It Does Move

Alan Claassen

May 21, 2017

Psychotherapist, Piero Ferruci, from Italy, has written a book called, Survival of the Kindest.

In his book, Ferrucci discusses the precious gift of connection, giving one’s attention to another human being. He writes, “People who are suffering don’t need advice, diagnoses, interpretations and interventions. They need sincere and complete empathy—attention.”

Once they have the feeling that another person is putting themselves in their shoes, they are better able to let go of their suffering and head down the path of healing.

“When someone opens themselves up to you and puts their trust in you, it is the greatest gift of all. Just think about it: which relationships in your life have enriched you the most and why? These are nearly always relationships in which people gave you their trust, whereby you had the feeling that the other person trusted you. Putting your trust in someone is precious. It is the gift we should be the most grateful for.”

Now, here’s a story from Piero Ferruci’s book, Survival of the Kindest.

It takes place on Boston Common, the oldest park in the United States, and the beginning of the Freedom Trail. The characters in this story are two men with little in common. One a well-heeled, high-powered attorney, the other a street-schooled, often ignored homeless person.

Rob slept on a sidewalk. Peter had a swank condo in the Back Bay. But every morning they would cross paths here on Boston Common and over the course of several months, actually became good friends.

How did that happen? Such contrasting men, living such different lives. You’d think after the weather and box scores they’d run out of things to talk about. And indeed, they did run out.

So Peter the high-powered attorney gave Robert, the street-powered homeless person, a copy of a favorite book of his called ‘Water for Elephants.’

Robert read the book. And discussing the book became their way of connecting, and a friendship was born.

“Then one day Peter asked Robert what he had done with the book. Robert replied, “I gave it to a fella over there. I knew he liked to read” So it occurred to Peter and Robert that there was an interest out there on the Boston Common that could draw people together”

“You’d be surprised by how many people actually read,” Robert said.

Peter and Robert started the Homeless Book Club. They meet every Tuesday in a church conference room. Peter buys the books. In the beginning he offered to bring in lunch too, but the members said “no thanks.” They wanted this to be about more than just another free lunch.

“For me it’s a place to go and escape,” said Donald, a member.

“And to question things,” said Louise, another member.

“Yeah, I feel more sophisticated,” said Jamie, a member, laughing.

Unlike the others, Jamie, who lives in a rooming house, says he never used to be a reader. His addictions were the priority.

“I picked up the first book and started reading it and I couldn’t put it down,” Jamie said. Now Jamie is addicted to literature. “If I keep reading, and keeping my mind occupied, I’m less likely to hurt myself in life,” Jamie said.

Testimonials like that are now inspiring other people in other cities, even other countries, to start putting together their own homeless book clubs.

And as for the homeless man who started it all – Robert – turns out, the only reason he couldn’t get subsidized housing was because he had an unresolved moving violation on his record. Fortunately, he knew a good lawyer. Peter was able to clear up that traffic ticket, which is why tonight Rob is no longer on the streets. He’s housed and working as a church custodian.”

A connection. A paying attention to another human being and a giving soul to soul. A Thankful Heart and a Shared Gift.

(Source: A Story about connection A Tale With a Storybook Ending By Steve Hartman CBS News. Found on Helpothers.org)

I received a book, from my father.

          It is a book entitled the The Future of Humanity and it was written by Teilhard de Chardin. Teilhard de Chardin was a Jesuit Priest and a paleontologist.

          He is considered by many to be the grandfather of what is now called evolutionary Christianity.

          I opened the book to the first chapter, skipped over the quote written in Italian, since I don’t read Italian, and read these words.

          “The conflict dates from the day when one man, flying in the face of appearance, perceived that the forces of nature are no more unalterably fixed in their orbits than the stars themselves,

          but that their serene arrangement around us depicts the flow of a tremendous tide—the day on which a first voice rang out, crying to humankind, peacefully slumbering on the raft of Earth, “We are moving! We are going forward…”

          I loved the quote and so became curious as to what conflict Teilhard de Chardin was referring to, so I looked back the quote that I had skipped earlier.

          E pur si muove

          Not only did I not know how to pronounce it, I didn’t know what it meant so I googled the phrase and found that it means, “We are moving.”

          I also learned who is famous for saying that phrase, the man was who, “flying in the face of appearance, perceived that the forces of nature” were not fixed but were flowing.

          As the story goes, mumbling these words quietly to himself, Galileo left the session of the Inquisition that had found him guilty after a trial for “grave suspicion of heresy”.

          The “heresy” was in connection with his publication of a book, “Dialogue on the Tides” in which his belief in the Copernican notion of a Sun centered universe had sort of “slipped in”.

          In Italy in 1633, suggesting that the earth, that rock solid center of God’s universe actually moved around another body, the Sun, was not the wisest thing to do. In fact that idea could get you killed… or worse.

          Galileo got off easy since he was sentenced to life in prison, which, lucky for him, became permanent house arrest instead.

          In addition he was commanded to never mention the idea again, his book was burned and the sentence against him was to be read publicly in every university.

          But Galileo knew what he saw.

          “And yet it does move”.

          And yet, “we are moving.”

First Congregational Church in Sonoma

          You are moving! Together is the challenge.

And it is scary.

You have to let go of some precious things, but not everything

You have precious things to offer also, your love for one another.

What moves you?

Feel the earth move under your feet and the sky come tumbling down.

And when the Spirit says move, you gotta move!

God the Hen, Herod the Fox

Psalm 27

Alan Claassen

This one of the great challenges of being human; standing on the edge of the awareness of our finitude and yet choosing the amazing place of being alive.

Standing on the edge of

our memories of loved ones, who are no longer with us,

ones we love who are facing illness that may be terminal

or injuries that restrict our movement

or our awareness of the foxes of the world that breathe out violence,

          and wanting to still choose to be fully alive

          wanting to live as if we are on the road to the land of the living

          where life will be as it was meant to be.

          Where does that vision, that strength, and that courage come from?

“I believe that I shall see, the goodness that was meant to be,

               In the land of the living.

       Let your heart take courage.

               In the light, of love.”

       Psalm 27 is my favorite Psalm.

       These words are like spiritual medicine.

       Our spiritual well-being is strengthened if we include this message of love and light, protection and courage among our daily vitamins.

       Our muscles of our soul will be strengthened when our daily practice includes remembering the source of all creation, remembering whatever anchors us to something solid, remembering a sacred place or community that can hold all the emotions we are feeling.

