On Mission

OUR 2011 MISSION TEAM IN HARRISBURG, PA

Dear Friends in Christ -

"Hard but good." That's the underlying riff I hear from this mission trip - and from every mission trip I've ever been on myself or heard reports from.

There's no easy way to make a deep difference in the lives of others. It's HARD. But I'm betting when the youth come back and greet their families in the church parking lot on Friday afternoon (tomorrow!) and when they offer their reflections on Sunday morning, we'll hear that it was . . . GOOD.

Their experience will, I hope, press the rest of us to think about whether or not we're "On Mission" - in our church, in our community, in our world. Sometimes we all (yes, including ME) come to church seeking comfort and encouragement. When we find challenge instead, we're tempted to walk away and seek comfort somewhere else: at an ice cream parlor, at a bar, at the home of a friend who will lend a sympathetic ear to our complaints without nudging us down a better path.

The disciples following Jesus never had it easy, but they had it GOOD: love flowed through them so powerful they changed the world and, through our missionaries (and through the rest of us, right?!), are changing it still. That's GOOD.

Faithfully on mission with you,
Janet+

Tension . . . and Relief

Dear Friends in Christ -

As I write this, they sky drapes overhead, a white-grey sheet full of moisture waiting to let go at any point. There's a tension in the air. Even the birds feel it. Less of them are singing this morning; it's as if they're hold their breath, waiting . . .

The tension in the sky seems to heighten the general tension I feel these days. Tension about the economy. Tension about war. Tension about transitions . . . even though summer is a welcome change of pace, it is still a change, requiring more give and take, more fleet-of-foot adaptation.

Today, I looked for relief in the pages of Scripture, in the passages assigned for this day in the Daily Office (see sidebar for more information). And I found . . . well, not what I hoped! I found three stories of people living in the midst of HUGE tension. The story of Samuel, leader of the Israelites, being beseiged by people who are demanding a king to rule over them and lead them. The story of Stephen, a follower of Jesus, giving brave witness about the power of God to people who are about to stone him to death. The story of Jesus who, sitting with his disciples at the Last Supper, answers their greedy question about who is the greatest without flinching and then tells them - in spite of their pettiness - that they're beloved heirs of God's whole kingdom.

The singular thing that stands out to me in these stories is the power of choice. Samuel, Stephen and Jesus are all living SMACK in the middle of HUGE tension. And they stay the course. They keep their focus on what's important. They rely on God for strength. And they SING. They sing out words that are truth and justice and hope for those around them.

It would be a lie to say that the tension doesn't touch Samuel and Stephen and Jesus, doesn't impact them. Of course it does. All of them are human. But God's goodness continues to ripple to them and through them in their brave, steady faithfulness.

Today, in the midst of the tension, may you sing - sing the bit of truth you know, sing the hopeful longing in your heart - and may the presence of God invoked by your song bring sweet relief.

Singing,
Janet+

Summer Solstice

Psalm 100 - A Psalm of thanksgiving.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;*
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures for ever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

Dear Friends in Christ -

Today is the day of the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. At 1:06 p.m., the sun was at the highest point in the sky. It has long been said that the sun stands still (sol - stice) for just a moment right at its apex. People of all times and cultures have thought that this moment was a good spot to praise God.

As grace would have it, most of the psalms appointed for reading on this day in the daily office are psalms of praise. On this day, I invite you to join me in giving thanks to God for the blessings in our individual lives and in our life together at St. Paul's.

Indeed, God is good, all the time . . . all the time, God is good!

May blessings as bright as the sun in the summer sky be upon you this day and always,
Janet+

Retreat Report

Dear Friends in Christ -

As I write this, I am sitting in a rustic "cabin" in on the northwestern coast of Massachusetts. The sun in shining and the birds are singing and the temperature is just right for sitting here with the sun dropping down in flashy bits through the pine needles and the leaves.

Some of you have asked what I "do" on retreat. Well, perhaps the most important thing I "do" is ONE THING AT A TIME. I "do" the regular rhythm of life - sleeping, eating, exercising, praying, talking with people, reading, even a little bit of working - but everything slower and with more space for solitude and silence, which makes way for noticing things and realizing things.

This past Friday through Sunday, I participated in a "guided retreat" led by famous spiritual author Esther de Waal. She led four sessions entitled "Imagine," and she wove personal reflections, poetry, and short films together to invite all of us (60 participants) to imagine God and our relationship with God in new ways, which makes room for new possibilities.

Done properly, retreat is both entirely hard work and entirely refreshing. Thomas Merton once said that getting in touch with God in this way is getting "beyond the shadow and the disguise." Indeed, when I go on retreat, I run into things in myself I've been trying to avoid and pains I haven't allowed myself to feel. Working through those with God and trusted friends is hard - and renewing.

Esther says that "retreat is NOT a time of escape, but a time of deepening ones powers to deal with reality." This is certainly true for me. And I make my way home on this day with my body and spirit energized and my mind and heart full of new insights and hope.

I can't wait to see what God has for me - and for us - as we continue God's work together!

Faithfully,
Janet+

In anticipation of Pentecost

Dear Friends in Christ -

The season of Easter has passed without many posts on this blog. Ironically, for St. Paul's the season of Resurrection has meant many, many funerals and many, many visits to people who are elderly or ill, including my own parents. Time does fly - when we're having fun and when we're tending to things that are urgent and important.

I'm hoping that tomorrow's celebration of Pentecost will mark the beginning of a new season - not only a new season on the calendar, but also a season of fresh encounter with God's Spirit. When I talk to people and when I read the newspaper, it seems like I'm not the only one who could use a dose of Spirit goodness and power!

A song has been playing in my mind today, a song that I learned as a child:

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is peace.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is love.
There is comfort in life's darkest hour.
There is light and life.
There is help and power,
In the Spirit,
In the Spirit of the Lord.

As we gather tomorrow for worship, may we bask together in this Holy Spirit, and may this Spirit empower us for new ways of living His light in our daily lives.

Faithfully,
Janet+