Category: Reflections

Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
         
         
When the towers of what you know collapse,
          what do you know?
Beside the great abyss that has swallowed
          what you cherished,
          where do you stand?
Before the darkness of war
          closed the eyes of your heart,
what did you see?
What does the vast, swirling silence say?

That those who cause pain and those who receive it
          fall into the same grave.
That lost in the wreckage every time is
          the only God worth having.
That we have seen days dark enough
          for resurrection.
That wisdom is born of vulnerability.
That evil is not a monstrous power
          but a sinuous thread,
the will to disregard
          in service of our fear.
That there is in all of us a great hole,
          under a pall of smoke and sorrow,
in which we meet each other
          and know each other deeply.
That not victory, but tenderness
          will save the world.
That before the dust falls upon us,
          we who ourselves are dust will have chosen
to be people of might or people of grace,
          one or the other;
and that it is in choosing that we are human,
          and in choosing well that we are blessed.
That we are not worthy of our self-confidence
          and yet God, still weeping,
resolutely trusts us
          with her most fragile hopes.
That our flesh is sackcloth.
That we who are covered with the ash
          of our failure, our fear of ourselves,
          are yet beautiful,
that we who are certainly lost
          can point the way.

         
         
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve

__________________
Copyright © Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
         
         
Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if someone sins against me,
how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?”
Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you,
seventy-seven times.”
          —Matthew 18. 21-22

Forgiving One, you unbind me from all my guilt,
from all the hurt I have caused you and others,
loving me perfectly. I thank you.

You hold in your heart the hurt I have received.
My pain does not separate me from you.
You work your grace for my healing.

Receive my anger, my desire to give back my pain—
for you are the one who receives
all the pain that I cause.

Free me from judging myself according to my pain,
or judging one who has hurt me according to my pain.
Deepen my trust that we are both souls in you.

Silence my conviction that I know what they deserve,
and give me instead compassion for them,
knowing that one who hurts others can only be hurting.

Open my heart to your infinite love for me, and so for them,
love that is impervious to our faults,
love for them that is undiminished by my suffering.

Remove all that prevents my loving them perfectly.
I pray for them with heartfelt love and blessing.
I find in their blessedness your joy, and in their forgiveness my own.

         I pray this prayer as many times
         as it takes to feel it deeply, to say with joy:
         Amen.

         
         
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve

__________________
Copyright © Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
         
         
         
         
Sit in the chair
facing out the window,

waiting and still, but not
without a certain leaning.

The peace into which you fall
is not your own,

but given, deep within,
beckoning.

Look out at the world of people,
brilliant and struggling.

The love into which you fall
was already there for you.

Inward or outward,
the movement of your heart

is never away
but always toward.

         
         
         
         
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve

__________________
Copyright © Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.

Someone you know was walking through the woods alone, just following his whims, when he looked down into the hollow where a dark stream flowed. On the other side of the stream he saw something gold glinting in the darkness. It was out of his way, and looked difficult to reach, but the mysterious thing beckoned to him. So he left the well-maintained path, and descended the steep bank. He made his way, with great effort, through painful brambles and resistant thickets. Beyond the stream he could see the gold thing, shining in a tiny shaft of sunlight. As he stepped into the stream he realized that it was much deeper than he had imagined. He paused, thinking this was a silly obsession. What would people think of him going to all this trouble just to find a piece of trash beside a creek? But that thing seemed to be calling out to him— not from across the stream, but from within him. And he thought, “What better have I to do than to pursue this mystery?” So he plunged into the stream. It was over his head, and cold, and the current was surprisingly strong. He imagined what would happen if he drowned, and they found his body here. How would they explain that? It made him laugh. But he had resolved to make this little journey, so he swam across the current.

On the other side he waded through the mud to the treasure. It was certainly nothing that anybody else would want. It was an old picture with a gilded frame, dirty and mostly caked with mud, but shiny along one edge. He wiped off the glass. What he saw astonished him. It was a portrait. To someone looking on it might have looked like nothing but vague shapes of light and shadow. But among the dreamy shapes, he saw a portrait of himself! Only it was more noble and beautiful than he could have imagined. In this picture he had purpose. There was a look in his eyes of deep joy and wisdom. And it was clear that whoever had painted the picture had done so with great love and tenderness, with respect for even the tiniest and most ordinary details. Amazed, he stared at it for a long, long time. The afternoon passed away.

