« December 2009 | Main | February 2010 »

January 29, 2010

January 30 Message - Open Doorways

doorway.jpg

" The world is full of people who have never, since childhood, met an open doorway with an open mind"

E. B. White

An open doorway is a metaphor for opportunity and a new beginning. In order to even consider going through a doorway, one must first see that it is there. How many doorways have you missed in your life? How many would you have gone through if you had seen them? How many did you see but assume were locked without even checking? How would your life have been different if you had walked through some of those doors?
A few gifted souls are very adept at discerning the open doorways provided to them. Many more, though, are blinded to what is readily available to them and see a brick wall instead of an open door.
They are either  too indifferent or too confused or too wounded to be able to  see the doorways, make the correct choices and walk into the light.
Today's message is about doorways... and choices

Opening Blessing

Essentially this lesson is about choices so let us begin by choosing to bless ourselves and each other with love.

 

 Message

Once in another world in another time, there lived a little stranger who wandered lost in a strange land. She had once been a wild nomad who roamed freely on an island paradise. That carefree existence ended, however, when she was exiled to the cold, dark land of the giants. In this dismal new existance, she carried many heavy burdens on her back. The burdens slowed her down but she was not overcome by them because though she was small, she was very sturdy. Yes, she occasionally had to pause to shift the weight on her shoulders, but she would lift her head high, pull her dark curls out of her eyes, take a deep breath and trudge on.

Onward she plodded...ever onward. She refused to stop her journey because she carried a hope in her heart. She hoped to somehow return to the land of her childhood and find her paradise again. She thought that if she could find her way back, the burdens would evaporate. Then she would be free, full of joy and light-hearted again. Not too light, of course....not so light that she could fly. The little stranger had once believed she could fly. She knew better now. That had just been a little girl's dream. It had seemed very real at the time but, of course. it was not.  Noone can fly. A strange thing happened, though, once she understood that she could not fly, she stopped dreaming about flying.

