Holy God,
God of Transfiguration, Host of Sacred Moments, bring us with you to the mountaintop to pray. Keep us awake that we might be present for conversation with you and with all the law and the prophets in order to more fully understand God’s fulfillment of them in you. As you reveal yourself to us in shining moments, open not just our eyes but also our ears that we might truly hear you as you teach us all that the law and the prophets have to say about your extravagant grace. Be clear in your direction for we who are slow to understand, and help us to grasp the breadth and depth of the work that awaits us when we return to the valley that we might daily be fueled by the vision of holiness we carry in our hearts. Give us language to express the sacred in the mundane that we might share our experience of you with all who are thirsting for a holy encounter of their own.
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I remember driving home from a training weekend early in my Commissioned Pastor training on a high that I'm fairly certain could never be matched by a high from drugs. I was making new friends in ministry circles. I was learning things that were expanding my understanding. I was drawing closer to God through scripture and fellowship, worship and Communion. It was glorious. Like Peter, James, and John, I was present for holy moments that could not be fully described. There were no words in the English language capable of conveying to people who were not there in the moment what glory those moments held. I remember a song forming as I drove home on 255: "Just a few more minutes on the mountain, Lord, a little bit longer here with you. I know what waits in the valley, Lord, there's so much work for me to do! Just a few more minutes on the mountain, Lord, a little bit longer here with you. One more prayer and one more song, and one last look at the view."
I would imagine Peter was thinking similar thoughts when he suggested the tents. For the record, that's not a positive thing. ;) But it does give me a bit of an understanding of where the disciples were when they climbed the mount of Transfiguration. It's easy to get caught up in the moments of wonder, the splendor of holiness, the sheer joy of an experience of God in Christ. But, like Peter, if that is our only focus, we fail to acknowledge what God is doing. That moment of transfiguration when Elijah and Moses joined Jesus on the mountaintop was a moment of communal agreement. All the law and prophecies, represented by Moses and Elijah, were coming to fruition. God-with-us was facing the moment when all God's promises would be fulfilled, and Peter was worried about building tents, so he could stay and bask in the glory indefinitely. Don't get me wrong: moments of sacred splendor that occur when Christ's presence is undeniably glorious are holy indeed. They provide glimpses into the wonder of Heaven ... the promises of eternity ... and that fuels us when we go down the mountain, but they aren't the norm. The norm for Jesus himself and for his disciples was the day in and day out ministry of healing and teaching and preaching and prayer. I remember each of the moments when I met our children for the first time. These were sacred moments indeed. Moments when the veil was lifted, and Heaven could be glimpsed in all its wonder and glory. The miracle of birth and the unbelievable joy of sitting in that moment is a grace beyond measure. But parenthood is not that single moment. Parenthood is day to day, week to week, month to month, year to year attentiveness. It is a continual process in the muck and mud. There are many shining moments of joy and celebration, but there are also hours and hours of no sleep and dirty diapers, of fixing meals and doing laundry, of listening and learning and guiding and growing. It is communal, and it is exhausting, and it is so worth it, but oh ... it lasts well beyond that mountain-top moment when you open your eyes to see the glory of a miracle made manifest. We can't erect tents and stay in the hospital birthing room. We have to go home -- without an instruction manual -- and do our best to follow instincts that are guided by love. God's voice coming from everywhere and nowhere at once saying, "This is my Son! This is the One I have chosen! Listen to Him!" (vs. 35, The VOICE) is the reminder that we cannot just gaze on the glory of Transfiguration, building tents in holy spaces and living there. We have to make our way back into the valley of day by day living sustained by that moment, but focused on the end-goal: the continuation of kin-dom work in the name of the One who has called us to it. May it be so. Jesus on the Mountain Peak
We Have Come at Christ's Own Bidding You, Lord, are Both Lamb and Shepherd Shine, Jesus, Shine Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord God Is Here Today Jesus, Take Us to the Mountain Holy Ground Call to Confession
One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4) Let us confess our sin before God, and seek God’s extravagant mercy. Prayer of Confession, Transfiguration Sunday Babblers, Lord. That’s what we are. Sleepy babblers. Seeing, but not perceiving … Hearing, but not understanding … we jump in the middle of a critical moment babbling responses to existential questions we don’t even know how to articulate. Forgive us, God. Forgive our foolishness. Forgive our egocentricity. Forgive our ignorance. Open the eyes of our hearts, Lord. Help us to grasp the gravity of the moment, the holiness of your presence among us, and the fulfillment of promises long made. Keep us awake to pray. Keep us alert to your activity. Ready us to go back down the mountain and to greet what awaits us in the valley of the shadow of death that we may be strengthened for the ministry you call us to do. Assurance of God’s Grace “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17) Hear the Good News: In the name of Jesus Christ we are forgiven! Thanks be to God! Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another. The peace of Christ be with you. Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this week. Climb the mountain, you weary ones,
weighed down with sleep, who are fighting to stay awake and present to God. Climb the mountain, you weary ones, longing for an encounter with the holy without even knowing it. Climb the mountain, you weary ones, who have walked with Jesus and still do not understand who Jesus is or what Jesus is calling you to do. Climb the mountain and worship the Holy One of God, so that you can better accompany, and witness to, those who are also weary and could not make the climb. 2/19/2022 0 Comments Prayers of the People, E7CHear our prayers, O God!
