JANUARY EPIPHANY

 

The Greek word, Epiphany, means ‘manifestation of God.’

God made manifest in our lives brings ‘aha’ moments . . . a new awareness within our journey with God as we are led by the Holy Spirit in our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

God, our Creator, creatively provides creative ways for us to embrace these epiphanies.

Psalms, canticles, scripture stories and songs relating to these stories are just a few ways God manifests epiphanies in and through us.

The story in the Gospel of Matthew 2 shows us another way God speaks to those who had no sources of scripture, no prophets and no way of knowing the story of the birth of the Messiah.

In fact, these astrologers from Persia worshipped the stars in the sky.

This refrain from our popular hymn regarding these Magi, these wise men, tells part of the story: “Star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright; westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light!”

As I shared on Christmas day, ‘in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God . . .  and the Word was made flesh . . . by the Holy Spirit planting his seed in Mary and that seed became sinews and flesh . . . and was born to us a savior, both human and divine.  “Thy perfect light.” 

God manifested a light that shone brightly, constantly, consistently in a dark world . . . born in Bethlehem according to prophecy.  At the same time a ‘perfect light’ was shining in the far east and beckoned with a bright light for all the world to notice, even pagans.  God is made manifest to all who are Curious, Respond to that curiosity, are Expectant and Depend on One greater than themselves. God is made manifest to all who are Open to Epiphanies.

I invite you to journey with me as we follow the Magi into new discovery, into the manifestation of divinity piercing through the dark of a pagan world.  

Story is one way God brings forth epiphanies throughout our journey in Christ.  Sometimes “story” in song seems to resonate more deeply than a story in scripture.  In the case of the ‘epiphany’ of the wise men, most of our theology we hear from song or tradition is not in scripture.  That’s OK.  It delivers the main message of God’s divinity, grace and love that leads us into his presence that brings forth epiphanies.  It’s up to us to be Curious, Responsive, Expectant, Dependent on God in the community of others and Open to whatever comes our way.

God spoke to a few wise men in a language they could understand . . . through a bright star.  A star that shone bright and long and led the curious to what their hearts long for.  This group of  Persians, living nearly 1000 miles from Bethlehem, were beckoned to the birth-star that seemed to say to them, ‘Come and See’.  Curiosity warranted a Response and the Response to seeing the bright star brought forth eager Expectation.

“Go Forth. Find the king who is beckoning you to come to Him and worship the Divine.”

Curiosity and Response seems natural to a seeker but actually embracing their Expectance  takes Dependence on one greater than us, the divine, as well as dependence on the guidance of the star.  Designing plans, gathering treasure to sustain them on the trip, plus making accommodation for a long absence is not easy.  And it’s not just three men.  It’s an entire entourage of leaders, their support staff, endless provisions and guards to protect them and their treasure.  They expect the  journey to be long, dangerous and difficult.  

They endured and they soon came upon a magnificent site: 

A large edifice shining brighter than the star they followed. Curiosity beckoned them to go to the top of Mount Zion. 

Is this the place we are to go to find the king?  Perhaps the large entourage camped in the valley below while a small contingent walked the road to the top of Zion and to the Jerusalem Temple.  Covered in gold for all the world to see, the temple was meant to attract passing caravans.  

When the Magi met Herod they asked a simple question.  “Where is the child who was born king of the Jews?” Of course Herod knew nothing and became upset.  After Herod spokel with the Priests and the Scribes of the people, it was revealed that the prophecy of Micah 5:2 had come to pass.  Indeed, there was a child born in Bethlehem who will be shepherd of God’s chosen people, who will become king of the Jews.

After King Herod questioned the wise ones regarding the time when the bright star shone forth, the Magi sensed they must move quickly.  It had been well over two years since they first noticed the star.  Who knows how long since the birth of this king.  

The bright star not only guided them to Bethlehem but to the exact residence of Joseph, Mary and Jesus.  When the door was opened to them one can only speculate upon the presence of the divine . . . a toddler.  Yet the power in that place drew them to their knees.  They worshipped the king they had hoped to bring back to Persia.  They had an Epiphany as the manifestation of God revealed the Truth.  

“God from God, Light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father, through whom all things were made . . .  a toddler . . . the Divine.”  

Who knows how much time had passed but God directed and protected at the same time.  While Herod sent out a decree to kill all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two,

Joseph and Mary were told in a dream to flee to Egypt and remain there until it was safe to return to Israel.  God made sure they received plenty of gifts from the wise ones to sustain them.  In the mean time angels swirled around the Magi and, in a dream, told them to skirt wide around Jerusalem and take another route back to Persia.

