Holy Pneuma!

“When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.” (Psalm 104: 30)

Life beyond death….This Eastertide leading up to Pentecost inspires me to ponder God’s giving of the Spirit at Pentecost. It is just so amazing! To be so known and understood, to be so loved and provided for! Our human need for a presence with us after Jesus leaves this earth is a human need well known and understood by our loving God. So we are given the ruach (in Hebrew) or the pneuma (in Greek), the breath of God, the Holy Spirit, as our comforter, advocate, counselor and companion. Doesn’t that just take your breath away!! What a gift! The third part of the Trinity!

There are over 260 references to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. In addition to the Hebrew and Greek scriptures referring to the Spirit of God, Hindu, Taoist, Islam and Bahai faiths also refer to the Spirit as an agent of divine action. The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit and a universal symbol of peace as well. In Acts it is described as coming down from heaven into the room where the disciples saw tongues of fire! The Holy Spirit is both powerful and peaceful, communicating God’s power but also God’s sensitivity to our needs. God sent this spirit to create and renew. God provided this powerful reassuring presence in the cloud guiding the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. God sent the Holy Spirit to the disciples when they were despairing after the death of Jesus so they would never feel alone. And we have that same spirit guiding, supporting, and sustaining us. The Holy Spirit illumines the scriptures so we can apply them to our daily lives, prays for us when we have no words, communicates God’s grace to us when we have communion, and inspires forgiveness, outreach, and love at times when revenge, fear, and hate would be the most instinctual response. I love the Holy Spirit!

Spirit of God, you are the breath of creation, the wind of change that blows through our lives, opening us up to new dreams, new hopes, and new life through faith in Jesus Christ. Thank you, God, for understanding the needs of your fragile and finite creatures and responding with ineffable love in the form of your breath. Spirit of new life, forgive us and break down the prison walls of our selfishness, that we might be open to your love and energized to serve your children who are hungry for your Word of hope and care, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(For more information on the Holy Spirit and image copyright see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Spirit#Judaism)

Audio Recordings of our Worship Services at PCM

http://www.pcmorristown.org/503818.ihtml

Bill McChesney Still Lives On in his "My Choice" poem

My Choice
By William McChesney
(This poem was written by an American Missionary to the Congo, martyred due to his faith and US citizenship at the age of 28 in 1965.)

I want my breakfast served at eight

With ham and eggs upon the plate.

A well-broiled steak I'll eat at on

And dine again when day is done.

I want an ultramodern home

And in each room a telephone;

Soft carpets, too, upon the floor

And pretty drapes to grace the doors.

A cozy place of lovely things,

Like easy chairs with inner springs,

And then, I'll get a nice T.V.

- Of course, I'm careful what I see.

I want my wardrobe, too, to be

Of neatest, finest quality,

With latest style in suit and vest.

Why should not Christians have the best?

But then the Master I can hear

In no uncertain voice, so clear:

"I bid you come and follow Me,

The lowly Man of Galilee."

"Birds of the air have made their nest

And foxes in their holes find rest,

But I can offer you no bed;

No place have I to lay my head."

In shame I hung my head and cried,

How could I spurn the Crucified?

Could I forget the way He went,

The sleepless nights in prayer He spent?

For forty days without a bite,

Alone He fasted day and night;

Despised, rejected - on He went,

and did not stop till veil He rent!

A man of sorrows and of grief

No earthly friend to bring relief;

"Smitten of God," the prophet said

Mocked, beaten, bruised, His blood ran red.

If He be God, and died for me,

No sacrifice too great can be

For me; a mortal man, to make;

I'll do it all for Jesus' sake.

Yes, I will tread the path He trod,

No other way will please my God,

So, henceforth, this my choice shall be,

My choice for all eternity.