        If take scriptures such as these verses from Psalm 27 deep into our heart and soul they will be ready to help us in times of the stress, and storms of life.

       I once saw a documentary on PBS about hurricanes and there was a story of a woman who was carried twelve miles out into the sea and back. The entire time she was in the water she said the 23^rd Psalm, over and over again, and prayed that God would be with her.

       Now all sorts of tragedies happen to people who pray, so remembering a Psalm is not a miraculous cure that can work in every situation. But I believe, that because this woman held on to Psalm 23, she was able to keep hanging on to the hope that she would survive. In this case, her faith in God may truly have been her salvation.

       Having Psalm 23 in the core of her being kept her eyes focused on hope.

       Psalm 27 has the same message.

       The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?  

       For the writer of this Psalm, salvation is very immediate.

       Salvation is health, wellness, trust, now.

       It is a daily experience.

       It’s a way of seeing the world no matter what the broken world is seeing.

       Salvation is confidence, is patience, is trust, in the midst of being carried out to the sea of injustices and frustrations and disappointments of this life; the times when we grieve over the losses we have to endure because we have taken the risk of loving. Psalm 27 is a good friend to have in one’s spiritual medicine chest.

       I remember sharing with a member of a church that I was serving many years ago that Psalm 27 was my favorite Psalm, and he said it was his also,

       Though his favorite verses in the Psalm were different than mine, which was puzzling to me. I was drawn to the passages of love, light and living.

       My friend, was drawn to the verses:

               “When evil doers assail me… they shall stumble and fall.”

               “Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear.”

               And, “Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;

               for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence.”

       For my friend these passages meant a lot to him because there were times in his life when he had enemies who slandered him, there were times when he knew people were lying about him and it felt very violent.

       And these words of the Psalmist comforted my friend because he believed there was a deeper truth, a deeper source of strength and righteousness that would guide him and protect him. And these words gave my friend strength because they were his words. The Psalmist, like a great blues singer, was singing his experience.

       He wasn’t alone. And he was guided to respond in a way that was non-violent, honest, and compassionate.

       Heard the words of the Psalmist again,

       “Teach me thy way, O Lord; and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.

       Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;

       for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence.”

       My friend had to ask himself:

       What shall I breathe out in response to these attacks?

       Do I breathe out fear? I don’t want to.

       Do I breathe out violence in defense? I don’t want to.

       Protect me, O Lord. Lead me not into temptation. Lead me away from violence. Lead me on a level path.

       Another way to put it is this:

       To respond to pain, not with fear or judgment,

       but instead with compassion or mercy.

       This is the level path: to respond to violence without resorting to violence.

       This is the path that sustains life, even in the face of death.

       This is the path of Jesus. This is the path of prayer-focused living

`     which becomes the source of healing and strength, hope and courage.

Baptized in the Holy Spirit in river Jordan,

       tested by the Holy Spirit in the wilderness,

       returning to the world with the light of God within him,

       Jesus proclaimed good news to those without power,

       which was bad news to those who had power.

       Jesus proclaimed the power that comes from the place of no fear.

       And so when some Pharisees came running up to Jesus with a warning that Herod wanted to kill him, because Herod was threatened by this wandering rabbi

who was healing the sick, and preaching a gospel of good news for the poor.

       Jesus responded from the place that the Psalmist sang about,

        “The Lord is my light and my salvation who shall I fear,”

       and Jesus said you tell that fox, Herod, this news:

       I am going to keep on walking, keep on talking, keep on healing, keep on teaching, today, tomorrow and the day after that.

       And then Jesus cried out for Jerusalem,

       He cried out for humanity,

       When are we going to see that we all have, all that we all need?

       There is bread enough; there is room enough,                    

       there is land enough; there is water enough,                 

       there is compassion enough for everybody.

       And then Jesus shares a wonderful, fully feminine image of God.

       Having just called Herod a fox, Jesus imagines God, as the hen in the yard,

       wings outspread, gathering in the chicks under her wing, protecting the   innocent, at the likely cost of her own life.

       This just like Jesus who turns all cultural norms and expectations on their head; for Jesus, the hen has more power than the fox.

       It is a power that begins by caring for the least among us so that all are fed.

       It is a power that remembers the teachings of the prophets, and that is what scares Herod the most, for the prophets condemned the king who would take advantage of the poor.

       It is power that can be both merciful and strict.

       Just like a mother hen, who loves her chicks.

Jesus, filled with the light of God’s love for all creation, walking the path of nonviolence, and preaching a gospel of good news for the poor, and made his radical action plan healing the sick, feeding the hungry and clothing the clothes-less and housing the homeless, and welcoming the stranger.

Jesus did not let the overwhelming power of Herod stop him; but neither will he heed the Pharisees advice to run away, to avoid the conflict.

       Jesus saw something different. Jesus saw the vision he received at his baptism:

       We are all beloved.

       Believing that he was called to share that vision of humanity with humanity,

       knowing that in sharing that prophetic vision he would make enemies,

       and trusting that he was protected,

       not from death, but from fear,

       he kept on walking, this day, tomorrow and the day after that.

       At the beginning of this sermon I mentioned a woman carried out to sea 12 miles and back. How many times must she have thought about letting go of that little raft that carried her? And yet, she held on.

       How many times must Jesus have despaired over the wide gap between what he saw as a real possibility for humanity and what he saw in Jerusalem.

       And yet, he kept on walking, preaching, healing, right into the city of Jerusalem.

       Our call is not to save Jerusalem, though we can pray for her, and all cities to live in peace.

       Our call is just about as wide as our wings can reach.

       Our call is to be the body of Christ in this community.

       Like a mother hen we can be peacemakers, courage teachers, bread-makers,

       in that little bit of the world that we can reach.

       Our call is to accept the love that gathers us in, protects us, provides for us,

       and guides us on the level path.

       Our call, as the body of Christ is to live the resurrection,

       And whisper this message to Herod, wherever he is these days,

       The work that Jesus began will be completed.

       Today, tomorrow, and the day after that.

Let the people say Amen.

Grace of the World
November 24, 2013
Philippians 4:4-9

Two weeks ago I was one of the co-facilitators of a Circle of Trust Retreat based on the work of educator and sociologist Parker Palmer and the Center for Courage and Renewal.

Through silence, poetry, and the touchstones that guide us into becoming a trusting community, we are able to create a safe place for the soul to show up. The soul, or inner teacher, that can easily be forgotten as we live out our commitments to others.

