An Elder Pilgrim's Reflections

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female for all are one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28. I was raised to believe that all people who had tattoos were a lower class of people who had bad behaviors. Just look at some to the tattoos! That may have been true in the 40's and 50's, but I was only a kid and assumed my parent's prejudice was acceptable. Times have changed and I have come to recognize my parent's prejudices may have been appropriate for them, but no longer for me. I have come to see tattoos as an art form worn skin deep.  Everyone has prejudices and recognition is the first step to overcoming them. Fasting from prejudice may begin with prayer based on a psalm such as Psalm 139: search me O God, and know my heart: see if there is any offensive way in me.  Dr. Steven C. Hayes Suggests the following: Listen to and learn from people who hold different views, and be open to changing your own perspectives.  Focus on understanding the experience...

"Behold, I am doing a new thing;  now it springs forth,  do you not perceive it?"  Isaiah 43:19.  I'm writing on the first day of Spring. This daffodil is, for me, a sign that the harshness of Winter is past and it's time to plan for the new things of Summer.  Perhaps it will be to revisit a scenic or historic railroad, or to revisit covered bridges, in Vermont, or the coast of Maine. The daffodil reminds me as well that God is always at work, even when cabin fever increases the desire to get outside, brave the wind driven, bone-chilling temperatures and go for a walk. Spring says the bleak winter is over, mud season has dried out, sugaring commenced and new things under way. What new thing is God calling me to do? Where will God lead?  What new possibilities are ahead? What new thing is God encouraging me to do with my "Reflections" blog? Through whose voice will God say, "consider this "new thing"? Perhaps you are that voice: What would you ...

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! (from Luke 13:31-35 ) Cleland McAfee experienced the tragic circumstances of losing his two infant nieces to diphtheria in 1903. Reflecting on the grief he was feeling, he Composed, “There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God” For Jesus, that place would have been Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the world's center.  Jerusalem’s center was in the Temple, and the precise center was the Temple’s Holy of Holies. In the middle of a city full of clamor, the Holy of Holies was a dim, quiet place. Empty. Silent. The Holy of Holies was the place where God’s finger touched the wild, chaotic world and held it still. Some ancient texts signify the priest would enter that space, carry out ritual acts to bring the world back into balance, emerge and speak of the God Whose Name Is Mercy. Like all of us, I am seeking a quiet than is more than an absence of noise, it is an inner quiet where my soul ca...

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tested by the devil. (from Luke 4:1-13 ) I am a lover of dark chocolate. At Christmas, I order Santas, snowflakes, and homemade truffles from Snowflake Chocolates in Jericho, VT. So, my announcement of giving up dark chocolate for Lent was met with skepticism from the congregation. After Jesus was baptized in the Jordan and was praying, the heavens opened, the Spirit descended on him, and a heavenly voice said, this is my Son whom I love. The Spirit then led Jesus into the wilderness to be tested by the Tester. The first test comes while he is fasted by the Tester telling him to change stones into bread. By self-control, Jesus doesn’t. For the second test, the Tester says the world is full of enemies and danger and the Tester will fulfill Jesus’ desire for power to control. Jesus’ answer is to worship the God of justice and mercy The Tester...

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus, took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. (from Luke 9:28-43 ) Flying Mountain in Acadia National Park is, for me, and ideal place to pray because of the panoramic view pointing to the sea. As altitude goes, Flying Mountain isn’t the highest in Acadia, yet it is clearly a mountaintop on which praying is soaking in God through its silence and beauty. Surely, God is in this place. Peter, James, and John began a mountaintop experience by Jesus’ invitation to pray. Their mountaintop experience was very dramatic experience as Jesus’ face and clothes become lightening bright and Moses and Elijah appeared talking with Jesus about his exodus. The next day, upon coming down from the transforming mountaintop experience, a man approached Jesus asking him to heal his son. Jesus’ Transfiguration confirmed his identity, yet he still had to face upcoming challenges. Prayer is a transforming experience. For me, there cam...