(Since we do mission work in Kenya, I wanted to know more about Bill McChesney. I have friends who go into the Congo regularly on medical mission trips. The following is an excerpt from an interview with Aldine McChesney (Bill’s mother) for a newspaper in Phoenix, AZ.)
“Bill was one of the happiest young men I have ever known. People often called him “Smiling Bill”. Sunshine seemed to radiate from his face and personality. He had things to live for and hopes for the future. He was well aware that it was dangerous in the Congo. He sent me a photo once in which he was in a very large cooking pot. He was smiling since the picture was a joke about being cooked and eaten by the natives. He had a girlfriend after he arrived in Stanleyville. One of the women missionaries took is eye. No doubt, he would have considered marrying her if he had lived long enough.”

When asked about the healing of her grief after losing Bill, Mrs. McChesney said, “I learned that when you grasp, you lose, but when you give to God, you gain. It took a while for me to give my son to God, but when I did, I gained so much.”

(To read the full interview, see: www.redgage.com/blogs/harcab/slain-missionary-s-mother-accepts-jesus-help.html)

The Gift of Tears

“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it…” (Luke 19: 41)

Jesus has risen indeed! Now what do we do? Let the tears flow…..

The Church of the Tears is a chapel, also known as Dominus Flevit, above the Garden of Gethsemane on the western slope of the Mount of Olives. Constructed in 1954, the church is in the shape of a tear drop to symbolize the Lord's tears. Large water jugs stand tall at the top of the four corners of the church to signify catching the tears that God still weeps for Jerusalem today.

This little Franciscan chapel is believed to mark the place where Jesus mourned over Jerusalem. Inside the view of Jerusalem looking through the main clear glass and wrought iron window is breathtaking! Outside there is a tree of thorns in remembrance of the crown made for Christ in his crucifixion.

The shortest verse in the Bible is, “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) But sometimes I feel silly when I tear up at commercials that show a child growing up, an abused animal in a shelter, or a lonely depressed person dealing with heartache. Yet, that is how God created us – to feel for others and empathize with the sorrows of our brothers and sisters. It is a gift to shed tears. By weeping Jesus Christ demonstrates how to deeply care for others.

Theologian and physicist, Rene Descartes, believed that the more loving people are, the more prone to tears. In his book, The Passions of the Soul, first published in 1649, he believes crying is a healthy way to release tension as well. I agree with Descartes. When someone apologizes for weeping, I typically reply that there is no shame in tears because they help to prevent ulcers!

Live as Jesus lived - with love and compassion for all. Do not become numb to the sad news of catastrophes around the world. Keep your faith and trust in God while sorting through the ways you can be the hands and feet of Christ to help ease the pain in your part of our troubled world. Pray for the world and let your tears flow for the victims of oppression and injustice. When the weeping stops we have lost hope and empathy for God’s creation.

For more detail on the Church of the Tears see: http://www.sacreddestinations.com/israel/jerusalem-dominus-flevit-church.htm

A few photos from our blessed Holy Land trip

Gorgeous mother, baby, and grandma after baptism in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

Western Prayer Wall on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem

View of Tel Aviv from Joffa

antique lamp above a restaurant door

Ancient ruins of Capernaum, the "town of Jesus"

On the shore of the beautiful Sea of Galilee

"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church......" (Matthew 16:18)

St. Peter's Primacy church on the Sea of Galilee

Beginning Lent in the Holy Land Without Fear

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters ... they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God" (Isaiah 43:1-3).

My mother and I are about to embark on a trip to the Holy Land with her Presbyterian Church group from Mission, Texas. Most people are thrilled to know an 89 year old would make such a pilgrimage. But recently when I told someone about our trip she said, “You can’t pay me enough to go to that dangerous place!”

Yes, there is the possibility of encountering danger when going into an area of turmoil and unpredictable strife. But there is also danger every time we get behind the wheel of a car or when we stay in front of the TV not getting any exercise. God calls us to be sensible and yet boundless in our efforts to serve and love others.

“Christian living demands that we keep our feet on the ground; it also asks us to take a leap of faith. A Christian who stays put is no better than a statue.” (Eugene Petersen, “A Long Obedience In the Same Direction,” 171).