I am deeply grateful for having introduced to Courage and Renewal and am very proud to say that I learned on Friday that I am now, officially a Courage and Renewal Facilitator. I look forward to finding ways to bring that work to my time with you.

This retreat was a special one for me for many reasons.
One of those reasons was that my father was one of the participants.

Another reason was that I was invited to perform my setting to music of one of my favorite poems, Wendell Berry’s “The Peace of Wild Things.”

I am not going to perform it for you now but I would like to read and explore it with you this morning.

When despair for the world grows in me,
and I wake in the night at the least sound,
in fear of what my life and my children’s life may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water,
and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.
I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light.
For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

“When despair for the world grows in me,
and I wake in the night at the least sound…

I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his stillness on the water. For a moment
I rest in the grace of the world and am free.”

This poem directs our attention towards a source of grace, courage, healing.

And in this moment of grace there arises a sense of gratitude for a larger life, a wider affection.

In a moment of fear and despair, Wendell Berry took an action, a simple action in a powerful place. “I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water…”

But in that simple action new life, hope, courage, and renewal were found. I think of this action as a form of prayer, a practice of grace.

Taking a stand, positioning the human soul to receive the soul of nature, experienced as Holy Love and Wholly Mystery. It is a place where we can trust silence.

It is a place where we can hold despair gently, patiently, prayerfully so that a way out of despair may be seen, imagined, or offered It is a place where we can touch a deeper understanding of what it means to be a human being, called to compassion.

It’s just a moment.

“For a moment I rest in the grace of the world and am free.”

But it’s a moment like baptism. I don’t have the sense from the poem that this freedom is one of escape or denial of what caused him to fear for his children’s lives.

I have the sense that Wendell Berry recognized that his fears were causing him to wake in the night in he least sound. He had lost his sense of trust in the world. Where to regain it?

The simple act of lying down where the wood drake rests, the act of writing a poem that shares this moment with others, this moment of rest, returned him to a sense of trust in the world.

In fact, it returned him to the world itself. It’s only for a moment. You experience this moment of grace and then you go back and you have to respond to all of those things that sent you out into the riverside in the first place.

You may think, the first thing I need to do is take everybody out
to where the wood drake rests, but it isn’t that easy is it?

You have to bring the day-blind stars who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief back to the people who you live with, work with, go to church with — everybody.

It isn’t easy.

That why we need a time and place of sanctuary where we can come into the peace of wild things, of Wholly Love, Holy Mystery.

It takes practice. Isn’t somehow fitting that the same way you get to the kingdom of heaven
is the same way you get to Carnegie Hall, practice.

Practicing the sacred presence of the Holy on this planet, our blue boat home.

I would like to share another poem with you that speaks of this practice of grace. This is by the poet, William Stafford.

This poem was commissioned by the US Forest Service and appears with others at selected viewpoints along the Methow River.

So imagine you are driving along a road in the Cascades, you pull over to look at a beautiful valley, and you find this poem.

A Valley Like this

“Sometimes you look at an empty valley like this,
and suddenly the air is filled with snow.
That is the way the whole world happened-there was nothing,
and then…
But maybe sometime,
you will look out and even
the mountains are gone,
the world becomes nothing again.
What can a person do to bring back the world?
We have to watch it and then look at each other.
Together hold it close and carefully save it,
like a bubble that can disappear if we don’t watch out.
Please think about this as you go on.
Breath in the world. Hold out your hands to it.
When mornings and evenings roll along,
watch how they open and close,
how they invite you to this long party
that your life is.”
“Please think about this as you go on.”
Remember this moment in the Cascades.
Hold out your hands to it.
Look at each other.
The Messiah is among you.

A friend, Ray Gatchlian, gave that poem to me. Ray was a firefighter in Oakland. Ray also traveled the world giving speeches, reading poetry, and making a difference in his own community by tackling the issues of racism and drug abuse.

And putting out fires. He gave me this poem when I asked him if he had any thoughts on he subject of gratitude.

I must admit that I was surprised when Ray answered that for him, at that moment of his life, a practice of gratitude was the most significant, most powerful of all spiritual practices.

He had studied and worked with many spiritual practices, meditation, yoga, and he found that the practice of saying 100 gratitudes a day was the most rewarding. 100 gratitudes a day!

How could one possibly think of 100 things to be thankful for in one day? As I reflected on this I quickly realized how many grumps I do a day.

How many ungratitudes I do a day. How many times I wish that such and such had happened.

How many times I wished I had something I don’t. How many times I wished I could be somewhere I am not. I realized that living with 100 grumps a day makes it impossible to stand where I am.

When ever I am wishing that the world be something different than it is, then I am not present in the world.

And this is exactly what Ray said happened for him.

That rather than creating some sort of unreal Pollyanna world, the practice of 100 gratitudes a day actually helped him get into the present, into where he actually was at the moment.

It helped to see that the present is always full, whereas thinking of things in the past that haven’t gone right is limited and limiting.

Nevertheless it still is a challenging practice. You have to turn off the grump voice and turn on the grace voice with in yourself.

Gratitude as a spiritual practice enables us to see things as they are fully, honestly, with an awareness that with all of the events set before us we are still called to choose life. And to take actions that help and others to choose life.

A spiritual practice of gratitude, 100 multiple gratitudes a day, moves us fear to trust, from being judgmental of ourselves or others to being compassionate, from hurting to healing, from losing energy to gaining creative power, from despair to freedom. It begins in a simple act.

Going to where the wood drake rests. Stopping the car, getting out, and marveling at the beauty of the valley.

Turning ones life from grump to gracious. Finding a way to feed someone who is hungry, visiting someone who is locked up. Locked up.

When the Apostle Paul wrote the Letter to the Church in Philippi, he was locked up. At least that’s what his jailers thought. But Paul didn’t see himself as locked up.

He was, wherever he was, sitting in the grace of Jesus. And this is exactly what he was encouraging the members of the church in Philippi to do.

Practice having the mind of Christ Jesus as much as you possibly can. Here’s how Eugene Peterson translates this passage in his book The Message Celebrate God all day, every day.

I mean, revel in God!

Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Messiah is about to arrive.

The Messiah could show up any minute! Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.

Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Jesus displaces worry at the center of your life.

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious— the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into excellent harmonies.

Paul, the coach, says practice.
In community, in family, in work, in playing, in crying, in serving,
we have opportunities to practice

In his poem William Stafford asks, “What can we do to bring back the world?” What can a person do to bring back hope, clarity, acceptance of the present and energy for the future?

