and still moving stones?

I invite you to find a smooth rock and a sharpie marker. Read Joshua 4. 

Write the word REMEMBER on your ROCK. Hold it in your hand and consider the wonderful things God has done in your life.  How have you seen God at work? in the past, the last few years, in the last few days?  Ask Jesus to help you remember. Take time to write these things down to help you remember. You might even tell your children or your grandchildren or friends about some of the wonderful things God has done in your life!  This week, take time to REMEMBER and take time to be GRATEFUL for all God has done and is doing in your life!

If you get a chance, take the time to go to Selma & to Birmingham and Montgomery. Learn our history and work to make America, and our world more equal and just daily!

Pilgrims in Selma!

©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com

Join me on Pilgrimage in Scotland! August 28-September 4th.We will rest, restore and remember on the beautiful Iona! Finding Your Thinplace Pilgrimage 2023

Join Lilly on Pilgrimage Aug 28-Sept 4, 2023

by Louise Conner – Originally posted here on the Ecological Disciple on March 9, 2023.

On the side of many concrete buildings throughout the world, massive weeds have been appearing, causing people to turn their heads and crane their necks in spite of the fact that most people see weeds as undesirable and worthy only of being eradicated.  These happen to be work of Swiss-born Mona Caron and are part of an ongoing mural series called, “Weeds.”

Since 1998, Caron has created murals (and posters) that support social movements, activism (she calls this work “artivism), and the remembering of forgotten segments of society. The “Weeds” series, though different in scale and technique from her earlier work, shares fundamental values and philosophical beliefs with these earlier works.

Market Street Railway, San Francisco, CA. By Mona Caron

For many years, Caron created extremely labor-intensive, highly-detailed depictions of very specific places, often within her adopted hometown of San Francisco, California. Two of these murals:  “Market Street Railway” and “Windows into the Tenderloin,” minutely reflect the neighborhood in which they are located, even to the extent of including images of real community members within the murals. The Tenderloin area, in particular, is an area with serious difficulties, and the making of the mural was featured in an award-winning documentary.

Section of Windows into the Tenderloin

Detail of “Another Way” Section of Mural

In “Windows into the Tenderloin,” Caron included a panel called, “Another Way,” which she created after interviewing many, many community members. It translates into mural form the articulated dreams of the people Caron talked to while planning and creating the mural, showing a possible future, different from what currently exists in this place. An uncared-for parking lot is transformed into a thriving community green space, populated with recognizable representations of the very people who shared their dreams with Caron about what this place could look like and be.

With her “Weeds” murals, Caron has shifted. Instead of  time-intensive, extremely detailed depictions of an entire neighborhood shrunk down to the size of a wall or side of a building, she is now often expanding a single stalk of a plant into a large-scale mural that covers an entire large wall or even the side of a several-storied skyscraper.

The inspiration for the “Weeds” series originated from her time working on the “Windows into the Tenderloin” project. Over the course of the year she spent working on it, she noticed a single dandelion that kept popping up at the base of the wall where she was working. It would sprout up through the cracks, begin to grow, reach a certain height where it would be noticed and wiped out by someone who came along to “clean up” the area by getting rid of the weeds that “dirtied” up the sidewalk.  Eventually, it would sprout up again, and would begin to grow upward, only to again be cleaned up by someone who saw it as unwanted and undesirable. Caron became inspired by the dandelion and its resilience. She started thinking about weeds, and how they are a picture and lesson for those people and things that keep coming back even when they are not wanted or welcomed.

As she says, “It occurred to me, what that condition is — the radical patience of that dandelion asserting itself and reasserting life in that concrete in a place where nobody has given it permission to exist.”

Phytograffiti in Lisbon, Portugal

She began doing what she calls “phytograffiti,” or “plant graffiti,” leaving often small scale murals of weeds scattered throughout the city.

At the same time, she began a side, personal project—a series of stop-motion images that she turned into a video and added to her YouTube channel, which at the time had very few followers. The video resonated with people and suddenly her audience numbers exploded.  She heard from people around the world saying how much the storyline resonated with them and how they identified with the narrative of the weed—struggling, growing, surviving in spite of being unwanted and unnurtured. (You will find the video at the end of this post).

Since then, Caron’s weed murals have been in high demand around the world including Brazil, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, and various spots in the U.S.  In July 2021, she created a huge mural on a 20-story building in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Shauquethqueat’s Eutrochium, Jersey City, 2021

As is her practice, Caron chose for her model a flower that is significantly connected to the particular place. The Joe Pye weed, a purple wildflower that is native to coastal areas in the eastern U.S., including New Jersey, is the weed she chose for the mural.  In the picture above you can see how the black background behind the flower emphasizes the details and color of the piece and you can also see a bit of the her painting method as the mural is a work-in-progress in the photo.

Limonium, San Jose Convention Center

The Limonium plant (statice) she chose for the San Jose commission pictured above is a wild herb native to the salt marsh tidal lands of the San Francisco Bay. It is an indicator species of the Bay’s ecological health and thus especially significant to the area. The three-dimensional effect of the painting is particularly striking.

She describes her work in this way, “I look for clandestine plant life in the city streets. When I find a particularly heroic specimen growing through a fissure in the pavement, I paint it big, at a scale inversely proportional to the attention and regard it gets.”

Marskros (Dandelion) – Grow Together, Gothenburg, Sweden, by Mona Caron.

Detail from Marskros – Grow Together

In Gothenburg, Sweden, Caron visually binds together two parts of an apartment complex with her dandelion mural, Marskros—Grow Together. In addition to the visual unity created by the upper part of the plant, the root system of the plant, painted beneath the awning entrance at the bottom right of the mural, incorporates members of the community into it, suggesting that this human community gives strength to the dandelion-like things that strive to grow and thrive around them.

Including the margins in her murals—indigenous women striving to protect their land from detrimental projects, local Bolivians fighting against water privatization—has long been central to Caron’s work.  With the “Weeds” series, this sense of margin includes the nonhuman parts of creation as well.  By making the work less site-specific, it seems to have expanded the audience who are able access the meanings and grasp the images of hope, resilience and the possibility of change that the weeds represent.

As Caron says, I doubt that the type of change that we really need will ever come from the manicured lawns at the center of places where power is concentrated. The real change is coming from the margins, like we need to start paying attention to what’s growing on the margins of things, and discover a new beauty there.

Can you think of change that is trying to grow on the margins of where you live? Are there “weeds” that you need to nurture, or at the very least need to hold back from “cleaning” up, and thus destroying?