Finally, clutching it to his heart, he returned across the stream. But in the strong current the picture slipped from his hands and it sank into the unreachable depths. At first he wanted to dive down and find it; but then, floating on the water, he realized that it did not matter. He had seen the picture, and it was engraved in his heart; that was all that mattered to him. He crossed the stream and found a new road, eager to go home and, though it seemed impossible, to tell his wife.

Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve

_______________________________
Copyright © Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
         
         
Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work…. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day.
         —Deuteronomy 5. 13-15

For ancient Hebrews, the Sabbath was more than a religious observation: it was a weekly labor strike. Once a week they laid down their tools and walked off the job, refused to work, refused to contribute to the economic machine of the powerful and the wealthy. A weekly day of rest was unheard of in the ancient world. Rest and leisure was for the ruling, wealthy class, not the working class. And it certainly was for people who were free, not for slaves. Yet the Jews observed it, and as more than a labor negotiating strategy—it was a commandment of God. God desires that people be free, and be valued unconditionally for their very existence, not according to the profit they can gain for another.

The Sabbath is a day to relinquish our hold on our earned worth, and rest in the grace of God. And it is a day to grant justice to those who labor, to free them from the having to earn their keep, and remind us that our economic world exists within the greater world of God’s desire for justice. Taking a day off reminds us that our life is more than our work, and our work is more than our job.

Although Labor Day is a secular holiday, it is an opportunity for Sabbath. It is a day to acknowledge our dependence on those who labor, especially in the most menial, dirty, dangerous and dreary jobs, who make a more leisurely life style possible for everyone else. It is a day to remember God’s demand for justice for those who labor, and freedom for those who are in bondage. And it’s a day to affirm that in the Real World, we do not earn our keep: it is a gift.

Whether or not this is a day off for you, remember those who labor, especially those who receive no rest. Give thanks for those who pick your fruit, mine your coal and make your clothes. Pray and work for the day that the rich do not oppress the poor and the poor are not indentured to the powerful for their survival. And give thanks for the gift that without having earned it you are beloved.
         
         
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve

__________________
Copyright © Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
         
         
Usually you plan a party after a big victory. But as Moses was preparing the people to flee Egypt, God instructed them how to celebrate the Passover. God held the party before the event even occurred. The party itself was the first step in their liberation: the blood from the lamb eaten at the feast would mark the houses which the angel of death would pass over and not afflict; the plague wold trigger their release.

If there’s anything that God has as an agenda, it’s setting people free. God brings the people out of “Egypt,” which is understood in the Hebrews Bible as “a narrow place,” into a “broad and spacious place” flowing with milk and honey. God brings us out.

We are to “live peaceably with all,” and we never return evil for evil. If someone sins against us we tell them of the hurt but stay in relationship. However, if the relationship is abusive or oppressive, God’s will is clear: God wants us out of there. God wants us to be free. The story of the Exodus is about God’s desire to free us from all sorts of “narrow places” in our lives: political and economic injustice, abusive relationships, addictions, coercive religion, and all kinds of life-diminishing situations. God judges the forces of oppression, and is is not polite about it.

The trick is, God doesn’t just say a word and suddenly we’re free. We have to go. We have to pack our bags and get out of Egypt. We have to choose to not cooperate with oppressive systems, or confront addictions, or accept forgiveness, or leave abusive relationships, or challenge our assumptions or face our fears. “This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand” (Ex. 13.11). Be ready to roll.

Even in situations that we can’t escape, God draws us toward freedom. Even in prison, Nelson Mandela was a free man, because he knew it. He was free of his captor’s fear and their narrow mindset, narrow view of the future. It’s never easy. The promise of Exodus is not that we will succeed, but that God is on our side. It’s that assurance, before the fact, that gives us courage. God has already set the party for when we get free.

Where are the narrow places in your life where God wants to set you free? What are the ideas and fears that enslave you? What are the prejudices, resentments or expectations by which you narrow other people’s lives? What are the oppressive forces you comply with in personal relationships, in the economic sphere, in the political world? How will you begin to say “No” to them?

Get your walking shoes on, and prepare for a feast. For if you let God mess around in your life, you are about to become a little more free. Maybe even a lot.
         
         
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve

__________________
Copyright © Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
         
         
May September’s blessings be yours:

May the start of new things
         be deep and fruitful in you.

May the changes in the air
         ring changes in your heart.

May the lengthening of nights
         bring deeper peace and rest.

May flocks of geese flying south
         bring you on a journey
         toward your own soul.

May falling leaves relieve you
         of what you do not need.

May new emerging colors
         spangle your spirit.

May summer’s soft departure
         give you courage to be,
         and to be without.