We have to look at each other and hold together that community of life affirming love that knows compassion, honesty and forgiveness.

That celebrates simple gifts even as we mourn together the tragedies. We have to hold out our hands to one another to heal the cuts and bruises that are a part of life.

We have to do the hard work of bringing the grace of the world into the grit of our daily life. And when we orient ourselves to the spiritual practice of gratitude we open ourselves to rest in the grace of God, which will enlighten the eyes of our heart, and see that everything we need is here.

In this, is the experience of the living Christ who guides us to care for others so that they might for a time rest in the grace of the world and be free.

For a moment. For a moment, rest in the grace of the world. And then? Bring back the world.

What can a person do to bring back the world? We have to watch it and then look at each other. Together hold it close and carefully save it, like a bubble that can disappear if we don’t watch out.

Please think about this as you go on. Breath in the world. Hold out your hands to it. When mornings and evenings roll along, watch how they open and close, how they invite you to this long party that your life is.”

And now there is only one more thing for me to say. I thank you for the way in which you have received me into your church. Gratitude # 39…………..61 to go………………….Amen

We Are Stardust
November 16, 2014
Psalm 104 Luke 5:36-39

If you were looking for an organizational theme for the Bible you could go along way with the theme of beginnings.

The Bible is a story of beginning again and again and again. It is a story of evolution; change over time. One note before I enter into this stardusty sermon. In place of the word God, I am going to use the word Creative Energy.

I am doing this for a couple of reasons. One is that I don’t think of God as a noun.

God is not a being, God is being itself. I don’t think of God as Matter, as a thing among other things in the place, existing in one place far away and long ago. I think of God as energy that is always engaged in the creative process, always exploring, expanding, learning,

falling down and getting up again.

In a word, evolving.

Thank Creative Energy for evolution.

Creative Energy loves new beginnings.
What are the first words of the Bible? In the beginning.
What is the first action of the Universe?
An incredible release of energy that continues the expansion of the universe today.
Chaos, Light Dark, Earth. Sky, hydrogen, helium,
stars, exploding stars, carbon, iron.
bacteria, cells, trees, water, birds,
the buffle head ducks on Cain Lake,
the trumpeter swans in Skagit Valley
where Hiway 11 crosses I-5.
Back to the Bible again.

Creative Energy saves the human race and animals with Noah and the Ark. Creative Energy begins a new people with Abraham & Sarah Creative Energy sends the people into a new land led by Moses Creative Energy renews the people with the words of the prophets Creative Energy takes the form of a person in Jesus. Creative Energy takes the form of a community in………us.

And when we live our lives as people united and uniting in Christ we are said to be a new creation, we are begin again as spirit centered people.

If we open our Bible to the Psalms we will find many examples where the might works of Creative Energy are remembered and praised. And often, as in Psalm 104, these mighty works of Creative Energy, refer to the ongoing creation of the universe.

“You, O Creative Energy did fix the earth on its foundation so that it can never be shaken; the deep overspread it like a cloak and the waters lay above like the mountains. (5,6) “Countless are the things you have made, O Creative Energy. You have made all by Your wisdom; and the earth is full of your creatures, beasts great and small. (24)

Here is a passage that may remind you of a verse from the Prayer of Jesus: “All of your creation looks expectantly to You, to give them their food at the proper time. (27) Sometimes new beginnings happen when nothing has been going on,

sometimes new beginnings happen when we realize something is going wrong, sometimes new beginnings happen when we feel confused and abandoned.

sometimes new beginnings happen when someone has a vision, let’s land on the moon,

let’s land on a comet,

let’s end hunger and war.

Where were the disciples when they first saw the Risen Christ?

As the Gospel of John tells it they were hiding behind locked doors in fear for their lives. Creative Energy says, This is not the time to be afraid,

this is not the time to hide,

this is the Time for a new beginning. Jesus is a new beginning.

Jesus comes to a people who are living under the rule of a foreign nation, Rome. And their own religious leaders seemed to be abandoning them and seeking favors from the Roman authorities. And Jesus comes in with a new message. Blessed are those who know their need of Creative Energy,

for theirs is the kin-dom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, those who know their place in the delicate balance of life, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. And throughout the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is telling these beat down people words they never heard from their temple priests. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Ask and it shall be given to you. Knock and the door will be opened for you. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

You can imagine the resistance. Not just from the religious authorities, but from the people themselves. People not treated with respect tend to not respect themselves. And so Jesus had to wake these people up.

He had to get around their defenses,

their old patterns, their old ways of thinking. And so Jesus hung out with the wrong people and he taught with parables. You know why Jesus used parables to teach people? Parables are for people who are stuck. Stuck in old ways of thinking. Or old patterns of acting. To get people to see things in new ways Jesus told parables,

like the one we heard today: No one puts new wine into old wineskins;

if he does the new wine will burst the skins,

the wine will be wasted, and the skins ruined. Fresh skins for new wine.” Make your wine cellar big enough that it includes old wine

and new wine well cared for. Make your own wine cellar inviting enough that new wine will feel like this is a nurturing place to raise a young family, or to evolve into one’s own true self. I have another story for you this morning.

This is an old famous story called the “Tale of the Two Sands.” I found this in a book written by the great teacher of world religions, Huston Smith.

The title of the book is Forgetten Truth, The Common Vision of the World’s Religions A stream, from its source in far-off mountains,

passing through every kind and description of countryside

at last reached the sands of the desert.

Just as it had crossed every other barrier,
the stream tried to cross this one,
but it found that as fast as it ran into the sand,
Its waters disapeared.

It was convinced, however, that its destiny was to cross this desert,

and yet there was no way.

Now a hidden voice, coming from the desert itself, whispered:
“The Wind crosses the desert,
and so can the stream.”

The stream objected

that it was dashing itself against the sand
and only getting absorbed;
the wind could fly,
and this was why it could cross the desert.
The Wind responded: “By hurling yourself in your own accustomed way you cannot get across.
You will either disappear or become a marsh.
You must allow the wind to carry you over to your destination.”

The water didn’t understand. “How can this happen?” “By allowing yourself to be absorbed in the wind.” The idea was not acceptable to the stream.

After all, it had never been absorbed before.

It didn’t want to to lose its individuality.

How could it become water and stream again? The voice in the sand replied, “The wind does it all.

