Living waters

"Jesus was standing there, he cried out, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, 'Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water.'" Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified" John 7:37-38

As I follow the daily verses in my Lenten Journey I continue to perceive more wisdom in scripture and how it can be applied to my spiritual and physical life.  God is with us - who can be against us.  We put up so many barriers to allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and guide us in God's will.  We let fear and worldly worries obstruct our relationship with Jesus.  How often do we believe, yet in the same sentence doubt and latch onto our unworthiness.  I often neglect to pray about from suffering and worries to God under the assumption it is my job to solve my mess and God doesn't have time to help me with worldly matters.  Nothing can be farther from the truth!  God loves us and sent HIS only Son Jesus Christ, the incarnate God, to live, walk actively on earth, ministering to our physical and spiritual needs.  Christ suffered and felt loss, worry, fear, and even doubt - but his faith and love of the Father, and trust in the Holy Spirit sustained Christ on HIS mission.  Christ came with the purpose to preach salvation and to die on the cross to forgive us from sins, but more importantly he came to teach us to embrace an abundant life in God's love and called us to a higher purpose on earth, a purpose where our ego and fear does not prop us up in the facade of ivory towers against crumbling walls.  You can preach and do all the moves to act like a Christian but it takes a spirit of joy and change and a will to love in grace through works in commune with the Holy Trinity. 

God is with us.  Christ's message and purpose is salvation and living life abundantly.  If we live in the abundance life of Christ, we accept the gift of the Holy Spirit and are moved to action on a journey like a river...

Water has been on my mind as I spend the final hours of my sojourn at Wrightsville Beach.  The ocean is so strong and powerful, recklessly rising and crashing, but it flows and moves in a rhythm, the sea is a heartbeat.  Today I witnessed the hand of God's life in the water, the rise and fall of the waves, the ebb and flow of sand and shells, the glimmer and gray.  Being a Christian does not mean our road will be easy - you will be persecuted, suffer against the worldly tide, but God's tides is a different beat - a beat of perpetual motion and grace - stillness out of chaos.  When we approach the Living Waters we begin to recognize the SPIRIT of Christ in even turbulent waters.  Christ is an ark, God is a mover who sometimes places us in storms so we are forced to turn away from worldly desire and submit ourselves to HIS will - not submission as a desperate act with no roots - rather turning to God's Spirit in a reconciliation and recognition of HIS grace and the necessity of his active work in our lives.  We are not an island.  An example of this is when I kept putting off moving because I did not think I could afford a car.  I assumed God did not want me to have a car - well for 3 of the 4 years I think God did give me the message through the Holy Spirit - be patient you don't need a car - use the bus and walk - but then I used that as a crux so I blocked signals and messages from the Spirit.  God is movement, the Spirit is a water that can cleanse, Christ quenches our thirst

The water may flood and swell, constrict and dry in the sun, yet in ice and drought it flows, cutting and twisting, trusting that life is ever moving and God is ever present.

My lesson I remind myself as I stand on the edge of the ocean...let the tide carry my worries out to sea God, may you flow abundant love and instruct me in your divine purpose in my life.  My I continue to emulate your waters, peace in perpetual motion, journeying and cleansing, cutting and carving always at work, while content in the knowledge of your peace.

God is working before us, Christ is beside us, The Holy Spirit is within us...The Holy Trinity is working behind the scenes, but God expects us to participate - to ask for help and to accept his guidance. 

I pray God, guide me in your ways and orchestrate a rhythm in my soul to hear your song and follow the spirit to my advocate in Christ.  May I cleanse my tarnished soul and offer love and light to others wherever I go, guided by your love and always full and ready to give our your spirit to those in need as I drink our your cup and sacred river of life in the Holy Spirit you have given to rest and actively work in our heart, mind and soul.  I can write a thesis on the importance of water - how it fuels our agriculture and thousands of species, birds and provides important functions on our planet - all of this is just a small reflection of the infinite love and active abundance of God's Living Waters.  Drink from God's Cup in the Holy Spirit and Christ's loving care - and even in desert times you will never thirst.