The message of God incarnate would remain in tact and the story would speak to all in Persia who were curious, responsive, expectant, and willing to worship the God of Israel and the whole world.  They would worship the same God who led Abram from Ur to the Promised Land.  They would worship the same God who directed David to draw all of Israel back to God, the same God who would now become shepherd of all, the Lord, Jesus Christ.

 In the same way God changed the lives of those Persian seekers.  Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, continues to change our lives forever as long as we are Curious, Responsive, Expectant, Dependent on God and pray to be Open to new epiphanies, the manifestations of the presence of God.  The first letters of Curiosity, Response, Expectance, Dependence on God and one another and an Open heart remind us of the latin word,  Credo, which means “I believe.”

Mary and Joseph believed.  The pagan wise men believed.  Do we believe?   God changed their lives and all to whom the story has been told.  Even Herod believed and reacted against God’s will to save his own ego.  It says in scripture, “Even the demons believed and shudder.”

Stay CURIOUS

Be RESPONSIVE to that curiosity.

Remain EXPECTANT for results.

Remain DEPENDENT God’s messages.

Be OPEN to what God has in store for us daily.

May we each travel with the wise ones as we explore scripture and glean new ‘epiphanies’ daily, weekly, whenever . . . for the rest of our lives.    

December Christ Mass

The following words were shared today as we celebrated Jesus' birth day.                                     

Christ Mass: Celebration of New Life! John 1:1-14

DeLIGHT in what you see and hear.  

Let’s celebrate the sights and sounds around us!  Let the trumpets blare.  

Let the light shine through the darkness.  

This is a time to stimulate all the senses as we usher into our midst new birth.  

The words in Isaiah and the Psalm remind us of God’s majesty set before us.  

No matter how dark the day, physically and emotionally, God reminds us of the Hope that was and is and is to come.

In the beginning the Word of God pierced the darkness with new light just as we pierce these dark days with one more lit candle through Advent.  

Today, we lit the fifth candle, the Christ Candle.  

Although the days are darker, we have more light to direct our path.  What if we had only five candles to pierce the dark of early morning or late night?  

What if we had no heat, no electricity, no light except from a brightly shining star on a clear night?  

That was enough light to draw the shepherds to the site of God’s only begotten Son, born of a virgin woman, flesh of her flesh, fully human yet fully divine.  

New life enters the world through a woman. 

In the beginning of creation God said, ‘Let there be light’  and Light shone in the abyss.

In the beginning God was . . . 

God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit . . . 

and They created through Word.

God said . . . and it was done.  

God began with Time and Space, created for us.  

Time equals space because time moves.  

Each word I speak uses time and that word enters into this space and moves into either your heart or the abyss.  

God spoke into creation all that we need to survive and grow and learn to live. 

God continues to speak.  

But do we listen?

God gave us choice: to listen to God’s Word and act upon what we hear or to ignore God and choose our own path.  

God speaks.  

We choose to be all in for God and live eternally or not. 

God, our Creator, created creation.  

God created creation to be creative and to create.

The Word came to us in the form of a seed planted in Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit.  

The Word, brought to her through the messenger from God, Gabriel, was planted in Mary only when she said, “yes.”  

Mary knew God intimately . . .  so intimately that she, like Joseph, interacted with God’s angelic messengers.  

God did not send an angel to change the world.  

God did not send a grown man to change our lives.  

God spoke the seed of life into Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit.  This ‘seed’ became flesh to walk with us, to talk with us, to be with us eternally . . . if we choose to invite the ‘Word made flesh” to dwell within us.  

In the beginning . . . was the Word . . . and the Word was with God . . .  and the Word was God . . . and the Word became flesh . . . this tiny baby . . . helpless . . . in need of others to survive . . . filled with God’s presence yet totally human . . .  dependent upon 24/7 care.  

This babe was nurtured not only by a loving human family but also through the divine family of God.  

God’s Word, the Light of God, pierced a dark world and continues to pierce hearts of those who seek God’s presence.

And so we celebrate Christmas, the Christ Mass, annually as well as every Sabbath.  We all know the story yet we anticipate the celebration of Christ’s birth as if it were a new awakening.  

And it is.  

Today is a new beginning . . . of our walk with Jesus, . . . of our connection to God incarnate.

God purposely became touchable, embraceable and relatable. The living Word of God spoke our language and walked an impossible path to show us we could do the same.   

Jesus, the Christ, became the new covenant through relationship. 

God incarnate walks with us eternally if we choose to submit our entire life to God.   

Covenant relationship means that God will never let go of us even if we choose to turn away from God. 

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God . . .  and the entire community of God works as One to guide all who chose to cling to God.

God Among us became God With Us, Emmanuel, in full accordance with words of the prophets.  

