What I want to share is how encouraging it is to remember God’s place and our place in Him. In prayer today I heard many references to the word place. As I continued to reflect on the many aspects of place and looked to Scripture, I discovered there are 792 references to the word “place” in the NIV version of the Bible.
God dwells in unapproachable light and put every star in place, stretching the heavens like a tent. Yet our magnificent, most glorious Creator also dwells with us. Isaiah 57:15: For this is what the high and exalted One says-- he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. Psalm 90: 1-2 A prayer of Moses the man of God. 1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. 2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. In the Old Testament there are numerous references to the temple with the Most Holy Place but God’s presence was never confined physically or spiritually. Moses was on sacred ground when God spoke to him from the burning bush and David exalted God as His place of refuge as expressed in Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. The prophets pointed to a time when the Holy Spirit would be poured out and God would make His dwelling within those who believe. Ezekiel 37:26-27 26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. 27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Acts 7:48-51 However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says: ‘Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? Says the Lord, or where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things?’ 1 Corinthians 3:16 New International Version (NIV)16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? Jesus promised that He is preparing a place for us to be with Him forever in glory. So, while we have to stay in place for the Covid-19 pandemic, God is with us and spiritually we are also seated with Him in the heavenly realms and look forward to a future place more glorious than we can possibly imagine. That is our true place and this brings me to: penitence as I ponder His purity, to praise Him for His love, power, presence, protection, good purposes and sure promises, and to a desire to proclaim His glory and share the Gospel.
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The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly neologism contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternative meanings for common words. The winners are:
Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs. (editorial note. Special significance these days) Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach. Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp. Gargoyle, olive-flavoured mouthwash. Flatulence (n.), emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline. Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms. And some more "Medical Definitions From CARP, Calgary Chapter" (Shared by Brenda Muirhead) Artery: the study of paintings Bacteria: back door to cafeteria Barium: what doctors do when patients die Benign: what you be, after you be eight Caesarean: section a neighbourhood in Rome Cat scan: searching for kitty Cauterize: made eye contact with her Colic: a sheep dog Coma: a punctuation mark Dilate: to live long Enema: not a friend Fester: quicker than someone else Fibula: a small lie Impotent: distinguished, well known Labour pain: getting hurt at work Medical staff: a doctor’s cane Morbid: a higher offer Nitrates: rates of pay for working at night, normally more money than days Node: I knew it Outpatient: a person who has fainted Pelvis: second cousin to Elvis Post-operative: a letter carrier Recovery room: place to do upholstery Rectum: nearly killed him Secretion: hiding something Seizure: Roman emperor Tablet: small table Terminal illness: getting sick at the airport Tumour: one plus one more Urine: opposite of you’re out. This is about week seven of isolation and the novelty of not having a schedule, having a far smaller ‘to do’ list and fewer appointments is wearing off. I feel I am in danger of losing my social skills and the ability to carry on a conversation with someone I am not married to or given birth to - strange times indeed.
Depression is a part of my makeup and something that has been part of my life since I was 12. It’s degrees of severity has waxed and waned the past 45 years. A guaranteed trigger for depression to really press in upon me is isolation. So, these seven weeks have afforded me a great deal of time to give thought to coping skills, emotional health and not caving into the heavy darkness. I am not afraid to be alone; I consider myself to have a healthy degree of independence and I do require times of quietness and solitude, but to live independent of others is not in my repertoire of strengths. I thrive on interaction and engagement. On the most difficult days I have planted myself in a favorite chair and read, while Jeff brought me cups of tea, I napped and now Netflix and I are on a first name basis. I long for the weighted darkness to be lifted and my energy to return. Last week, while perusing Facebook I saw the sentence ‘Living in Isolation’ which naturally caught my eye. I clicked on the link and listened to a presentation about a man called Father Walter Ciszek. Fr. Walter (an American Jesuit Priest) from a young age had a heart for Russia and desperately wanted to be a missionary there. To make a long story short (it’s hard for me): he got himself into Poland at the beginning of the war and in 1942 he was able to assume the identity of a deceased Polish widower and with that – ensured that he was put on transport train to Russia and there he began 23 years of ‘ministry’. I used quotes around ministry because of those 23 years, he spent 18 as a prisoner (the Russians were convinced he was a spy) and of those 18 he spent 15 of them in isolation in a labour camp in Siberia. Fifteen years of isolation in a cold environment (close to the arctic circle) with NOTHING: no books, no Netflix, no hot tea, no comforts of any kind, no friends, there wasn’t anyone even praying for him (since his family thought he was dead after years of not hearing from him). How did he survive in that environment for that long without losing his mind, his hope or his faith? It seems humanly impossible, which, of course, it is – humanly impossible - but not with The Father (Mark.10:27 NIV). In an interview (after he was rescued by the US government in 1962) Fr. Walter said what he lost in isolation was his self-reliance and he learned to completely rely on The Father – that is all he had and obviously all he needed. The tenacity of Fr. Walter to fulfill his calling in dire and unimaginable conditions, to encourage those he could and be a beacon of The Father’s love and remain faithful is a testament to the all-sufficient power of The Father. My isolation is pure luxury compared to Father Walter, I have a family who are understanding and sensitive, I have the kindest of friends who encourage and pray for me, I even have the comfort of worship music. After listening to his story, I was prompted to perhaps change my perspective and view my depression and this isolation as a gift. Perhaps view it as an avenue of moving from self-reliance to more reliance, to discover that when I am weak and lifeless (as in a horrible mood, cranky, feeling lousy & with the worst of hair days) that is an opportunity to experience His strength (2 Cor. 12:10 TPT), to learn that in these moments He is an absolutely giving Father, He can take what I throw at Him because He delights when I show up empty handed (that is when He can do the most), and His grace comes in one size – ABUNDANT – and that His love is LAVISH - not as little as possible as I used to think. Relying on Him does not make me less than I am, it doesn’t make me weak, it allows me to be all He created me to be, it allows me to be un-self-consciously my authentic self (Col.3:3 TPT). I don’t write this to downplay yours or my situations and come across as flippant and be saying, ‘cheer up, it could worse’. No, it is to say that if The Father can equip a man to live in isolation for 23 years and that man comes out holy and whole, He can and is doing the same for us in this pandemic of 2020. If this isolation for you is a time of anxiety, uncertainty, stress or depression, I pray that The Father will open your eyes to using it as a doorway (‘portal to God’s power’ as the Passion Translation says so marvellously) to deepening friendship with Him, use it as a time to rest and to grow into relying on Him, otherwise, it’s exhausting. Isaiah 50:10 “…. Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God.” Using the scriptures above:
Breathing prayer for sleep. (Deep slow breath in) Thou doest keep him in perfect peace (slow breath out) whose mind is stayed on Thee. Isaiah 26:3 True confession: I am not a morning person.