Peace in Crashing Waves

Peace, I found it today in the cracked sea shells scattered like a lost mosaic regurgitated during a sea storm.  The sand is coarse, the waves crash and rise, persistent and tumultuous, peace in unrest.  It seems to be a paradox, but when you stand in the natural world, and really tune into the earth you see the fine tuned rhythm of taking trial in stride and how suffering and storms of life can leave a legacy of something beautiful.  How can there be such a peace in the restless rage of the ocean, God yields peace and love in the harshest of circumstances.  Looking out at the ocean I think about Noah and the Ark.  Every major culture has an origin myth tied to a great flood - the historian in me takes this as testament that as the nations disseminated the story of a horrible earth shattering flood nearly destroyed mankind, but out of the storm is a dove and the spirit of God's grace in the rainbow arc.  It is hard to fathom how destroying forces in nature can be a force of good, but storms provide moisture and fires strengthen a forest.  It is our duty to respect God's natural wonders and see his work in the world around us.  In the season of lent we are in a desert time, a time of fasting and anticipation of death, pain, betrayal and torture, yet out of death God brings life.  God is not actively insouciant to our suffering.  Deists believe God created the universe and let it be a time clock, not interfering in earthly matters...I beg to differ, God is active in everything around us from the crashing ocean waves to beauty of a sunrise and in our suffering he is there to mend us in spirit.  God's priorities are not our priorities - he prizes protecting our soul and making sure we are good to one another - walking in love.  He does care about our material sustenance, but that is not what life is about - life is about love and giving yourself to God's will and the spirit of love, compassion and discernment in the Holy Spirit.  Christ died for salvation, that is grace, but we are in a relationship with the Holy Trinity - God expects us to do his will and trust him even in choppy waters...

My thoughts turn to Jesus and the disciples during the storm on the Sea of Galilee - he slept while they worried and panicked - Christ calms storms - Christ works in suffering and it is our duty to help the needs of those who suffer through active love.

The verse of the day in the lectionary comes from Jeremiah:
Amend your ways and your doings, and let me dwell with you in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: "This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD." For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever.

When we turn to focus on the hate, anger and selfishness of disaster and chaos, getting caught up in materialism and temporal ideology we lose sight of the macro picture - Christ wants us to focus on living on earth as much as salvation in heaven, he wants us to cherish this life.  If life were not important on earth then God would not have sacrificed his only son for our life in this realm and the next.  What we need to realize is Christ wants us to flip the world upside down by living in accordance to the Father's will - sometimes that is foreign to us - we don't want to pay for another man's burdens - God did pay for ours...When someone is suffering it is our duty to lift them up in love, to offer a shoulder to cry on, a prayer, a meal and investment in community.

In our polarized world, where hate and ideology is running rampant we need to listen to Jeremiah's words and Christ's message (below) more than ever - If you want to give up something during Lent - give up worrying about material and actively focusing on people over things, love instead of hate and community in balance with self.  I am relearning these lessons every day.  I have been an orphan abandoned, I have been an alien and stranger...it was the hearts of light - filled with the Holy Spirit that helped me - not for a ticket to heaven but because they were so overcome with the Holy Spirit they did Christ's will naturally because love gives the giver a sense of joy and fulfillment - love is abundant


If Jesus was in trouble, alone and in need would we tend him with the loving care he lays down for us?

John 7:
hen Jesus answered them, "My teaching is not mine but his who sent me. Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him

Desert Soul

It has been over a year since I have posted on This Side of Paradise, not for lack of desire as much of lack of time, focus and all the minutia that we get caught up in day to day. In the past year I have trusted and quarreled with God as I have journeyed thousands of miles from Montana through Idaho to Utah and Arizona, NM to Texas, Tennessee and finally home to my native state of North Carolina.  In the past year I have faced challenges and experienced paradise in motion.  In Utah, camping in nineteen degree temps in Zion National Park, rising with the orange sun against the silver moon in the darkness of the canyon - I experienced my humble meekness and the might and power of God.  In Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon National Parks I discovered beauty in hardship, suffering as a kindling spark that is a necessary journey to wondrous peace.  In the past year I have discovered peace in suffering, beauty in ordinary and extraordinary places and the silent but willful hand of God is ever present - even when he seems to have disappeared from our lives when we SCREAM OUT - My God, My God.  God is with us, Jesus endured these trials and could see the miraculous in even the lowliest of places, while beckoning us in faith to perceive life beyond our peripheral vision - Faith is a bridge of trust and assurance.  I'm a reckless sinner when it comes to balancing faith and doubt.  I love God beyond measure and TRUST in HIM, but fear paralyzes my soul - I feel shame and fear and lack...lack of money, lack of hope and I can only see the negative...I will get into some issues that have plagued me emotionally this year - mostly related to reaching the dregs of long buried emotions and having to face the stark reality of abandonment and buried abuse from my childhood.  I know God wants me to recognize the pain so I can regain my independence and not to feel the shame that binds me but rather accept his GRACE and LOVE and move forward.  It is a process.

