Tag Archives: redemption

Holy “thin places” and the presence of Christ

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Fifth Sunday in Lent (John 11:1-45)  04/06/2014

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A few years ago my family and I spent a fun and exciting week on vacation in Nevada and Arizona, the highlight for me being our visit to the Grand Canyon. During our time there we spent a day rafting down a river that cut through the Glen Canyon, an area just north of the Grand Canyon. Floating down the river was a spectacular experience, watching the multitude of vibrant colors paint the canyon walls and seeing the many layers of rock and sediment, each layer reaching out into the present, telling its own story of the past. Beyond the rugged beauty of the place, there was a deep spiritual element that seemed to pervade the entire canyon. The canyon seemed to be what many people have called a “thin place;” a place where the separation between heaven and earth is so narrow the face of God seems to be just around the corner. I do not mean to suggest God has some peculiar preference for a few spots on earth over others, but there is some tangible power and mystery to certain holy places. The manifestation of this holy presence, in these thin places, is the foundation of the Christian discipline of pilgrimage. Pilgrims often set aside their cares of the world and take up a journey to seek these thin places, to seek an experience with God in new and mysterious ways (our J2A pilgrims are very familiar with this idea and can attest to its power). We are nourished and nurtured in powerful ways as we come into the presence of the God; powerful ways that sustain us in times when we might feel more distant or perhaps more challenged to be close to the presence of the holy. Continue reading →

Temptations and New Perspectives

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First Sunday in Lent (Matthew 4:1-11)  3/09/2014

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Several years ago I attended a dinner party at the home of a friend, an interesting man who has traveled the world during his service in the Navy and had collected many fascinating objects and pieces of art. Wandering through his home was always an adventure. As I passed through his dining room I noticed a beautiful print hanging on the wall, a picture of a woman looking out over the water with a bright and turbulent red sky above. The print was not a simple picture, but was filled with many curious discontinuities. As my friend passed by I asked him to explain the print; he said the print was by Salvador Dali and the name was “Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea”…and, oh yes, it’s also a portrait of Abraham Lincoln.”[i] And then he disappeared into the kitchen to prepare dinner! A portrait of Abraham Lincoln? This beautiful print was both a woman looking over the blue water of the Mediterranean and a curiously hidden portrait of the 16th American President. I looked at this print from every angle and used every ounce of my imagination, but the hidden portrait simply refused to reveal itself. Throughout the evening the print created a constant temptation to solve the mysterious whereabouts of Honest Abe. I would have given anything to unlock the mystery. If there was a bowl of fruit on the table, perhaps an apple that might open my eyes, it would have been very tempting indeed! Continue reading →

The transforming grace of Easter

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Easter Sunday (John 20:1-18) 03/31/2013

When I first arrived at St. John’s a few years ago, one of the first groups I had an opportunity to closely work with was the Outreach Committee. At that time, the Outreach Committee was in the midst of re-imagining their mission to the community, re-imaging how to best serve others during challenging economic times, challenging times for everyone. The faithful and insightful people of that group developed some truly creative ideas that combined financial contributions and hands-on opportunities for St. John’s parishioners, allowing the people of our community to reach out and help others in many and varied ways. The foundational idea for this new approach was to become more involved with the people of our community in very personal ways, hoping to develop relationships rather than simply providing financial assistance. This idea is rooted in the belief that interactions between people in the service of others create relationships that are mutually transformational in nature; transformational for the giver and transformational for the receiver. The Outreach Committee, committed to service in the community, changed their name to Community Service in an effort to emphasize this new approach, and the next evolution of their mission was realized this past fall as we committed to some very specific relationships, including our participation in building housing through Habitat for Humanity and tutoring young students at Covenant Prep School in Hartford. These organizations change lives and our participation places us in the midst of ministry that is focused on the redemption and restoration of God’s children and the faithful care of the Body of Christ. This is the Easter story; the story of Christ, through whose death and resurrection, we all find redemption and restoration to the fullness of God’s intentions for us, through God’s grace and love. Continue reading →

“Into the darkness there appeared a great Light”

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Christmas Eve (Luke 2:1-20)  12/24/2012