Still, even if she could not fly, she would be content just to walk the beaches of her island once more. She would not mind being bound to the earth if she could just be free of the burdens and warm and happy inside again. That was why she continued wandering aimlessly along the rocky terrain of this foreign land. She had no directions, no map but she had a hope. So she kept walking and kept looking. She was searching for something familiar....the smallest sign that she was getting closer to her goal. She looked in every direction but there was nothing. Everything in the land of the Giants was grey and cold and hard. There was no tropic sun...only clouds and mist. There were no gentle tradewinds...only icy, cold blasts that stung her face. But she continued on bravely and kept searching.
The more she wandered, the more lost she became. She met others along the way and asked them if they knew the way to her island. They were no help. They were just as lost as she was.  Some were giants and some were strangers like herself. Everyone went their own way for there were no paths to follow.  Sometimes a few lost souls would try to band together but these unions never succeeded. Even when traveling in groups, everyone was alone. Everyone carried burdens that were so large and cumbersome that they prevented any closeness.
One day while she was trudging onward, the little stranger began to wonder if there might be another way. She had following the same course of action for so long with no result in sight. But what else could she do? She knew her island was not behind her because she has already been that way.
Staying in one place would not help her get any further. Resting was not an option in the land of the giants. The little stranger knew the dangers of resting. The giants warned her that those who rest are lost forever. She had seen it with her own eyes. Strangers would be overcome and decide that they did not want to participate any more in this wearisome journey. The moment they stopped, they suddenly disappeared and were never seen again. It was as if they mysteriously evaporated into nothingness.
As the little stranger was pondering her options (or rather, her lack of options) tears came to her eyes. She was so used to tears by now that she did not even notice they were there until she tasted the salt in her mouth. She thought about the days long ago before she knew how to cry. She thought of one very special night when she flew into the heavens and met star children. She remembered how she had felt a part of them....the joy of belonging to a greater whole. It was the first and only time in her life that she KNEW she was a part of something bigger than herself. She found her place in the universe and was enveloped in its love. 
Her soul ached to commune with the heavens again.  Then she remembered that the night with the star children was only a dream. It had to be a dream because little girls cannot fly. She felt more alone and isolated than ever. 
At that moment, she cried out without words. It was not her voice crying. Her soul was crying for her. "Father...Mother...Help me."
A small, still voice answered her cry softly....ever so softly. It sounded like the faint rustle of leaves in a gentle breeze. She thought she recognized the voice but she could not quite make out what it said. She listened harder.... Where is it coming from?  She looked around. No one was there. She listened again to try to find the direction of the voice. It whispered lightly. The voice was soft, peaceful...so soft that even her own footsteps drowned it out. She was so mesmerized by the sound that she did something she would never normally do.  She stopped walking and stood very still to hear the voice.
Once she stopped moving she could hear what it said. It whispered quietly, " There is a Way." The hope inside her grew stronger because now she could recognize the voice. It was the same voice that would call to her each morning when she lived in paradise. It was her Mother, the Wind.  As soon as she recognized the voice she felt a familiar warm glow flow over her. For whenever Mother Wind calls, the presence Father Sun is near by.
"Mother, is that you? Where have You and Father been? Mother Wind replied we have been right here all along. The little stranger was perplexed. " Why have I not heard you before? Mother Wind reminded the little stranger that she had alway heard her Mother and Father best when she was resting quietly and it had been a long long time since the nomad had stood still. The nomad then remembered that she  had stopped moving and yet she had not disappeared. Maybe the giants were wrong? Maybe standing still was actually the way to paradise?
The little stranger looked around expecting to be on her green island again but all was grey and cold. "Mother...Father....where are you? Where is the Way?" She looked all around herself searching for a path to reveal itself. The voice said, "No, you are looking in the wrong direction...what you see was created by lost souls. Our Way is different you can not see it with your eyes. You must see it with your heart. Close your eyes....look with your heart."
She closed her eyes and saw an open door filled with light. But her heart was wounded and it's vision was no longer pure. She could only see fuzzy outlines in the light. Mother Wind reminded the little nomad that the wounds were there only because she chose to retain them. "Let them go, little nomad. Do not accept them any more" The little nomad asked, "How can I ever let them go?". She had tried before but the wounds kept returning. Mother Wind sighed one word. "Forgive" The little nomad opened up her heart and let the word enter in. She forgave the giant who first wounded her heart. She forgave everyone and everything that had ever given her pain.  The wounds melted away in a sea of forgiveness. No scar remained and her vision returned.
The light became golden sunshine and the fuzzy outlines were the palm trees and ocean of her lovely little green island. It was still there just the same as she remembered in her dreams. Were they dreams....or reality...or was reality the dream? She had to know. She asked Mother Wind, Please tell me...tell me...am I dreaming?
Mother Wind said, "The island and the land of the Giants are both reality and both illusions at the same time." For you are standing in the same place you were before. The only thing that has changed is your heart.
Then the little nomad walked through the doorway into the light. She never to returned to the land of the giants because now she knew the secret. Where we live is our choice.
 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalm 46:10
14The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
 1 Corinthian 2:14 
3"Blessed are the humble in spirit,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Matthew 5:3
"The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."

Luke 17:20-21

Closing Prayer

Mother and Father call to us today. Show us the light within. Keep our vision pure and guide us through the door that you have already opened....the one that leads to the kingdom of heaven.

Amen


Posted by Reverend at 02:10 PM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

[ Yahoo! ] options

January 16, 2010

January 23 Message - Free Spirits Fly

 

bird fly

When you come to the edge of all the light you have known, and are about to step out into darkness, Faith is knowing one of two things will happen;
There will be something to stand on, or you will be taught to fly.


Jonathan Livingston Seagull 

 

I Believe I Can Fly

 