I was praying to God tonight.  I'm in Wilmington for a weekend and it is such a blessing to have two days out of the concrete jungle I'm marching in like an ant who is stuck in the molehill.  I stare at the ocean and hear the roar and imagine God's breath.  I am begging God for LIGHT for provision for SAFETY and SECURITY as I'm praying I hear a voice ever faint but strong in my mind saying: Blog about Psalm 118:14.  So I am.

12They swarmed around me like bees,

but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;

in the name of the Lord I cut them down.

13I was pushed back and about to fall,

but the Lord helped me.

14The Lord is my strength and my defense^a ;

he has become my salvation.

15Shouts of joy and victory

resound in the tents of the righteous:

“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!

16The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;

the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”

17I will not die but live,

and will proclaim what the Lord has done.

I did not know this verse by heart so I had to look it up online.  As I read each line I am astounded by God's promise of provision and undying hope.  My enemies have swarmed me like bees and the sting and scars has nearly left me crippled, I feel like giving up but in this verse I read how even in our darkest moments God is with us - he hears our prayers and has a plan we must actively seek him and trust HIM and pray for help...will all answers be given  no but there will be HOPE and HOPE in God is more than cookie teller fortunes printed on mass paper.  HOPE in God is a LIVING HOPE.  God has plans for me, God loves me and God Heals.

I am currently on a writing journey to edit my novels, find a publisher and continue writing.  My trial and faith through fire beckons me to write entries that help other people to grow in faith and focus on psychology.  I am writing a book about my own journey of healing - healing starts with God because love and light negate negativity.  If you love in pain, you have love, and light in the darkness to see the way out...even if the path is not clear you know God's light will not hide in your heart.  So tune out the material noise and tune into God...this sounds cliche but driving down desert highways with a broken fender and no cell service in Arizona I kept thinking, it is so beautiful, God I hope I don't die out here..."I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done."  God is the ultimate 'repairman' - we might not like the pieces of jigsaw we see at first but in the end God's will is the right path and we need to let down our ego and negative thought patterns and embrace HIS healing power.  Sometimes faith means being willing to take a fork in the road and bend and break with the tread, crashing with the waves knowing it sometimes takes a storm to feed a desert soul.

Light of Revelation: Candlemas

"Lord, you now have set your servant free to go in peace as you have promised; For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, whom you have prepared for all the world to see: A Light to enlighten the nations, and the glory of your people Israel." Luke 2:29-32

February 2, The Feast of Candlemas, celebrates the Presentation of the Lord at the Temple. 

The Gospel of Luke accounts the presentation, telling us that Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days after his birth to complete Mary's ritual purification and to perform the redemption of the firstborn, outlined in the Law of Moses:

Exodus 13:12-15
¹² you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord. ¹³ Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons.
¹⁴ “In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ¹⁵ When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’

Leviticus 12:8
⁸ But if she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”


Luke 2: 22-24: When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”^[b]), ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”^[c]
Luke states that Mary and Joseph take the option provided for those in poverty who cannot afford a lamb.  By the law they instead offer a pair of turtledoves.  Doves are symbolic of peace.  They are gracious creatures throughout cultures because they mate for life and have a gentle disposition.  A dove is used in the account of the Flood, alerting Noah, returning for food when it is still not safe to go forth into the world, its failure to return is a signal that life can once again live in safety on the earth.  It is a dove that descends on Jesus at his baptism, God announcing 'This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.' 

The fact the son of God, Jesus the newborn Messiah is impoverished in worldly wealth, is an active reminder that God does not discriminate on material, rather the intent of a sacrifice and our confession of repentance.  We see this with Cain and Abel - the heart's pure intent of a sacrifice and act of contrition is more important than the sacrifice (i.e., lamb or doves);  Christ is a perfect sacrifice because he loved his Father and followed the law with pure intent.  God through Christ shows his ceaseless love for all his creatures from the meek, weak to the strong and powerful.  Mary and Joseph accepted the task of following God, raising the Messiah, even though they faced poverty and isolation from the comforts of the world.  God's grace is more secure than the tangible material wealth. 

