Pax et Bonum

The Online worship resource for St. James Parish

February 11, 2009

"Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for-
because unless we stand for something we shall fall for anything"
---The Rev. Peter Marshall---
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Not be all else to me save that thou art
Thou my best thought by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Attention: Spirit at Work

We have been tutored by the world around us to pay attention to signs; particularly traffic or safety signs. Caution: Men at work. Hidden Entrance. Slow. Stop.

We respond to these signs without thinking, for we know the consequences of not paying attention. Sometimes our attention to signs makes the difference between life and death.

Yet as we continue along in this journey on "this fragile earth, our island home," we often miss other signs that come our way: signs that tell us that God is at work. God, through the Holy Spirit, often communicates through our senses – through what we see, hear, smell, and experience each day.

In Debra’s article, you will read how her eyes were opened to the work of God around her. Sometimes an insight comes through an unexpected encounter with someone, or through a work of God in nature. We can never know how the message will be "sent" to us, but trust me, the message is there, for those who pay attention.

How do we become attuned to the Holy Spirit? How do we get the message?

Just like learning to read the road signs we encounter, our ability to hear God’s whisper comes through paying attention over the long term. Listen to the wind in the trees. Listen to the words spoken in church, the words of a trusted, faithful friend, a child or spouse. Read the words of scripture. Watch the "Book of Nature" which unfolds before us daily, and see what it has to say to you. Smell the fragrant scent of rain, and experience God’s love through people near to you.

As you grow attentive, you will find that what you hear and see holds different meaning, and you will begin to pick up the wind and breath of God’s spirit.

Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word.
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, thine own may I be;
Thou in me dwelling and I one with thee.

Healing Vision

O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
Psalm 30

Healing, as we often experience in the Biblical accounts, is about more than a change in physical reality, it is also about seeing.

When I cry to God for help in prayer, I am asking for a change of vision.
This is not to diminish physical suffering or physical healing, but most of us need new eyes as well. When our focus concerns only that which we can comprehend and see, we have missed the big picture that God is inviting us to enter.

Yesterday morning when I walked the dog around the Pathway of Peace,
my head was bowed and I was concentrating on the ground before me. All I could see was the path. All I could feel was the cold breeze..

Suddenly, I looked up and was startled by a brilliant flash of blue.
Two bluebirds rested on a birdhouse at the edge of the field long enough for me to notice what they were, then flew off over the field like pieces of blue sky come to earth.
In that moment, my vision was enlarged, to include the broad vista of fields, trees and sky.

We all have places where our vision is impaired. Fear of the future and certainty about the present can put blinders on the vista before us.
And God, the always expansive, longs to show us more.

I pray that this week you will look up from the path you are walking upon and see the beautiful horizon that God is offering.
You may be surprised, as I was, by a flash of brilliance.

Blessings,
Debra

High King of heaven, when victory is won
May I reach heaven’s joys, bright heaven’s sun!
Heart of my heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O ruler of all!
---Mary Elizabeth Byrne---

Daily Morning Prayer

Daily Morning Prayer

This Week at St. James

Prayers Etc.

For those on our prayer list:

In Closing:

Speak, Lord,
For your servant hears.
Grant us ears to hear,
Eyes to see,
Wills to obey,
Hearts to love;
Then declare what you will,
Reveal what you will,
Command what you will,
Demand what you will.
---Christina Rosetti---

Pax et Bonum,
Loree+

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