Monthly Archives: December 2010

Iron Filings and Magnetic Forces

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English: Iron filings

English: Iron filings (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Iron Filings and Magnetic Forces

Sometimes all of life seems to be a series of random, unrelated, and chaotic events. When you examine the whole of it- births, deaths, relationships forming, relationships dissolving, successes, failures, goals achieved, and stinging disappointments, it sometimes is difficult to see the meaning in any of it. There is no discernible pattern. Nothing seems to make sense. It can all seem so……random.

To use an illustration- life can sometimes seem like random iron filings scattered about on a piece of blank paper. What we see is scattered blots arranged with no particular rhyme or reason, forming no discernible pattern whatsoever. This remains the case until a strong magnet is applied and the filings begin to submit themselves to the strong pull of unseen forces and orient themselves accordingly. Such a powerful force is only evident by its effect.

This is the power of Christ in our lives. As His power is applied to our lives, all things reorient themselves in submission to His will. The magnetic force of His Spirit pulls the events of our lives together in a way that reveals order and intention. We see patterns instead of randomness. Reason instead of chaos. Purpose instead of confusion. Amazingly, this power effects not just the present and the future, but also how we view events of the past as well.

God, as a Spirit, is timeless and eternal. He is therefore never bound by time’s chains. He breaks the limitations of the past and our memory, understanding the way we see the past as surely as He makes the past come alive in his work. Whether over the eons it took to carve the Grand Canyon or in just the moment it took to form a flake of snow.

So then – it is Christ’s living presence applied to our lives that is the way by which we find wholeness out of brokenness, meaning out of suffering, order out of disorder, and purpose out of purposelessness. When we allow ourselves and our lives to be ordered by the power of His Spirit, we find that He does indeed, make all things new again. Amen.

Noise

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Noise

We live in a world full of more noise than we can even comprehend. Traffic, radio, television, computer games, musical instruments, people speaking, cell phones ringing, dogs barking, clocks ticking, bells ringing- the list is infinite. Even in the quietest moments, there is still no escape from it entirely.

It is difficult to hear the quiet Voice of God in the midst of this noise all around us. Only once knowing the comfort and joy of this familiar voice do we seek it, fleeing all the noise and confusion of this world. This One Voice is gentle and kind. He waits for us to seek Him out in the quiet, and push the incessant noise of our lives away. How easy it is to forget amidst the ever present sights and sounds of this world, the real life giving power of His Still Voice. But in so seeking Him in the stillness, we find the respite we so desperately need. Today make your escape plan. Tune in to Him and turn off the world. Amen.

Life In a Fog

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The fog is rolling

The fog is rolling (Photo credit: davidyuweb)

Life in a Fog

Sometimes life seems to be a series of crashes. Our lives crash and collide into those of others around us. We disagree about things large and small. We cling to our notions of how things must be. When someone offers a different viewpoint, we are convinced that they are somehow wrong. What I have observed over the years is that the problem has less to do with specifics and much more to do with a state of perpetual fog in which we often find ourselves existing.

Growing up in the mountains of West Virginia, fog was a frequent reality. Generally speaking, folks understood that when the “fog was as thick as pea soup”, a change in travel plans was indeed indicated. Especially if traveling at night was a consideration….double the peril- fog and darkness…..

So it is with things of the Spirit. When we discern with our human eyes rather than with our spiritual eyes, we typically have a very limited field of vision. It is much like trying to see through a thick fog. God, on the other hand, sees all. He is aware of ‘the big picture” that we fail to grasp. He is aware of how our lives intersect with all of those around us. He is aware of how each person’s holy calling is meant to affect the lives of others and what role each person plays in accomplishing His intended results. We make a mess of things when we fail to understand that it is God who must be The Light from the lighthouse which guides us through the fog. When we cling to our own ideas of rightness, our own priorities, our own definitions of success and what it must look like, our insistence on having it our own way, we are in essence refusing to let God guide us out of the fog that is much of human interaction. This refusal to be lead by His Light has a devastating effect on our hearts, minds, emotions, and interactions with one another.

When we find ourselves involved in situations of discord with others, a change of travel plans may be indicated. Perhaps we need to sit it out in the harbor a bit longer. Perhaps we need to consult with the Maker of the Stars to chart a safer course. Perhaps we need to study our Map of Life for wisdom and courage before be set sail. And always, always- we need to keep our eyes fixed on the Light that sees all, guides benevolently, and will never fail to lead us home safely. If we can but trust, He will cause the fog to dissipate, and we will once again be able to see clearly- with the eyes of the Spirit, rather than with our earthly eyes. The result of which is that we no longer crash about into one another, but rather, sail smoothly, according to His divine sexton, arriving at His intended destination. Amen.

Mary’s Womb

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Mother

Mother (Photo credit: racineur)

Oh, how I praise the Lord, How I rejoice in God my Savior!” (Luke 1:46-47)

Mary’s Womb

There was nothing in her circumstances that should have lead Mary to feel this way. She was soon to be pregnant out of wedlock. What would the man she loved and had given her heart to think? As that little round bulge became more obvious how would the women of the village react? How would her life in this village be changed by the gossip, slander and innuendo?

Yet there is nothing of these worries in Mary’s words! “Now generation after generation will call me blessed” she bravely proclaimed. I suspect that the generation who heard these words did not think her blessed. I imagine that, outside of Elizabeth and Joseph, they thought her an idle dreamer at best, or at worst, delusional. There was so much room for Mary and Joseph to fail. But they did not. This is, perhaps, why God chose them.

It is not the wealthy or powerful whom God needs. He does not need either of these things we humans value. He made the entire universe! He knows each star by name and His power is that which holds the sub atomic structure of the universe in place so that there is order instead of chaos. But God did need something which he found in Mary and Joseph. He needed people who could imagine the world through His eyes. He needed those who could understand that the things we see are not real, but rather temporary trappings of this world. In a moment they shall all be burned up and will be no more. But there is a new world and a new universe dawning. It is the Bride of Christ, the New Jerusalem. Its’ golden streets consist of those whose faith has been tried and tested in fire and purified. This new Eternal City consists of Mary, Joseph and their descendants.

This world has secularized Christmas because many no longer see Christ in it. We do not see Christ in it because the Church has become blind to Christ in some ways. The world does not need indignant Christians who stand upon their soapbox and lament that Christmas tinsel is on sale before Halloween. It needs holy, mature Christians whose faith will give birth to the Living Christ within them. We desperately need Christians who will kneel beside the cradle of their hearts having sacrificed their dreams just as Mary did. This is what will allow Emmanuel, God with us, to shine with such brilliance that the tinsel of Christmas will seem as the cheap imitation it is.

Oh Living God, may Gabriel not go away empty handed when he comes to bring good tidings of great joy to us. May he find in us an empty womb, emptied of pride and self, of hopes and dreams, so that our hearts may be shaped only, always, by His image. We pray that as He is finally born in the stable of our hearts, He will not be marred by the selfishness of our dreams, nor sullied by our insistence upon our own way. Oh God we pray that by Your great power and outstretched arm You might remove all within us that would taint the beauty, the holiness of His birth. For tonight is that night. We are each the expectant Mary. The angels of heaven, the servants of God sent to do His bidding await the fullness of Christ formed in each of us. Oh the unimaginable splendor of this moment of Divine Grace! May we never allow it to be cheapened by allowing that sacred space within us to be occupied by anything but His holy Presence. This we ask, with all the faith we can muster through the risen, resurrected and soon coming Triumphant King. Come Lord Jesus, our hearts await! Amen.