Redemption comes from God's grace and Christ's sacrifice. The redemption in the presentation of the Temple is a representation of the saving power that God granted the Hebrews in Egypt, Egypt - suffering, testing, strife and desperate hope that only God grants. 'Out of Egypt I have called my son.'  It can also be reflected in Abraham's call to sacrifice Isaac and God's door to redemption, God providing the sacrifice of a lamb.  The active truths and symbolism in this passage uncover many paths of light, a way forward, an recognition of God's grace, spiritual truths, relevant to our own lives.


³⁹ When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰ And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

The Holy Family, Mary and Joseph as parents of the baby Jesus do everything by the letter of the law.  Their acknowledgment of God's law is not based on arbitrary actions, tradition, but an active faith and diligence to serve God. 

Jesus did not come to abolish the law, rather to fulfill it.  Christ dying on the cross to save us from sins is an act of grace, but to accept grace we must acknowledge our sins and the law.  The law is a representation of God's will, we will miss the mark, prone to sin, that is where grace is essential; we are called Mary and Joseph followed the law out of love and trust in God's will, Jesus is our example as he followed God's law, while reminding us that the law can only be fulfilled in recognition of humble trust in God's will.  When we place the law above God, who created the law, then we fall into sin.   When filled with God's grace we ant to follow His law because we recognize its truth and peace.

~
One of my favorite passages in the Bible is 'The Song of Simeon.'  I recite it daily, a collect that stirs my soul and reawakens a spirit of hope and recognition in Christ's active love and the path of light, redemption he provides us. 

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷ Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, ²⁸ Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

²⁹ “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss^[d] your servant in peace.
³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation,
³¹     which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”

³³ The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, ³⁵ so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Once you have experienced the light of Christ, the peace that the Holy Spirit provides, you are filled the life giving love and a constant drive to follow that light, at times it is blinding, forcing us to take small humble steps, our faith tested and refined, yet when you truly recognized and accept Christ as savior the sword that pierces your core is love and love's light can reveal truth even in darkness. 

²⁹ “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss^[d] your servant in peace.
³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation,
³¹     which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”



The elderly prophetess Anna was also in the Temple, and offered prayers and praise to God for Jesus, and spoke to everyone there about Jesus and his role in the redemption of Israel (Luke 2:36-38).

Let us go forth actively following the love of Christ, serving our fellow creatures and allowing our souls to be filled with love and an overflowing peace.  Peace is an ability to be refined by fire instead of consumed by fear.  Peace doesn't mean we will always dwell in worldly safety, but the knowledge that God's peace surpasses the world. It is a peace that opens the eyes of the blind and love that reconciles the broken, purification and redemption of heart, body, mind and soul.


God revealed his love and peace in Jesus Christ , humility is the greatest gift and power.  The truth has been revealed.  Will we hear the call like Anna and Simeon? 

Fear of the Unknown

I have been sparse in writing devotions the past two weeks, my energy fully preoccupied with boxes, lease agreements, travel arrangements and incessant worry.  In March I am packing up my life in Bozeman and moving into the great unknown, a new beginning and a new challenge. 

It is time to leave Bozeman.  My four years in Montana has been a blessing from God, a safety nest, an incubation period of growth and reflection on past trials.  God always has spoken to me through nature, the majesty of the natural world reminding me of his grace and glory.  He is the master architecture, our redeemer and advocate. 

It is hard to branch out, to trust God's call when he tells us to pack up everything and move forward.  We are creatures of habit.  Even if we are in desperate circumstances, we often prefer to hide in the dark known rather than step out into the light.  We are blinded by fear of failure, of crashing and burning.  A bird can only survive in the nest so long, eventually it has to overcome its fear and take flight. If we rely on the world we are bound to fail, lost in fear and chained by dread.  Still we struggle to trust God to help us take flight.  Even if we believe in God's truth and trust his power, our human fragility is bound in fear.  We rely on the tangible, contemplating and planning the future like a sharp edged razor.  When life forces us in a new direction we cut ourselves on lost hope, fear of the unknown, content to wrestle our demons in the night.  As Christians we exemplify: 'I believe, help my unbelief.'