God with us, the Messiah, pierced the darkness for us, became the new beginning so we could have a new beginning.  

God’s story of new life through his Son, Jesus Christ becomes our story.  

As we cling to the Word made flesh and digest God’s words we learn to live out our own story in Christ Jesus.

Through our own immersion into life with the Word and in God’s word, our heart become fortified to withstand the joys and challenges of life.  

By living life in Christ, by living according to God’s plan for each of us, by simply trusting in God in the flesh, Jesus, the Christ, we become part of the larger story and can share with others how God has dwelt among us. . . . how the Lord’s presence fortifies us each day. 

Each time we allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, each time we celebrate God in the flesh, Jesus, the Christ, we are open to God’s direction.  

God wants us to spread the good news of the “Word made flesh”, “of  God with us”.  

Let’s enJOY a new beginning in our Christian walk as we share the miracle of new life in Christ and everlasting covenant with God.  

Merry Christ Mass!

NOVEMBER NUMERATIONS

We are settled in our winter place down south but this time of year we tend to remember the gifts given to us in our northern climate.

We are so Thank-Full for all those who have helped and continue to aid in hurricane clean-up.  We did fine but so many of our friends are still repairing and replacing.

     Gratitude swirls around us as we remember God's beauty surrounding us all year long.

As I linger in the sunshine of our winter abode, I recall fond memories of our summer place..

We give thanks for  flowers . . .  fresh or embroidered, following a fence or surrounding  St. Francis in our front yard.  Mums piled with pumpkins and surrounded by corn or a field of orange as far as the eye can see.

Mums and more mums.

In a cart or in a field.

Apples spilling into our basket,

ripe and ready to eat.

Hubby and I have been blessed beyond belief and we thank God each and every day for simply being alive.  

Hard work and good planning are only part of the reason we are able to live in two different places. 

We simply face life head on, deal with good days and bad days, and rejoice in God's abundance for us.

We give what we can of our time, our talent and, of course, our shekels.  After all, everything we enjoy is not ours to keep.  

Pocket change is a treat for so many.  Giving what we have to others seems to bounce back to us in greater abundance.  

We find we cannot out give God no matter how hard we try. Yet, it is not just the giving that is important to me.

Prayer is the most important part of my life and, unfortunately, does not take as much priority as it should.  Prayer: conversation with God.

All too often, I am doing all the talking.  God cannot touch me with Holy Spirit wisdom when I am chatting about whatever is front and center in my heart.  Yet, this is where God's grace is so endless.  If my endless chatting to the Lord keeps me in continuous connection with him, all the better.  That's why God came to us in human form, through Jesus, the Christ.  "God with skin on" Jesus, invites us into intimate conversation all day long . . . and all night long if that's what it takes.

Eventually, my soul comes to rest having spilled out all my concerns for self and others.  Eventually, I can simply sit in silence and wait upon that intuitive 'sense' that is able to 'listen' to the Holy One speak to my heart. 

 Only when I have spilled my woes out to the fullest or shouted my joyful thanks to the heavens can I rest in The Presence. 

God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit is in me and speaks into my soul when I choose to open myself to the prompts of The Presence.

Thank you, Lord, for letting me moan and gripe and then, when I am empty, fill my soul back up with gratitude. 

Thank you, Lord, for fond memories that continue to swirl through me as I extend my chatty moments with You.

Thanks you that, finally, I can rest in silence and listen for those grace-filled whispers from You that fill my soul and direct my path.

I give THANKS with a grateful heart . . . 

OH OCTOBER !

 So long, September, as storm Ian swirled through our southern home.

Hello October with visions that prompt despair.

Wind and water swooped in and picked up all in its path.

Boats and cars flipped through the air to land on highways.

Board and batten, old wooden homes, sprayed and flattened into nothing.

Wet upon wet, four to six feet high.

Soaking floors and walls until they fizzle and disintegrate.

Trees flip and buckle and rip up whole yards.

They miss homes but smash cars that now look like weak tin cans.

Prized possessions turn to dust.

Pictures and papers soak in mud.

“Never been through one this bad,” says a native Floridian

“I’m tough.  I’ll rebuild,” says another.

The ‘new’ ones say, “No more, we are done,” and make plans to move back north.

Paradise can only last so long before we are hurled into another storm.

Those who have been through many of these simply scratch our heads and say, “Thank you, God, that so few were killed.”  

Thank you, God, that we can clean up and rebuild our tiny abode in Paradise.

Hubby and I are blessed.

Our abode is safe.

We were not there to hear the endless screeching wind that never stopped.

We are safe.

We will return to paradise when streets are clear, when curfew is lifted, when safe water can flow again.

