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Pax et Bonum The Online worship resource for St. James Parish I feel as if God had,
By giving the Sabbath, Given fifty-two springs in every year. --Samuel Taylor Coleridge--
Who makes a clearing makes a work of art, Remember the Sabbath and Keep it Holy
Yet even as our labor is both God-glorifying, and God-initiated, it is so very easy for us to create, out of the good works of our hands, idols that remove us from God's presence. Perhaps the way that happens most often is in our predisposition to think of ourselves as indispensable. We do our work well; people depend upon us; therefore we don't have time to take the break we need to rest and rejuvenate. Our work itself becomes our object of energy and attention to the point that we forget to make time for Sabbath. In order to keep the Sabbath holy, one must first remember the need for it. Our bodies and minds, greatly connected to our spirit, need nurture, rest, and sustenance in order to function. We know that in theory; but do we practice that need for rest and re-creation? Remember your need for Sabbath, and give yourself this great gift that God has provided for his people.
O Lord, who art as a Shadow of a
Debra's Midweek Meditation
This week the readings, especially Romans, remind me of a hotter light-fire.
And
God seems to want the whole of us, not just pieces. Fire becomes both the refiner of our vision and the means of revealing the path before us. Just as God accompanied the Israelites through the wilderness with fire, God now accompanies us through our wildernesses with the fire of the Spirit. Nature echoes this truth in the beauty of the pinecone. Without fire to heat up some species of pinecone the seeds cannot fall out of the cone, therefore they cannot reproduce without fire and heat. The seeds are locked up within the cone, waiting to be released by the intensity of fire. There are places in our hearts that are locked up, as well. When we cling to hurts, and jealousies. When we refuse to forgive others. When we are sure we are right and won't even listen to those with another view. When we lock ourselves away from revelation we need to be opened by the fire of the Spirit. The passion of the Spirit will reveal fallacies in our thinking. The heat of the Spirit will refine our visions. With renewed minds and passionate hearts we will be able to respond anew to the invitation of love.
O Comforter, draw near,
Blessings,
Daily Morning Prayer: This Week at St. James:
Wednesday: 6pm Soup Supper;
7pm Lenten Series: "Remember the Sabbath and Keep it Holy" with Bishop John Rabb Prayers Etc.
Come Holy Spirit
For those on our prayer list:
For Laura our Seminarian, and Lyle her husband. In Closing:
May the light of God
Pax et Bonum, |
Wendell Berry speaks of clearing a field as a work of art. So is our labor in this world, a work of art, a testament of man's innate ability to create and govern; abilities that were given to humanity by God, to be works of art for God's glory.
Last week I wrote about the beautiful illumination of Grace within and through us as we seek the light of Christ.