It takes up water, it carries it over the desert,

and then lets it fall again. Falling as rain, the water again becomes a river.” The stream was still reluctant, “How can I know that this is true?” “It is true,

and if you do not believe it you will become

nothing but a quagmire,

no longer the stream you are today. “So, I cannot remain the same as I am today?” You will either be a quagmire or born by the wind. To make the right choice you must see your essential part. And the stream began to wonder what its essential part really was.

Then the stream remembered vaguely
once before being held in the arms of the wind.
And as the stream remembered
its vapor lifted up off the hot desert sands into the welcoming arms of the wind,
which carried it gently and easily across the desert and to the top of a distant mountain many miles away.”

And began the journey of being a stream all over again. The stream was at the edge of the desert and wanted to move

but wanted to do it as it always done before.
But the voice in the sand, the voice in the wilderness said,
that the stream needed to be transformed in order to move.
In order to be transformed
it had to remember its essence rather than its appearance,
and this re-membering
allowed the wind to lift it over the dry desert.

As with all good parables there are many ways to approach the Tale of Two Sands. We can look at it as individuals in need of transformation or we can look at it as a community. I leave this story with you to interpret and live into within your lives together; as you prepare for a new beginning;

what is your essential quality, vision?

who do you want to forgive?

what do you want to let go of?

I do have one more parable that offer a way of seeing the forgotten truth that this story tells.

The Moment of Dawn Mark Nepo The Book of Awakening

A very touching story from the Talmud captures the soft paradox of how all journey alone together. A Rabbi asks her students, “How do you know the first moment of dawn has arrived?” After a great silence, one pipes up, “When you can tell the difference between a sheep and a dog.” The Rabbi shakes her head no.

Another offers, “When you can tell the difference between fig tree and an olive tree.” Again, the Rabbi shakes her head no.”

There are no other answers offered. The Rabbi circles their silence and walks between them, “You know the first moment of dawn has arrived when you look into the eyes of human being and see yourself.”

See yourselves from the first moment of breathing in darkness to the last moment of breathing into the light we are perfectly imperfect we are stardust, we are golden we are billion year old carbon and we got to get ourselves back to the lake, back to the garden, forward with the Creative Energy that will never leave us alone.

Questions in the Wilderness

Exodus 16: 2-15          Philippians 1:27

September 18, 2013

            I remember the first time I heard this part of the Exodus Story. I loved it. How honestly human it is. The Hebrew people had been living in bondage, in slavery, in a foreign land for centuries. Along comes Moses and they are liberated, freed from slavery. Freed from Pharaoh. God heard their cries and they were blessed.

            But before they can be freed from Pharaoh they have to find a way through the Red Sea. And that happens. And then they begin their journey through the wilderness.

            Things aren’t what they were. Food and water and shelter are no longer easily available. And the people begin to grumble. And suddenly slavery didn’t look so bad anymore. At least they were sheltered; at least there was food. They were secure.

            This episode is so honestly human. Earlier they were threatened by slavery, and the Pharaoh, now they are threatened by fear of the unknown, and they want to return to what was secure even though it was destructive.

            Let’s get a little deeper into this story and see what it has for us as individuals and as a community seeking the promise.

            The Israelites, led by Moses and Aaron, left Egypt, passed through the Red Sea and entered into the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land.

            On their way. In between the old and the new.

            Isn’t that a difficult place? In between. In the middle.

            Away from the comforts and routines of home.

            And just like a group of children in the back of the car, the people of Israel rose and said to Moses and Aaron, “Are we there yet?”

            I’m thirsty. !!              

            We’re hungry! I want to go home.

            It takes a lot of effort to leave home. It also takes a lot of effort to sustain oneself on the journey. We need reminding of why we left. We need reminding of who we are. We need to keep our focus forward. And we need to water to drink and food to eat.                                        

            In the passage just before this one God turns the bitter water sweet and says,

            “If you do what is right in my eyes, if you listen to my commands I will never bring upon you any of the sufferings which I brought upon the Egyptians: for I the Lord am your healer.”

            This helps me to see two things.

            1) The time in the wilderness is not really an in between time. It is an essential part of the growing out of slavery into freedom.

            During time in the wilderness they receive more than water and food, they also receive the teachings that will lead them into full humanity. They receive the wisdom of a thousand years.

            2) These people didn’t know what was going on as they were first living this story. These people were learning with each struggle in the story that God was with them.

            What happened back there? Will that happen to us?

            In todays’ reading the people complain to Moses and Aaron,

            We may have been slaves in Egypt but at least we had food. Have you brought us here to starve to death?”

            Moses hears God’s response tells the people, “The Lord will answer your complaints with flesh in the morning and bread in the evening.”

            Is this a miracle story?

            Is this a story that reveals God glory?

            It all depends on what your definition of miracle is.

            I would like to suggest a possible natural explanation for the meat in the morning and bread in the evening while at the same time finding the glory in the story.

            Nothing up my sleeve…

            Bread, manna from heaven, is a secretion from the tamarisk tree. It is a sweet yellowish-white substance that dries in the heat of the day and can be gathered in the cool of the evening.

            The quail, migratory birds flying from Africa sometimes fall from their flight exhausted over the desert.

            These people of the Exodus did not know that gifts are provided in the wilderness.

            These Exodus people are learning in the wilderness that the God of freedom is also the God that sustains. These are gifts from God for the people of God through the gifts of creation itself.

            When the people saw the manna on the ground they say to one another, “What is it?”

Moses said to them, “That is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.”

            “Doesn’t look like bread. It’s not like the bread we had back in Egypt.”

            Take it. Eat it. It is bread of heaven.  

            Now here is the glory part of the story?                                                        

            How did Moses know that this was bread?

            Back in Egypt they all, including Moses knew how things worked, what was safe, what wasn’t. How are they going to know what is safe when we are strangers in a strange land? How are we going to find our way when we are called to try something new? How are we going to find our way when we are asked to stop doing something that was familiar?

            Moses, guided by God, guided by trust, was able to see what the people, guided by fear, could not see. Not yet anyway.

            How do we venture into a new land when we don’t know the answers ahead of time?

            Part of the answer comes from this story. Learning the story and then believing that we are living the story.

            God was guiding these Exodus people.

Is God guiding us too?

What if there are gifts all around us that we don’t recognize?

How much abundance of energy is there in the congregation for the mission of this church?

            How can we learn from a mistake made, or a question asked, or a load that is too heavy to carry? We all have something to learn and we are helped in this if we ask our questions and lift up our prayers to God that we trust because we have evidence of God’s generous love.

