resurrection

Resurrection Living: Seasons and Stumps

/ Sharon / 1 Comment

It was the first Sunday in November. While some were loving the extra hour of sleep, I was mourning the loss of daylight savings time. There was something about the sun going down earlier that felt unsettling but I’m trying to lean into it a little bit to see what I can learn. The darkness is not bad in of itself. It signals our bodies that it is time to sleep and get some rest. Hidden processes that help us and all of God’s creation to rejuvenate and grow take place in the dark.  Just because there is no illumination doesn’t mean nothing is happening. I see Winter as a theater that grows dark with an anticipation of what will happen when the curtain opens and the lights on stage come on. 

Spring and Summer are my preferred seasons, but lately Autumn and Winter have the most to teach me.  Every fall, I am struck by the falling of the leaves from trees. I had already considered the fact that a loss could make room for something new.  However, I recently learned that these trees don’t lose their leaves; they actually release them to preserve resources for the winter.  When Spring shows up, the branches welcome new leaves. This is a form of resurrection which reminds us that what appears to be dead can show signs of life.

But what if something more drastic happens? What if a tree is cut down?  It’s one thing when leaves fall from a tree; it’s another thing when the whole tree falls.  At a time when the destiny of God’s people seemed to be cut off, the prophet Isaiah offered hope.  The prophecy about the resurrection of that destiny pointed to a stump — a cut-down tree left for dead.  

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,  and a branch shall grow out of his roots. Isaiah 11:1

Is there a stump in the forest of your life? That stump could represent your joy, your faith, or your peace.  It might point to your health or your finances. Maybe it speaks to the state of your family or community. It would have been easier if nothing remained, but alas the stump reminds you of what has been cut off. You try to forget about it and distract yourself but then, you trip over it.  It could be that the stump is your stumbling block to giving up on your destiny. Despite how it appears, a stump can produce growth because the roots are still working underground.

It may seem weird to reflect on resurrection at this time of year, yet I see Advent as a season for sitting with the stumps of life. As we wait for the shoot and the branch to emerge, we  can trust that what looks lifeless on the surface still grows under the surface.  As hidden and mysterious as this process is, we can anticipate and rejoice in the manifestation that will come.

On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. Isaiah 11:10

Your Call:  Is there an area of your life that feels like a stump? Is it possible that God is doing something in that area that you can’t see right now? 

Resurrection Living: The Cloud of Witnesses

/ Sharon / Leave a comment

August typically puts me in a celebratory and contemplative mood as it is my birth month, a time of gratitude and reflection.  This time it felt different as I was troubled with all that is going on in the country — gun violence, hate crimes and an undercurrent of despair. It seems that death is shaking its fist at hope, trying to claim territory in communities and creep its way into the hearts and minds of people who are simply trying to live.  

Mary paces the floor,  muttering…
“He’ll be here. He’s coming. Surely Jesus got our message that our brother needs him!”
Outside there are whispers, “Who will tell her?”
And then a sigh, “I will tell her.”
Martha enters, trying to find the words with only a tear revealing the news,
“Lazarus is dead.”
Mary opens her mouth and collapses in a heap.
Her gasp gains momentum in her throat and the wail comes…
Days later, the whispers start again  — “He shows up now?!”
Mary emerges, crying out, “If You had been here…”
And Jesus weeps…

Last month, I woke up on a Sunday morning to a local radio station paying tribute to the late Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. The song that was playing transported me to the Bronx apartment of my childhood.   I was young but old enough to be home alone. A mahogany hutch stood in a corner of the living room. Sitting on one of the shelves was a friend inviting me over to visit. I opened the cabinet beneath and saw them all, knowing which one I wanted to hear — that “Amazing Grace” album. I pulled it out and saw the regal woman poised and sitting on some steps with her burgundy dashiki dress and head wrap. I lifted the hand of my friend and carefully placed it on the spinning black disc with the red, white and green label in the center.  

