Meditation Moment in Eastertide: Monday, Week 7 '23

THINK DIFFERENT. 

But don't believe everything you think.
~ Charlie Chaplin*

           I'm always certain that my thoughts are on track and correct, except when I stop to think about my thoughts. Then, I realize I might, possibly, perhaps, have a bias or two or, at the very least, an untested expectation that affects what I'm thinking. Often I think that she or he or they think that I should think one thing or another, but I've never asked her, him, or them so maybe they don't think that at all but something else instead. But if I ask them, will they think I just don't know what I'm thinking? All this thinking stuff gives me a headache. Can't I just breeze through life thoughtlessly?

           Dear Most High Lord and Excellent Thinker of Thoughts, please help me to work more diligently on how to think critically, objectively, and constructively. Let me recognize and understand the biases and emotions that influence my thoughts and, after some analysis (which may include advice from several others), feel comfortable moving forward anyway or, to change direction entirely. I do know that my thoughts, human as they are, will always be flawed in one way or another. Grant me the ability to be open to changes in my opinions and positions based on new information, even if from people I have decided I don't especially like. Let me work calmly through criticism ~ fair or not (in my opinion) ~ and accept the outcomes of my actions (and my [sometimes] over-quick mouth) while learning new lessons for the future. Whether my thinking is inside or outside of any given box, let me not recycle the same ways of understanding life in ever smaller circles with ever smaller thoughts, or, in other words, don't let me believe everything I think. 

amen. 

*Charlie Chaplin [1899-1977], born in England, was an actor, comedian, director, and writer ~ all of the first magnitude ~ with a huge fan base on both sides of the Atlantic and elsewhere that helped him survive both adoration and controversy. His brilliance in his early silent films is still being admired today. His most famous character, The Tramp, propelled him to icon status. 

 

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Meditation Moment in Eastertide ~ Saturday, Week 6 '23

photo by Christina Brennan Lee in Broad Bay, NZ

She stood in the storm 

and when the wind 

did not blow her way, 

she adjusted her sails.

~ Elizabeth Edwards* 

     It's so easy and comfortably trite to say "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade." It's a kindly thought and there's a limited amount of folksy wisdom in it. But, Lord of the Wind and Sea of Life, sometimes life hands out orchards of difficulty, grief, and anguish. Yet even in the midst of all of that, there are happy moments, satisfying times, and there is also bless-ed ordinary. 
     I don't compare my stuff with anyone else's. I recognize and empathize with the trials and tragedies of others and even when the events are seemingly mirrored, no one’s experience is ever the same as another’s. And while I'm certain that I'm entitled to my fair share of wails, whines, and whimpers it’s only for a time and not for a lifetime of self-indulgence. Life is precious and those who have gone before me would want me to use it well and with joy in memory and as I can look for it in each day as it comes.

   And when it is time to move forward, please Lord, do not let me stall, becalmed by grief, procrastination, or inertia. Point me in the right direction, the one that leads to You; and, if I cannot sail through the rest of my life without more stormy seas or the occasional eddy throwing me off course, help me then to adjust my sails again, as I have done so many times before, tacking or jibing as needed to catch the right wind that carries me onward. amen. 

cgl-cbl 20May06

*Elizabeth Edwards [1949-2010], an American Attorney, Health Care Activist, and best-selling author was married to John Edwards, a US Senator with unsuccessful campaigns for US Vice-President and later President. Ms. Edwards dealt well publicly with her husband's rise to prominence and then notoriety after his much publicized affair that resulted in an illegitimate child, at the same time, Elizabeth was also coping with the breast cancer that ultimately ended her life.

