Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.
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Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. - Psalm 98:4 What do the letters E, A, and D have in common? You’re probably thinking they’re three letters in the alphabet. But if you’re a musician, they’re more than just letters. They are the keys to unlocking some of the greatest songs ever, like the hit song “Wild Thing.” The guitar only has seven major chords, yet there are over 15,000 ways to play them all. Luckily you don’t have to know everything in it before you can play. As we’ve learned, a little bit can do a lot. To quote Willie Nelson, the great country legend, “All you need to write a song is three chords and the truth." I reckon the same could be said about understanding your spiritual journey: All you need is the Divine Trinity and the truth. Given all the great Psalms and gospel music that has been created over the centuries, you don’t have to be a great musician to know that when you have a trio like the Creator, Savior, and Spirit backing you, the songs just write itself. God the Creator, the composer and conductor of our life, gave us a creative mandate: “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the world and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28). The Creator tells us to create our own songs with chords we’ve been given. They can be simple or complex. The only requirement is you have to ready to play them when asked. God the Savior is the melody and the impossible-to-forget hook that makes the song stand out. It catches the attention of the listeners, and can cause spontaneous eruption of praise. The hook is often the shortest, yet sweetest part of your song. It has the power to transform your creation into a timeless classic; ensuring you spend your life on the eternal b-side. God the Spirit is the very soul and emotion of the song. It is the one thing that connects the singer to the music. The Spirit brings your music to life and carries your song to where it needs to go. It can’t be seen, but you know it’s there. It comes up from deep within your soul. It moves and grooves in you. Without it, your song can only go so far. I hope that you use the coming days and weeks left in Lent to stretch yourself – bending and plucking and strumming along with the Spirit. At first it might sound like you’re just making noise. But the more you practice the better you become. Your spiritual life becomes more in tune with the great harmonious songs of truth. It could be the blues one day, a harmonious choral the next. It could be bright and jazzy, or calm and folksy. Maybe a little reggae or something inspired from south of the border. Maybe your song will be a little of everything, all mashed up to create your own Wild Thing. Whatever it is for you, play it, sing it, feel it- tune into the sound of God within you and make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Prayer: Lord God, Creator, Savior, and Spirit, make me an instrument of your peace. Play with me, sing with me, and lets make a joyful noise today and always. Amen. “Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” - Hebrews 13:1-2 A wonderful thing happened to Kathleen and I while we were on a lunch date, which in itself is a wonderful thing. Rarely do we get the chance to spend an hour together in the middle of the day. It was one of those beautiful and crisp fall days. The sun was shining and the air was light. The wind seemed playful. And the newly fallen leaves were happy to join in the fun. As we approached the Green Harp, a unique restaurant in Greenville, Michigan, I noticed the parking lot was nearly full. Inside, the restaurant was packed as well. All the booths were taken, and the only available seats were around the two giant tables in the middle. Each table could seat eight, but we were only two. We had no other choice but to sit. Our romantic lunch felt more like the parable of the wedding party where the invited guest had refused to come (see Matthew 22:1-14). Other couples followed behind us, each group facing the same dilemma. No seats, but the big table. And that’s when it happened; that wonderful thing called hospitality. In remembering the parable, Kathleen and I welcomed these hungry strangers to share the table with us. The seats began to fill up and the table seemed to magically come alive. To be fair, it may not seem like a big deal for a minister and his wife to invite people to share their table with them; especially a guy who talks endlessly about welcoming strangers to the table of God’s blessing. But it was a big deal to those who were invited to sit. Around our table we learned about one another. The first couple had recently lost their home to a fire. They had been living in a hotel and were in need of company and companionship. God gave it to them in the most unexpected way. The other couple was visiting their daughter who just moved to Greenville. It was their first time in the area and now they see our town as a kind and friendly place. When I saw the one lone chair left at the table, I did not see emptiness but instead saw God in full glory. In the smiles and laughter, the conversation and storytelling, there was Jesus breaking bread with us and sharing in the joy of the Spirit that had fed him and cared for him through the difficult days of fasting in the wilderness. The Benedictine Monks live by this idea of showing radical hospitality to others. The have a rule that states, "Hospitality is the way we come out of ourselves. It is the first step towards dismantling the barriers of the world. Hospitality is the way we turn a prejudiced world around, one heart at a time." It all begins with an invitation. As you move in your Lenten journey, as you struggle or sail smoothly along, remember to invite others to your spiritual pathway. You never know where God may lead you. Or what wisdom God might reveal. God doesn't tell us where we are going, but God has reveal what we are to do. Because you never know when you’re entertaining angels or Jesus himself. Prayer: God you invited me to the table of your blessing so I could invite others to join me. Keep this Spirit close in my heart as I show divine hospitality in the name of Christ Jesus. Amen. The dining room during dinner service at the Broad Street Hospitality Collaborative.
"Put away your old self,…and be renewed in the spirit of your minds,… clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” -Ephesians 4:22-24
I live vicariously through a snow-globe that was given to me by my son on my birthday this year. Inside the globe is not a tiny plastic replica of the leaning Tower of Pisa or palm trees on a tropical island, but a crudely drawn body with a photograph of my head glued to it. As I sit at the kitchen counter wondering why I am sipping hot coffee, I shake myself up and watch the little white flakes float in the make-believe wind. It’s amazing how lively each little round speck dances around my head with very little effort on my part. It doesn’t take long for each one to settle at my stick figure feet until the next jolt awakens them. Waiting for my coffee to cool, I oblige and shake. This particular snow globe, which I assume is typical of all snow globes around the globe, doesn’t do much unless it is prodded. Occasionally it has been employed to keep various papers from blowing away in the breeze. But most of the time it does nothing more than take up a small but valuable piece of real estate on our kitchen counter. So every now and then someone must shake it up to ensure it doesn’t become something it wasn’t meant to become. This is a great reminder of why we are fasting during Lent. We want to become what God originally intended us to be – beloved children living in righteous harmony with our Creator. You see human beings are more like snow-globes and less like paperweights. We too need to be shaken up to keep us from stagnating. Sometimes it’s a new baby that shakes up a quiet house, an old friend who shakes up needed memories, or a stranger in your midst who challenges our comfort level and faith. Being shaken up is part of Christian culture too. Moses shook up Israel. Jesus shook up the world. Luther shook up the church. In their stories we learn faith must remain active in order to address the ever-changing world. When you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, your life becomes dramatically different. You are no longer your old self, but made anew. The Apostle Paul says “put away your old self,…and be renewed in the spirit of your minds,… clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:22-24). The church too must always move in new and different directions in order to be relevant and reach people where they are. God has charged us with the responsibility to wake up the hearts and minds of all people so their faith can come alive in new and exciting ways. And so, like the evening wind that cools down a hot day, we welcome a shake up or two so we can swirl in the wind and be what we are meant to be. Prayer: Gracious God, be kind to me today as you shake my spiritual journey so my faith can float in new and exciting ways as I follow Christ to the cross and through the grave. Amen. |
Ian MacdonaldAn ex-copywriter turned punk rock pastor and peacemaker who dedicates his life to making the world a better place for all humanity. "that they all might be one" ~John 17:21“Prius vita quam doctrina.”
~ St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) * “Life is more important than doctrine.”
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