Once in another world far away from here and now, there lived a wild, little nomad. She was small but strong and sturdy. Her skin was a golden sun-kissed brown. She had dark curls, light blue eyes and a heart full of adventure. She lived on a small green island in the middle of a deep blue ocean. The island was a magical land where there was no winter.  Here the little nomad spent her days climbing cliffs, ambling along beaches and running through sugar cane fields. Her playmates were geckos and iguanas. When she was hungry, she picked bananas that hung upside down on the trees or broke off a piece of sugar cane and sucked out its sweetness. When she became tired, she stretched out on the warm sand while the tide creeped up the shore line and tickled her feet.
Sometimes there were rainstorms but this did not trouble the little nomad. She viewed each new experience as a gift. The storms brought pleasures that could never be found in the sunshine. The clouds filled the days with cool dark mystery. The rain washed everything new and clean including the nomad who would run out into the wetness with her arms spread out as if trying to embrace the sky. She would lift her face and let the rain wash over her. Even the stormy seas brought no fear to this pure heart. As the waves pounded against the shore, she felt only awesome exhilaration. No matter what the day brought forth, it always began with joy and ended with peace because the little nomad's heart created her paradise.
There were other inhabitants on the magic island. Some were small like the nomad, some were giants. Some lived in paradise and others did not. Our little nomad paid scant attention to any of the others...even the giants. She walked amongst them without fear. Two of these giants claimed to be her parents. She let them believe whatever they wish but she knew better. She was not a child of their world.
Her mother was Wind and her father was Sun. Each morning her Father would plant a warm kiss on her head and her Mother would caress her. Then they would whisper softly in her ear.  They would say,  "Come, little one, discover the wonderful gifts we have prepared for you this day." They would smile as they watched little nomad spring up from her rest and seize the day that was offered to her. The nomad knew how to wring every bit of goodness out of her days. Oh, but that was just the beginning... Yes, that was just the beginning. After the days were done, then came the nights. The nights were even better than the days. You see, nomads never sleep. Giants sleep because they do not live in paradise. Giants are heavy and tire easily. Their world is heavy and burdensome and they carry those burdens all day. So, at night they must sleep. While the giants slept, the little nomad went on her greatest adventures.
There was something about the night air. It was apparently lighter than the air of the day. During the night, the little nomad was able to lift her feet off of the ground and not have them come back down. Then as easily as taking a step, her body would float up into the air and go wherever she wanted. She could fly. She would soar up high into the sky until her little island was just a tiny green circle in a field of indigo. Then she would gently drift down and take a tour from above of her beloved beaches, cliffs, palm trees and sugar cane. Sometimes she would visit other lands but only the paradise lands of other nomads...never the land of the giants.
Oh, and how she loved flying! The little nomad loved lots of things. She loved everything, actually, but she loved flying most of all. Flying was the only time that she felt like her true self. She was free. So each day as evening approached, she would anxiously await the moment that she became light...lighter than air...and soar up into the heavens.
Then came the day that she made the terrible mistake.
It started out like any other day. The Sun kissed her and the Wind hugged her shoulders and set her out on her path of discovery. But there was a giant in the way. That is when she made the fatal error. Now, there had been other days that giants came into her path but she really never acknowledged their presence. She just politely ignored them and went on her way. This day was different. This day she stopped and spoke to the giant. That is when all the trouble began.
It is understandable really. She was distracted. She was not thinking about what she was doing. You see, the night before the little nomad had gone on her best flight ever. She had soared higher in the sky than ever before. In fact, she flew so high that she met some of the star children. She was awed by their beauty. Then she stopped in mid-flight. She recognized something in them. There was a resemblance to herself. Something there was like looking in mirror. It was not superficial. It was something genuine and deep. Ah, Yes, they shared the same hearts. When she saw their hearts, she recognized they were her family.
It was then, at that  moment that she understood what it really meant to be a nomad. A nomad is someone who is just passing through, traveling in time and gathering experiences. The truth came to her in a flash...she was not a permanent resident of the island. Though she loved her island, she did not belong there and someday ...someday...she would break loose and fly forever.  Oh, what a wonderful feeling it is when you discover you are a star child...to finally know what it means to be a daughter of  Sun and Wind and at one with the heavens.