I am usually having a late breakfast just about the time most other folks would be settling into their favorite pew, just before the announcements and starting the first hymn. Before that late breakfast, I have typically had my first cup of coffee, and have read some chunks of Scripture, discussed same with my husband, and gone on to morning prayer, using either the BAS, or the BCP. (My "go-to" mp is the family prayer at the back of the BCP.) This is used as a way of telling Jesus what we are thankful for, what help we think we need for the coming day, lifting the many people we know who are needful of Jesus' touch of mercy and grace, and ending with "the grace". We have been thankful for the luxury of time to do these things in retirement. Now, because of social isolation and working from home, or even being laid off from work, many other people have the opportunity to read, and think about, the Bible. I encourage you to do this. If you're not sure how to get started, please consider these few bits of advice: get a Bible translation that you can understand. The Bible was written in ancient languages (at least two), and has been translated into English for many generations, so if the one you have isn't helpful, check out others. There are free Bible aps available able that can give you access to lots of them. The one we use at St. Aidan's is the NIV (New International Version), it's good. I have given many copies of NLT (New Living Translation) Bibles to new Christians, because it smooths out some of the awkward language but maintains the the essential meaning. Then, I would tell you to start with the Gospels, Mark is shortest, and please take advantage of the "helps" in your Bible, starting with the index (I still use mine for the more obscure Old Testament prophets). Now the adventure begins! The Psalms express our deepest emotions in prayer. There are stories, scandals, saints and sinners. Persistence helps, but the great thing is that Jesus WANTS us to read the Bible, and he WANTS us to learn about him and so he sends the Holy Spirit to help us. Isn't that great? "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding." Colossians 1:9.
"A different and unique version of a well-known praise song!" - Brenda During Lent this year, I looked for my book of Lenten devotionals by Walter Brueggemann, A Way Other Than Our Own. I unearthed the book last Friday, a tad late. Wondering if I wanted to tackle its challenges post-Easter, I realized we’re in Lent yet again -- called Covid. I follow Brueggemann’s daily devotionals with this “new Lent” in mind.
Luke 4:1-2a, Jesus’ desert time of isolation (sounds familiar?) is the springboard for Saturday’s devotional. The devil makes some irresistible fake offers. But Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, resists by the Word of God, effectually (if temporarily) booting the tempter out of His sphere. He discerned the lies, putting Satan behind him. When Pastor Dave spoke of the Spirit’s gift of discernment, his sermon and the devotional dovetailed perfectly. Discernment, one of the good gifts of the God the Holy Spirit, is for all of us if we care to receive it; eternity lodged in it as in all His gifts. He invites us to ask; He delights to give. Thus gifted by God’s Spirit, we recognize the chasm between God’s gifts and their counterfeits, see deeply into heart motives rather than surface glibness, and “test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1Jn 4:1b) or from false prophets which abound today. The choices become clearer in practicing discernment. Brueggemann: “Lent is a time for learning how to listen to the voices of promise and seduction … to hear better the true voice of assurance and to notice quickly the seductive voice of unfaith…” (p 8).We are at risk of following a voice that “mocks and seduces men and women of faith, making easy promises, issuing facile invitations, urging acts against our faith and identity.” We stand between these two voices. But, “We begin our Lenten journey [Covid isolation, distancing, loneliness, boredom, artificial communication, media fatigue, statistics] addressed by the remarkable assurance that the God who summons us is the God who goes along with us.” We might be tempted to opt for the easy, risky way out. But we decisively take this gift, given without measure, by “… faith that requires entering the danger zone where our lives are at risk.” We choose, we use, we reject lies – our own included. Brueggemann prays: “Teach us in this season how to listen to the voices of promise and seduction and how to tell them apart. May we hear better your voice of assurance and recognize its counterfeit, that we may walk faithfully before you. Amen” Have a discerning new Lent. Stay well in the Spirit. As we continue living with the impositions of social distancing and the inability to meet corporately, we will all feel a disconnect from each other and our St Aidan's family. To foster a greater sense of connection through increased virtual interaction, we have created this open Community Blog.
We invite anyone from our St Aidan’s community (yes, you!) to send encouraging content via written text, pictures, audio or video. Share your social isolation coping strategies, thoughts on what God is teaching you, humorous content to make us laugh (“...the joy of the Lord is our strength...”) and the like. All contributions are subject to a vetting process and can be emailed to [email protected]. |
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