Beloved, when you pray to me set aside your prayers. Just sit with me.
It gives me joy to be with you. Of all my creations in all the galaxies, including the galaxies themselves, none is any more precious to me than you. You delight me. Unseen, unheard, unfelt, I hold you. I enfold you. I know at times I come on too strong, at times too vague, but dearie, I’m doing my best to be just small enough for you. Come sit in my lap. Just let me look at you.
He was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. —Matthew 17.2
Oh, please don’t explain this story. It’s truly, divinely, accurately weird. Sure, there’s a moral of the story— several, in fact: theological constructs, stuff you should believe. Fine. Hold those in your pocket. Meanwhile, sit there for a minute, cock your head a little and just gawk at this story. It’s weird. Jesus shining, dead people chatting, Peter talking nonsense, a cloud that enters like a crab and holds them in its pincers, a disembodied voice. Whoa. Don’t start in on theology,or psychology, or meteorology, or any fool ology. This is not about ology. This is about wonder. How Jesus shines. Life just shines. The glory of God spills out of things, leaks out of every container, even people. Being alive is beyond explanation, grace is odd, love doesn’t make sense and God is inexplicable— a real, absolute, true mystery. Not a puzzle: a mystery. The uncanny more-than-itself-ness of life. Faith is not about having religious opinions, not knowing, certainly not certainty. Sometimes faith is just awe. The willingness to be bedazzled, to look at life and go, “Wow.” When beauty and grace and loveliness overwhelm you, when words fail and being smart is of no use. You sense God may be afoot but can’t say how. All you can do is say, “Huh. Whaddya know. Wow.” Let this story be weird. Let life be amazing. Let God be more than you can grasp. Your faith needn’t be much more than grateful, gob-smacked wonder. If you really want to get religious, let this be your creed: “Wow. Amen.”
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Steve Garnaas-Holmes Unfolding Light www.unfoldinglight.net
Trees stand in awe. The sky holds out its hands. Rivers flow with tears of joy. Stars have that look in their eyes. The ocean waves and applauds. The sun doesn’t stop its praise, even for a moment. Birds hold open their arms. The desert surrenders everything. Every living person sings their life. Your heart and lungs, they keep on praying, even when you’re asleep. You don’t hear any of this. But the Listener inside you does, and is dancing all the time.
God, sometimes I don’t have what it takes. I don’t have the gumption to get things done, the creativity to produce, the Stuff to make things happen. Sometimes it’s just not there.
Help me accept this, as you accept me. Give me faith to simply be in the present moment, and know that I am your Beloved. Give me the grace to be present, attentive and loving.
I ask your help and trust your mercy. Amen.
________________ Weather Report
Becalmed, as winds are exhausted, and dramatic storms fail to appear, and the sun rises and sets anyway.
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Audio version:
No gumption __________________ Steve Garnaas-Holmes Unfolding Light www.unfoldinglight.net