My favorite part of our Presbyterian Book of Order explains that we are: “Called to Risk and Trust” (G-3.0400). “The Church is called to undertake this mission even at the risk of losing its life, trusting in God alone as the author and giver of life, sharing the gospel, and doing those deeds in the world that point beyond themselves to the new reality in Christ.”

It seems this Lenten Season is a perfect time for my mother and I to take a leap of faith and trust that we will be in God’s safe hands whether we encounter trouble or not. It will be such a blessing to see where Christ walked and ponder all he did in just three short years of ministry for the love of each one of us.

I hate to imagine how troubled I would be with all there is to fear on this earth if I did not have faith in the love of God to keep my soul secure in peace. Still in times of doubt and weakness, fears do creep in. When they do, it is good to read how others deal with their fears with faith in God. Akanu Ibaim of Nigeria wrote this wonderful prayer entitled:

Deliver Us From Fear of the Unknown
O Lord, we seek thee to deliver us from the fear of the unknown future; from fear of failure; from fear of poverty; from fear of bereavement; from fear of loneliness; from fear of sickness and pain; from fear of age; and from fear of death. Help us, O God, by thy grace to love. Fill our hearts with cheerful courage and loving trust in thee, through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.


A Blessing for Equilibrium

Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore,

May the music of laughter break through your soul.

As the wind wants to make everything dance,

May your gravity be lightened by grace.

Like the freedom of the monastery bell,

May clarity of mind make your eyes smile.

As water takes whatever shape it is in,

So free may you be about who you become.

As silence smiles on the other side of what’s said,

May a sense of irony give you perspective.

As time remains free of all that it frames,

May fear or worry never put you in chains.

May your prayer of listening deepen enough,

To hear in the distance the laughter of God.

~ John O'Donohue ~
(Benedictus - A Book of Blessings)

Fasting From Technology

It may seem to be a paradox to use an emailed newsletter and internet blog to encourage fasting from the technology that controls us, yet I invite you to join me as I consider backing away from using technological things that distract me from having quiet times with God. Constant use of technology such as the internet has become an “idol” to many in recent years. I rationalize that it makes me faster, more productive, and more connected to others. But I wonder if the real quality of my personal relationships are enhanced or diminished by my preoccupation with technology? I might have more relationships over the internet now, but how deep and truly life-giving and life-sustaining are they? Many psychological studies are showing that preoccupation with the internet is increasing marriage problems and decreasing intimacy in family relationships.

Beware my soul and be still! Where do I give my life away to the internet when I could be doing something more meaningful or better for my physical health? My curiosity could surf the net eternally, reading the answers to questions, looking at funny YouTube videos, reading updates from my friends on Facebook, answering emails…..

Thank goodness the Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday, March 9th! During the 40 days of Lent we are to ponder all that Jesus Christ sacrificed due to his love for each one of us. The 40 days are a reflection of the time Jesus spent alone with God in the desert preparing for his ministry on earth. We can also use these pre-Easter days to ponder how controlled and/or dependent we are upon modern technology. If it isn’t the internet for you, it might be that you have become a TV addict. It is very easy to watch multiple episodes without realizing 3 hours has gone by! I hope to utilize this Lent to re-prioritize my life so I can hear God’s words of wisdom and peace, reassurance and comfort. How do I unplug without feeling left out or non-productive? It will be good to learn.

Helen Keller once said, “Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.”

Regular times of silence in natural surroundings does the heart, soul, and mind good. My daily walks with the dogs inspire me to set aside more unplugged moments. When my cell phone comes along on the walk I find myself distracted by it and lose the “soul” time I could have had. Yet without it I sometimes feel like I’ve lost an appendage, it has become so much a part of me! This won’t be easy but I will challenge myself this Lenten season to take a fast from technology every Monday on my day off. 5 unplugged days out of 40 should be doable…. with God’s help. Join me in unplugging and renewing your mind during Lent 2011. I encourage you to keep a journal of your time listening to God.

My Lenten prayer is based on this: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to know what God's will is—God’s good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2 NIV)

(This website has excellent information about all types of internet addiction. See: http://helpguide.org/mental/internet_cybersex_addiction.htm) (cartoon from the New Yorker magazine)