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From the Pastor - March 2010 |
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Sisters and Brothers in Christ.
We’ve entered that holy time of the church known as Lent. It is a time of new
beginnings; a time when we reflect on the past, strive for a better future, all
while trying to live faithfully in the present. It is a time to recall the signs of
God’s grace in our lives and heed the beckoning to draw closer to the One who
offers eternal love.
In past times, a pilgrimage to the Holy Land held a traditional appeal for some.
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales ,depicted medieval people on a journey for God.
However, this year, perhaps instead of a journey to a holy shrine, might we enter
a spiritual pilgrimage of prayer.
Is prayer a natural part of your everyday life? If not, it is perhaps the obvious,
yet most difficult, place to begin that pilgrimage. As writer John Westerhoff
pointed out, spiritual pilgrimage is often seen as the beginning of true adulthood
but is also very challenging. “...the spiritual life in the beginning is simply
difficult, hard work from the human point of view. Prayer is a highly disciplined
activity. It is labor-intensive and often without a great deal to show for it.”
For your journey of Lent, I offer you a prayer from monastic Thomas Merton’s
book Thoughts In Solitude. I think this prayer demonstrates that all of God’s
people, even monks, share common needs and desires as we seek that closer
walk
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead
of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean I am actually
doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I
hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything
apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me in the right
road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, I will trust you always
though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you
are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
May it be so.
Barry
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From The Pastor - February 2010 |
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My Friends in Christ,
Lent is the most solemn season of the Christian year-and probably the one we try most to avoid. After the joyfulness of the past Christmas, and the promise to be celebrated at Easter, Lent’s penitential nature leaves much to be desired for those of us who struggle to just get through the daily living. However, Lent is a forty day period (plus Sundays) that emulates Jesus' own path and fasting in the wilderness. Seeking to prepare himself for his ministry to the world, Jesus stood up and addressed the temptations of "Satan" in the desert. In doing so, he came face to face with the temptations of the world and was strengthened to proclaim the good news of forgiveness, redemption and the possibility of a new relationship with God.
Spiritual writer Henri Nouwen wrote of Lent, "It is a gentle but demanding time. It is a time of solitude but also of community, it is a time of listening to the voice within, but also a time of paying attention to other people’s needs . . . a time to . . . make the passage to new inner life as well as to life with those around us."
In and through our renewed commitment to God we find the power to live "In Christ" and follow in the ways Jesus taught. Lent marks a time for us to also withdraw from the world and examine our desire to change. It is a time when we stop to contemplate the meaning of a life freed by the power of Christ from earthly constraints and a time to consciously live into a new transforming way --- Jesus’ Way. We do this in both the solitude of our personal, contemplative prayer and in the community of supportive Christians.
Lent is not a time to be dreaded or avoided, but rather embraced, because the spiritual transformation that we find enables us to overcome the sin and suffering of the world and meet the Lord in our deepest heart of hearts.
May the Spirit of God guide you and lead you through this demanding Lenten season. And, may that same Spirit gently place within your soul the transformation God desires for you.
BARRY |
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From The Pastor - January 2010 |
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Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and days of auld lang syne?
And days of auld lang syne, my dear, and days of auld lang syne.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and days of auld lang syne?
We twa hae run aboot the braes and pu'd the gowans fine.
We've wandered mony a weary foot, sin' auld lang syne.
Sin' auld lang syne, my dear, sin' auld lang syne,
We've wandered mony a weary foot, sin' auld lang syne.
We twa hae sported i' the burn, from morning sun till dine,
But seas between us braid hae roared sin' auld lang syne.
Sin' auld lang syne, my dear, sin' auld lang syne.
But seas between us braid hae roared sin' auld lang syne
And ther's a hand, my trusty friend, and gie's a hand o' thine;
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne.
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