Hear our prayers for the enemy that lives within us, alongside us, among us, and around us. Hear our prayers for healing and wholeness, for transformation and reconciliation, for justice that is both merciful and restorative. Hear, also, our earnest prayers for courage and compassion, for hope and help, for forgiveness and grace and welcome in the name of the One whose love is greater than hatred, whose kindness overwhelms cruelty, and whose forgiveness is beyond our comprehension. Erase our isms, Lord, and our fear of the other, that we might look into the eyes of our neighbors and see only a reflection of you. 2/18/2022 2 Comments Do Unto Others ...Tucked into this week's gospel passage is one little verse known as The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Luke 6:31). Often this verse is interpreted as literally giving someone else what you want. I would like a Reese's peanut butter cup, so I'll give you one. I would like to have my car washed, so I'll offer to wash yours. I would like to hear that I've done a good job, so I'll tell you that you have. I would like a comforting hug, so I'll give you one. I need time with a good friend when I'm down, so I will assume that since you looked pensive today, you need me to take you to lunch. These all sound like very thoughtful things, but the focus is on the wrong person. The focus in each of these thoughts is "I/me" instead of you.
What if you are allergic to peanuts? What if you just washed your car yesterday? or don't even have a car? What if you are comfortable with the quality of your work, and my opinion is really of no consequence? What if I have no idea what constitutes "a good job" in your particular situation? What if someone touching you makes you anxious or triggers a terrible memory or sets loose emotions just under the surface that you aren't prepared to share? What if lunch with me is the last thing you need today because what you really need is for people to respect your boundaries of time and space? Do you see the problem here? Interpreted literally, this verse is not golden at all. Instead, it is incredibly selfish, and could even be unkind. You may recognize that the five offerings in the first paragraph are reflective of the five love languages described by author, Gary Chapman: gifts, acts of service, words of encouragement, physical touch, and quality time. According to Chapman, we each have our own primary love language in which we can hear someone say, "I love you," and process it appropriately. When I work with couples in pre-marital counseling, we explore their love languages early on in an effort to identify each one's primary language and find ways to express that in a way that it is heard and understood. Chapman worked with Paul White and the same languages to show appreciation in the workplace, but the key to both is paying attention to the other person's needs the same way you would want your partner or coworker to think about you. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I have a friend who has been single for many years. When she underwent surgery, the deacons in her church lined up two meals per day for her for weeks after. It was incredibly thoughtful of them to care for her, and she appreciated it tremendously because there was no family nearby to assist her. Her church stepped in as family to offer support, and she understood that. But every person brought a full family-sized meal, and every single one that brought a salad brought an entire bottle of salad dressing. She had one refrigerator for her one self. Storage rapidly became an issue. Waste rapidly became an issue. There was only so much room, even for freezing portions of the meal for future consumption. Had she been consulted, she could have named what she thought she might need. She could have said, "A single serving plate will be more than enough, thank you," or "I'm fine with leftovers, so that I would only need a couple of family-sized meals per week" (instead of per day). But no one asked. Robert Lupton talks about this in Toxic Charity: How Churches Hurt Those They Help and How to Reverse It. In our rush to "help," we end up hurting because we impose what we think is needed on the object of our assistance. That's how we see others sometimes ... as objects of our good intentions. But at the other end of assistance is a person or a group of people whose needs may be different than we assume. It's as simple as asking what someone needs instead of deciding for them. Even if I come from the same culture, community, family as you, my experience can be different. I am different. You cannot know what I need based on your experience. So ask. Just ask. That's all. Ask "What do you need?" Ask "How can I help?" This is the spirit of the Golden Rule. Show the same respect you would want to receive. Show the same thoughtfulness you would want someone else to show you. This sums up the entire challenging passage. If all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) (and in case you were wondering, we have), then we do not just have enemies, we are enemies. Someone calls us "the other." Someone sees us as a threat. Maybe we have given them reason to feel that way. Maybe we haven't personally, but someone else has. Regardless, if we would want a second chance, if we would hope for reconciliation, if we would desire an opportunity to amend our shortcomings and receive forgiveness, then this is what we, too, are called to do. May it be so. 2/17/2022 0 Comments Playlist, E7CLord, Make Us Instruments of Your Peace
Healer of Our Every Ill Help Us Accept Each Other Heaven Shall Not Wait Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven O God, My Faithful God God Weeps 2/16/2022 0 Comments Prayer of Confession, E7CCall to Confession
The children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those who do not love their brothers and sisters. (John 3:10) Children of God, let us repent of our sinful choices and our lack of love, and seek God’s mercy. Prayer of Confession God of mercy, forgive us. You sent your Son to teach us, and he said, “to you that listen …” Presumably, that was us … children of God, siblings of Christ, but we didn’t listen. Loving enemies and doing good to those who hate us … who does that? Turning the other cheek and letting others take advantage of us … what are you thinking? Yet this is exactly what you said to do, and we said we would follow, and we have not. In a sense then, we have become your enemies, because we did not do what you called us to do, but you love us still and you bless us in spite of our errant ways. We have slapped you in the face … have taken advantage of your grace … and still you receive us with open arms. Cleanse our hearts, O God, and renew a right spirit within us, that we might remember we are your children, and you are our God … and behave like it. Assurance of God’s Grace But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. 9 Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God.[a] 10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. (Romans 5:8-10) Hear the Good News: In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God! Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another. The peace of Christ be with you. Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this week. 2/15/2022 0 Comments Call to Worship, E7CYou hated, you hoarders, you cursed and abused,
come worship the God of mercy. You transactional, ungrateful, “wicked” and hateful, come worship the God of transformation. You judgers, condemners; you who are carrying a grudge, come worship the God of compassion. You are welcome here. This is a place of grace. |
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Julie participated in the 25th Seminar for Certified Zentangle(R) Teacher Training in June, 2019, trained by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. In addition to creating art as a personal spiritual practice, Julie also incorporates the Zentangle(R) method in Prayer Art Retreats in a variety of contexts, including church groups, friend gatherings, and at a local art gallery. Check out the Upcoming Events page for a calendar of events, or use the Contact Us page to inquire about scheduling an event with your group!
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