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After living for several years in the Chicago suburbs, my family and I moved to the Washington D.C. area as I became a student at Virginia Seminary. Moving from one place to another is never easy; moving is hard work for many reasons: packing countless boxes, wondering if something will get broken (yes, something always gets broken), and saying goodbye to good friends. Leaving a community of people is perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of moving. Among the many friends we said goodbye to as we left Chicago, I found it especially difficult to say goodbye to a good friend and colleague of mine; someone who shared similar family and work experiences with me for years. I kept in touch with my friend and nearly two years after we had moved he informed me that they too were leaving Chicago and moving to CT. He had taken a job in Middlebury and they were moving to a little town named Sandy Hook. My friend and his family have lived in CT for nearly six years and I rarely heard the name of his new town during that time, but a week ago this past Friday things became very different; Sandy Hook was known around the globe and the world changed. As reports came in from the media that morning, Carol and I became very worried for our friends. The rational part of my brain understood that their girls were certainly in high school, but we sat down and counted the years just to be sure (there didn’t seem to be too many rational things happening on that day). In the midst of incredible difficulty and unexplainable sorrow I wanted to be sure that those closest to me were OK. I was searching and hoping for some distance from this unbelievable story so I might be comforted in some small way. Often times we search for places of comfort, places of safety to weather the storms of life. My friend and his family were safe on that horrible morning, but even this comfort was not enough. The reality of that morning brought sorrow so great that it seemed there was no escape, regardless of how much distance you seemed to have from Sandy Hook. The opening words of our first reading from the prophet Isaiah ring in my ears, “The people walked in darkness.” (Isaiah 9:2) The sorrow of these past 10 days has felt pretty dark indeed. And for those of us who live in this “land of deep darkness,” we wonder, “where are we to go?” Continue reading →

“Come out from under that fir tree – the season of Advent is here!”

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Advent 1 (Luke 21:25-36)  12/02/2012

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I imagine that many of us have special memories from our past, vivid memories that are so unforgettable the experience seems to have occurred only recently. One of my lasting memories happened when I was just a young boy, many years ago. As a young grade school student, I was allowed to go home to eat my lunch and then return back to school in the afternoon. My parents worked but I was fortunate that my grandparents lived just down the street and I was able to have lunch at their home …and grandmothers are known to spoil their grandchildren! I was quite happy until one day I was told that my grandparents would be going on a one week vacation and I would have to have lunch at a nearby neighbor’s house. The neighbor was a very good friend of my parents’ and a loving mother of three children. But I wanted no part of this new routine, even if the change was only for one week. The day of my new lunch location loomed in front of me until the day had finally come. I walked down the street and as I arrived in front of my neighbor’s house I saw her at the front door waving at me. My own house was just a bit further down the road and as I approached my neighbor’s front walk I decided to run as fast as I could to reach the comfort of my own home. My mother’s friend seemed to expect something funny might happen and in moments I noticed her quickly heading toward her bicycle. Now, a young boy running in canvas sneakers is no match for a determined mother riding a bicycle…and I quickly noticed a large fir tree in a neighbor’s yard. I crouched behind the large tree and hid myself behind the trunk and the green drooping branches. I tried to remain quiet as I watched her ride by me, calling my name and looking throughout the neighborhood. She returned in no time and suddenly stopped in front of the tree, looked through the branches and called for me to come out. I thought that I might “faint from fear and foreboding of what was coming.” (Luke 21:26a) Continue reading →

“All things made new through God’s redeeming Grace” – A celebration of All Saints’ Day

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Sunday after All Saints’ Day (Revelation 21:1-6)  11/04/2012

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I was glad to see the Halloween trick-or-treaters out this past Wednesday evening. The fun and innocence of young folks in costume is fun to watch and fun to share with others. Images of Halloween festivities remind us of a time when we shared in their innocence and lived in a time when the harsh realities of this world did not crowd our minds. The festivities of this Halloween were a happy change from last year’s terrible storm, but the disruptions of the recent storm felt here at St. John’s were a reminder that millions of people south of us were not as fortunate. The clashing images of happy young children in costume and the raw images of storm destruction were not lost on us, people who have lived through both experiences. But pictures of happy little trick-or-treaters take us back to a time, for some of us a distant time, but a time prior to having given way to the realization that the world is comprised of many complexities. As a young boy during the 1960s there were many worldly realities that I did not understand during that time. Among my first realizations of this turbulent period of American history was the return of my Uncle from a far away place called Vietnam. After his service as a US Marine he may have physically left the country of Vietnam, but the experience itself was not something that was easily left behind. His stories brought me to a growing awareness of this world and a new awareness of his journey through life, a journey that proved the difficulties of war cast a long shadow. And the images and experiences of this past hurricane have reminded us of the power of nature and have highlighted the truth that there are cosmic realities far greater than what we can control or even imagine. Life can point us in a direction that we had not anticipated; and on this holy day of All Saints we remember that in the midst of complexity and change we are anchored by those whom we love, and on this day we remember especially those whom we have loved and have gone to a place where we know not, a place we can only imagine. Continue reading →