She did not want that night to end. However, this little nomad still had many journeys left to complete. So she had to say good-bye to her kindred spirits. Dawn came and she drifted back down to her temporary abode on the island. But her mind was still in the heavens. That morning she was basking in the warm glow of her new knowledge. The joy was filling her heart to overflowing and she wanted to share it with someone. Then she noticed the giant in the path. He was the one who thought he was her father. She thought to herself, "Maybe I should share my news with him. Since he believes he is my father, he will be so happy for me."
So she said to him, "Guess what! I flew to the heavens last night and found where I belong!" She smiled an innocent smile and waited for him to share her excitement. That was her fatal mistake. She did not know that giants will never understand what it is like to be a nomad. This giant was no exception. He turned towards her with a patronizing look on his face. He smiled a cynical evil smile and said, " Silly little girl, you can't fly. No one can fly. You were dreaming. "
For the first time in the little nomad's life, she felt pain. The sharp words cut into her spirit like a knife. She wondered why his words had never hurt before. Then she remembered that she had never listened to them before. She pulled the words out quickly but the wound was still there and the wound left a scar of doubt.
The doubt nagged at her. She thought to herself that the giant was the silly one. Of course she could fly. She KNEW she could fly. She flew every night. But the doubt kept aching in her.  What was a dream?  What was a dream? That was a word she had never heard before.
It was the doubt that caused the little nomad to make the second mistake. She asked the giant, "What is a dream?'. He smiled his evil cynical smile again.  He looked at her with his cold eyes. He was happy. He saw the wound he had created. Now he would go for the kill. He wanted to take the burden off of his back and throw it on her small shoulders. He said, " Are you so stupid that you don't know what dreams are?? Well, dreams are pretend stories in your head. They are not real. Dreams happen when you sleep."
The little nomad breathed a sigh of relief. Now, she knew that she did not dream because she did not sleep. She was a nomad. Her eyes were always awake. She thanked the giant politely and went on her way. She would not be so relieved if she had know what had happened. The giant had thrown his burden at her and it had stuck. He did not get the relief he was hoping for, though. In fact, the giant felt even heavier when he left the nomad. Evil does not lessen itself by being given to others. It only multiplies.
That night the little nomad waited to become light and float up into the atmosphere. It took longer than usual and was not as free and easy. For the first time, she had to work at flying. She never flew as high again after her talk with the giant. This troubled her. The trouble created more worry and weighed her down even more. The more she was weighed down, the harder it was to fly. The difficulty flying at night would cloud her days. Her journeys had less joy.
Each day there seemed to be a few more clouds between her and Father Sun and a little more chill in Mother Wind. Their voices were not quite as clear as they had been in the past. At the same time, the giant's voices grew louder and more distinct. No matter how hard she tried, it became more and more difficult to ignore the giants. She would catch herself hearing a few phrases of their conversations before she could tune them out. Once she heard a giant say, "Pinch me so I can tell if I am dreaming." and the words pricked at the scar of doubt in her heart.
She would tell herself, " I know I am not dreaming, I know I am not dreaming". But what if there was a way to prove she was not dreaming? Wouldn't that be wonderful to have proof? Then the doubt would be gone forever. So she made the third and final mistake. She tried to use the logic of giants to prove the reality of the star children. That night she went on what would be her last flight for a long, long time. It was very difficult to raise her body off the ground. When she did manage to get up into the air, it was only for a moment or two and then she was back down....more like super long jumps than flying. During one of these jumps, she thought , "I will pinch myself now. If I feel the pinch, I will know this is real." She pinched herself. Her fingers went through her arm like going through air and she came tumbling down to the ground. She got up and tried to fly again. Nothing happened.
Something wet and warm formed in her eyes. Her vision blurred. The wetness ran down into her mouth. It was salty and sad. The little nomad tasted her first of many tears. The tears turned to snow and the nomad experienced her first winter. The island became white with snow. There was no more sugar cane. The palms turned into pines and white birches. The ocean became cold and uninviting. Even in summer it turned her lips blue. Her beloved beach turned rocky and craggy.
It would be many many years before the nomad would fly again. First she would have to wander in the land of the giants and carry their burdens. She never became one of them and that made the burden even heavier to bear.  Don't worry. The story does have a happy ending. She will find her paradise again....right where she left it...inside her own little wounded heart.  Stay tuned.

20Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Yeshua replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."

Luke 17:20-21

 8Blessed are the pure in heart,
      for they will see God.

Matthew 5:8

Father and Mother, let us look in our hearts today, remember again who we are.

and soar like eagles

Amen

 

 

Posted by Reverend at 05:05 AM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

[ Yahoo! ] options

January 08, 2010

January 9 Message - Flashes of Light

lightnings.jpg

There are rare moments in life when a light from beyond the veil reveals itself to our consciousness.

This flash of light imparts a new wisdom or insight that a was previously beyond our comprehension.

Some call these experiences  "intuition"...or gut instinct...or a synthesis of the sub-conscious. 

The scripture also has a name for this type of  knowledge. It is called wisdom. It is an understanding that comes without the aid of reason. It is imparted directly to our spirit from the Spirit. Today's message is about nurturing these flashes of light.

 

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. - Albert Einstein


I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. - Mark Twain

 

Call to Worship

Click below. Listen and recite the invocation in Hebrew along with the cantor.  Let the words resonate within you and prepare your heart to worship.
 Deuteronomy 6:4


Opening Prayer

Our Father and Mother in heaven
and on earth and within us,
we come before You this sabbath day
seeking to learn of Your wisdom.
We recognize that Your wisdom is often not well recieved or understood by our human minds.
So we ask you to help us look beyond our minds
and into our spirits today.
So that as Your children who called by Your name
Your values will be ours as well. 
and will guide us to a closer understanding of you.

Opening Hymn

Click below. Listen to the music, read the lyrics, sing along. Make this your personal prayer for spiritual insight.

Scripture Reading 


5 Get wisdom, get understanding;
       do not forget my words or swerve from them. 6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
       love her, and she will watch over you. 7 Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
       Though it cost all you have, get understanding. 8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you;
       embrace her, and she will honor you. 9 She will set a garland of grace on your head
       and present you with a crown of splendor

Proverbs 4: 5-9

 6 The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none,
       but knowledge comes easily to the discerning. 7 Stay away from a foolish man,
       for you will not find knowledge on his lips. 8 The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways,
       but the folly of fools is deception.... 33 Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning
       and even among fools she lets herself be known 

Proverbs 14: 6-8, 33

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
       the holy place where the Most High dwells.  5 God is within her...10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Proverbs 46: 4-5,10

28...I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
       Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
       your old men will dream dreams,
       your young men will see visions.  29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
       I will pour out my Spirit in those days. 30 I will show wonders in the heavens
       and on the earth,

Joel 2: 28-30

 

Message

There is a place most human beings rarely visit. It is the place in which Wisdom resides. It is the throne of God...the seat of the presence of the Divine.  A fountain of living water flows out from the throne bringing healiing and life. Father God...the Source of All...is the one on the Throne. Our Holy Spirit Mother is the fountain flowing from the Father making the Source...the Wisdom of God... available to all. Yeshua said that those who drink from this fountain will thirst no more. One does not have to travel far to find this place. It is in close proximity to every person all the time. The throne of God is within everyone of us. WE are the temple of the living God. Our spirit is one with the Spirit. 

Each one of us was created in the image of God and a spark of the Divine was instilled in our spirit. God is there, readily available within each of us all the time. Yet, man rarely avails himself of this Wisdom. Humanity has contented itself with occasional glimpses of the Divine. In fact, momentary flashes of perception are often treated with suspicion rather than accepted as Wisdom from the throne. We are suspicious because we have been told a lie for thousands of years. Power hungry people have place themselves in positions of authority by making others believe that God is not readily available.

By pretending to provide exclusive access to God, religious leaders throughout history have been able to hold firm control over their congregations. As children of the Divine, it is our nature to want to commune with our Father and Mother. Fear of permanent separation from God, motivated the masses to provide offerings, favors and unending service to the religious elite. So the people were told that God only lived in temples or on specific religious sites. The priest were the only conduit...the only access to God's presence.

This was not the Divine plan. In fact it was not even truth. The original Essenes separated themselves from the religious authority of their day precisely because they refused to believe the lies. They did not accept the Priesthood or temple worship. They continued instead to individually seek a personal knowledge of the Divine known as the Way.

Once an elite upper class has established power, however, is difficult to fight them. The lies that are perpetrated to keep them in control, become irrefutable and accepted as fact. Yeshua's mission was to bring humanity back to a personal relationship with their Mother and Father. Through his life, he gave an example for all of us to follow. He called himself Son of Man because he taught that what he did was available to every human being. He said, " I and my Father are one".