May grace bear abundant harvest in your soul,
         extravagant bushels of belovedness,
         fit for the table of God.

And for you in the Southern Hemisphere:
may new light dawn,
         and new opening within
         bid you to come.

____________________

Weather Report

Turning,
as we become what we’ve not yet been
and have been all along.

         
         
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve

__________________
Copyright © Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
         
         
If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
         —Matthew 18. 15-17

We often twist this into a way to cause hurt instead of healing. Don’t take this as an excuse to tell others what they ought to do or think. It’s about standing for who you are, expressing what you feel and asking for what you need, without re-shaping your truth to please others.

But it’s not about getting your way: it’s about maintaining relationships. It’s an invitation to talk to people instead of talking about them, to be direct and honest. To do this we have to listen rather than arguing, and be gentle rather than being coercive. We have to let our compassion for the other be greater than our pain, and concern for the relationship be greater than concern about what others think of us. We have to trust that love transforms all discomfort, all disappointment, all offense. We have to trust that we’re going to be OK even if we tell the truth. We have to be willing to be loving rather than being right.

Bringing others in might tempt us to create triangles—to get third parties stuck in the middle of our conflicts. But the others are witnesses to keep us honest, not go-betweens to do our dirty work, or accomplices to help us gang up. They can help us see what we can’t, and say what we haven’t, and hear what we won’t.

Jesus’ asks us to honestly face the pain in our lives, stay in relationship, be loving, and invite people into healthy ways of relating.

But when it fails, and someone insists on being an idiot and a jerk, Jesus gives us permission to shun them. Right?

Well… how did Jesus treat Gentiles and tax collectors?

Go then, and do the same.

         
         
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve

__________________
Copyright © Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
         
         

Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those in debt to us.
         —Mathew 6.12

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
         —Romans 13.8

Love is the greatest power God has given you.
In loving you become your deepest self.
The deepest freedom is the freedom
to unleash that love upon the world,
to give the deepest gift in yourself.

True freedom is the freedom to love everyone
regardless of what society (or your instinct) says they deserve,
regardless of how they treat you,
regardless of what they seem to ask for.

The best freedom is to be free
of whatever keeps you from loving perfectly.

God has unlocked all the gates.
The hardest part of life
is walking out of the prison.

         
         
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve

__________________
Copyright © Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
         
         
The hurricane we just had is what insurance companies and other atheists, oddly enough, would call an act of God. No doubt some TV preacher or other atheist will soon pronounce Hurricane Irene as God’s punishment against somebody or other for something or other. And I think, Really? Is God’s aim that bad? I mean, it came on Sunday morning! We only had 16 in worship. Some churches cancelled services. This is God’s idea of punishment? And what of the good Bible-believing churches that were destroyed? If this is how God punishes, is this also how God rewards? If one person is really good, do they take the whole neighborhood with them to heaven?

The storm was pretty tame by the time it hit here in Massachusetts, but there was some damage. A tree fell across our neighbor’s driveway. Was that an act of God or was God just careless? Does God just not sweat the details? It may have been punishment, but I thought it was kind of fun to go out with an ax and cut it up so they could get out. What if God’s punishment is terrible for some and not so bad for others? What if hell turns out to be kind of an interesting place?

But, OK, lets play along. Let’s suppose that this storm was an act of God. And it “meant” something. When did God stop acting? Isn’t today’s good weather also an act of God? Must be. What some godless people think is just a natural occurrence, we know is actually the hand of God. And God is trying to communicate to us in it. The leaves on trees, they’re acts of God. So is birdsong, and the way ducks get funnier the faster they waddle. That’s definitely an act of God.

Children, and beauty of all sorts, and surprises, these are acts of God. The fact that ice floats, that the atmosphere has just enough nitrogen, that we kept evolving and didn’t stay lemurs. That trees clean the air and bugs clean the earth, and algae feed us all, that water falls and and heat rises so that everything gets watered and scrubbed and air conditioned.

Breathing—now there’s an act of God. Nerve impulses and cellular energy exchange—amazing acts of God. Your heart beat—every single one of them, each is an act of God. What if you let go and stand back and get your ego out of the way so that every word that comes out of your mouth is an act of God? Why not?

Let’s face it. You are an act of God. Whether you see it or not, God means something in you. Do your best to see that whatever God is trying to communicate through you is clear, and that by whatever you do and say, people experience grace. Who knows? Even atheists might find themselves peculiarly blessed, and a little curious about that.

         
         
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve

__________________
Copyright © Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net