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God in Times of Sorrow

(Jesus) also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:  “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’  I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted. ~ Luke 18:9-14 One must  not think that a person who is suffering is not praying. He is offering up his sufferings to God, and many a time he is praying much more truly than one who goes away by himself and meditates his head off, and,

God in Times of Sorrow

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice! I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need.  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.  In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress. ~  Philippians 4:4; 12-14 Listen God speaks to each of us as he makes us, then walks with us silently out of the night. These are the words we dimly hear: You, sent out beyond your recall, go to the limits of your longing. Embody me. Flare up like a flame and make big shadows I can move in. Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final. Don’t let yourself lose me. Nearby is the country they call life. You will know it by its seriousness. Give me your hand.  ~ Rainer Maria Rilke (Book of Hours, 1, 59) This poem by Rilke is my absolute favorite, and lately it has become one I've been re

God in Times of Sorrow

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,  and give thanks to his holy name.  For his anger is but for a moment;  his favor is for a lifetime.  Weeping may linger for the night,  but joy comes with the morning. ~ Psalm 30:4-5 One day at a time ~ Alcoholics Anonymous Maybe your days have been something like mine have been lately. When I begin to feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation our world finds itself in, I make my mantra this quote from Alcoholics Anonymous. I can only take each day one at a time. I find if I spend my time thinking too far ahead of me, worrying about what the future may hold, I might miss the joy that could be right under my nose. But what Psalm 30 also gives me is the reality that there may be weeping. There likely will be weeping. And it may linger. But when we keep ourself grounded in the present moment, we can allow God to wipe our tears and open our eyes to the possibility that this day offers. Prayer: You have given

God in Times of Sorrow

Praise the Lord!  How good it is to sing praises to our God;  for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.  The Lord builds up Jerusalem;  he gathers the outcasts of Israel.  He heals the brokenhearted,  and binds up their wounds.  He determines the number of the stars;  he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;  his understanding is beyond measure.  The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;  he casts the wicked to the ground. ~ Psalm 147:1-6 But when unknown to me you caressed my head,  and when you closed my eyes lest they see things  that would seduce me,  I began for a little while to forget about myself,  and my madness was lulled to sleep.  When I awoke in you, I saw very differently,  infinite in a very different sense.  But what I saw was not seen with the eye of the body. ~ St. Augustine There is no promise from God that we will be free from suffering. We will suffer.  We will feel pain, sorrow, and grief. But beyon

God in Times of Sorrow

And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?   If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? ~ Luke 25-26 Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength. ~ Corrie ten Boom OK. The worry quotes from Jesus and others might be hard to hear right now. Because it feels like we have a lot to worry about. And it doesn't feel like they are small things. In fact, they aren't small things. If you have clinical anxiety, this is an especially hard time.  But these quotes give me some comfort still in their grounding in the reality of worry. Both Jesus and Corrie ten Boom had lots that could give them worry. Both suffered greatly. Corrie ten Boom's words especially hit home for me.  We aren't promised that we will get out of this easily, or comfortably, or even safely. We might lose a lot. We might lose health or finances or loved ones. Those sorrows, should they

God in Times of Sorrow

The seventy  returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!”  He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.  See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you.  Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” ~ Luke 10:17-20 You is kind. You is smart. You is important. ~ Katheryn Stockett, The Help How did you define yourself two months ago? If someone asked what you did, or what you were, did you answer first what your career was? I think I did sometimes. When I read the book, and saw the movie, The Help , these words from Aibileen, the main character, made my tears well up. Aibileen said the words to a child in her care, and it seemed to me as if this were the most lovely image of God speaking to us as God's children. It seemed like the most lovely image o

God in Times of Sorrow

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~ Romans 8:38-39 Though lovers be lost, love shall not. And death shall have no dominion. ~ Dylan Thomas Love wins. ~ Rob Bell It might be hard right now to feel that love is winning. It might be hard right now to feel that death is not the great separate-r as we face the fact than when this is all over, there are people we will not see again. It might be hard right now to live with knowing that someone we know or care about will die from Covid-19. Or maybe we will become sick. Or maybe we will lose a job. It's hard right now not to wonder what the meaning of all this is. But where did love show up to you today? I'll bet it showed up somewhere. Maybe it showed up as a gift of toilet paper from some

God in Times of Sorrow

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. ~ John 14:27 Only a suffering God can help. ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer When Jesus gave his disciples these words, it was the night before he would go to the cross. It was the last night that they would all be together on this side of death and resurrection. So when Jesus offers his peace, he does so at a time when he very likely was struggling with peace himself. When his heart very likely was troubled also.  When he was about to ask that the cup be taken from him. And yet, it is only through Jesus' suffering and death that we have a God who can fully comprehend our own. Our suffering is not mysterious to God. God knows our suffering intimately. And in the midst of it, offers peace. Not peace that the world gives. But a deep abiding peace that walks  through the valley of the shadow of death - a death that does not

God in Times of Sorrow

For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. ~ Matthew 18:20 Where can I go from your spirit?  Or where can I flee from your presence?  If I ascend to heaven, you are there;  if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.  If I take the wings of the morning  and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,  even there your hand shall lead me,  and your right hand shall hold me fast. ~ Psalm 139:7-10 The fullness of joy is to behold God in everything. ~ Julian of Norwich In my home right now, day by day, there are three of us. God is there. But in the mornings, often I sit in quiet. Alone in prayer time. God is there. God is in both of those times and places. Do you feel God's  presence as you stay in place? Shelter at home? God is there. Do you know notice the holy as you walk around your block to get some fresh air and exercise, listening to only the sounds of the birds in the trees? God is there. Do you sense the Almighty as you wait alone

God in Times of Sorrow

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. ~ Hebrews 10:23 Let nothing upset you; Let nothing frighten you. Everything is changing; God alone is changeless. Patience attains the goal. Who has God lacks nothing: God along fills every need. ~ St. Teresa of Avila In the past couple of months, our lives have changed dramatically. And very likely, irrevocably. What those long term changes are remain to be seen. Some undoubtedly will be dispiriting ones. They may offer continued stress into how we live our our daily lives: maybe with less income. Maybe with ongoing medical challenges and fears. Maybe the loss of loved ones we took for granted that we'd see again. Some of those long term changes may be good ones. Maybe we will continue to find new creative ways to work in the world. To be church in the world. To care for creation. Maybe some who were fearful of technology, will learn to embrace i

God in Times of Sorrow

But now thus says the Lord,  he who created you, O Jacob,  he who formed you, O Israel:  Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;  I have called you by name, you are mine. ~ Isaiah 43:1 To know yourself as the Being underneath the thinker, the stillness underneath the mental noise, the love and joy underneath the pain, is freedom, salvation, enlightenment. ~ Eckhart Tolle When you are worried, hurting, suffering, or grieving, do you sometimes forget who you are? I don't mean in a literal sense, as if you have forgotten your name. I mean in a deeper spiritual sense. As if who you are doesn't feel like it has meaning. As if you are a cog in a wheel and all that you know about is pain? The Israelites often had an identity problem. They forget who they were. They forgot whose they were. And that forgetting led to a multitude of suffering. But through it all, God still claimed them. Still called them God's own people. Knowing who you are - knowing your worth - can