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Meditation Moment in Eastertide ~ Friday, Week 6 '23

Prayer for a Discouraging World

   When I see the news it appears to me all too often that we really do "love our neighbors as we love ourselves" although not in the way  it’s intended. The world can be such a discouraging place. Everyone I know has their own personal laundry list of the frustrations, disappointments, trials, and tragedies in their everyday lives and then news from here and around the globe is beyond dreadful at times. It serves to push many of us into de-sensitizing and self-medicating in a variety of ways such as the obvious of alcohol or gambling, but also over-indulgence by food or hours of sports or romance tv, any form of too-much escapism. Sometimes, perhaps all too often, we unwittingly engage in self-destructive behaviors such as over-compensating by working too hard on behalf of others that our true personal needs become lost. Also, self-deprecating self-talk learned from others has taught many from a young age that we are never good enough. At the very least we try to avoid and deny some of the all too harsh realities of life. In this all or nothing world of excess in everything, we must find a balance between doing and being, and between caring for others and caring for oneself, in doing the "good that I can do" in appropriate measure.

Let me feel Your breath in my soul, O Lord. Surround me with Your presence and whisper to my heart. Call me out of my hesitation, avoidance, and procrastination to spend a little time with you each day. Kick me out of my whining and self-absorption and draw me closer. Only by consciously, deliberately, and willingly loving You, can I begin to love myself. Then, I can consciously, deliberately, and willingly, love my neighbors and discover what positive differences I truly am able to make in Your world that is also our island home.* amen.

 

*From Eucharistic Prayer C, in part, The Book of Common Prayer, 1979, page 370:

At your command all things came to be: the vast expanse of
interstellar space, galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses,
and this fragile earth, our island home.
By your will they were created and have their being.

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Meditation Moment: LIFT OFF! ~ Ascension Day '23

For Thursday, May 18, 2023, Ascension Day, Readings: Acts 1:1-11, Ps 47, Ephesians 1:15-23, Luke 24:44-53 
Composed by Christina Brennan Lee   https://prayersofthepeople.blogspot.com

Then [Jesus] led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were 

continually in the temple blessing God.

~ Luke 24:50-53

          Forty Days after Easter comes the Ascension of the Resurrected Christ into Heaven. One of the five major milestones in the life of Christ [the others are baptism, transfiguration, crucifixion, and resurrection], the Ascension is professed in both the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds. Whether, actual, mystical or metaphorical, it is one of the great feasts of the Christian liturgical calendar. It signifies the completion of his earthly presence as he takes his divine presence seated at the right hand of the Father [Nicene Creed, Book of Common Prayer, 1979]. 
        The readings for today give us a direction for our own earthly lives. In the Acts of the Apostles we hear that as Christ's body was being elevated, suddenly two men in robes stood by them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven?" From Ephesians, Paul prays, ...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ...may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe...

         Holy Jesus, Son of God, as Your Church we are the Body of Christ.  On this Ascension Day, let us ascend in our hearts, minds, and souls, and raise our own prayers that we may be disciples in our own day, to care for all the People of God. Guide us as we seek to discover You in our daily thoughts, words, and actions. Grant us that wisdom to know the hope to which we are called with enlightened hearts, and be eager for the time when You, who has been taken up...into heaven, will come in the same way... Amen. Alleluia! 

 

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Meditation Moment in Eastertide ~ Wednesday, Week 6 '23

Prayer for a Silly Goose

by Me 

Why do we call geese silly?

      Oh, I know we can tease children by calling them a silly goose in fun. And sure. geese are comically ungainly in their gait on the ground and seriously noisy in their discussions. I had to wait on the street one day while two were having a raucous discussion across the white line and I was trying to pull into a driveway. I beeped and they stopped, looked at me, and promptly went right back. After a time, I very slowly let the car drift forward and they finally, unhappily, moved but never stopped their "discussion!"  

     This morning was sunny and clear as they were winging across the sky honking encouragement to each other. The V-formation is beautiful in its symmetry and its purpose. Instinctive, normal, practical. Geese travel together and when one can't go or falls from the formation because of illness or injury, two stay behind to help, to care, to be there until the downed bird can fly again or dies. Then the trio or pair join another passing formation. The leader leads for a time flying just above the others to increase lift and reduce the effort of the flock. Then the leader moves to the back of the formation and another leads for a time and then moves to the back of the formation, and so on until the destination is reached. Everyone takes a turn to lead.  Everyone works together for the good of the entire flock. Hmmm, if only Humans would be better at that.