This move is stressful, all moves are, when you pack up your belongings and step into uncharted territory.  In this case, our final destination is not fully known, we are still analyzing the pros and cons of various cities in the southeast, from apartment costs to job opportunities to nursing programs at community colleges.  I love Montana, the scenery fills my soul, but the job market here is non-existent and there are no nursing programs in the region that meet my program requirements. Bozeman is an anchor - an anchor both keeps you grounded, and it can also weigh you down, preventing you to perceive and discern new options.  God has blessed us with a wonderful apartment here, a nest.  It is tempting to stay in this rut, even if it means being paralyzed and unable to reach my long term goals.

John 5:1-18
"Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids-- blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me." Jesus said to him, "Stand up, take your mat and walk." At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk....."

This passage from John is one of my favorite in the bible.  It reminds me of God's care, the guiding power of the Holy Spirit and the active love of Jesus.  On the surface this passage appears to be a basic miracle, a healing of an invalid; its meaning runs far deeper.  Healing itself is an act of redemption, of reprieve and hope, a new life.  Healing is a physical and spiritual process of restoring a broken body and spirit.  In this account, Jesus does not race in laying on hands and commanding the invalid be healed.  Instead he approaches him with gentleness and says: 'Do you want to be made well?'  

That seems like a silly question, who wouldn't want to be made well?  The truth is many of us mentally desire healing, but are so paralyzed by fear of life outside of the confines we know that we resist and refuse to be healed.  Jesus realized this man's desperation was as much psychological as physical.  The pain and emotional stress of being physically paralyzed, or suffering a debilitating illness, is something we will search the world over for an antidote, yet will we take grace of healing?  Those burdens, the emotional boulders and barricades become our anchor - our character - we become afraid of leaving the shadows, where everything is obscure to a light where everything is revealed. 

There are many layers of truths and lessons in this miracle story.  Jesus in asking the invalid if he wants to be made well is an act of mercy, as he respects the man's choice.  This exchange reflects to me the choice we have in accepting the gift of grace, redemption and our own decision to tear down the walls of fear and move forward trusting in the love and faith.  God is an anchor of the soul, that instead of weighing us down in burden, helps life take flight. 

The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me." Jesus said to him, "Stand up, take your mat and walk."  

The man doesn't answer 'yes,' to healing, instead he explains his situation and how the world is preventing his path to the water, people are pushing ahead, acting without mercy and compassion.  This statement is twofold.  One it reminds us that we are called to serve those in need and at all times to act with mercy and compassion, selfless love and offering the desperate hope.  I saw a man the other day honk at a women in a walker crossing the street.  Are we in such a rush that we neglect to patiently love and show mercy for our fellow creatures?  We are all responsible of clutching our worldly impatience instead of following an active example of eternal patience. 

I am impatient in moving.  A lot of unfair circumstances beyond my control, malicious things, have made the financial aspects of moving a strain.  I get so caught up in worrying about the finances that I fail to remember that God is always providing for me. He has also given me countless signs, signals and pushes to take the step forward.  I want to move forward, but I let fear be my driver and fear only paralyzes. 

Jesus heals the man, and instructs him to 'take your mat and walk.'  At this point, Jesus given his healing to the man, still it is up to him to acknowledge and trust the healing and move forward.  Once again this exchange reminds us of God's guiding presence in our lives, all the while instructing us that we have to be active participates.  Instead of fear, pray for comfort and guidance.  Instead of worry, pray for discernment that leads to an active hope, instead of resting your faith in an unknown future, trust in the eternal promise of God.

 For four years we didn't have a car. For the first 3 1/2 years this was a good move as we can walk everywhere in Bozeman and take the bus in the winter.  It came a point when God starting pushing me to trust the process of buying a car.  I resisted afraid about the finances, worried about maintenance - valid concerns, of course, however my resistance was rooted in fear more than reason. God works his purpose out and in August 2013, circumstances made us confront the car issue.  I was so worried and anxious, only to find out we could get a car that we can afford.  God knows we need a car to drive on to the next stage, it was the first sign to consider a move...he has continued to actively nudge me along.  Working to comfort and guide me.  Yes I am still anxiety prone, but I know that God heals and I need his healing power. 