And then we will help those around us as we all . . .

regroup, 

rebuild, 

re-imagine paradise . . .  

until it happens again.

Oh October!

Although there was extensive damage on the West coast after hurricane Ian, help was 'staged' near Miami on the East coast, ready to go west when it was safe.  Because billions were spent over several years to enhance the "Power Grid" in Florida, electricity was, and continues to be, restored at record speed.  Even the hardest hit areas have some access to power and cell. 

SEPTEMBER SYMPHONY

 

A Symphony might be comprised of strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion instruments.

Symphonies bring forth sounds that are meant to move both heart and soul.

Sitting in a grand symphony hall I not only hear unique melodies but I also watch carefully as each musician provides a measure that adds to an explosion of my senses.

The strings may carry the tune for awhile before they pass it to another section. The percussion may maintain a steady beat or might even jolt us awake with its tympani.

No instrument stands alone throughout each masterpiece. 

A symphony is meant to impact each of us through the variety of instruments that blend with one another to complete the composition.

I listen to varied notes and tones as they weave their refrain through each set of instruments and bring forth a plethora of beauty.

In my mind, a good symphony draws from the designated composition a colorful mix that seems to translate into a tapestry of color.

In the same way the changes in weather that come forth in September offer that same symphony of  sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and so much more.

This year our very dry summer welcomed a two-day splash of rain that brought cooler temperatures at the beginning of the month.

Just a splash.

All done.

It was enough to soak the roots of our forty foot tall Leland Cypress that reigns over our small back yard and towers over the meadow below.

This splash of rain was just enough to welcome the rose and peach Echinacea I planted for Fall.

It was enough to soak the peach, gold and maroon Mums planted to replace wilting Hasta.

Rain cleans the air and seems to refresh everything it touches.

Temperatures drop and winds blow cold.

What happened to summer?

An autumn glow pops above the layers of green that mingle with our roses and winterberry bushes filled with berries ripening to bright red.

A tangled mess of Oregano, Russian Sage, Spearmint, Tarragon and Chives that weave through our gloriously colored bushes look as if they belong that way.

 

Our meadow, about forty feet down the hill from our garden, adds a jolt of color as weeds begin to bloom in majestic golds and yellows.  This maze of foliage dances around a few twenty foot tall trees in the middle that sprang up unintentionally.  The entire meadow comes alive with new sounds and magnificent color in September.

Cicada sounds kept us company all summer. 

When the rain came their sounds died back but now we hear very loud Cricket sounds that never stop.  Some nights the noise is so loud I linger a little longer before falling asleep.  When I wake in the wee hours of the morning I am greeted by their never-ending rhythmic screech.   

So why do I think of this seasonal change in the garden as if it were a melodious symphony?

I am reminded of God’s creativity in creation.  

God gives a few people the gift of creativity as notes are laid out on paper and then, in time, translated to various instruments.  In turn, these instruments, when working together in harmony, give those who listen a beautiful gift of music.

In the same way, God’s creation in a variety of seeds brings forth that same symphony for the senses in my garden. 

Seeds planted.

Blooms born.  

A variety of seeds spring forth varied shapes and colorful blooms that slowly grow and mature. 

The vibrance of Spring fades a little in summer but returns with a renewed brilliance by September.

These fall colors remind me of God’s power to give us more than we could ever ask.

Symphony Sounds and seasonal garden colors work together.

I listen to a symphony as my eyes gaze on my garden’s September brilliance. 

I grasp each moment with every one of my senses and plant God’s beauty in my mind as a treasure to cherish.

All my senses are, indeed, a treasure.

For instance, I am very myopic and cannot see detail easily even with glasses.

Yet, I see the blaze of color in the garden.

My hearing is more pronounced as I listen to the whirr of insects, birds and butterflies flitting about.

I love to taste my herbs as I pick them for flower arrangements and for drying.

Taste and touch seem to work together as my senses embrace the surrounding sights.

My need to pay attention to the changing beauty around me has not come easily.

I tend to get stuck in details and linger too long on the computer.

My friend, who is losing her sight, reminds me to look up at the clouds and trees, to linger just a little longer in the garden and drink in beauty that will remain in my heart long after the garden has died.

In the same way, I concentrate on the melodic refrain of a symphony and tuck the chain of notes into my heart as I hum these woven threads of beautiful sounds.

No matter the ‘symphony’ I am reminded to appreciate the senses God gave me to absorb the beauty that surrounds me.

Each month is precious but right now I delight in the September symphony that surrounds me as cool breezes wrap around me.

I’m reminded of the verse of scripture, “Delight in the Lord and what He wills for you and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

My heart swirls skyward as I seek a deeper desire for God’s will to direct this September symphony that sings in my soul.