    

      Dear Lord, help me be a reliable part of the flock I'm in, taking my turns to lead and to fall back. Give me extra grace to be thankful for those who stop to care for me and to be even more willing to stay on the ground to help another. Geese make me look silly ~ in formation and leadership they are a model of Your vision for the rest of us. Of course like the rest of us they can be unruly and very messy! Yet my prayer is for the awareness of the lessons of interconnectedness and interdependence that You provide in each and every part of Your Creation.  amen.

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Meditation Moment in Eastertide ~ Tuesday, Week 6 '23

A modern interpretation of the 14th century Persian poet Hafez says: 

Being so preoccupied as we are with needing to be satisfied, 

it seems we would be better at it by now. 

~ Khwāje Shams-od-Dīn Moḥammad Ḥāfeẓ-e Shīrāzī*

aka Hafez or Hafiz

   Aging Baby Boomers still rock out with gusto on I Can't Get No Satisfaction... Hafez's statement is 6 centuries old and it seems we really aren't any better at it now!

   So many in today's world anesthetize themselves, in new and newer ways, with the acquisition of MORE of everything, whether material goods, growing numbers of social media contacts and outlets, additional streaming services, etc. Many of us are chasing after satisfying every possible known desire and those soon-to-be discovered through the next advertisement or word of mouth or some thing better than what the neighbors have. And yet, More is never Enough.  How do we learn to recognize what we are doing? One other of Hafez' poems speaks clearly to me when I stop and allow myself to breathe as I hear these words: 

I am a hole in a flute

that the Christ's breath moves through-

listen to this music.

              Dear Everyday God of Real Life, help me stop thinking of want as need. Let me find the true gift of being in the ordinary, the routine, the everyday. A simple smiley face in a text or email feels as good to give as to get to say "I'm thinking of you." On those "special" holidays and holy days, I want and need to remember that less really is more.
            Oh, yes, and Thank You, Lord, sometimes I just need a place to stop, rest, and think about what life is truly meant to be. You are always there waiting for me to remember. And, in terms of being the Great Listener, of course, You're the best! I don't have to explain or make excuses, and anyway which of either is useful, especially to You about me? Even when I don't get what I (think) I want, with You in my heart there is always enough. When I allow You to breathe through me, together we will bring the music of You to all we know and meet. Amen.

*Ḥāfeẓ, 'the memorizer; the (safe) keeper'; 1325–1390) and as "Hafiz", was a Persian lyric poet whose collected works are regarded by many Iranians as a pinnacle of Persian Literature. His works are often found in the homes of people in the Persian-speaking world, who learn his poems by heart and use them as everyday proverbs and sayings. His life and poems have become the subjects of much analysis, commentary and interpretation, influencing post-14th century Persian writing more than any other Persian author. His works have been translated into nearly every language in the world. [per Wikipedia]

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Prayers of the People ~ Second Rising ~ Sunday after the Ascension, 7th Sunday of Easter Yr A '23

For Sunday, May 21, 2023, Readings: Acts 1:6-14, Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36; 1Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11; 

John 17:1-11

  [Jesus] replied..."It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you...When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. [Acts 1:7-8a]

  But let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; let them be merry and joyful...Blessed be God! [Psalm 68:3, 36b]

  Cast all your anxiety on [God] because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith...God of all grace who has called you to eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen. [1 Peter 4:7-9a, 10b, 11]

Jesus looked up to heaven and said..."I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world...and they have received me and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf...And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world...Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one." [John 17:6a, 8b-9a, 11a]

      On this Sunday after Christ’s Ascension the readings begin well after the fact and yet end with the climax of the Last Supper. The prayer of Jesus, in this Gospel reading from John, reveals some of his human nature as well as his divinity. The Apostles haven’t experienced the Crucifixion at this point, let alone the Resurrection or Ascension and they must have been confused at the very least. Yet as they reflected on these words later, as we do in our time, they offer hope and the soul-safety of God’s steadfast protection.