You can see more about Mona Caron’s work here and her Weeds video may be viewed below.

Feel free to email me at info@circlewood.online or leave a comment below.

Louise

by Catherine Lawton

In our experience of God’s presence, poetry can help us focus and engage our senses and entire being. Poetry can help us process life and emotions—and see ourselves—in new ways, and thus be open to hearing God say fresh, new things to us. Scripture does this also, of course. In fact, much of the Bible was written as poetry. I have long found soul nourishment and renewed perspective in the Psalms. And how can a person read Song of Solomon and not believe God seeks to woo and reach us through the five senses he has given us? The prophet Isaiah wrote often in poetry. Sometimes poetic expression reaches straight to the heart more effectively than prose.

“Poetry, in capturing the moment, captures the soul,” says poet Mary Harwell Sayler.

I believe God still speaks through poets today. Sometimes with a prophetic voice. Sometimes imparting wisdom. Sometimes bringing clarity. Sometimes lifting the soul to hope and love.

Even if you think you aren’t, you probably are more “into” poetry than you realize. Song lyrics are a type of poetry. Along with the instruments and voices, the words of songs can pierce or soothe our hearts as well as our minds.

Voltaire called poetry “the music of the soul.”

On this World Poetry Day (March 21) I encourage you to begin the practice of including poetry in your devotional reading, meditative prayer, quiet times, and soul care.

Eugene Peterson stated, “People who pray, need to learn poetry.”

But don’t just take my word for it. Listen to these comments from readers who have found poems help them focus on, and open their hearts to, God’s presence and love:

“In our own seasons of suffering, [these poems give us] words to explain the pain, to cry out to God, or to get a grip on our faith.” –Elaine Wright Colvin (after reading I Cry Unto You, O Lord by Sarah Suzanne Noble

“This book is a steady and wise companion for those who read the Bible with real devotion and honest questions.” –Connie Wanek (after reading Bible Poems by Donna Marie Merritt)

“Each one [of these poems] lifts my heart towards God. They have become a part of my morning devotions.” –Bev Coons (reader of PRAISE! Poems by Mary Harwell Sayler)

“So many of the poems provided moments of prayer for me.” ~Jimmie Kepler (speaking of Glimpsing Glory by Catherine Lawton)

Poetry, and all the feelings it represents, connects us to all of humanity’s longings and searchings for God. Here is one of my favorite poems of devotion, written by Irish poet Thomas Moore, about 200 years ago.

MY GOD! SILENT TO THEE!
As, down in the sunless retreats of the ocean,
Sweet flowers are springing no mortal can see,
So, deep in my heart, the still prayer of devotion,
Unheard by the world, rises, silent, to Thee,
My God! Silent, to Thee,–
Pure, warm, silent, to Thee.

As still to the start of its worship, though clouded,
The needle points faithfully o-er the dim sea,
So, dark as I roam, thro’ this wintry world shrouded,
The hope of my spirit turns, trembling, to Thee,
My God! Trembling, to Thee,–
True, fond, trembling, to Thee.

(I took the photo in the Redwoods in Humboldt County, California.)

Preparing for the Garden Walk of Holy Week

In the last few days of his life, Jesus moved from garden to garden from suffering to resurrection.

Join Christine Sine for a Lent retreat that reflects on this journey and prepares for the challenging week that follows Palm Sunday.

Click here to register! We are once again offering several price points to aid those who are students or in economic hardship

A couple of days ago we celebrated the equinox, that day that occurs every six months when the sun sits directly above the Equator. On an equinox, roughly half the planet is light while the other half is dark. Here in the U.S. it is the official start of spring which is a little confusing for me as I celebrated the start of autumn in Australia on March 1st. That is because there are two ways of defining the seasons. Those that use the astronomical seasons change at the equinox, those that use the meteorological seasons changed on March 1st.

The celebration of the changing seasons is something that we all relish. Here in Seattle the daffodils are now in full bloom and flowering trees greet me wherever I go. Unfortunately, this year the changing seasons also made me aware of what a challenging climate environment we face. “There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all” according to the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. According to the report, earth is likely to cross a critical threshold for global warming within the next decade, and nations will need to make an immediate and drastic shift away from fossil fuels to prevent the planet from overheating dangerously beyond that level.

News like this can overwhelm us and make us feel that there is no hope of making a difference. It lies very heavily on my heart. Yet there is hope. All of us can make a difference and it begins with changing our perspectives and recognizing the central place that God’s love for creation plays in the biblical story. This is the focus of Saturday’s retreat Preparing for the Garden Walk of Holy Week. As we approach the events of Holy Week this is particularly relevant. Earth participates in each step of the story. From the waving of palms and Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem on a donkey, through the garden of Gethsemane to the crescendo of earthquakes and splitting tombs at the moment of Christ’s crucifixion, and on to Easter when life overcomes death and Jesus is proclaimed as the gardener of the new creation. I believe this retreat will change your experience of Holy Week and your relationship to creation. So don’t forget it is time to sign up.

In yesterday’s Monday Meditation – Walls That Create Barriers to Peace I said “If there is one practice that should be established and reinforced during Lent, it is that of listening. Listening with our ears and our hearts. Listening with a willingness to be changed by what we hear and with a desire to see life differently than we have in the past. What if I rethink who I am not in terms of what Christ has done for me, but in terms of what Christ wants to do through me for others?” This is a time for listening, for rethinking, for refocusing, and for me God’s love for creation is at the centre.

This week to the delight of many, I started posting the beautiful Taize style services from St Andrews Episcopal church again. It was not possible while I was away in Australia so I am very glad they are once again available to refresh and renew us.

Friday was St. Patrick’s Day and Carol Dixon posted a beautiful reflection and worship service for us to enjoy. Then on Saturday Karen and Karen provided another beautiful painting and reflection Love Covers for our enjoyment.

With Palm Sunday only a couple of weeks away I wanted to highlight the resources we have available for Holy Week. My favourite is the Stations of the Cross which provides perspectives from many parts of the world on Jesus’ walk towards the Cross. I also highly recommend our free downloads Maundy Thursday Agape Liturgy and A Journey Into God’s Resurrection-created World.

Many blessings on you as you continue your walk towards Holy Week,
Christine Sine

Photos and Writing by Carol Dixon
Featured photo: Cuthbert’s Isle, Lindisfarne

Opening Prayer (David Adam Tides & Seasons)
Thanks be to the Father, I arise today,
He gives me light, he guides my way.
Thanks be to the Savour, I arise today,
He gives me love, he hears me pray.
Thanks be to the Spirit, I arise today,
He gives me life, with me to stay.   

