Seasons of faith

Confirmation class met last week, and we sat on the lawn outside as the sun set in the sky above. The cool grass under our feet felt good after such a long, hot day. A gentle breeze reminded us all that spring is on the way. I think we're all aware of the change in seasons going on right now - the warmer, longer days after the chilly nights of winter.

In the class, we completed a worksheet on the liturgical seasons of the year. From Epiphany to Pentecost, to the purple of Lent and the white of Easter - we discussed the origins and reasons for each of these significant seasons in church. In our discussion, questions were asked about why certain colors represented specific seasons, and how the year is divided up. We pondered together on how we've lived our spiritual lives in the midst of the ongoing calendar year alongside the church year.

God has gifted all people with the sensitivity to living in time. We instinctively know when it is time to flourish and grow, and when it is time to rest and retreat. The writer of Ecclesiastes was particularly sensitive to this when he wrote "For everything there is a season, and time for every matter under heaven." (Ecc. 3) The changing seasons are an integral part of life on earth, and the life of faith is no different.

What spiritual season are you currently facing? Are you living in the repentance of Lent, or the continual waiting of Advent? Are you joyfully arriving at the new dawn of Easter, or are you standing before the cross on Good Friday? Whatever the season, God is guiding you through this time in a way that is shaping you and your faith. It is important to be conscious of how you are situated in time - how God is speaking to you (or not speaking to you). Be sensitive to this, and pray for your own guidance and faithfulness.

Prayer for Guidance

O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light riseth up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou wouldest have us do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in thy light we may see light, and in thy straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Messy Spirituality

The following is a quote from the book Messy Spirituality, by Michael Yaconelli. If you've never read of Mike's writing before, check it out here. You might find it refreshing.

Incompetence

"Messy spirituality describes our godly incompetence. No one does holy living very well. Spirituality is the humiliating recognition that I don't know how to pray well. I don't understand God's Word or know how to navigate it properly, and I don't know how to competently live out my commitment to Christ. Messy spirituality affirms our spiritual clumsiness.

I grew up in a church where dancing was frowned upon. As a result, four decades later, I still can't dance. Even worship dancing causes my heart to race because I am desperately afraid of anyone seeing my stiff, awkward attempts to make my body move. Because I am a lousy dancer, I avoid any experience in which dancing is a possibility.

When it comes to the spiritual life, I am amazed at how many of us don't know how to dance. We stand before God, the music starts playing, and we are embarrassed by our incompetence. The church has communicated that competence is one of the fruits of the Spirit, and that, therefore, spiritual people are supposed to live faith competently. So many people are afraid of embracing the spiritual life because of the possibility they might say or do the incompentent thing."


Questions to ponder: Does being a faithful Christian mean being good at things like praying, serving others, worshipping, and reading the Bible? Can you ever be a successful Christian? Or does faithfulness have more to do with a continual willingness to try?

We don't know how wealthy we really are...

The American celebration of the Christmas season is marked with so many traditions. Big dinners of roast turkey and stuffing. Ripping into gift after gift at 6 o'clock in the morning. Steaming cinnamon buns. Fragrant pine and fir trees decorated with every ornament in the house.

We don't know how wealthy we are. One of my favorite blogs, the Yarn Harlot, writes, "It should be impossible, in a world is as decent as the people that I meet in it, that some of us should have three coats and are trying to drop a few (or more) pounds before we fête the season with more food and gifts, that others will starve or die of preventable illness and disease while we party on. I am convinced we can do better. I really am."

So am I. And we've found wonderful ways, as a Christian community, to reach into our pockets and provide for others. We've donated all sorts of winter wear and toiletries for the soup kitchen guests, we've spent our time and money on our angel from the Angel Tree, and we've spent our time ministering to those who need to be reminded of God's love for them - everyone from our college students and retirement community residents, to the homeless of Raleigh.

Isaiah 42:6-9 says:
"I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8 I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to graven images. 9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them."