So, too, we all are one with the Father. The Light, the Knowledge, the Wisdom is within us all. But too often, we wall off the temple of God within us and do not access ourselves to the treasures provided there. We have only ourselves to blame. As Yeshua described in the story of the prodigal son, we separate ourselves from our Father and do not listen to our Mother. It is our own choice to go after the things of this world... the rational physical realm...rather than feast at the table of God.

Most people today want to validate their "hunches" with rational data. They are not comfortable drinking freely from the fountain and eating at the table of Divine knowledge. We have separated ourselve because we have been told a lie...we have been told that we must find our own way. Our Father and Mother are still waiting for us, though. They are ready to take us back. Yeshua's mission was to help all the lost souls wandering along the various paths and guide them to the Way. Yeshua reminded us the search is over. The Father is here. The Way is within us. No wandering needed. At the death of Yeshua, they say that the veil in the temple that separated the holy of holies was torn from top to bottom.  The symbolism was that now every man had access to God's presence.

The truth was that the veil was an illusion created by man. Man always had access. The separation was his own. Instead of being content with flashes of light peeking out from the veil, we can live in the light. We do not have to wander down any paths. Just be still. The temple is within. Listen and KNOW

.

 Place yourself in the Hand of God. Stop working to understand. Be still and know. Let go of what you believe and allow Father and Mother God to help you understand.  
You are a child of the Father and Mother. All that is needed has been placed in your spirit at creation.
Relax, let the veil lift and you will find yourself again.

Closing Prayer

Father and Mother.
We are returning home
We know you are waiting for us
with open arms.
The light is on , the door is open
We walk through now back into what is real, back to Wisdom
Back to the knowledge of who we really are
Back to You
Amen 

Posted by Reverend at 07:39 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

[ Yahoo! ] options

January 02, 2010

January 2 Message - Making Rainbows

 

Double Rainbow.jpg
The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the moldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the moldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In the story of Noah, the first rainbow appeared in the sky after the great flood.  The rainbow was a sign of God's covenant with mankind to never again destroy the world by water. This beautiful bridge in the heavens was created after a period of destruction and despair to provide mankind with a symbol of hope and promise. 

It is implicitly understood that rainbows cannot appear without rain. First comes the storm, then in the calm moments when the sun reappears, the rainbow is seen. Into each life some rain must fall ....and then the rainbow! This message is about enduring storms and then looking for...and helping to create...rainbows.

Call to Celebration

This is the first Sabbath of the new year. It is a time of celebration. We close the book on whatever storms that we endured last year and begin again. Let's celebrate the end of the rainy season and welcome the rainbow.

 

Opening Prayer

Our Father and Mother in Heaven,
You are the creator of the rainbow, the author of new beginnings
You are the one who gives hope after the storm.
As we begin this new year in the shadow of all the storms of 2009,
Show us Your rainbow.
Let us look beyond the rain and see
the peace and shelter that are found
under the rainbow of Your love.

 
Amen

Scripture Reading

  1 There is a time for everything,
       and a season for every activity under heaven,
2 a time to be born, and a time to die
a time to plant, and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down, and a time to build
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain
6 a time to search and a time to give up
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What does a worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-11

 

 

24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
Matthew 7: 24-27

 

  Message

Time is relevant and calendars are man-made utilities. However, according to the Gregorian calendar, the internationally accepted calender of our civilization, a new year has officially begun. Some purists claim that the new decade will not begin until the end of this year. However, popular culture has declared that the new decade began January 1, 2010.  It is a time of new beginnings, New Year's resolutions and fresh starts.

The New Year is a time to start over and we are ready! The world is anxiously searching for better days. We want to put the last decade behind behind us and move on. The first 10 years of this century were not kind. It was a very turbulent time. There were storms of all kinds. The beginning of this century brought huge natural disasters -tsunamis, hurricanes, tornados, volcanos, floods and other severe weather. There were man-made disasters as well - the world trade center bombing, the many terrorist actions, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the real estate crisis and the financial banking collapse to name just a few.

