Punching Holes in the Darkness

By Brad Henderson

The story is told that Robert Louis Stevenson, as a small boy, looked out the window one evening as the dark of night descended and found himself fascinated by the old-fashioned lamplighter coming down the street lighting the gas street lamps. "Look," he cried out in excitement to his nanny, "there's a man coming down the street punching holes in the darkness."

Itʼs easy to despair these days and to surrender to the cynicism within: the political process has all but ceased to function in its role of governing; the financial markets are extraordinarily volatile with each new day bringing the proverbial roller coaster experience for participants; communities continue to recover and rebuild from spring storms; young men and women continue to die in wars across the sea; Somali children die by the hundreds and the thousands because they simply do not have enough to eat. It is a difficult time indeed. So much so, that it has become much easier to point fingers and assign blame than it has to actually do something about the turmoil. But then, just as I begin to feel the despair setting in, I remember the following words from the Ancient Celts: “Better to light a candle Than to curse the darkness. ”

Those are words that thump me between the eyes, because, quite honestly, itʼs far easier for me to curse the darkness in whatever form it takes. But guess what happens when we curse the darkness? Absolutely nothing. It keeps on being dark. But what happens when we light a candle? We feel the same exhilaration as Robert Louis Stevenson as it punches holes in the darkness and we begin to see a path forward.

As youʼve heard me say before, I believe Godʼs second favorite word is “Yet, ” because the scriptures are clear that just because things are the way they are doesnʼt mean they will always be that way. Ours is a God of Hope and no matter how dark the days may be, the candle is being lit for us.

A Glimmer of Glory

By Brad Henderson

This past Saturday, August 6, was the observance of the Transfiguration of Jesus found in the ninth chapter of Markʼs Story of Jesus. It begins:

2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves to be alone. He was transformed in front of them, 3 and His clothes became dazzling-extremely white as no launderer on earth could whiten them. 4 Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

It is at this point that Peter almost loses his hold on reality, awkwardly offering to build everyone a crude hut for shelter (as though the Son of God, Moses and Elijah need his help). James and John are silent, apparently in a stupor born of what is happening before them. And if they werenʼt, they surely would have been when the cloud of Godʼs Presence unexpectedly settles on the top of Mount Tabor with them and proclaims,

“This is My beloved Son; listen to Him!”

All in all, an amazing afternoon for the select disciples, donʼt you think?. What do you figure they talked about as they returned to the valley below? Seeing Moses and Elijah, the great prophets? Seeing the cloud and hearing the voice of Godʼs Presence? Or the stunning transformation of Jesus in which the barely- contained divinity begins to sneak past his humanity?

More importantly, what might we take away from such a story? For me, it is a reminder that the fullness of God is barely-contained in the Creation around us. It is in the depth of space on a clear summer night. It is in the first birdsong of the morning. It is in the smiles of my children and the wisdom of my parents. It is in reflected in the mirror when you and I gaze upon ourselves.

The story of the Transfiguration is a nudge reminding us that everywhere we look, we will see the power and glory of Godʼs Presence. It may dumbfound us at first, but over time it will reveal to us once again the wonder we often overlook.

Today is Your Day

By Brad Henderson

Oh! The Places Youʼll Go! by the incomparable Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
Youʼre off to Great Places!
Youʼre off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
Youʼre on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy whoʼll decide where to go.

Today is your day.

I know it might not feel like it, especially since today is Monday, the most disreputable day of the week. After all, thereʼs been a whole weekend for challenges, uncertainties and assorted demons to gather their strength and make their plans for a full-on assault on you today.

But I repeat with Dr. Seuss: today is your day.

Today is a gift, crafted by the hands and breath of the God who calls you by name and loves you beyond your wildest dreams. Today was not crafted for worry, though worries will be around. Today was not made for sorrow, though sorrow will visit. Today was not made for regret, though that, too, will perhaps find its way into your heart. No, today was meant for joy, for the subtle reassurance that you are Godʼs and that while today might have its uncertainties and challenges, it is also gifted with possibility and potential. Just for you.

Whether we can actually choose our emotions is up for debate. Regardless, we can still choose our path, or as Theodore Geisel said, “YOU are the guy whoʼll decide where to go.” And todayʼs path is meant for your joy:

I have said these things to you so that my joy will be in you and your joy will be complete. (John 15:11)

Faith is not Belief

By Brad Henderson

“Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation. ”-- Unknown author

I am very thankful for the thoughts we discussed yesterday regarding upcoming worship themes and study topics. There is no doubt in my mind that these will help us as we continue to grow in and toward our union with the Triune God. But as we begin a series on saying what we believe in worship this Sunday, I want to emphasize the distinction between faith and belief.

What we believe proceeds from our faith, and faith, ultimately, is about a relationship in which we can trust. This is why the Christian perspective is so important: it is based on the human/divine relationship in which the God of the universe is not an impersonal force or energy, but an Other who loves us enough to be one of/with us.

Beliefs are simply the ways in which we express what we have experienced in this relationship. To put these experiences into words helps us to understand our relationship with God better, but words ultimately fail in describing the fullness of God. This is why doctrines are so very dangerous: they are an attempt to express the inexpressible, and because they do give us some minimal grasp of God, they become seductive. Churches and individual “believers” come to think that this is the totality of their relationship with god: an intellectual grasp of traits of the divine.

Notice that Jesus never asked the woman with the 12-year bleed to recite a creed; he never asked a recitation of the beliefs of the church of the 5,000 who received the gift of loaves and fishes; he never required catechism of the blind, lame, or deaf. Over and over again, he says the same thing: “Your faith has made you well. ” Not beliefs, not creeds, not doctrines, but trust in a relationship he offered/offers to human beings like them and like us in need of hope, encouragement, and love.

No Ordinary Time

By Brad Henderson

On the Monday after Pentecost Sunday, we began what is known in the liturgical calendar as Ordinary Time. Unlike other seasons such as Advent, Easter, and Christmas, Ordinary Time begins on a Monday, not a Sunday. Its color is green... and stays green for a looooong time, all the way to Advent. Being the longest season of the liturgical year, it is also the season in which pastors and congregations alike get really tired of green.

But what IS Ordinary Time? Contrary to its name, it is not “ordinary” in the sense of “routine” or “regular. ” It is “ordinary” because it is “ordered” and its weeks numbered.

“The Latin word ordinalis, which refers to numbers in a series, stems from the Latin word ordo, from which we get the English word order. ” (catholicism.about.com)

Ordinary Time is when we move away from the spectacular beginning, end... and beginning-again of Jesusʼ life that we observe at Christmas and Easter, while moving into the events both spectacular and mundane of his earthly life. It is the time of year when our own Christian life strives to live in the embodiment of his compassion, love, and commitment to the direction of God. As far as I am aware, none of us had angels and traveling stars attending our birth, and it is not yet time for our resurrection, so this is the time for us to engage the challenge of daily transformation. Whereas Lent and Advent are times for us to take stock of our lives and how they do or do not reflect Godʼs desires for us, Ordinary Time is when we do something about it. It is when we take our staff and journey to the places to which we might not venture on our own, and spend time with the people with whom we might not otherwise spend time, doing the things of God that we might not do of our own volition without Godʼs nudge.

And doing these things in Ordinary Time opens the door to do and experience life at its most extraordinary.