      Jesus prays to God to protect us now that he is leaving this world ~ we who were given to him by God and who remain in this world; and he prays for the unity of God’s people. Samuel Cruz, Assistant Professor of Church and Society at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, had this to say: "A prayer from Jesus asking for protection via unity of the church, provides a great source of comfort to his followers...[it] is powerful because it emerges from his personal experiences as a man...[as when] a parent prays for his or her child, we know that the motivations behind that prayer are deep and primal. Likewise, the deeply loving petition in our favor requested by Jesus is greatly treasured."

    The Feast of the Ascension is one of the five major markers in the Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus. The others are his Baptism, Transfiguration, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. The Ascension is also one of the essential elements of Christian creeds and one of the significant mysteries in the life of Christ. The bodily Ascension into heaven is also understood by some as the expression of Christ's two natures: divine and human. The mythology, the mystical, and the mysterious all combine to fuel the fires of discussion, disagreement, and theological divides across generations and denominations. Typically observed on the 6th Thursday, or 40 days, after Easter, it precedes Pentecost Sunday (50 days after Easter) and then next is Trinity Sunday.

     At the Ascension, the Divinely Human Christ takes his leave of this earthly plane while the apostles watch him be lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight. As it says in the Apostles and Nicene Creeds: he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 

     The Living Jesus cares greatly for his followers then and now. For our part, let us return this great comfort by devoting regular times for ourselves to pray as the apostles did while waiting for the power of the Holy Spirit to come upon them. Let us follow Peter's instructions to cast all our anxiety on God because our adversary, the devil, even in the form of seemingly benign earthly temptation, myth, or fantasy, could easily devour our good intentions, carrying us away from what we are called to do in this life. With some prayer, discipline, and faith, with the presence of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, we, too, will be restored, supported, and strengthened to do the work for which we were created and called ~ to love one another as we are to love ourselves…be glad and rejoice…be merry and joyful…Blessed be God!

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ God of All Grace, You were, You are, and You will always be with us. Jesus brought us to know You, to cast our anxiety upon You, and to receive the protection of Your steadfast love. Let us be humbled and rejoice in Christ, who is Your Glory revealed.      
                                          
                                               O Christ, Ascended                                             
       RESPONSE:            Restore, Support, and Strengthen us
 
~ God of All Grace, instill integrity, dignity, and strength of character in the political leadership on this Earth, in this Nation, and in our Community. Steer and steady them on the course of principled and moral justice for all Your people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                O Christ, Ascended
                                                Restore, Support, and Strengthen us
 
~ God of All Grace, rest Your healing spirit upon all who are coping with life-threatening or chronic illness, and energize those wearied by giving care and love. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions
 
                                                O Christ, Ascended
                                                Restore, Support, and Strengthen us
           
~ God of All Grace, gladden our hearts knowing that those we love who have left our lives, are now risen with all the Saints into the eternal heart of the Living Jesus. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
 
                                                O Christ, Ascended
                                                Restore, Support, and Strengthen us
 
~ God of All Grace, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions
 
                                                O Christ, Ascended
                                                Restore, Support, and Strengthen us
                       
~ God of All Grace, revitalize the leaders of Your Church with the spiritual energy, wisdom, and faith-filled hearts, open to the challenges of being an emissary of Christ, guiding us all to be as one body to do Your work in this world. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                O Christ, Ascended
                                                Restore, Support, and Strengthen us
                                                                                                      
The Celebrant adds: Holy God of Power and Glory, rekindle our desire to renew Your purpose in ourselves for the life You have given us to live, and fortify our faith against the prowling temptations that would devour our fragile promises to You. We ask this through Jesus, the Christ, our Ascended Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, our Sacred Sanctifier; who live and reign with You, One God, forever and ever.  Amen.

 

 

 

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