            Like the Israelites bringing manna to Moses and saying, “What is this?” we can also bring our questions, doubts, mistakes to God and say, “What is this?” (Turn to wonder)

What is going on here?  God, What are you trying to give me or teach me in this moment?

            God didn’t judge or condemn the people in the wilderness when they cried out thirsty and hungry.

            The Exodus story that we can learn and live can be a guide for us if we see that these people were in a wilderness discovering new blessings in the midst of hunger and thirst just like we are today. The wilderness may be a new job or no job. It may be an aching body or heart. It may be the call to leave something secure and known into something never tried before.

            It’s all right in the wilderness to have questions, to be hungry and thirsty. The story tells us to direct our questions to God. When we call out, when we question, God responds if we patiently allow the body to generate its own healing power. Anxiety cuts us off from what is all around us abundantly. It is there and we cannot see it.

            I have found that sometimes the prayer to God is not to ask a question or ask for guidance. Sometimes the prayer to God is just to stop the anxiety, stop the fearful tapes in our mind that move us back into Egypt rather than forward into the promise.

            I have also found that this prayer can be very simple. It may be simply to say,       

“Lord, hear my prayer.”

            By repeating a phrase a simple as that may lead us from fear into trust and with that attitude of grace we are more likely to see that manna that surrounds us daily.

            Another thing that I learn from this story is that fleeing from Egypt is only the beginning. Freedom from slavery doesn’t mean freedom from work. And the work, finding the blessings in the wilderness, is going to make us into something new.

            Getting out of Egypt is just the beginning. Getting through the wilderness is just the beginning. But just like a child learning how to manipulate it legs and arms and the effect that this has on the development of the brain we will learn how to control our fears and anxieties and grow into the compassionate and creative people Gods knows we can be.

            Part of the answer is in trusting that God is providing bread, water and guidance. It is often only our anxiety and need to be in control that stops us from seeing what is all around us.

Part of the answer is in learning the story and then seeing that we are living the story. Part of the answer is remembering that Messiah is among us, that we need one another to complete this journey.

And here I would to close with that wonderful verse from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, and now Paul’s letter to us.

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the message of Christ,

so that whether I come and see you am absent,

I may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit,

With one mind,

Striving side by side

For the trust in the Message,

For the faith in the gospel.

And not frightened in anything…

What we learn in the wilderness is what takes us into the Promised Land.

Are we there yet?

Trusting abundance teaches us that we are already there and we are not yet there. We are yearning to be there, we are learning to trust that God’s blessings are here calling us to step forward.

Trusting means moving. Trust is an active verb. It is an activating verb. It is no good to say that we trust God and then remain in Egypt.

We need to lean into the future knowing that there will be bread and water.

Knowing that there will be the bread that is broken open for us and the cup emptied for us,

Let us enter into this time of prayer and offering and communion with joy.

And may we then go into the world with joy and live the way we pray.

The Circulation of Love.3 (Zacchaeus)
Luke 19:1-10
November 3, 2013 Alan Claassen

We are all well acquainted with the phrase, “I had a mountain-top experience”
to describe an ecstatic, soul-opening moment in one’s life.

Zacchaeus’ soul-opening moment might be described as a “tree-top experience.”

This morning I am going to share with you an ecstatic, soul-opening moment
which I shared with my wife, Betsy,
as well as my father and our son, on the day when we all
went to Yosemite Valley.

As we all know, Yosemite Valley is a sacred place.
It inspires reflection, humility, joy, and gratitude.
It also gifts us with deep questions, such as the one I asked Betsy,
while were looking up at one the waterfalls,
water cascading over the cliff hundreds of feet above us.

I asked, “When does a river know that it is about to become a waterfall?”
To which Betsy quickly replied, “Too late!”

And then she took the question to another level by asking,
“When do the fish know, that their river is about to become a waterfall?”
We didn’t have an answer for that one.

Yosemite Valley is a sacred place.
That asks us:

“What do I do when my life suddenly changes
from stream to waterfall?”
Will I become a stream again,
or has life forever changed?”

So as my family and I walked through Yosemite Valley,
got baptized by the mist of the dispersed water
at the foot of Bridal Veil Falls;
watched children play with sticks and rocks
along the bank of the river,
seeing a wedding about to begin
on the beautiful grounds of the Ahwahnee Hotel

I was thinking about the river,
That becomes waterfall,
That becomes river again on a new level.
And because of a book I was reading at the time
I also began thinking about the Trinity.
Yes, I was thinking about the Trinity,
the idea that is blasphemous to some and troubling to many,
that portrays the nature of the Holy One
as the Holy three.

Traditionally expressed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
but also known as
Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer
God, Christ, and Spirit
Mother, Friend, and Comforter
Source of Life, Living Word, and Bond of Love

The book that inspired me to remember the Trinity while in Yosemite Valley
is entitled, The Wisdom Jesus, written by Cynthia Bourgeault.

In her book, Cynthia Bourgeault
imagines a great waterwheel of a grain mill, with three buckets,
Going round and round,
constantly spilling-over into one another.
And as they do so, the mill turns,
and the energy of love,
becomes manifest and accessible. (pg 71)

As the waterwheel turns and the buckets
filled with water empty themselves,
their water fills the bucket below them,
and the waterwheel turns.

This circulation of love reveals
God’s innermost nature
through a continuous round dance of self-emptying. (pg 72)

My bucket is filled with love and I empty it into yours,
God says to creation.
Let there be light.
And it is good.

My bucket is filled with love and I empty into yours,
Jesus says to humanity on the way to the cross,
Let there be peace.
And it is good.

My bucket is filled with love,
The Holy Spirit says to the lost disciples,
Let there be community, and it is good.

This is how I saw the Trinity in the river above,
the river below
and the waterfall in between.

Just as a waterwheel turns
And the buckets filled with water empty themselves
So that their water fills the bucket below them…

Love moves from river above
To river below,
With the self-giving release of trust, courage, and transformation.

This is how I saw God,
as I stood in one spot on the valley floor.

God, as complete unknowable mystery,
is the Yosemite Valley in its awesome entirety.
There is no way to describe Wholly Love, Holy Mystery
best to just immerse oneself in its glory and say Amen!

God, as when we name God, is the river before it becomes waterfall, high above the valley floor.
Jesus the Christ is the complete act of trust in God,
Self-emptying love; bringing love to the valley floor.

But sometimes they fall away.
Sometimes the course of my our life changes;

But sometimes they fall away.
Sometimes the course of my our life changes;

just as for a river that knows too late,
it is about to become a waterfall.