Song:  Cuthbert’s Isle (Tune: Whittingham Fair -trad)

1.   Behold the beauty of our God,
in vast expanse of sea and sky,
in bobbing seal and cuddy duck,
in tern and puffin’s raucous cry.

2.   We sense the imprint in the sand
Aidan and Cuthbert’s feet once trod,
upon their daily pilgrimage
to draw them closer still to God.

3.   We catch the whisper of their prayers
in gusts of wind on rippling dunes,
and lapping waves on Cuthbert’s Isle
dance to creation’s joyful tunes.

4.   We learn to praise the living God
in service and in solitude,
and draw aside from teeming throng
to work and pray for greater good.

5.   The Spirit wings across the air
to touch us with God’s kiss of peace,
and so renewed in heart and mind
our love for all will never cease.

6.   All glory be to Christ our strength,
safe haven of the Father’s love,
and praise to God the three in one,
from saints below and saints above.

© Carol Dixon  

Carol’s comment: I sang this in Alnwick Castle Guest Hall for the pilgrims travelling from Canterbury to Iona commemorating the 800^th anniversary of St Augustine and St Columba in 1997. A wonderful occasion and a great privilege.

Thoughts on St. Cuthbert (from David Adam’s Walking the edges)
In Cuthbert we see someone who has “tuned the five stringed harp”, the human senses, until they vibrate with what is going on around him. When people are insensitive to the mysteries and wonders of life, to the wonderful world or to people, they are not open to the glories of God, which are about them. The more open we become to God, the more open we are to his creation: the more open we are to creation, the more open we become to God.

Cuthbert saw through the false divisions we make between heaven and earth, God and ourselves, other people and ourselves. Cuthbert was aware of a unity of creation that we have become insensitive to, though the modern world is learning once again that nothing stands alone, all things are in unity with other parts of God’s Universe. Heaven is woven into our world, and is here and now. A world viewed with this insight gives us a vision of a world that is ablaze with the glory of God. 

We need to reawaken our senses so that they will react to the depth and wonders of the world about us. Too often we have taken a closed-circuit attitude that will not let anything enter that is strange or challeng­ing. We seek to be in control and in so doing limit our vision, our senses and our experiences. The world we live in has many levels and is multidimensional and yet we often opt for a narrow view with a tightly controlled environment.

Prayer
Lord, open my eyes to the wonder of the world
and your presence within it.
Lord open my ears to the calls of creation
and to your voice, quiet and near.
Lord open my heart to the love of others
and to your love, close and real.
Lord open each sense and make me aware
of the wonder and beauty always there.

©David Adam

A time of reflection 

In our imaginations let’s go on a pilgrimage around the island, and at each ‘station’ for prayer-
Beginning at St. Cuthbert’s Church

A prayer from St Cuthbert’s

Be still…
From the expansiveness of the skies – to the feathers of the sparrow
from the rhythm of the waves – to the falling of the leaves
from the undulating horizon – to the journey of the sands
the Spirit calls us to observe – the constancy of change
the intricacies of creation, the complexities of life
to be -at one with ourselves
with all that is around us – and with the Divine
to inhabit spaces – where clamour is calmed
questions paused, souls are fed
to become
at home – with change
with rebirth, and with hope
©️ Rachel Poolman, URC minister St Cuthbert’s, Holy Island

Statue of Cuthbert….

Collect for St Cuthbert’s Day
Almighty God,
who called your servant Cuthbert from following the flock
to follow your Son and to be a shepherd of your people:
in your mercy, grant that we, following his example,
may bring those who are lost home to your fold;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

St Mary’s Church from the Heugh

A prayer from St Mary’s
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known,
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
That we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name,
Trough Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Heugh….. 

As we contemplate your Cross
And think of the sacrifices of islanders
Who gave their lives for others
In the name of peace,
We offer you our prayers, Lord God
For peace in our world today. © Carol Dixon

The Harbour…..  

A safe harbour prayer
Lord of earth, ocean and sky, you rule the mighty deep,
your loving hands reach the uttermost part of the sea,
even in rough waters your hand will lead me,
your strong hand will uphold me.
You are my compass, my lighthouse,
my safe haven in the storm,
your grace surpasses the mightiest wave,
protects me in raging winds and treacherous billows!
May your peace keep me whole – spirit, soul and body,
until you come and take me home.
May your Spirit guide me, into your save harbour,
My Redeemer and Lord.  Amen.  [adptd From The Lutheran Book Of Prayer (1951)]

St Aidan’s Church…..

A voyagers prayer
As St Aidan approached this Holy Isle in a small boat,
travelling in faith and hope, with a vision of discovering
new ways to share your name, Lord Jesus,
and bring your word of hope and love to those in darkness,
may we be open to new opportunities to travel forth in faith
and reach out to those who live in darkness in our world today.  © Carol Dixon

Ending at Statue of Aidan….

St. Aidan’s prayer
Leave me alone with God as much as may be.
As the tide draws the waters close upon the shore,
Make me an island, set apart, alone with you,God, holy to you.
Then with the turning of the tide
Prepare me to carry your presence
to the busy world beyond, the world that rushes in on me,
till the waters come again and fold me back to you.

Song: Cuthbert  (Tune:  Sussex Carol )

St Cuthbert, humble shepherd saint 

and hermit on the inner Farne,
who lived a simple life of faith,
praised God,  and kept his folk from harm.
On Holy Island he worked and prayed
that all might come to God and be saved.

He blessed the cuddy ducks and seals,
and priests and pilgrims called him friend.
The poor and needy sought him out,
for help and hope, their lives to mend,
learned to set time apart to pray,
care for others and follow Christ’s way.

(Optional last verse)
Still in St Cuthbert’s Church today,
Folk dedicate their lives again,
And strangers come to feel at home
So all are welcomed in Christ’s name.
Praise God for saints who served of old!
May we who serve today be as bold!
© Carol Dixon 2014 

Based on St Cuthbert’s Holy Island Mission Statement
We follow the example of St Cuthbert by offering: A place to be apart with God, A simple hospitable welcome, A place of prayer & renewal, A place where strangers feel at home.