“Was Milton right about free will: the choice of every lost soul – ‘better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven’ – C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce”

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C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce – chapters 8 – 11

Lewis’ tale of fantasy continues with more characters and many, many more questions for us to consider. Throughout these chapters Lewis takes up the important questions of free will (can the ghostly people actually stay in the land of Bright Spirits or must they return to the bus); is God full of love for everyone (or are the ghostly people condemned to return to the bus and their brief trip is a vehicle of torment); and how can one gather courage to walk in to the land of brightness (the journey appears to be impossible). And many more questions that continue to bubble up through and between the lines of Lewis’ wonderful story. Continue reading →

“The humbling challenges of approaching God – ‘Thinking of going back?’: C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce”

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The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis; chapters 4-7.

Previous chapters of Lewis’ tale have successfully brought us to a fantastical world of bright spirits and unimaginable beauty, but now the shadowy figures of the dimly lit Town must leave the bus and find their way in to this strange and wonderful new world…easier said than done. We meet different ghostly characters in each successive chapter, each with their own restrictions and flaws that serve as boundaries to the bright land beyond the bus. Continue reading →

“In the midst of change, all things are being made new”

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Pentecost 19 (Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12)  10/07/2012

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A few days ago the morning paper provided a map of the coming fall colors, with the peak times for each section of southern New England. The map reminded me that we are in the midst of change; the change from summer to fall. But change in our lives is certainly not limited to the seasons or to the colors of the leaves on the trees. This weekend we observe Columbus Day, a curious holiday celebrating the “discovery” of a land that had been inhabited for thousands of years. But regardless of how one might define discovery, Columbus’ voyage certainly marked the beginning of significant change for both Native Americans and Europeans alike. And this morning we remember St. Francis and his abundant love for every part of God’s creation. This year we remember that all creatures are blessed by God’s love and grace by bringing our beloved pets to church for a blessing during the morning service. We are truly surrounded by change! Some of these changes are expected and beautiful (like the fall colors of the leaves); some of these changes are fun and exciting or perhaps a little peculiar (like pets in the church nave); and some of these changes create lifelong and historic alterations to the way we live our lives (like Europeans arriving on the shores of the Americas). Change can be exciting; change can be unsettling; change can leave us bothered and bewildered. Change comes in many varieties and in many colors; every change is not always beneficial but change often marks the path of progress; change points toward the road that leads us to discover new things, new realities, and new ways of being. Continue reading →

“Discover the mysteries of Easter”

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Easter morning (Mark 16:1-8)  4/8/2012

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A few days ago I sat in my house looking out a window and reflecting on the Gospel reading we just heard from Mark’s Gospel account. As I stared out the window I noticed a truck towing three large trees pass by and stop at the center median just a few hundred feet down the street. There was a police car close behind and as they began to spread orange cones around their work site I was reminded of a conversation I had years ago. Shortly after I moved to the Chicago area I asked a friend of mine if she found the landscape of the Midwest to be monotonous. I asked her this question because I found the flat terrain and prairie vegetation to be lacking as compared to the rolling hills and beautiful trees of the Northeast. She dismissed my preferences for the Northeast, telling me that she not only loved the Midwest’s landscapes but she was glad to not have to worry about all those trees hanging over her head. “Give me open spaces and big sky any day!” she told me. I laughed at her suggestion that the beautiful trees that imitated natural covered bridges and flowered arches would fall from the sky. At least, I found her suggestion to be laughable until last October. The late fall snowstorm that unleashed unimaginable destruction and lasted for days (that turned into weeks) made something that always seemed unlikely become incredibly real. Continue reading →