On my own I am bound to a nest of fear, a dependency and defense mechanism, in God's grace and guiding presence I can soar.  Yes obstacles will test me along the way.  This trust is a constant dance, the spirit of faith growing and learning in peace and tribulation.  For the mountains to rise and the prairies to amble in wild ceaseless beauty, there is a certain about of suffering, yet resiliency is a gift God wields in us.  It is the knowledge of his mercy and fortitude that gives me rest.


Genesis 15:1-11
"After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." But the word of the LORD came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir." He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness. Then he said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess." But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?"  

This passage from Genesis speaks to my trepidation and hope.  Like Abram, I am preparing to move.  This time is one of both excitement and fear.  Abram-Abraham knew God's trustworthiness, yet still he questioned, fear tests even the most faithful of saints.  Throughout scripture we are shown that God is trustworthy.  Problems often arise because of our false urgency for a tangible product, our anger and our fear.  God calls us to be active participants in faith.  God acts faithfully, while we have to trust, to discern and use the gift of reason as a tool to understand his purpose in our lives, not as a buffer of worry and fear.  I cannot deny that I am not afraid; have the courage to step forward and take flight from this decaying nest, because God is my shield.  If he is for us who can be against us?

Gift of Baptism

Today we remember the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Baptism has been called the door to the church, it is a sacrament that seals us in the protection of Christ, marked as his own, adopted into as his own.  Baptism is not an immunity against the evil of this world, not does offer us protection, removing our original sin and is a sign of Christ's fulfilled grace and promise of faith; both God's eternal promise of faith to keep His Holy promises and the promise of faith fulfilled in Christ, as well as an invocation to our own faith journey as Christians.

Baptism isn't an arbitrary act, merely a practice of repetition, without spiritual worth.  Nor is it merely a symbol, although powerful in the spiritual meaning (i.e. symbolic themes in scripture or symbolic acts set as an example, but are not sacramental). 

Jesus makes it perfectly clear in his ministry that baptism is essential.  Although Jesus was sinless, he made a point to seek out John, to receive baptism.  John was hesitant to perform the rite:

"I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"  But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in the way to fulfill all righteousness."

Jesus's ministry on earth is about his death and resurrection, but it goes further than that.  God sent a part of himself, his only son, God incarnate to the world to live as a man and in that life to show us an example of faith, a perfect living example.  Lessons about practical applications to life on all levels of psyche and physical aspects of our trials and joys so that we might have an example to follow, helping on our path to salvation.  Grace is a gift, yet we are called to act in faith and as Christ would have us. 

Jesus emphasized the importance of baptism, and God the Father makes his presence known in baptism and the essential nature of this sacrament:
And when Jesus have been baptized, just as he came up from the water suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

Though Jesus is God's son, fully divine and fully man, this example of baptism, shows the importance of the physical use of water and the fire of God's kindling love bestowed in the process.  God proclaims an adoption at this moment, so even though Jesus is God's son, our adoption in Baptism calls us into the family of Christ's church and God considers us his children, whom he loves and is well pleased.  That is humbling and joyful thing that fills the spirit with hope in despair and a light that penetrates even the darkest spots of life.  If God is with us who can be against us?

Baptism is a living and powerful act that works through the baptized.  It confers the gift of salvation and is formal adoption into Christ's Church.  Although free will is still within us, the capacity to sin ever-present, the gift of baptism cleanses us and offers us certain protections against spiritual warfare.  Once baptized you are eternally marked by Christ, that doesn't mean you might forsake your redemption by choice, falling into darkness.  Baptism is our personal living guidepost written on our hearts, a spiritual seal.  We may stray, but God is always with us, The Trinity bestowed on us as a living promise.  We may break turn from the Holy Spirit, but God is always with us.  Baptism is the ultimate symbol of love and faith fulfilled.  It is God's contract of his living promise, that his covenant of Grace through Christ's death and resurrection will not be broken.  That door is always opened to us.

Water is a prevalent theme and symbol in scripture.  It is something that speaks to us on a spiritual and physical layer. Living in Montana and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the power and necessity of water is prevalent - water fuels the heat blistered plains, the rivers pump life into dry, desolate places, in the winter it takes the dagger of ice jams and avalanches, deadly as they may be to protect the ecosystem.

As humans we thirst, we yearn to be clean.  One hour without water and we thirst, One day without a shower and we yearn to be clean.  The Holy Trinity is the spiritual water that quenches our thirst and cleanses our souls.