Blessing:

May God who guided St Cuthbert throughout his life
Be with us today and always. Amen.

by Christine Sine

A few weeks ago, the Guardian published the following article: Tear Down these Walls or Get Used to A World of Fear, Separation and Division which made me feel that our challenge to break down walls during Lent was indeed a timely topic. Evidently “the EU/Schengen area is now surrounded or crisscrossed by 19 border or separation fences totalling 2,048km in length, up from 315km in 2014. Similar trends are discernible worldwide.” Walls that split nations in half, or that surround nations to keep out refugees and displaced people are more common than ever. In fact Wikipedia lists 59 such walls throughout the world, most of them designed to curb the movement of refugees and illegal immigrants. .

Walls are not new. The Roman Empire built several including Hadrian’s wall in Britain, designed to keep the warlike Scots out of Roman occupied territory and the Great Wall of China built to keep out the nomadic tribes of Mongolia. What is concerning however is that most of today’s walls have been built in the last 20 years. We live in a very sobering world of division and isolation. As the article in the Guardian says:

These barriers are supposed to fend off military and terrorist threats. But what they mostly do is create obstacles to peace. Often they increase frictions. At best, they freeze enmity in place.

Walls, whether they be physical, emotional or spiritual often create barriers to peace. They highlight that people who are different from us be it because of race, ethnicity, gender orientation or beliefs are not welcome and maybe more importantly their views and ideas are not welcome and are seen to have lesser value than our own. In many cases that are not regarded as having any value at all.

A few weeks ago, in the lead up to Lent, I wrote a post What If We Gave Up Walls for Lent, in which I talked about some of what I see as the keys to creating peace rather than animosity. First we need to really listen to what others are saying. So often we are more interested in voicing our own opinions than in listening, and what others say hardly registers in our consciousness.

If there is one practice that should be established and reinforced during Lent, it is that of listening. Listening with our ears and our hearts. Listening with a willingness to be changed by what we hear and with a desire to see life differently than we have in the past.

What if I rethink who I am not in terms of  what Christ has done for me, but in terms of what Christ wants to do through me for others? 

What if I read life:

through the lens of laughter and fun?

through the filter of joy and peace?

through the framework of gratitude and thankfulness?

I am starting to think beyond Lent and even beyond Easter, and as I think about breaking down walls in the coming season there are other questions that lodge in my mind.

As the seasons change what do I need to let go of in order to fully enter the richness of this new season?

As I look at our world, what language do I need to change to become a better steward and carer for those who look and think differently from me ?

As I think about my faith what perceptions and understandings need to change in order embrace that which I normally exclude?

And with all these questions revolving in my mind it is not surprising that my initial thoughts have turned to poetry, that fertile ground of exploration and expression for me.

Read life differently,
Read with the desire to break down walls.
Read with love and not with hate,
with compassion and not with judgment,
with generosity and not with  scarcity.
See your cup,
not half full,
not half empty,
but overflowing with goodness and light and life.
Read life differently.
Look for the wonder of uniqueness,
not the exclusion of sameness.
Embrace don’t reject,
Forgive don’t condemn,
Seek the Son of God.
Work diligently to know
he who is the way, the truth, the life.
Follow his footsteps
into the way that leads to eternal life
Amen

(c) Christine Sine

A contemplative service with music in the spirit of Taizé. Carrie Grace Littauer, prayer leader, with music by Kester Limner and Andy Myers. It’s good to be back posting these beautiful contemplative services again.

Thank you for praying with us!

Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-710-756.

“Aber Du Weisst” (Taizé song)
“Što Oko Ne Vidje” (What No Eye has Seen) – Taizé song
“Your Word, O Lord, is a Light” (C’est toi ma lampe)
By the Taizé community, copyright 2010, all rights reserved by GIA/Les Presses de Taizé
Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-710-756

“Be Thou My Vision” — Folk arrangement
Traditional Irish hymn, public domain. Arrangement by Andrew Myers and Kester Limner, shared under the Creative Commons License, Attribution (CC-BY)

Kyrie written and performed by Kester Limner.

Service readings:
“To see ourselves as we truly are—a wisp of love itself—is perhaps our deepest fear. But it is also our greatest grace. If we are to be the new human, we must begin by embracing love, which always seeks to incarnate itself. Love is enfleshed everywhere. Everywhere the Holy One is shouting and whispering, ‘Let me love you.’ And all that is asked of us is to receive. In reality, that is our life’s work. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less.” -Judy Cannato, Field of Compassion
“Help Us to See” prayer by Andrew King, copyright 2017.

Writing by Karen Wilk and visual art by Karen Tamminga-Paton

Love Covers

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of wrongs.”  1 Peter 4:8

My daughters and I had a conversation about this verse last summer. It needs some midrashing.  Surely it does not mean that love just covers up wrongdoing- injustice, abuse, prejudice, discrimination, inequality!  They were dissatisfied with the way it could be interpreted.  So what does it mean?  How does love break down walls and forgive without dismissing, denying or diminishing the magnitude of wrongs done and being done in the world, both near and far?   Good questions for Lent. Good questions for pondering Karen Tamminga-Paton’s painting, titled Love Covers.  Study it and ponder the poetry…

Love covers
      Like a cozy sweater
            Comfortably snug
      Like a soft blanket
                  And a warm hug.
Love covers
      When we need to see
            When it’s time to learn
                  Or unlearn what used to be
Some say, “I don’t see colour”
I say I want to see more
      And know more, honestly
That love might cover
      With tender-heartedness
            Listening ears, and open-handedness.
For there is no separation
      in a hug, we embrace
            On par, mutual grace,
                  A shared, and safe space…
So that in covering, love reveals
      Our common humanity
            Creator’s inclusivity
                  The beauty of diverse community
                  The wonder of colour in unity
                        The sweetness of multiple harmonies…

BUT how can love cover a multitude of wrongs?
      Racist violent brutalities
            Bombings with words and weapons,
            fatalities
                  So many systemic biased realities
How can love cover
      Our ignorance, and impudence
            Such widespread avoidance and discordance?

I have no answer, yet I know:
Love endures, and love with kindness grows,
Love carries, cures, and cares
Love gives, forgives and all things bears
Love, Eternal and Divine,
And we, the heirs
      Don’t we know?
Love, love
            is at the end of every road
      Carrying the heavy,
                                    dirty,
                                          load
                  Covering all the flaws and vice
                        In life restoring sacrifice
                                    In willing, woeful suffering–
Un-cover-ing
      That we might behold:
Love’s warm embrace unfold
      And with gentleness take hold
            And change our every day
                        Compassion on display
Precious poignant tug
      Simple, not-so-simple hug
            Come, come what may–
Love, hear us when we pray,
      Love cover all
            Love have Your way.