History reminds us, though, that turbulent times are part of the natural cycle. To everything there is a season. Our Father and Mother God have created consistent natural laws. Just like the cycle of human life, civilizations go through cycles of birth, growth, destruction and death. Nature, too, goes through its seasons. Each season has its own storms. After each storm, however, there are also periods of calm and sunshine. Here in Northern Arizona, we recently had an ice storm. It stormed all night long. The ice pelted down on the mesa and the wind blew in angry gusts. Power lines were torn down by the weight of the ice. Bushes blew across the roads. The next morning, however, the sky was clear and all was quiet. The sun rose over the mountains in a blaze of orange and pink. It shone so brightly on the icy snow that it dazzled the eye.

That sunrise was my winter rainbow. My heart was filled with calm joy and the peaceful awareness that all was well. At that moment I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be in life. Rainbows are the promise that better times are coming. Rainbows are the knowledge that there is a reason...that "all things work together for good."  And rainbows are everywhere. Rainbows can be made at will. Just shine some light through water and from the right vantage point, a rainbow will appear. In the storms in your life, whatever they are, shine God's light...Divine awareness...through the rain. Then if you have the right viewpoint, you will be able to discern the rainbow. Once you master the ability to see that rainbow, you can weather any storm. Serious illness.  Disease. Accidents. Catastrophes. Unemployment. Lost retirement savings. Death. Loneliness. Hardships. Personal problems.

Point of view is very important in seeing rainbows. You  have to have the right vantage point...to look at the situation from the right angle. Move a little in the wrong direction and the rainbow disappears. Yeshua says one must be standing on  a rock... a strong foundation... to weather a storm. Without the foundation, you will waver too much and the rainbow will keep disappearing from view.

 A couple of weeks ago, I was made aware of the importance of viewpoint and foundation when I started reading the book, Night. Night is a work by Elie Wiesel. It is an autobiographical account of his experience, as a young Orthodox Jew of being sent  with his family to the German Concentration camps of Auschwitz and Buchenwald. This book had come highly recommended to me and I was looking forward to reading it. However, it was so dark and depressing that I had to stop. I could not finish it. The recurring themes were Mr Wiesel's increasing disgust with mankind and his loss of faith in God.

Now, I suppose with all the horrifying situations Mr Wiesel had to endure, he was certainly justified in his feelings. However, his feelings were not inevitable. He did not HAVE to feel the way he did. His feelings were a choice of viewpoint. I have read other works by survivors of the Holocaust who choice a very different vantage point. Corrie Ten Boom wrote of her experiences in the book, The Hiding Place. She was a Christian who was sent with her family to a German concentration camp for hiding Jews from the German Army. She found a purpose for her life and a renewed faith in God during her time in captivity.

Dr Viktor Frankl was a successful Jewish psychiatrist from Austria. Like Mr Wiesel, he and his family were sent to Auschwitz. He wrote of his experiences in "Man's Search for Meaning." It is an incredibly uplifting book. His entire family perished in the concentration camp. When it seemed that everything had been taken from him, Dr Frankl found the rainbow in the midst of the storm. He realized that he had the singular power to choose his own attitude and no one could take that away from him. He chose not to hate and he chose to hope. He chose to survive.

Storms rarely announce their coming. Storms of life come with swiftness and can be devastating. They are unpredictable, capricious and create all sorts of debris. Survival depends on the right foundation and the right attitude. Only then will you have the vantage point to see the rainbow....the promise hidden in the midst of the storm.

 

Song of  Celebration

Time is relevant but in this culture we are celebrating the end of a difficult decade and the hope of new beginnings. As we look for the rainbow today, I have selected a song from my old home - Hawaii.
The singer, Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole, was a symbol of hope to native Hawaiian people.
Enjoy and share the joy of this video.

Closing Prayer

 

Blessed are You, Lord our God,
King and Queen of the universe
who have chosen us as Your children
taught us Your holiness,
Sheltered us through the storm,
Set us on a firm foundation,
and given us the promise
of the rainbow.
Amen

 

Finally, Happy New Year - 2010

May you have a very Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year...and Find the Rainbows

Posted by Reverend at 05:34 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

[ Yahoo! ] options


Hosting by Yahoo!