"Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin.
Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts. Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky. The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps."
------Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 (NRSV)
I find the words of this Psalm (subtitled, incidentally, "A Prayer for the Restoration of God's Favor") to be filled with hope and longing...and strangely comforting to the spiritual (and physical) landscape I find myself. This text is part of the Revised Common Lectionary for the Second Sunday of Advent (December 4, 2011) for Year B (Mark's Gospel) and will be read in worship at Community Presbyterian Church this week.
The author of this Psalm has a memory of being counted among those whom God has blessed. And something has changed, and God's blessing is distant and undetectable, and so there is a longing for that time to return in which God's blessing, God's presence, and God's peace is more tangible and more evident.
As I prepare my own heart and mind for the celebration of the birth of Christ this Advent season, I find comfort in the words of Psalm 85 as a way to wait patiently for God to, not only return, but to act, to reveal, to love, and to bear witness. And I am reminded that my waiting is not a passive kind of waiting, but I wait in a very active sense - by preparing. I prepare my home (we did manage to find the box of Christmas decor in our basement last night - and even managed to locate the new Advent calendar and the Advent wreath - with new candles). But I also prepare my interior by quiet reflection and by prayerful action. The question that came to mind as I read the scriptures this morning in preparation for worship next Sunday was this: how can I bear witness to the coming of Christ through faithful waiting? With the Psalmist I lift my prayer, "Let me hear what God the Lord will speak..." In a world filled with anxiety, filled with the hustle and bustle of being busy, filled with over-commitments and questionable priorities, I hope to find God's peace and to wait for God's presence to come to me by actively seeking and hoping for God's return.
In many ways I am not ready to turn the calender to December. It seems like the list of what should have been done in November is still to long. My learning curve is still pretty steep as I grow into my new calling. The beginning of Advent, and the words of Psalm 85 are good reminders to me that although I have a place in mind where I should be, an agenda of what I think I should be "getting done," and feel behind, that God's time (and God's agenda) are not mine. And I need to be patient and re-orient myself to wait for God's coming presence to reveal itself. It would be a shame to be so busy doing my checklist, that I missed the presence of Christ, born again into the hearts of good folks around me.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
With Gratitude
You can call me slow, but I just realized that Thanksgiving is two weeks away. Two weeks from today, which is a blink of an eye in my world lately, is a day set aside to give thanks. Since the time is near, I thought I'd briefly reflect on what I am thankful for.
In the most immediate context, I am thankful for my recent installation as Pastor of Community Presbyterian Church. Although we moved here in July and I began my service on August 1 (which seems like a really long time ago!), the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area installed me in a very lovely worship service on Sunday night. I am thankful for all of the many hands that made such a service possible. (And I know that the danger of attempting to list some means that I will surely forget someone - my apologies in advance!) Thank you to Belinda Strain for (not only chairing the pastor nominating committee - I still need to find out why it is called the 1494 club!) but for leading the organization of the dinner. Your charge to the congregation was incredibly thoughtful and demonstrates (to me, at least) how the process (and being in leadership) has shaped you and I admire your ability to reflect at such depth. Thank you to the congregation and the PNC for the gift basket and quilt. The three cross quilt is already hanging on a wall in my office (thanks especially to Bonnie Bosma for your handiwork).
And thanks also to my dear friend Trace Haythorn, who travelled all the way from Atlanta to share some time with me in Minnesota. Although it has been a number of years, it seemed like yesterday, by the way we jumped right into relating to one another again. Your words and wisdom about "coming home to a place I didn't even know about" ring true as I continue to settle into life and ministry here in Plainview.
I'm grateful for Community Presbyterian Church...and for the great privilege of serving as your pastor. I look forward to growing together for many years to come.
On a more personal note, I am grateful for the space that living in Plainview provides me, both the physical space and the spiritual space. Plainview is a town of big sky. I live just blocks from the edge of town and I love to watch the sunset over the corn field at the end of my street. Something inside me expands and releases when I am able to contemplate the wonders of God's creation. But I am also thankful for the spiritual space. I am ever-so-confident and content in knowing that my God has called me to this specific place so that I can continue to grow in my own understanding of who I am and where I fit in to God's kingdom of love and grace. I sense that God is preparing me for a time of rich inner-growth as I push head-on into the task(s) of ministry ahead of me. More on that later, I am sure...
This weekend, I will be taking 7 members of the confirmation class to the Presbyterian Clearwater Forest for a retreat. I am thankful for the weekend away to build relationships with young people. I am thankful for Steve Jack (who will be preaching on Sunday).
My heart is filled with gratitude. Praise God from whom all blessings flow...
Humbly, Pastor John
In the most immediate context, I am thankful for my recent installation as Pastor of Community Presbyterian Church. Although we moved here in July and I began my service on August 1 (which seems like a really long time ago!), the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area installed me in a very lovely worship service on Sunday night. I am thankful for all of the many hands that made such a service possible. (And I know that the danger of attempting to list some means that I will surely forget someone - my apologies in advance!) Thank you to Belinda Strain for (not only chairing the pastor nominating committee - I still need to find out why it is called the 1494 club!) but for leading the organization of the dinner. Your charge to the congregation was incredibly thoughtful and demonstrates (to me, at least) how the process (and being in leadership) has shaped you and I admire your ability to reflect at such depth. Thank you to the congregation and the PNC for the gift basket and quilt. The three cross quilt is already hanging on a wall in my office (thanks especially to Bonnie Bosma for your handiwork).
And thanks also to my dear friend Trace Haythorn, who travelled all the way from Atlanta to share some time with me in Minnesota. Although it has been a number of years, it seemed like yesterday, by the way we jumped right into relating to one another again. Your words and wisdom about "coming home to a place I didn't even know about" ring true as I continue to settle into life and ministry here in Plainview.
I'm grateful for Community Presbyterian Church...and for the great privilege of serving as your pastor. I look forward to growing together for many years to come.
On a more personal note, I am grateful for the space that living in Plainview provides me, both the physical space and the spiritual space. Plainview is a town of big sky. I live just blocks from the edge of town and I love to watch the sunset over the corn field at the end of my street. Something inside me expands and releases when I am able to contemplate the wonders of God's creation. But I am also thankful for the spiritual space. I am ever-so-confident and content in knowing that my God has called me to this specific place so that I can continue to grow in my own understanding of who I am and where I fit in to God's kingdom of love and grace. I sense that God is preparing me for a time of rich inner-growth as I push head-on into the task(s) of ministry ahead of me. More on that later, I am sure...
This weekend, I will be taking 7 members of the confirmation class to the Presbyterian Clearwater Forest for a retreat. I am thankful for the weekend away to build relationships with young people. I am thankful for Steve Jack (who will be preaching on Sunday).
My heart is filled with gratitude. Praise God from whom all blessings flow...
Humbly, Pastor John
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