Food for Thought

Advent 2: Preparing the Path

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A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,  make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”  Isaiah 40:3 (NRSV)

 A voice says, “Cry out!” And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades,   when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades;  but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:6-8 (NRSV)

 “I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”  Mark 1:8 (NRSV)

What does it look like to prepare a path for the Lord in this wilderness we find ourselves in at the end of 2017?   Honestly I’m too weary to figure this out and should know better than to try.  If I could interview John the Baptist, I would ask him, “How do we cry out to those who deny their own fragility and mortality?” I can’t hear his answer, but the Gospel writer Mark reports that he told the people that Jesus would baptize them in the Holy Spirit.

In the desert, there is a scorching breeze that can stifle our breath. We can’t cry out to prepare the way of the Lord if we can’t breathe. Our only hope right now is the Breath of God, which makes the first move in preparing a path in our minds and souls so that we hear the word that we need and can act on it with the power we need.   This is a season to breathe more deeply than ever before.

Your Call: What spiritual practice would help you make room for the Breath of God to give you the Word and Power you need to discern and fulfill your assignment in this season? Some options may be to offer a prayer like the video above, to allow for more silence and solitude, or to simply take time to breathe deeply as a reminder that the Spirit of God is present.

The Power of Praying Beyond Your Words, Part 3

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Thinking about the future can usually go in one of two directions…excited anticipation or worrisome speculation.  A few weeks ago, I found my thoughts leaning toward the latter with what-if’s cluttering up my mental space.  As those thoughts began to settle in where they didn’t belong, I saw something out of the corner of my eye.  The flurry I saw turned out to be a few sparrows in flight.  At that moment, I was reminded of two things. First, I recalled the words of Jesus, “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them…” Second, I remembered why I love watching birds. It’s cool when I manage to catch the Creator being creative.

The beauty of prayer is that it offers the opportunity for us to listen as God begins the dialogue.  And this can happen as we observe nature.  Yes, I see birds all of the time, but when I really pay attention, their appearance is a form of prayer.  The week after my sparrow sighting, I delighted in taking a picture of a robin posing upon a lamppost, looking calm and cared for.

Under Evergreen's EyeA few years ago during a season that felt barren, I went to a retreat in the hopes of getting refreshed and took this picture of a group of trees on the grounds. Notice the evergreen trees behind the trees with the bare branches.  I was grateful for this reminder that in spite of the seasonal changes that we go through, God’s presence and power are stable.

Your Call: Can you recall a time when you caught the Creator being creative in nature?  What do you think God was communicating to you at that time?  Share in the comments section below.

When Snow Speaks

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SnowyTree

The psalmist announces that “the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.”

The snowstorm from last weekend confirmed this reality.  Crystals of moisture that seem so fragile somehow stay and gather to make a statement on earth that says:

You.   Must.   Slow.   Down.  

 And as you do, admire my beauty and embrace the stillness.

Until recently, I had never connected this first verse of Psalm 19 with the last one:

“Let the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.”

If the heavens and skies can declare God’s glory and display the work of God’s hands, how much more should we do the same as we live our lives?

Your Call: How is God’s glory and handiwork being declared and displayed in your life now?

Peripheral Vision

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JesusandZaccheus-NielsLarsenStevns-ZakæusDo I really see you?
Off to the side and on back pews.
On invisible edges and borders.
Under bridges and on street corners.
Perpetually unacknowledged and wallflowered.

I pray for the sanctified side-eye
to behold you
for the
magnificent
human
divine image bearer that you are.

© Sharon Fleshman, 2015

Your Call: I was inspired to write this poem by Pope Francis’ recent visit to Philadelphia. Watch this footage and consider how it speaks to you.  Reflect on how Jesus saw those, such as Zacchaeus (Luke 19-1-10), who were on the margins of society.  How can you develop your peripheral vision?

Q&A

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“I’ll take ‘Fix my life Jesus’ for $1000, Alex.”

And so it goes in the imaginary Jeopardy! episode that airs in my mind from time to time. I have always found it odd that contestants on Jeopardy! have to come up with the right questions to the answers.

For the past seven years, Memorial Day weekend has marked the time when I lost my father.  As I recall that time of grief, I realize that my question “Why now?” went unanswered.  Yet an answer came in the form of a sermon that I heard months later titled, “Be Not Afraid.”  Another answer was in the text preached in that sermon, “The eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Deut 33:27)  So what were the questions?  Maybe, “How will I get through this?” and then, “God who are you anyway?”  The significance of all of this had escaped me until this past Holy Week.  On Good Friday, I sat with Jesus’ haunting question from the cross – “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46)

The next day, an incident, while relatively minor in of itself, nevertheless awakened a deep vulnerability and sense of loss that made me feel forsaken.  I had left home fairly upbeat but returned home crestfallen, only to find that a dear sister in Christ tagged me in a video that she posted on Facebook.  The song in the video, “Try” by Colbie Caillat, was clearly God’s answer for me that day.