Oh oh Mary, Oh oh Mary, Oh oh Mary, Oh oh Mary
Oh oh Mary, Oh oh Mary, Oh oh Mary, Oh oh Mary
Oh Mary Don’t You Weep
Oh Martha don’t you moan
Oh Mary Don’t You Weep
Oh Martha don’t you moan
Pharaoh’s Army
Drowned in the Red Sea
Oh Mary Don’t You Weep. Don’t weep.
Tell Martha not to moan.

I had this song on repeat.  I didn’t know why it appealed to me so much, but in retrospect there was something otherworldly happening when they told the story:

If I could
I surely would
stand on the rock
where Moses stood
Pharaoh’s Army
Drowned in the Red Sea
Oh Mary Don’t You Weep. Don’t weep.
Tell Martha not to moan

In my sanctified imagination, I can hear a choir singing this to Mary, who wonders what Pharaoh’s Army has to do with her situation. Then out of nowhere,  Miriam, Moses and Aaron show up to testify.  In those moments when I’m wondering where in the world Jesus is, I need to pause to listen to the testimony of Aretha and all the ancestors who sang or lived out this song.

Hebrews 11 and 12 speak of a “cloud of witnesses” who testify to Divine Presence and Power that showed up for them on the journey that is life. Sometimes we need a reminder of past triumphs over oppressive forces, including death in its many forms. Every once in a while, a witness steps forward and taps us on the shoulder to let us know that we will finish the race with victory. In spite of what it looks like, death dies and ultimately, resurrection reigns.


Your Call: Who in your cloud of witnesses is encouraging you in the midst of your race, especially during challenging times?

Resurrection Living: The Power of the Squad

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I met a couple of sister-friends for breakfast a few weeks ago. As we caught up with what was happening in each other’s lives, I noticed that we had similar challenges and had been nudged by Divine Destiny in various ways.  I left the gathering encouraged and yet reminded that my comfort zone, however cozy, can’t be my resting place. This experience was not particularly dramatic but it became more meaningful in light of what has taken place in recent weeks.

I thought about the four congresswoman of color (Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib) who were targeted with racist insults for insisting on being seen and heard.  

The 50th anniversary of the U.S. moon landing made me ponder the legacy of the three African American women (Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan) featured in the movie Hidden Figures, all of whom paved the way for that to take place in the midst of a segregated workplace.

Consider the courage necessary for these women to persevere. Can you imagine the conversations that they needed to have to keep each other from giving up? This is the power of the squad.   Your squad encourages you when you are tempted to shrink back. Your squad challenges you when you settle for less than your best. Your squad backs you up when you are under fire. Your squad celebrates with you in your victories.

Let’s go back even further and  picture a group of women standing and weeping before a cross on which their beloved Jesus Christ hung and died. 

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  John 19:25

Can you hear them asking themselves or perhaps one another, “What are we going to do now?” They would gather once again to head to the tomb only to find it empty.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”  So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.  Matthew 28:5-8

This squad bore witness to the resurrection and yet it is reported that some of the disciples did not believe them (Luke 24:9-11).  Nevertheless, the women could not sit by the empty tomb stuck in the stigma of being disbelieved. When you are not taken seriously in proclaiming and walking in newness of life, it is good to have a squad.

Now like never before, there needs to be a resurrection of hope. Sometimes hope withers in disappointment with personal situations and unmet expectations. Sometimes hope is buried under disillusionment with society and its institutions. What can breathe life into a hope that has been declared dead?  Sometimes that Resuscitating Wind is channeled through a squad to remind you to be fully alive.

Your Call:  How has God used a squad to speak new life over you in some way? How can you speak new life into others around you?   

Resurrection Living: The Power of Legacy

/ Sharon / 1 Comment

 

More than a month has passed since Easter 2019, and Jesus still lives.  I want and need to live out this truth. My desire going forward is to experience resurrection as a state of mind and a way of life.

In the meantime, Mother’s Day has come and gone and it was complicated for all kinds of reasons. Children have grieved the loss of their mothers.  Mothers grieve over loss of children. Others grieve over less than ideal relationships with their mothers or children. As thankful as I am for the woman who birthed and raised me,  I am also accepting (and grieving) the fact that I will not birth a child. And yes, having any role in mothering another is wonderful, but the disappointment is still real.

