Weekly Spiritual Reflections  

Last weekend, amidst the warm sunny weather, I had the opportunity to sit outside for a while on the back deck of my house.  The deck is surrounded by trees and natural habitat which makes a wonderful quiet spot for reflection. On this particular weekend I listened and paid attention to the birds chirping, twittering, and singing.  There were many of them and there seemed to be a soulfulness about their intonations.  Plus there was energy in the air that was bursting forth with life and fullness in the swirl of their song.

 

What is the energy stirring within you?  What song within your heart is ready to burst forth with the music of your soul?

The rain is back in Seattle – a solid spring-like downpour of rain – steady, consistent, relentless. You can tell it is spring in Seattle when the rain feels warmer.  It was the kind of rain during the night where I wanted to stay curled up in bed by morning. I also thought, “Ah, refreshing!”  After a couple of days of sun and hot weather, I was glad to see the rain again. I know, I must be crazy for thinking this way.   For me, the rain is a symbol for God – a sign of God’s steady, consistent and relentless outpouring of love that washes over us constantly.

 

What helps you be more mindful of God’s relentless love?  What signs of nature or other symbols are reminders for you to pay closer attention to God in your life? 

 

 

The other night at choir rehearsal I was asked to direct one of the pieces, “If You Believe and I Believe” a traditional Gospel piece from Zimbabwe.  I asked the choir to sing it at a slow 6/8 tempo. The first time they sang it, the piece sounded like a dirge.  I asked them to sing it again but this time to imagine waiting at the edge of life with hope.  The second time they sang it, at the same slow tempo, the piece was full of energy, full of hope.

 

This insight of “waiting on the edge with hope” reminded me of the continued prayers for all those in China who are suffering from the effects of the recent earthquake.  I am particularly mindful of those who stand at the edge of the rubble waiting with hope for the survival of their loved ones.  I pray that they may find courage while waiting on the edge of life with hope.

 

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Two weekends ago I heard an interesting news report from a New York Times article about non-Christian discrimination in the military. A soldier, who has served in Iraq, was being discriminated because he was not a Christian. He is an athiest and chose not to participate in a squadron prayer. As a result he was ostracized, threatened, and eventually passed over for promotions. Another soldier, of the Jewish faith, experienced discrimination at a military academy because he was not a Christian. The article did state that the military has general regulations that call for a respect to the rights of others for their religious beliefs including the right to have no belief. What the report highlighted for me is the issue of respect of all religions and faiths, not only in the military but in all institutions and aspects of our culture. There seems to be a gap between what is written on paper and what is lived in the lives of people, especially Christians. Apparently, we, as Christians, have a long way to go in "walking our talk" in truly loving all people, regardless of who they are. Bottom line is that we are called to love all people even if they wear a different color "Jesus t-shirt" than we do, and especially if they wear a different color "t-shirt" altogether (be that Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Bahai, as well as atheist or agnotic). The call to love is a great challenge indeed.

Here is the link to the NY Times report:


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/us/26atheist.html?ei=5070&en=a6fc172c1b276124&ex=1209873600&adxnnl=1&emc=eta1&adxnnlx=1209388636-x9RkfkTqqKkQ8L2kAwOtUA


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