It was as if that Jesus reached into my soul and turned on the faucet, washing away residue of performance anxiety and quests for approval.  So what was the question?  Some time ago, I was meditating on Zephaniah 3:17 where it states that God would rejoice over God’s people with singing.  In response, I journaled and asked – “What song are You singing over me?” The answer came to me a little over a year later by way of the video.

Whenever I ponder Jesus’ cry to God on the cross, I can’t help but consider how His question is echoed at the beginning of Psalm 22.  And just about every time, what captivates me is the psalmist’s declaration in verse 21b (NKJV) – “You have answered me.” While not always answering the questions I pose, God is often in the habit of responding to questions that I haven’t asked.

The answers come how they come. Sometimes in word.  Sometimes in silence.  Always with Presence.  I worship an answering God.

Your Call: What questions are you wrestling with right now?  Could it be that God is offering answers to different or deeper questions?  

The Beauty of Late Blooms

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Colchicum_autumnale

I usually associate the fall season with falling leaves. Last autumn, I learned to appreciate the beauty in that. But as I wave good-bye to summer once again, it occurs to me that there are actually flowers that are just getting started. While leaves fall, blossoms emerge from hidden places like the autumn crocus that is pictured here.  It is in those blossoms that I find hope.

I am now officially closer to 50 than 40 and I have wrestled with the realities, reflections and regrets that come with midlife. My 20’s were a blast, but my 30’s, not so much, given my awkward entrance into ministry and the loss of a precious loved one that occurred during that decade. As I crept into my 40’s, I wondered if I had squandered some of my prime ”blooming“ years. When I attended my 20-year college reunion several years ago, I had to miss quite a bit of it because I went to a friend’s wedding on the day when most of the activities took place. Honestly, I was a bit relieved. After all, I had nothing particularly exciting to share.

Imagine how Elizabeth felt when she didn’t have anything particularly exciting to share, especially in a context (Luke 1) where a woman was defined by her ability to have children. As she likely traveled to the temple when her husband Zechariah was assigned to serve as priest, Elizabeth had to journey alongside women who were pregnant or walking with children she wished she could bear. After a while, I suspect that she resigned herself to the fact that her “prime blooming years” were behind her. Little did she know what was to come.

As I consider the testimony of Elizabeth and the autumn crocus, I realize that I am in good company. There is something beautiful and resilient about late bloomers, whether they are plants or people. Though there are areas in my life where I have yet to see blooms, I choose to embrace the opportunities that are blossoming before me at the moment. I choose to resist the temptation to look at my watch and wonder why it has taken so long. I choose to answer the call that Dr. Renita Weems makes to “Elizabeths” in her book Showing Mary: How Women Can Share Prayers, Wisdom, and the Blessings of God:

“Celebrate your blooms because they took so long in coming. Be grateful for that second wind. Relish the learning and wisdom you’ve garnered. This is your season, Elizabeth. Seize it. Give birth to the gift of God within you. You’ve now got talent and the inner strength that comes with age. You’ve now got enthusiasm and the wisdom that comes with experience. You’re ready.”

Your Call: Are you a late bloomer in some area of your life? If so, what would it take for you to celebrate and make the most of that reality? How will you partner with God to cultivate what is blossoming for you right now?

Seeing in the Dark

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ImageMy mother loves to tell a particular story about me, and has done so countless times.  When I was little, I spent many summers down south at my grandfather’s house out in the country where there was nary a streetlight.  Suffice it to say that when it got dark, it got real dark, and so at one point, I cried out “My eyes are open, but I can’t see!”

Decades later, my understanding of dark places has evolved.  I’ve had moments when melancholy has arrived on the threshold of my soul uninvited.   I have dwelt in shadows of obscurity, whether by choice or by circumstance. I have faced seasons when an abundance of question marks took up residence in my mental space.  I’ve bumped into grief and stumbled over fear as I groped along foggy paths to the unknown.

What does it mean to navigate dark places with eyes wide open?  Perhaps Lent is the time to ponder this question. As the Light of the World, Jesus could have just pulled me from a dark place to a brightly lit space.  Yet, having traveled from the wilderness to Gethsemane to Calvary, He made another choice – He showed up, sat down and lit a candle.   So now I consider what it might look like for me to light a candle for another.  Perhaps lighting a candle translates to sending up prayers of lament and intercession on someone’s behalf.  Or listening deeply to a neighbor’s story. Or nudging him in the direction of a therapist, spiritual director or community of support. Or reminding her that she is not alone. Or simply being present.