Is it possible to breathe new life into a dream that has died?

When I think about loved ones who have died, I find some comfort from the legacy they left.  For me, legacy is like the act of weaving the most meaningful threads of someone else’s life into the tapestry of my own life. As I process my own ambivalence around motherhood, I am reflecting on Shiphrah and Puah, Hebrew midwives in the Old Testament book of Exodus and I’m encouraged that God had something special in store for them.

God was pleased with the midwives. The people continued to increase in number—a very strong people. And because the midwives honored God, God gave them families of their own. Exodus 1:20-21 (The Message)

That is not to say that Shiphrah and Puah necessarily had biological children, but they would indeed bring something forth.  This is their legacy to me.

In  Exodus Women, Volume One: Securing the Sacred, Alison Gise Johnson and Vanessa Monroe make this clarion call:

“Midwives have no purpose unless women are ready to give birth — to birth dreams, strategic plans, businesses, careers, research, publications, and ministries. At some point, even midwives themselves are ready to birth. And so are you.”

As a spiritual midwife, I have rejoiced in bearing witness to the birthing of purpose in others. Yet I also want to delight in that Voice saying, “And there is more for you too…”
How about you? What are you being called to bring forth?

Your Call: Where are you bearing witness to new life in this season?  Whose legacy can you reflect on to encourage you?

Breaking Bread: The Power of Conversation and Community

/ Sharon / Leave a comment

Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them;but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”  They stood still, their faces downcast.
Luke 24:13-17 (NIV)

It has been months since Easter Sunday, but I still find myself captivated by the disciples’ trip to Emmaus. I can imagine their state of mind. Perplexed. Expectations dashed. “We had hoped that [Jesus] was the one to redeem Israel,” said the disciples to the Stranger who had joined them on the journey.

Last weekend, I attended a women’s conference that revived me in a way that I had not experienced in a while.  It was as if the wind of the Spirit blew into my soul afresh, and I rejoice in a renewed sense of purpose and potential.  Yet a week later, I find myself overwhelmed as I discern what my next steps should be. After these mountaintop experiences, my challenge is always to maintain momentum when I get back to sea level. In the meantime, I grieve recent tragedies such as the shooting in Aurora, CO. I recognize that in the shadow of the resurrection, death remains. The death of loved ones. The death of dreams. The death of relationships.

“We had hoped that…”

I can relate.  Don’t we all have those thoughts, those if-onlys, haunting us from time to time? I had hoped that my father would live to see certain milestones in my life.  Parents of the victims in Aurora had hoped to see their children thrive.

As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”   Luke 24:28-32 (NIV)

There was something about this Stranger who entered into conversation and community with the disciples.  He inquired. He listened. He brought clarity. He challenged. He blessed. He broke bread.  And all of a sudden, the disciples knew that the “rumor” was true.  Jesus was alive and sitting right there in front of them!

Lately, I’ve asked myself, “when was the last time my heart burned within me, in a good way, based on a conversation?”  By conversation, I do not mean hearing from the Lord through sermons or personal prayer times, though these are vital practices for me.  What I mean is talking with others. I realize that conversations can get a bit messy. After all, Jesus broke the bread; he didn’t slice it.  The good news is that the Presence of Christ can show up in the midst, messiness and all.  Plus, there’s a heartiness and substance to bread that is broken compared to the neatly sliced bread that I often buy at the supermarket.

I’m starting to ask myself a lot more questions to help me envision what “breaking bread” really means.  Please join me.

What if we were more intentional about reminding each other that Jesus is alive and that we can live out that truth between Sundays, conferences, retreats and revivals?

What if we spoke life into desolate places in each other and in the world around us? 

What if we agreed with God that death, while present, does not have the final say? 

What if we not only grieved for families of victims in Aurora, but also confronted the culture of violence in the United States?  

What if we invited the “voiceless” into the conversation? 

How is God calling us to represent the resurrection of Christ in the world?

Your Call:  Read Luke 24:1-35; what stands out to you about the journey to Emmaus?  What is the role of conversation and community in your life?