An Elder Pilgrim's Reflections

"When I look at your heavens,  the work of your fingers,  the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them,  mortals that you care for them?" (from Psalm 8 ) "Who am I, God, compared to all this beauty that you have made?” That was the question Shauna Hannan asked while driving through the Canadian Rockies … alone … in a blizzard … in a white car … with no cell phone reception.  "Who am I compared to all of this majesty and wonder?"  She knew she could get swallowed up by the strength and power of the blizzard surrounding her.  This was a cry of desperation as well as awe.  What are human beings that you are aware of them? The feeling of insignificance may happen much simpler circumstances. Behind the last church I served is an open field providing a vast view of the night sky. Often as I walked from the parsonage to the church for an evening meeting, I would look up and see this night sky filled with...

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. (from 1 Cor. 12:3b-13 ) I am a Celtics fan. That's probably the result of having three parishes in Vermont. One of my prayers is attending a Celtics game in Boston with a picture taken alongside a starting player.  I'm not well informed about plays and rules, but I've learned some players are more gifted in one position than another. I also realize the coach takes advantage of those gifts and utilizes a player in a position as needed. With a variety of gifts, some players are rotated off the court while others are rotated on. When playing together as a team and utilized well by the coach, the game goes well. When they don't, it doesn't  Gifts of the Spirit are like this.  In the Corinthian church, the Apostle Paul faced an issue about gifts of the Spirit.  A...

"You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake lead me and guide me, take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge." (from Psalm 31 ) Pennsylvania's rocks are known as "Pennsylvania Potatoes" For me, the meaning of "Pennsylvania Potatoes" is nuisance. Last Spring, I decided to plant some flowers. I began digging and the very first thing I hit below the soil was a "Pennsylvania Potato", a huge one.  It took more digging, prying, lifting, and finally moving the rock.  For my neighbor, the meaning of rocks was wall building. He and his three teenage kids decided to use rocks near the properties edge. It grew to a height of 3 layers and 40 feet long. For Joshua, the meaning of rocks was memorial.  In Joshua 4, after Israel crosses the Jordan river into Canaan. Joshua instructs the Israelites to choose twelve stones from the Jordan river and erect them as a memorial. He instructs the Israelites: “When your chil...

" If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  And I will ask the Father,  and he will give you another Advocate,  to be with you forever. (From John 14:15-21 ) The novel , Lila , by Madelyn Robinson is a memorable, distinct, love story. Lila is abandoned as a toddler, rescued by Doll, a young drifter, and raised in a poverty-stricken childhood with Doll's strong sisterly love. Homeless as an adult, Lila's shelter from a rainstorm, is a church. Lila and the minister marry, begin a new life, trying to avoid previous lives based on loneliness and abandonment. The result is a weak marriage based on shared loneliness to provide comfort and life in a tenuous peace. Being in love, according to Jesus, works far differently. First, Jesus does not abandon his disciples leaving them orphans on the doorstep of a commandment. Instead, begins by Jesus clearly defining the boundaries of that love:      “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have love...

"And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one." ( from John 1 7:1-11 ) My prayer life began with this simple bedtime prayer:      Now I lay me down to sleep,      I pray the Lord my soul to keep;      Angels watch me through the night,      And wake me with the morning light.     Amen. My journey continued as I learned the Lord's Prayer and finally the Church taught me the Collect for Purity . My basic conviction about prayer is this: God hears prayers: God answers prayers: in God's way: in God's time. For example, my daily prayer for our church, based on Psalm 126:4 is, "Restore her fortunes, O Lord, like the waters of the Negeb". I know God hears that prayer and answers it. I don't know God's way.  What will restored fortunes be? More members? New members? None ...