Your Call: What could “lighting a candle” mean for you right now?

Fierce and Fearless

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Gabrielle Union received the Fierce and Fearless Award from Essence Magazine some time last year.  I have never had what would conventionally be thought of as a “fierce and fearless” persona, but over the course of my years in ministry, I’ve often been tempted to put one on.   I’ve also been guilty of dimming my own natural God-given shine, but now I’m on the road to recovering it. And that’s why Gabrielle’s acceptance speech resonates with me.  She held strength and vulnerability together while confessing her flaws and struggles. She affirmed the community of family and friends that have accompanied her on the journey.  There is something fierce about facing fear.

Jesus has named his followers after himself – the light of the world.  No longer is it acceptable to live in a dimmed existence that tries to disappear or an artificial fluorescence that seeks to outshine  — both are rooted in hiding under a basket. The Gospel is beautiful in that it allows the radiance of Christ to shine through the uniqueness and unity of a fierce and fearless people who have received God’s grace.

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”   Matthew 5:14-16 (NRSV)

Your Call: Watch and reflect on the video.  What would it look like for you to become fierce and fearless?

Get Me Bodied

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Recently, I attended a surprise birthday party and over the speakers, I heard a melody
that was vaguely familiar.  Beyonce was singing Get Me Bodied.  Apparently the song had been released a few years ago, but I didn’t take notice of it at that time.  At its most basic level, Get Me Bodied is an infectious dance song, so I could leave it at that. But I won’t, mostly because I’m on a quest to feel more aware of and at home in my own body.  As easy as Bey makes it look (at least in the video), walking in the psalmist’s declaration of being fearfully and wonderfully made often takes some soul work.

I have fond memories of family gatherings when I was a child and much less self-conscious.   We would get together and do the Bump and the Bus Stop.  (Yes, I’m dating myself.) And when the Jackson Five’s Dancing Machine came on, all of us kids stopped what we were doing and started in on the Robot. Every year around this time, I enjoy my ritual of watching the dance scene from A Charlie Brown Christmas. When I watch those lovable characters in the Peanuts gang, I am struck by their exuberance and their comfort with moving in their own rhythms.  Some are on beat; others are off.  None of them care one way or the other.  All of them are having a great time.

As I strive to befriend my body, things get complicated when it doesn’t cooperate.  While I feel blessed to be relatively healthy, I do have some issues that give me pause and remind me of the need to be vigilant.  What happens when your body seems to turn against you?  An OB/GYN answered this question in a revolutionary way right before she had a double mastectomy.  I looked at her video again and remembered where I heard Get Me Bodied before.

Sometimes I wonder how Jesus experienced his own body, especially before his public ministry.  Did he ever feel unattractive or awkward as a teenager?  Did he get sick or have to watch sick people suffer and die?  If he did, perhaps he recalled a previous conversation that he had in another space in eternity.  A conversation amidst the Holy Trinity’s lament over a fallen world where he spoke up and said “Get Me Bodied.”  Actually, he hasn’t stopped saying it. He continues to say it to you and me.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:1,14 (NIV)

 Your Call: Take some time to watch the videos.  How do they make you feel?  How would you describe your relationship with your body?  In what sense might Jesus be telling you “Get Me Bodied?”

The Awakening: When Gratitude and Desire Meet

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Advent1Somewhere between already and not yet, I’ve thought about what it looks like to be thankful in the midst of longing. So how does a holiday defined by gratitude end up so close to a season based on waiting for the fulfillment of Promise?  Is there is a reason why Advent arrives so soon after Thanksgiving? Can gratitude and desire co-exist?  I think so. In fact, I hope that they do more than co-exist. I want them to become friends.

By pointing out what is good in my life and in the world, gratitude can lead us to a place of rest as we recall the faithfulness of God in times past.    It nudges us when tempted to sleepwalk through life in perpetual daydreams of what could be.  Gratitude grounds us in the moment, encouraging us to be fully present in it.   Then, desire brings balance. It speaks of possibility, and doesn’t allow for complacency with what is, but invites us to answer Jesus (honestly) when he asks “What do you want?” Recognizing desire can alert us to needs and issues that are both within and around us, all the while stirring us to action.

I look forward to seeing how gratitude and desire will connect in my life over the next month.  In the meantime, it is my prayer that this Advent season awakens you to the presence of Christ and his purpose for your life in a world in much need of love, hope, and justice.

And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Romans 13:11 (NIV)

Your Call: In what area(s) of your life do you need to be more fully awake?  If gratitude and desire had a conversation regarding your life at the moment, what would it sound like?