Water has many layers of power and connection to bring meaning an understanding to our spiritual journey.  It many ways it epitomizes God's spirit.  Water is the ultimate cleansing power in the natural world, essential for sanitization, hygiene, it quenches our thirst and keeps us hydrated, precipitation nourishes our ecosystem, helping crops to grow.  Water can also be a powerful force of wrath, from flooding, to frozen ice and water than can kill...God is all good, but he is also a God of justice.  In scripture he uses water to flood the world to cleanse it from the evil that had run rampant, but also it is a force of death, drowning the world.  It seems harsh, but it is essential that we kill our desire to rely on the world, learning to trust in God.  In cleansing of baptism we can open the first door to relying on God's spirit, the Holy Water that cleanses, not drowned in the sorrow of world, rather rejoice in God's living gifts. 

God uses water to part the Red Sea, yet those who oppose God's will drown by the wrath of the water, Egyptian soldiers drowned.  In the desert the desire of thirst for the world is always a contention for the desire for God.  Even Moses, a man full of God's grace and love, struggled at Meribah - God instructed him how to receive water, but Moses became distracted by the crowds 'the world' and the gift of water, though still given, became a stumbling block - forcing Moses not to be allowed into the Promised Land.

We must rejoice in the gift of Baptism and understand that its power is a gift of grace and a living spirit of God dwelling in us, but the power is not of us.  Baptism is the open door to a journey in faith, baptism is essential for this journey, but to complete the journey we must continue to walk in faith and to repent.  We cannot rest in our baptism alone, but trust it's sacramental power as a promise that we can have faith in God's promise, it is a living reminder of the Holy Trinity & God's Grace.

Matthew 3: 13-17: Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.  John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"  But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in the way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus have been baptized, just as he came up from the water suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

Mark 1: 9-11: In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.  And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

Useful links about Holy Baptism:
http://catholicism.about.com/od/beliefsteachings/p/Sac_Baptism.htm
http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummaries/p/baptismofjesus.htm

Verses about Baptism:
http://www.openbible.info/topics/water_baptism

Verses about Water:
http://www.openbible.info/topics/water

Epiphany - A Star Rises to Lead us to Christ

"In the time of King Herod,  after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage."  When Kind Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all of Jerusalem with him."

"They set out: and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.  On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage.  Then opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod they left for their own country by another road."

When I was a child, every Christmas season, my mom took me to the Morehead Planetarium at the University of North Carolina.  The museum ran a holiday program entitled, 'The Star of Bethlehem.'  It explored the wonder of the star that rose to signal Christ's birth, an extraordinary star shining with a radiant light strong enough to pierce the darkness, a light reflecting the light of Christ.   The documentary was retired from the planetarium after sixty-one seasons, the museum producing a new documentary akin to the original.  Still the science and miracle of the star of wonder remains a constant truth.  The documentary revealed the science of this star of wonder, in a way that illuminated the truth of faith, extraordinary in ordinary.

As a child, I found the science of this miraculous star a revelation of God's truth and glory, the birth of Christ.  God uses the ordinary for the extraordinary, a star is but a flicker in the night sky, yet it can illuminate the dark.  God used nature, something as otherworldly and natural as a star, to light the way to Christ. The star of Bethlehem is a guidepost, rising to lift us out of doubt into the epiphany of faith, to take on the journey to Christ with an intrepid and courageous heart.  Christ is our star, the guidepost that lights our path.  We may not know the exact footsteps and trails it takes to reach 'Bethlehem,' but we know that The Holy Spirit guides us, Christ forgives us and God the Father cares for us.  Even in the seeming mundane, there is wonder, and in the darkness The Holy Trinity promises us light.  Light doesn't make us immune from the dark, but gives us illumination to navigate through the abyss.

Epiphany has several dictionary definitions:
a (1) :  a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2) :  an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3) :  an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure
Here is an interesting article from Psychology Today about the semantics of 'Epiphany.'

The Twelve Days of Christmastide, from Christmas Day to Epiphany is a discovery of faith.  Advent prepares us for Christ, Christmas opens our spirit to the fullness of Christ, each day revealing another layer of his truth and grace, so as we celebrate Epiphany we come to it not with hesitation and fear, but a humble joy.  We celebrate epiphany with a full acknowledgement that Christ is the son of God, who came to the earth to sacrifice himself out of love, grace fulfilled on the Christ.  Christ is the light of the world and even in life's darkest moments we never walk alone.  We accept the gift of grace in Christ with a triumphal gratitude and hope in the faith of the kingdom that has come and is coming.  The everlasting cup of life.