Find more of Karen Tamminga-Paton’s art on her website here.

Preparing for the Garden Walk of Holy Week

In the last few days of his life, Jesus moved from garden to garden from suffering to resurrection.

Join Christine Sine for a Lent retreat that reflects on this journey and prepares for the challenging week that follows Palm Sunday.

Click here to register! We are once again offering several price points to aid those who are students or in economic hardship

It’s only a week away and it is time to sign up. March 25th I will conduct my annual Lenten retreat Preparing for the Garden Walk of Holy Week. This one has a little different focus than usual and I am very excited about it.

It is another journey into changed perspectives and the breaking down of walls. This retreat is not about gardening. It is about walking with Jesus through all the seasons of creation as he walks from Palm Sunday to Easter resurrection.

To be reconciled to God we must be reconciled to the whole created world and this we catch a glimpse of in Jesus’ walk through Holy Week. Did you know that Palm Sunday resounds with echoes of Sukkot and the celebration of harvest? Shouts of “Hosanna” sound a prayer for Earth’s productivity that echoes again in the birthing of the Christian liturgy of bread and wine inaugurated on Maundy Thursday at the last supper.  From there Jesus moves into the garden of Gethsemane, and onward to Golgotha where the potency of Christ’s life, now released in death, reverberates through the earth itself with shakes, the splitting of rocks and even the revival of the dead who rise in witness. Finally we move to the garden of resurrection where Mary “thinks he is the gardener”, that tiny verse of cosmic importance because Jesus is indeed the gardener of the new creation.

Jesus walk through Holy Week is a walk through creation, and the last few days is a journey from a garden of sorrow, through suffering to a garden of resurrection life. Adam and Eve move from a garden paradise to a garden of suffering. Jesus moves from a garden of suffering to the garden of new creation. Recognizing these strong connections between the life ,suffering and death of Christ, and the beautiful creation God gifted us with has become an essential part of my walk during Lent and Easter.

It is an aspect of the Gospel story at all all of us need to embrace and Lent is a perfect season in which to do so.

I hope you will join me on this journey and draw closer to Christ and creation in the process. 

River Aln at dawn © George Taylor

by Carol Dixon

Opening words: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercy never comes to an end. It pours out upon us, fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise, God’s love never fails. (Lam 3:22 GNB)

Hymn: Every new morning (Words & Music: Carol Dixon)

Every new morning God gives us freely
hearts that are thankful, strength for the task,
people who love us, joy in our service,
all we have need of if we but ask.

God will be with us in all our thinking,
in all our speaking, in all we do;
and as we praise him by all our actions,
God will be with us, seeing us through.

God in the morning, God in the noontide,
God in the evening, throughout the day;
God is within us, and all around us,
behind, before us all of the way.
© Carol Dixon 1998

Opening prayer: St Ninian’s catechism (from Cry of the Deer by David Adam)
Within each piece of creation, within each person,
our hidden God waits, to cause us to laugh, and surprise us with his glory.

Within each moment of time, within each moment and hour,
our hidden God approaches us to call our name and give us his joy.

Within each human heart, within our innermost being,
our hidden God touches us to awaken us to his love and his presence.

Everything is within him, the human being, and the heart;
God calls us to open our eyes and our hearts to him in our worship and in our lives.

Awaken us to your glory, God, we pray, today and every day
To enjoy the joys of your creation, and reflect your love.  Amen.

Reflection
The month of March is full of celebrations of Saints’ days, especially the Celtic saints – beginning with St. David on March 1st through to St. Cuthbert on 20th March and on 17 March it is St Patrick’s day. Patrick was born in 414 AD and his father was a decurion believed to be serving at Banna (Birdoswald) on the Roman Wall. His grandfather was the priest of the church there and as a child he was brought up as a Christian though he ignored his faith and was a wild lad as a young teenager.  In his autobiography (known as his Confessions) Patrick said he first truly discovered God was with him when he was a slave in Ireland as he tended his master’s sheep.

David Adam in his book Cry of the Deer writes:

When Patrick was only 16 he was captured by a raiding party from Ireland and sold as a slave to a petty king in Armargh. In an instant his future was gone, the securities of his position and any plans for his life had disappeared. Somehow he managed to meet up with fellow Christians, possibly slaves captured like himself. It would have been easy to despair but instead this is the time when Patrick’s faith and his personal relationship with God blossomed. As he later wrote: “I often prayed in the daytime as well as at night – in the forest, on the mountains, and before daylight I was roused to prayer – in snow, in frost and rain – and I felt no harm could come to me for the Holy Spirit seethed within me”.

After 6 years Patrick managed to escape and returned home.  But Ireland had already captured him in other ways and, as St. Paul heard the call to preach the gospel in Europe, (Acts 16: 6). Patrick dreamed he heard his friends calling to him ‘We pray thee, come and walk among us’, and in spite of the danger of being put to death as a runaway slave, Patrick returned to Ireland as a missionary where he shared his love of God with friend and enemy alike.

St. Patrick

Photo by Sergio Mena Ferreira on Unsplash

The Celtic Christians, like Patrick, saw God in all of creation, and said their prayers on awakening, at noon, in the evening, and before they went to sleep. They involved God in all they did from building the fire each morning to ‘smooring’ it (dampening it down) at night. They involved God in every task – there are prayer for milking the cow, making a meal, creating a plough or even for forging a sword. They recognized God as divine creator who cared for and delighted in the universe he created.

Think about something you have made. Something that is precious to you. Something you love.  Gradually over the years it has become battered and a bit broken and it has lost its original purpose. Do you cast it aside & throw it away? Or do you do something to put it right so that you can cherish it even more? I love watching the Repair Shop on TV where people bring precious objects that have seen better days for the team to restore them to their former glory.  The difference between before and after is amazing as so much love and care is put into restoring each one and the joy on people’s faces as they see their cherished possession restored is very touching.

David Adam reminds us that God is the great restorer – he looked on the world he had made, the world he declared good and beautiful at its Creation and saw that over the years people had spoiled it, even broken it but instead of abandoning it or destroying it he sent his Son to repair it and bring it back to its former glory in him. As Christians we are blest to have our very own Repair Shop to come to for mending – through prayer, through worship, through fellowship together with Jesus, our redeemer who takes all the brokenness and makes all new again. Like those Repair Shop craftsmen working behind the scenes, as recipients we may not be able to see how he does it but we can see the end result and rejoice.