I love this passage because it shows us the way of the Christian life in VERY definite terms. Our task is to reach out to those in need - the poor, the marginalized, the afflicted. God calls us to live lives of compassion. (In larger terms, this is called liberation theology.) The former life of living just for yourself is no more. In God's kingdom, every person is important - and our role is to be a light for the people. It's not only a spiritual sort of liberation, but in physical, tangible ways too.

If you're interested in other ways to get involved with sharing some of your wealth - check out the links below.

Church World Service - this is the organization I interned with while at Duke - my favorite good guys. They lead the CROP Walk in the U.S. to raise funds for international and local hunger aid.
Heifer International - for Christmas this year, why not sponsor a water buffalo or a goat in honor of your mom? Alternative gifts are an awesome way to spread the word AND donate to a worthy cause.
Doctors Without Borders - a great multi-national resource. Won the Nobel Peace prize in 1999!

Advent

This week's devotional comes from the Glenstal Book of Prayer, a Benedictine prayer book. We're entering the season of Advent, an important time of preparation for the celebration of Christmas. Use the following reading to mediatate upon the coming of Christ, and ask yourself, am I really ready for Christmas this year??

"The church's liturgical year begins with the season of Advent, which means arrival or coming. We recall the first coming of Christ (in the incarnation at Christmas) and anticipate his final coming (at the end of time). We celebrate with joy his daily coming in the time of the church, in word and sacrament. It is a season of hope and anticipation: purple vestments symbolize the yearning of the church and of all creation for the transforming light of Christ."

Prayer:
Ever faithful God,
your prophets foretold the coming of the light.
In your name they promised
that the eyes of the blind would be opened.
We confidently await the coming of your Son,
and the day when he will gather all people
to live in your light, for ever and ever. Amen.

Coming up soon...

Okay, so I deleted the last blog - if you ever need to get to my house again, call me.

We have a lot coming up at EYC, but here are the two biggies:

The Hot Chocolate Sale is this Saturday!!! It's so fun - and our BIGGEST fundraiser by far. Be at the church at 7:00am (yes, AM) and we'll finish up by about 12:30. We encourage parents to come and help for as long as they're able, as the youth cannot do everything themselves.

If you do decide to drop your child off at the church, remember that roads close after 8am, and getting back to the church to pick him or her up will be difficult to navigate through the traffice for about an hour after the parade is over. It's great fun watching the parade go right by on Hillsborough Street - and working hard to earn money for our programs and retreats!! Please come out and support your EYC!!

Second, the EYC will meet at the church this Sunday, from 5-7pm. We'll be doing meal preparation for the Shepherd's Table Soup Kitchen as our mission/outreach project for the evening. Please bring a donation of either: ground hamburger meat, spaghetti sauce, or heads of lettuce. Bring an apron and see you there!

(EYC Council, remember that we're meeting this Sunday at 4pm. Shepherd's Singers can show up late.)

All Saint's Sunday

Every year, we dress up in silly costumes and run around, hyped up on sugar and having a good time. Halloween is just such a fun day. But the day after (and the following Sunday) is the celebration of All Saint's Day, and it's just as significant. On that day, we remember who has died in the past year and left a legacy of a life lived in the love of God. We pray for the saints who have gone on to God's kingdom before us. It's a feast day that's not meant to be sad - we are celebrating the entrance of people we love into the communion of saints.

It's a celebration of resurrection.

It's a celebration of community.

You can also think about all the many people who have been in your life to help you grow, or who have taught you something about Jesus, and brought you to be the person who you are. Faith is communal - we can't escape other people in our faith in God. What we believe about God is shaped by the people around us, by our church community. We're all in this together. As God's faithful people, we share in a life together, and on All Saint's Sunday, we remember the communion of saints - the people whose testament of faith reminds us of who we are, all over again.

For further thought: Who are the saints in your life? Who makes up the communion of saints to you? Make a list of these people. Include both people you've never met, and people you know really well. Make a commitment to pray for these people. Tuck the list inside your Bible.

Attention: New photos up on Photobucket from this year's rafting trip. Check out the link to the right of this page! (Sorry it took so long.)