caution and comfort

The following cautions me to accept God's mystery, unknowableness, power - understanding that I am the one captured, contained and limited. I am comforted by the Spirit's resourcefulness and her presence with those who suffer.

Once upon a time we captured God and we put God in a box and we put a beautiful velvet curtain around the box. We placed candles and flowers around the box and we said to the poor and the dispossessed, "Come! Come and see what we have! Come and see God!" And they knelt before the God in the box. One day, very long ago, the Spirit in the box turned the key from inside and she pushed it open. She looked around in the church and saw that there was nobody there! They had all gone. Not a soul was in the place. She said to herself, "I'm getting out!" The Spirit shot out of the box. She escaped and she has been sighted a few times since then. She was last seen with a bag lady in McDonald's.

Edwina Gateley,

"Prophetic Mission: Sniffing Out the Kingdom,"

Mystics, Visionaries and Prophets

via Gail Ramshaw's book

Treasures Old and New: Images in the Lectionary

random enemy absorption

This was part of an editorial by Colbert I. King in the Washington Post:

Old Lessons For Obama
By Colbert I. King
Saturday, April 19, 2008; Page A15

...A story told once before: In 1960, when I was a junior in college, Hubert Humphrey visited Howard University during his campaign in the D.C. Democratic primary. He was also running against John F. Kennedy in the West Virginia primary, where the Massachusetts senator's Catholicism was being assailed.

A government major, I asked Humphrey how he felt about the attacks against Kennedy's faith. Humphrey, not missing a beat, said that although he was seeking victory, he didn't want to win with anti-Catholic votes.

To Humphrey, an enemy of his friend was his enemy, too...

(I am going to name the process "random enemy absoprtion". Inspiring in some ways, but not exactly how I like to live life.)

No, but what did inspire me was the unwillingness of someone to use faith and religion as a barrier or a reason to denounce another person. Far too often, we can use our own beliefs as judgments on others. Humphrey obviously made an impression on Mr. Colbert King. Let us also live our lives to make an impression on others.

signs and gratitude

signs of spring, renewal and new life are welcome at this time of year. while we don't have anything like a midwestern winter, it is nice to:

hear the birds in the early, early morning again (even if they do leave evidence on my car)
see blossoms blooming - tulips, cherry blossoms, lilacs, and surprises in my garden surrounding the house i moved into in november

these creation signs of new life point to the new life that God provides. yesterday i learned that a dear friend from seminary died suddenly. he was a special person, with a depth and many, many gifts he offered to his family and friends, the world and the church. i am sad for us, but can't help feeling that he now is just where he is supposed to be.

today I am grateful for:

having known Kevin Schultz

friends who bring me lilacs from their yard/garden just because I mentioned they are my favorite flowers in one of my sermons

What's In Your Backseat?

Apparently, riding in my car requires an adventurous, observant and humourous nature...

As I pulled out of the parking lot, my water-logged passenger - saved from more water-loggedness, I might add - pipes up with the following inventory:

-a stuffed monkey in a homemade superhero costume
-a full-sized Kleenex box
-a junior sized soccer ball
-a batman umbrella
-a clerical collar

Apparently, adding my purse (adequate for 5 year old boy and any necessary pastoral items), covered a large area of the seat, and made her unable to complete the inventory. Who knows? There could have been a dragon, Bible Man, or jello under that!!!

What's in your back seat??