Prayers (You may like to light a tea light)

Photo by CHIRAG K on Unsplash

In a time of quietness now let’s allow God to repair and restore all the brokenness in our lives and in our world as we bring our prayers to him for ourselves, our world, or someone we know to be in need as we listen to a beautiful song by Pete Scott, sung by Sheila Hamil:

I offer you today, Lord

The Lord’s Prayer

Closing words:
There are so many wonderful hymns based on prayers of Celtic Christians – from Be thou my vision to Lord of all hopefulness and the magnificently powerful Kaim prayer for protection ‘I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity’ which is attributed to St Patrick.  One of my favourites is a version of St Patricks Breastplate by James Quinn set to to the Scottish tune Bunessan.

Hymn: This day God gives me (Tune Morning has broken)

Blessing: from the Western Isles from David Adams Cry of the Deer. Called The eye of God.

May the Father who created you with eye benign behold you
The son who dearly purchased you with eye divine enfold you
The Spirit who lives within you with eye refining hold you
In friendliness the Holy three behold you on your bended knee
And the blessing of the Trinity be yours each day, eternally. Amen

Closing music:  An Irish blessing: May the road rise to meet you. (Celtic Thunder)

By Jean Andrianoff — Originally posted March 28, 2019 here.

No doubt the most famous wall in the world is the Great Wall of China, a colossal feat of human engineering. In its 2,700-year history, only one invader successfully breached this wall: Genghis Khan of Mongolia.

This literal wall between China and Mongolia mirrors a figurative wall of antagonism between the Chinese and the Mongols, as ancient as the Great Wall itself. When we lived in Mongolia in the mid-1990’s, the hostile feelings remained. Mongolians we spoke with had little use for either of their neighbors—neither Russia on the north nor China to the south. While we found they outspokenly despised the Russians who represented 70 years of Soviet domination of their country; Mongolians’ enmity toward the Chinese was even more intense.

Christianity at the time was young in Mongolia; only a handful of believers were more than ten years old in the faith. When we arrived in Mongolia in early 1993 there were an estimated 200 followers of Christ in the country. Most of these new Christians were young in chronological age as well, young adults comprising the majority of the members of the rapidly emerging church. Eree’s family was one of the few entire families to have embraced the faith. This capable young woman, who worked in our office, invited us to dinner to meet her family. We found her parents to be warm, engaging, and enthusiastic about their new-found faith. They had been among the first believers when Mongolia had opened to Christian witness. One of the things they told us that evening gave me an entirely new perspective on Paul’s words to the Ephesian Christians:

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace,  and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.  He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.  For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Ephesians 2:14-18, NIV)

Eree’s mother told us of an encounter they had with a group of Chinese Christians, and how gratifying it felt to fellowship with these people who seemed more like brothers and sisters than ancient rivals. To her, this experience gave truth to Paul’s words and verified the power of the Gospel to break down ancient prejudices.

Never again have I read this passage without thinking of Eree and her family and how the great wall of hostility between historical enemies was shattered by the costly reconciliation of Christ. Yes, the passage was originally intended for Jews and Gentiles. Like the literal wall separating the Chinese and Mongolians, a literal wall in the temple courts separated Gentiles and Jews, so that Gentiles were excluded from the inner courts where sacrifices for sin were performed. But with the death of Christ, the figurative wall of separation this represented was abolished, with both sides now having equal access to the Father.

While I understand this concept, I have not lived in a context where I have experienced the Jewish/Gentile division. However, seeing the Chinese/Mongolian wall of prejudice swept away among new believers in Christ has given me a fresh perspective on the power of God to break down walls that separate even the most ancient enemies. No matter how great the wall we face, God’s power is more than adequate to break it down.

By Ana Lisa de Jong — Originally posted here on March 27, 2019.

I wonder is God a God of rules,
and rituals

and certain ways of doing things?

There is place for tradition,
and practices that give symbolism,

and meaning
to what is important.

But I think that God,
who is Being,

calls us to respond in the same vein.

Behold,

we come at the prompting of His Spirit
in our understanding of the Word.

And in our need,
and in our gratitude

and we lay down all semblance of
appearances

and we lay down
in the dust,

all our motivations,
our desire for attention

or affirmation for doing things
correct, or well.

And we open our hearts,
which always starts

with forgetting what
we have learned,

and learning to listen
to something new.

God is always in the creation
business,

always about surprising
and arriving in some

new and different
way.

That might mean throwing
off tradition

and appearances
to the winds

and following his
sandaled feet

and the footprints
left in his wake

where-ever they lead.

Living Tree Poetry
March 2019

by Christine Sine

This morning I sat in my sacred corner looking out at a drab and chilly Seattle morning. My husband tells me that spring arrived while I was away in Australia, but my body is still tuned to the Australian summer days I left behind. The delightful dawn chorus of kookaburras and lorikeets still reverberates in my mind.

Jet lag is a strange phenomenon that insists our bodies are out of synch with the world around us. According to Google, it is a temporary sleep problem caused by a mismatch between a person’s normal daily rhythms and a new time zone. For me it is far more than that as it doesn’t just impact my sleep but also my eating, my emotions and my ability to work. I cling to the memories of my trip and the warm, fuzzy feelings of laughter and delight with family and friends. I cling to the sounds of kookaburras and lorikeets, the flash of colour in the morning sun and the fragrance of eucalyptus trees all around. I cling more than anything to the love that binds me to my brothers, stronger now than ever. How precious to be a part of a family that loves and cares for each other even when we are a long way apart.

Unfortunately this trip also left me with an ache in my heart. My eldest brother has malignant melanoma and though he currently appears healthy, the disease is insidiously spreading in his body and the treatments do not seem to be effective. It is probable that I will not see him alive and healthy again so I cling to the delight of his presence and the special place he always held in my life. My gentle giant brother, a very positive male role model for me.

My trip to Australia, my chance to revisit my family and drink in the beauty of the love and affection that radiates from them is an important part of my Lenten journey this year. The walls of separation were broken down for the first time for 4 years and the bonds that bind us were strengthened.