~
"We Three Kings"
Who are the Magi? 
Biblical scholars believe that the Magi, were Magian Priests from the Parthian Empire, which at the time of Christ's birth encompassed a large area of the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire. They are referred to as 'Wise Men' because they were a intellectually, studied class of ancient priests, that held a wealth of knowledge about travel, astronomy, natural sciences, astrology and mysticism.  They were Gentiles.  They used the stars for prophecy and science. 

Three Kings? Scripture doesn't tell us how many wise men there were, although three seems logical because they brought three gifts, of course this could be tied to their perception of acknowledging the Trinity or God using the gifts to symbolize: God the Father, Christ the son and the Holy Spirit.

When did they arrive: I love a Live Nativity with the Wise Men paying homage to the Christ child in the manager, shepherds keeping watch, although it is not a historical interpretation of what actually happened (I still argue it is a spiritually true interpretation as it shows the truth of Christ's being a Messiah, King, Human and Divine...and the 'epiphany' of the lowly shepherds to intelligent Gentiles perceiving the truth of Christ as Savior).  It is unknown when exactly the Magi came to visit the Jesus.  It was not at the stable.  Matthew 2 tells us that the magi visited the Holy Family in a house.  Jesus was 2 or under, as Herod asked the Magi when their first saw the star rise and used that on his basis for the age of the Holy Innocents.  Herod could have upped the number to ensure the 'king' he feared would take his throne was murdered.  So Christ was 2 or under when the Magi came. 

Herod was the official 'King of the Jews,' a royal official who petitioned Rome for his crown.  I learned in a bible study on Luke that Herod's family was not actually descended from the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and his power was completely based on political corruption and buyoffs (I suppose human nature really doesn't change).  He perceived that Christ was the Messiah foretold in prophecy, but instead of graciously accepting the Messiah, the son of God as king, Herod cared more for worldly power.  He defied God's will for human authority, to the point of murdering innocent children.  The magi did not return to Herod, in turn buying the Holy Family time to get to Egypt where they were refugees.  They were Gentiles but perceived the dream from God warning them not to go back to Herod as a truth, trusting God. 

It is interesting that the first people to acknowledge the baby Jesus as king are a race of Gentiles from a far off land, who are not tied to Judaism.  They are astrologers, yet even in their foreign pagan beliefs, they were able to perceive the truth.  Once again God proves to flip our expectations, working through the unexpected to achieve his purposes.  The magi were so certain that Christ was the king that they traveled hundreds, if not thousands of miles just to pay him homage.  Throughout the Gospels we see incidents when people who should acknowledge Christ as the Messiah, are deaf and blind, while the lowly beggar or Gentile from afar is able to perceive. This isn't an insult on the Jewish community as much as human nature.  How easy is it for us, when we are tangled up in the ends and outs of something that we lack perception, to be unable to turn convention upside down?  Would we pay homage to Christ as King, or see him as a humble baby of no consequence.  Jesus came as fully divine and fully man, we perceive truth with a limited scope, a paradox of understanding, a battle of belief and doubt.

It took Gentiles to see the light that had come.  Epiphany is a perception of Christ and a recognition of Christ as king and savior, an internal spark and determination to let go of our fear and preconceptions, turning over trust to him, allowing the LIGHT of CHRIST to guide our footsteps and the Holy Spirit to move within us, helping us to grow in faith and perceive truth - even in the ordinary, extraordinary, unexpected places...

May the light of Christ shine in your dark places, turning over fear to the Holy Trinity, allowing God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to guide you 3 gifts of guiding light - one God. 

Here is an article about some Epiphany Traditions, including baking the King Cake.  In many countries gifts are exchanged on Epiphany in honor of the Wise Men's visit and gifts.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/06/three-kings-day-celebration-history-and-traditions-behind-el-dia-de-los-reyes_n_2412379.html

If you like to bake, celebrate with a 'Los Reyes Cake,' or 'Star Cookies' or 'Fortune Cookies' with bible verses.

A link to a You Tube presentation from the Houston Planetarium about the Start of Bethlehem: http://youtu.be/01f6RyguFns

Some more reading: http://www.orlutheran.com/html/magifaq.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_Magi#Gifts