Meditating on the wisdom of the waterfall, the Trinity, the waterwheel,
I caught a glimpse of the reality that my true self is water
That can and does take many forms.

How do I ride the falls?
What do we do when our life has changes from a river to a waterfall?

Perhaps we need a trail guide,
someone who knows the Yosemite Valley very well.

Listen to this story a book by John Muir, entitled Yosemite.
“When the avalanche started I threw myself on my back
and spread my arms to try to keep from sinking.
Fortunately, though the grade of the canyon is very steep,
on no part of the rush was I buried…
and as the whole mass beneath and about me
joined in the flight there was no friction,
though I was tossed here and there
and lurched from side to side and came to rest
I found myself on top of the crumpled pile without a bruise or a scar.
This was a fine experience.
This flight
in what might have been called a milky way of snow-stars
was the most spiritual and exhilarating of all the modes of motion
I have ever experienced.”

Rather than fighting the avalanche in fear
John Muir rode it in trust
and had the time of his life.
He sounded like a little kid.

Which brings me back to Zacchaeus.
you may have been wondering how long I was going to leave Zacchaeus up in that tree.

We give ourselves to trust and love rather than fear and doubt.
We can choose to remember that God is with us
in the river above,
the river falling,
the river below.
And remember that just as John Muir had the training,
to know what to do when falling down a mountain side,
we have the training that comes from our spiritual practices
and from being in community together.

What a childlike image it is to think of

We can pray to God for guidance,
We can pray to God to open our heart to receive that guidance,
And we can pray to God for the courage to act upon that guidance.

We can empty our water bucket,
Filled with love, and regret and brokenness, fear and confusion,
Trusting that we will be filled again,
Trusting that our life,
Will once again be one that nourishes our true self
and our community.

The promise that Jesus offers, is that Wisdom will come, that guidance will come,

And will move out of that waterfall that lasted too long,
That will move from that not-knowing-what-was-next
that lasted too long,
That will move out of that feeling of helplessness
that lasted too long
and say,
The spirit of truth is coming and will
fill you up again so that you will know where the river of your life
is meant to flow next.

This is the faith of the water flowing and falling,
self-emptying love of God for you and for me.

Let the people say: Amen.

The Holy Spirit is the water become river again,
Nourishing the meadow,
And the animals,
Providing a place of joy for the children,
And place for the fish to swim.

But sometimes they fall away.
Sometimes the course of my our life changes;

The Holy Spirit is the water become river again,
Nourishing the meadow,
And the animals,
Providing a place of joy for the children,
And place for the fish to swim.

And then, I placed my life in this image:
as river above, thinking that I know where my life is going…
become waterfall, falling, losing shape, trusting, letting go,…
become river again, the next step in my journey, …
where I can find my place with a new life and a new community.

As I saw myself in the three phases of the river,
I begin to sense
a way to pray our way into an answer to the question
I asked earlier in this sermon,

“What do I do when my life suddenly changes
from stream to waterfall?”

Will I become a stream again?
or has life forever changed?”

Meditating on the wisdom of the waterfall
I caught a glimpse of the reality that my true self is not
Defined by a riverbank,
Or a job,
Or a relationship.

These aspects of life are when I am defined by my work or personal relationships.
They are important, they are good they are life giving, identity-giving.

But sometimes they fall away.
Sometimes the course of my our life changes;

just as for a river that knows too late,
it is about to become a waterfall.

Meditating on the wisdom of the waterfall, the Trinity, the waterwheel,
I caught a glimpse of the reality that my true self is water
That can and does take many forms.

How do I ride the falls?
What do we do when our life has changes from a river to a waterfall?

Perhaps we need a trail guide,
someone who knows the Yosemite Valley very well.

Listen to this story a book by John Muir, entitled Yosemite.
“When the avalanche started I threw myself on my back
and spread my arms to try to keep from sinking.
Fortunately, though the grade of the canyon is very steep,
on no part of the rush was I buried…
and as the whole mass beneath and about me
joined in the flight there was no friction,
though I was tossed here and there
and lurched from side to side and came to rest
I found myself on top of the crumpled pile without a bruise or a scar.
This was a fine experience.
This flight
in what might have been called a milky way of snow-stars
was the most spiritual and exhilarating of all the modes of motion
I have ever experienced.”

Rather than fighting the avalanche in fear
John Muir rode it in trust
and had the time of his life.
He sounded like a little kid.

Which brings me back to Zacchaeus.
you may have been wondering how long I was going to leave Zacchaeus up in that tree.

We give ourselves to trust and love rather than fear and doubt.
We can choose to remember that God is with us
in the river above,
the river falling,
the river below.
And remember that just as John Muir had the training,
to know what to do when falling down a mountain side,
we have the training that comes from our spiritual practices
and from being in community together.

What a childlike image it is to think of

We can pray to God for guidance,
We can pray to God to open our heart to receive that guidance,
And we can pray to God for the courage to act upon that guidance.

We can empty our water bucket,
Filled with love, and regret and brokenness, fear and confusion,
Trusting that we will be filled again,
Trusting that our life,
Will once again be one that nourishes our true self
and our community.

The promise that Jesus offers, is that Wisdom will come, that guidance will come,

And will move out of that waterfall that lasted too long,
That will move from that not-knowing-what-was-next
that lasted too long,
That will move out of that feeling of helplessness
that lasted too long
and say,
The spirit of truth is coming and will
fill you up again so that you will know where the river of your life
is meant to flow next.

This is the faith of the water flowing and falling,
self-emptying love of God for you and for me.

Let the people say: Amen.

Trusting Abundance

Exodus 16: 2-15          Philippians 1:27

September 18, 2013

            I remember the first time I heard this part of the Exodus Story. I loved it. How honestly human it is. The Hebrew people had been living in bondage, in slavery, in a foreign land for centuries. Along comes Moses and they are liberated, freed from slavery. Freed from Pharaoh. God heard their cries and they were blessed.

            But before they can be freed from Pharaoh they have to find a way through the Red Sea. And that happens. And then they begin their journey through the wilderness.

            Things aren’t what they were. Food and water and shelter are no longer easily available. And the people begin to grumble. And suddenly slavery didn’t look so bad anymore. At least they were sheltered; at least there was food. They were secure.

            This episode is so honestly human. Earlier they were threatened by slavery, and the Pharaoh, now they are threatened by fear of the unknown, and they want to return to what was secure even though it was destructive.