Walls, I realize are not always made from bricks and mortar. They are not always made of physical materials at all. Sometimes they exist only in our minds. Wherever the walls in our lives are, we need the long journey of Lent and maybe even the experience of jet lag to help break them down. Many of us live our whole lives feeling out of synch with the world around us. So what do we do:

Dawn flying into San Francisco

Light exposure is a prime influence on our body’s circadian rhythms and our ability to adapt to the new rhythms of the place to which we have travelled. After travelling west, we expose ourselves to light in the evening to adjust to a later than usual time zone. After traveling east as I did last week, we expose ourselves to morning light to adapt to an earlier time zone. My first early morning dawn light on this trip occurred as we flew into San Francisco, but sitting here each morning looking out at the Seattle landscape, hard though it might be, is probably the most important part of my re-orientation. I even developed a morning prayer to help me refocus.

I welcome the early morning light,
And embrace the brightness,
Of Christ’s presence within the day.
I welcome its beauty and the unfurling of it’s joy.
Unique and special to this place and time.
I welcome its grief and the weight of its sorrow,
Unwanted but ever present in my mind.
Here at the beginning of the day,
The light of Christ surrounds me,
And I welcome it into my life.

by June Friesen

As I have contemplated the theme of this Lenten season that of building a positive life as one tears down walls I was reminded of Jesus story about the soils in Mark 4.

4 3-8“Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.

 

9 “Are you listening to this? Really listening?”

 

10-12 When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories. He told them, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom—you know how it works. But to those who can’t see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward a welcome awakening. These are people—

 

Whose eyes are open but don’t see a thing,
Whose ears are open but don’t understand a word,
Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven.”

 

13 He continued, “Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way.

 

14-15 “The farmer plants the Word. Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.

 

16-17 “And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm. But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

 

18-19 “The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.

 

20 “But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams.”

You may wonder what does this story have to say about walls – breaking down walls? I find this story captivating as I consider what it means for me in my life to break down walls that I have constructed, allowed others to construct in my life, or adopted from others. When I meditate upon it I find there is always new truth to be found and explored. I especially want to concentrate on weeds here, however I can see hard soil and rocks as being issues as well when it comes to having walls that make life unmanageable or challenging.

In our lives as well as around us there are times when there are walls that are made of stone. While there are times that they may give protection, there are also times when it is not so much protection but isolation that is the result. There are times when isolation may be a good thing such, as when one needs time to be alone with God for an extended time. Jesus did that from time to time – the one we are most familiar with is when He went into the desert for 40 days by Himself. When one has a physically weakened immune system and there is a highly contagious illness present there may be/is need for isolation. From time to time our spirits may be in need of isolation alone with God for renewal, for empowering, for a new infilling from God. However one should not choose to hide away from living a productive life on earth.

Then there are times when one does not make time to open their spirit for further seed to be planted. For example, does God have something new for us to learn from His Scriptures that we did not know or see before? Yet we reject it because it is unfamiliar. Our spirit is often unyielding to accept new beginnings, new ideas and/or new ways of looking at things and/or people. There are times when I meet people and try to share with them something I have just learned from the Scripture I was reading but they refuse to listen because it is different than what has been taught for the last hundred or thousands of years.

Then there is the soil that is full of weeds. I like to think of this as the person whose life is full of excuses – excuses as to why they do what they do, why they won’t do what they should do, why they won’t change what they think. Or they have not got time, or they have to take a nap, or they have to work 24/7 or they haven’t seen their friends in two weeks – more or less, or they have to go shopping etc. There are just too many things to do and if they do not do them no one else will, they will not get done right etc. Consequently, one allows the weeds of excuses to prevail and energize their life.

Then there is the good soil. This is the person who has an open heart to the things that God is wanting to do, is doing, and plans to do. It may not be but a dream at times, yet they feel compelled to believe God has a plan. These may be people that are referred to as dreamers, entrepreneurs, ‘thinking outside the box’, experimenters, etc. These are people who are listening to God and open to seeing where and how God is working and to go and join God. There may be those who watch in skepticism, who speak words of discouragement and possibly even condemnation, etc., but the good soil receives and gives way to sprouts, nurturing growth and then harvest rather than the weeds.

So this brings me to the point – how can you be a change agent? How can I be a change agent? How can I be a gardener for God’s kingdom here on earth today?

First of all I need to tend to my own garden. I need to take down any wall(s) that there may be between myself and God. Usually these are walls I have built or let others build. The walls need to be taken down so that I can attend the good plants and things. I need to make sure that I am fertilizing and watering my garden. This can be done by spending time with God in His word and in prayer – making regular time with Him. This is making sure that the ground of my spirit is worked regularly to keep sinful thoughts from taking sprout and growing or else they become the focus of my life. Thirdly I need to be diligent in not allowing ‘stuff’ to choke my godly spirit. For each one of us that may be something different. Some of us may have a longer list of ‘weeds’ than others – but it is not what or how many the weeds are. It is being willing to recognize the weeds for what they are and then to be willing to extract them from one’s life so our godly spirit can grow.

The next step I need is to allow the good plants to grow, be nurtured and produce fruit so that others can also be fed and encouraged in their walk with God. Often times it is a struggle to move forward in this area to get the new beginnings really started. This is where one needs to seek out ways to nourish and feed the spirit. There are several ways to do this and one does not need to employ all of them. One can gather ideas, make a list, and then explore the options that may work in your own life. Some options may be daily personal Bible reading/study and prayer, journaling, group Bible study, group prayer meetings, attending church regularly, reading a devotional book along with Scripture, listening to a sermon, listening to music, writing music, writing letters to God, taking a walk in nature, sitting on the beach, etc. One can use one of these or a combination, recognizing that others may not agree with our life changes or with our growing options. As we nurture the good, positive godly growing of character in our life we will see the weeds die out and go away. And that is where the last verse of the passage becomes truth – we will reap a good crop of righteous living. We will become a person who reflects the light of God just as the flower below reflects the light of the sun, Amen.

Photos and reflection by June Friesen. Scripture from The Message.

Preparing for the Garden Walk of Holy Week

In the last few days of his life, Jesus moved from garden to garden from suffering to resurrection.

Join Christine Sine for a Lent retreat that reflects on this journey and prepares for the challenging week that follows Palm Sunday.

Click here to register! We are once again offering several price points to aid those who are students or in economic hardship

by Lilly Lewin

This week’s gospel lesson is from John 4 …the woman at the well.  Jesus chooses to go through Samaria on is way to Jerusalem.  He was breaking down a wall just by going through this land because the Jews and the Samaritans were spiritual enemies. The disciples went to town to get lunch, but Jesus sat by the well and waited. Jesus waited for a person who needed the walls of her heart to be broken down.

Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—  although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.  JOHN 4

This woman was just doing what she did everyday. She came alone to the well to draw water.

She wasn’t expecting to have her life changed.

