|
|
Thoughts and Inspiration from our Priest . . .
|
|
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The most important gifts...Because
we wanted much that year
and had little. Because the winter phone
for days stayed silent that would call
our
father back to work, and he
kept silent too with our mother,
fearfully proud before us.
Because I was
young that morning
in gray light untouched on the rug
and our gifts were so few, propped
along the furniture,
for a second
my heart fell, then saw how large
they made the spaces between them
to take the place of
less. Because
the curtained sun rose brightly
on our discarded paper and the things
themselves, these forty
years,
have grown too small to see, the emptiness
measured out remains the gift,
fills the whole room
now, that whole year
out across the snowy lawn. Because
a drop of shame burned quietly
in the province of
love. Because
we had little that year
and were given much.
This poem came to me as part
of a mailing list that I'm on, and I thought it was beautiful. The notion that "the emptiness measuared out
remains the gift" is both real and in some respects, haunting. Emptiness is not often soemthing we seek and look
for, yet in all of its forms and in the myriad ways we experience it, emptiness is one of the greatest teachers of all.
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior, we realize that there are so many ways we need him to be born anew in
each of us. In welcoming him into our own experiences of emptiness, we can begin to see, like the author of the poem
above, that we are "given much". Peace to you.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Christmas and the Blues...Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ; This time of year is holy.
We reflect on God’s love for us in Jesus Christ and his birth as one of us. We reflect on
family ties, the warmth of love and friendship, and for many of us, this is also a time to be aware of the many gifts and
blessings that are a part of our lives.
For some of us, this time of year is also a time to reflect on experiences of loss and grief. This
can be one of the most poignant times of year for those of us who have experienced the death of a loved one, relationship,
a much-needed job, or other types of grief and loss. In many respects, that dynamic of grief folds
very well into the mystery of Advent. We know that there is something “more” to our lives as
we await the fulfillment of God’s kingdom. The “holes” left in our lives and hearts from
the experience of loss is a powerful sign of our continual longing for coming of Christ in all its fullness. To honor the fact that there are
those seeking hope and who may be finding this time of year a bit difficult, we are offering a “Longest Night”
service on Sunday evening December 21st at 6:00 PM. This service celebrates
the fact that, in Jesus, the light of God’s love continues to shine in the darkness we sometimes experience.
This service is for any and all parish members. We are also inviting the broader community.
The idea is that all who may be grieving or dealing with loss of any type can come together in prayer.
If you are not personally experiencing loss, you can still come and pray with those who are – a ministry of presence
is often so much more powerful that we know or realize. Please plan to attend. In terms of grief itself, there are
some specific “tasks” that are part of the grieving process. This is sort of an update of Elizabeth
Kubler-Ross’ groundbreaking work on grief, and is a model I presented to people when I worked as a hospice chaplain.
None of these tasks are one-time events, but we may well find that we re-visit them several times
during the grief process. They are: accept the reality of the loss work through the pain of grief adjust to an environment in which the deceased is missing emotionally
relocate the deceased and move on with life
Looking at our grieving as part of a process, and a journey, helps us to see that
the gift of life is precious, and that the empty places left inside of us by someone who has died are powerful signs and reminders
of the truth that we continue to long for the fullness of God’s kingdom. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote
that God keeps that place inside of us empty in order to remind us of the strong love and communion we share with each other,
even at the cost of pain. May God bless us and be with us in our grieving, and may this holy season be
a reminder of our longing, in so many ways, for Christ to be born anew in each of us as we look forward to the fullness of
God’s kingdom.
Know
that I am here to listen, offer support and to pray with you if this time of year brings with it struggles or difficulty.
The holy birth we celebrate at Christmas time is a powerful symbol of hope, new life and bringing light into darkness.
Peace
to you. -Fr. Scott
|
|
|