            Let’s get a little deeper into this story and see what it has for us as individuals and as a community seeking the promise.

            The Israelites, led by Moses and Aaron, left Egypt, passed through the Red Sea and entered into the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land.

            On their way. In between the old and the new.

            Isn’t that a difficult place? In between. In the middle.

            Away from the comforts and routines of home.

            And just like a group of children in the back of the car, the people of Israel rose and said to Moses and Aaron, “Are we there yet?”

            I’m thirsty. !!               We’re hungry! I want to go home.

            It takes a lot of effort to leave home. It also takes a lot of effort to sustain oneself on the journey.

            We need reminding of why we left. We need reminding of who we are. We need to keep our focus forward. And we need to water to drink and food to eat.                                          

            In the passage just before this one God turns the bitter water sweet and says,

            “If you do what is right in my eyes, if you listen to my commands I will never bring upon you any of the sufferings which I brought upon the Egyptians: for I the Lord am your healer.”

            This helps me to see two things.

            1) The time in the wilderness is not really an in between time. It is an essential part of the growing out of slavery into freedom.

            During time in the wilderness they receive more than water and food, they also receive the teachings that will lead them into full humanity. They receive the wisdom of a thousand years.

            2) These people didn’t know what was going on as they were first living this story. These people were learning with each struggle in the story that God was with them.

            What happened back there? Will that happen to us?

            In todays’ reading the people complain to Moses and Aaron,

            We may have been slaves in Egypt but at least we had food. Have you brought us here to starve to death?”

            Moses hears God’s response tells the people, “The Lord will answer your complaints with flesh in the morning and bread in the evening.”

            Is this a miracle story?

            Is this a story that reveals God glory?

            It all depends on what your definition of miracle is.

            I would like to suggest a possible natural explanation for the meat in the morning and bread in the evening while at the same time finding the glory in the story.

            Nothing up my sleeve…

            Bread, manna from heaven, is a secretion from the tamarisk tree. It is a sweet yellowish-white substance that dries in the heat of the day and can be gathered in the cool of the evening.

            The quail, migratory birds flying from Africa sometimes fall from their flight exhausted over the desert.

            These people of the Exodus did not know that gifts are provided in the wilderness.

            These Exodus people are learning in the wilderness that the God of freedom is also the God that sustains. These are gifts from God for the people of God through the gifts of creation itself.

            When the people saw the manna on the ground they say to one another, “What is it?”

Moses said to them, “That is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.”

            “Doesn’t look like bread. It’s not like the bread we had back in Egypt.”

            Take it. Eat it. It is bread of heaven.  

            Now here is the glory part of the story?                                                        

            How did Moses know that this was bread?

            Back in Egypt they all, including Moses knew how things worked, what was safe, what wasn’t. How are they going to know what is safe when we are strangers in a strange land? How are we going to find our way when we are called to try something new? How are we going to find our way when we are asked to stop doing something that was familiar?

            Moses, guided by God, guided by trust, was able to see what the people, guided by fear, could not see. Not yet anyway.

            How do we venture into a new land when we don’t know the answers ahead of time?

            Part of the answer comes from this story. Learning the story and then believing that we are living the story.

            God was guiding these Exodus people.

What if we are too?

What if there are gifts all around us that we don’t recognize?

How much abundance is flowing from all over the country to the Gulf Coast right now?

How much abundance of energy is there in the congregation for the mission of this church?

            How can we learn from a mistake made, or a question asked, or a load that is too heavy to carry? We all have something to learn and we are helped in this if we ask our questions and lift up our prayers to God that we trust because we have evidence of God’s generous love.

            Like the Israelites bringing manna to Moses and saying, “What is this?” we can also bring our questions, doubts, mistakes to God and say, “What is this?” (Turn to wonder)

What is going on here?  God, What are you trying to give me or teach me in this moment?

            God didn’t judge or condemn the people in the wilderness when they cried out thirsty and hungry.

            The Exodus story that we can learn and live can be a guide for us if we see that these people were in a wilderness discovering new blessings in the midst of hunger and thirst just like we are today. The wilderness may be a new job or no job. It may be an aching body or heart. It may be the call to leave something secure and known into something never tried before.

            It’s all right in the wilderness to have questions, to be hungry and thirsty. The story tells us to direct our questions to God. When we call out, when we question, God responds if we patiently allow the body to generate its own healing power. Anxiety cuts us off from what is all around us abundantly. It is there and we cannot see it.

            I have found that sometimes the prayer to God is not to ask a question or ask for guidance. Sometimes the prayer to God is just to stop the anxiety, stop the fearful tapes in our mind that move us back into Egypt rather than forward into the promise.

            I have also found that this prayer can be very simple. It may be simply to say,       

“Lord, hear my prayer.”

            By repeating a phrase a simple as that may lead us from fear into trust and with that attitude of grace we are more likely to see that manna that surrounds us daily.

            Another thing that I learn from this story is that fleeing from Egypt is only the beginning. Freedom from slavery doesn’t mean freedom from work. And the work, finding the blessings in the wilderness, is going to make us into something new.

            Getting out of Egypt is just the beginning. Getting through the wilderness is just the beginning. But just like a child learning how to manipulate it legs and arms and the effect that this has on the development of the brain we will learn how to control our fears and anxieties and grow into the compassionate and creative people Gods knows we can be.

            Part of the answer is in trusting that God is providing bread, water and guidance. It is often only our anxiety and need to be in control that stops us from seeing what is all around us.

Part of the answer is in learning the story and then seeing that we are living the story. Part of the answer is remembering that Messiah is among us, that we need one another to complete this journey.

And here I would to close with that wonderful verse from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, and now Paul’s letter to us.

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the message of Christ,

so that whether I come and see you am absent,

I may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit,

With one mind,

Striving side by side

For the trust in the Message,

For the faith in the gospel.

And not frightened in anything…

What we learn in the wilderness is what takes us into the Promised Land.

Are we there yet?

Trusting abundance teaches us that we are already there and we are not yet there. We are yearning to be there, we are learning to trust that God’s blessings are here calling us to step forward.

Trusting means moving. Trust is an active verb. It is an activating verb. It is no good to say that we trust God and then remain in Egypt.

We need to lean into the future knowing that there will be bread and water.

Knowing that there will be the bread that is broken open for us and the cup emptied for us,

Let us enter into this time of prayer and offering and communion with joy.

And may we then go into the world with joy and live the way we pray.