She wasn’t expecting the walls of her heart to be knocked down by LOVE.

What about you? What walls are around your heart these days? Walls that have been built because of fear, bitterness, anger or exhaustion. Walls built because you don’t feel loved or honored, or accepted as you are.

There are NO WALLS around the well of God’s love!

What walls have you built around other people? Maybe the people who don’t believe as you do, or look like you or vote like you….Are there walls you have built around these people that prevent you from seeing God’s image in them?

What places do you refuse to visit or go to because of these walls? How might Jesus be inviting you to go sit by the well and love the people who are there?

Jesus sees this Samaritan woman, really sees her and values who she is even in her brokenness . Jesus loves her and invites her to change and see things differently.
How is Jesus inviting us to see things differently today?

How can you know and believe Jesus really sees who you are and knows all you ever did but loves you anyway?

 In the midst of everything, Jesus wont leave us thirsty.
Jesus wants to provide us with living water in the wilderness…in the desert of lent,

Jesus won’t leave us with the thick walls around our hearts.

In the Desert /wilderness of where you are, whether in peace or in crisis.
God is providing water. Jesus is knocking down walls that separate us from him and from each other!
We need to go to the well.
And Draw water like we always do.
Jesus is waiting for us to show up!
What will it take for you to show up at the well?

We celebrated International Women’s Day this week. So today I celebrate the first evangelist! The Samaritan Woman at the Well! I love that Jesus reveals himself as Messiah to her FIRST! A woman! And not a Jewish woman, but a Samaritan woman! Now that’s breaking down lots of cultural walls! There are NO WALLS at the Well!

ART: Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
by Jorge Cocco 2017

©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com

Reflection and poetry by Karen Wilk, visual art by Karen Tamminga-Paton

In Orthodox Christian traditions, Lent has been referred to as the bright sad season. I can relate to the paradox and tension in this description, especially this year as we are still carrying the grief of a number of significant losses that we experienced last fall. This painting invited me to ponder the struggle of holding on in the darkness while yet being aware of the brightness; in other words, to contend. Perhaps that is an integral part of what it means to engage the bright sadness of Lent. Perhaps to contend is to break down the walls in our own souls such that we can remain in the middle of the paradox and tension. Perhaps, Jesus too, had a lot of bright sadness with which to contend. And surely his contention broke down all our walls.

I invite you to study the painting and then dwell in the text:

Contend

I contend, I do, but I can barely hold on right now.
I just want to let go.
      What would happen if I just let go?
Get a grip!
      They say…
Look at the bright side
      Think positive.
            You can do it.
What if I can’t –
      Be strong?
            Hold on?
                  Contend.

Jacob contended-
      Wrestling an angel late at night.
Abraham contended with the Lord
      What if there be 50 righteous, 40 – 10?
Moses contended; I cannot speak.
      Ruth at Boaz’ feet
            David in ashes, might the child live?
Jesus contended WITH
      the self-righteous, the proud and powerful
Jesus contended FOR
      Tax collectors, lepers, the lame
      Women, ‘sinners’, the blind and the shamed…
Jesus contended IN
      a garden
      With the Father and all our humanity…
With all our humanity,
      We contend
      The evil, the poverty,
            The destruction, the war and desolation
                  The disease, despondency, and isolation
We contend
      All the darkness and despair…
      –the pain and loss that leave us raw and bare.

I contend, I do, but I can barely hold on right now.
While the world is dark and blue
      And the sky is falling
            Yet
      Might I contend, if there be heavenly
            glitter and gold
                  that without end, descends
                        And without me, transcends…
I wonder, whose hands really hold–
      Perhaps they’re not mine
            After all–
                  And I need not contend.
Perhaps Divine One attends
                        Amends, Defends…
                              Always
                                    On behalf of His Created Ones
                                          His Beloved, Spirit impends
                                                With grace and favour commends…
                                                      CONTENDS
                                                            For us
                                                                  With us—
                                                                        I CONTEND,
                                                                              GOD CONTENDS.

Would he contend against me with his great power?
      No, he himself would heed me!  Job 23:6 NABRE

Visual Artist’s Statement: Contend (ken tend’) v. 1 fight; struggle. 2 take part in a contest; compete. 3 argue; dispute. 4 declare to be a fact; maintain as true. Syn: cope, wrestle, battle; emphasizing the idea of trying heard and struggling against opposition.

I contend…through brush and paint, I contend. (72×36, acrylic and goldleaf on canvas, 2014) 

It’s looking more and more like spring here in Seattle, and we’ve gotten some much appreciated sun in the last few days. Sometimes it seems like time passes without my notice, but the sum of days looking back is many. I’ve been reflecting on the beautiful poem “At the River Clarion” by Mary Oliver during the last couple days, especially the stanza below:

“Of course for each of us, there is the daily life.
Let us live it, gesture by gesture.
When we cut the ripe melon, should we not give it thanks?
And should we not thank the knife also?
We do not live in a simple world.”

Each little gesture of our lives can be a moment for kindness, gratitude, and reflection. I found this theme also carried in St. David of Wales: Tending to the Little Things, by Elaine Breckenridge. Her writing tells the story of the life of a man whose simple daily actions spoke of his larger faith and what it offered to his community and the world.

Several writers creatively reflected on our Lent theme Breaking Down Walls. Christine’s Meditation Monday – Breaking Down Assumptions described how cracks can symbolize an opportunity to challenge our assumptions, remind us to look for those who have been excluded from society, and reflect on our own moments of brokenness and vulnerability. I thought Carol Dixon’s post Treasure in Clay Pots was a great follow up, as she incorporates several stories and extends the idea that perhaps our brokenness and cracks can be a source of beauty and significance. Breaking Things Down by Keren Dibbens-Wyatt explores what it means to pursue worthwhile change, and how we might reach out to the outcasts and ignored in our society.

I was very intrigued by Sheila Hamil’s post Breaking Down Walls, in which she includes an extended reflection on the interactions between Nicodemus and Jesus, and his movement from curiosity to faith. It also includes one of her original songs, which I always enjoy. Additionally, in her FreerangeFriday: Lenten Pilgrimage part 1, Lilly Lewin invites us to take a pilgrimage for Lent.

Coming up in the next few weeks is Christine’s next retreat, Preparing for the Garden Walk of Holy Week which will take place on Saturday, March 25th. Registration can be found here. We hope you will join her for this inspiring and revelatory time of scripture reading, quiet reflection and creative fun.

Grace and Blessings,
Rebecca Conner