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The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

The Fourth Sunday in Lent

 

… At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance…

T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

 Like a tent in the wilderness, God’s table stands ready;

A place of sanctuary and safety, of hospitality and healing.

 Come, all you who are tired and travel-stained, footsore and famished;         

Come with your fellow travelers to find companionship and comfort. 

Jesus waits to meet us here and welcome us in,

Offering rest and renewal, solace, and strength, for the journey still to come.

 

Opening Prayer

Lord, help us to see: to see what is eternally good and true, and having seen, to go on searching until we come to the joys of heaven. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Gospel                                                                                                 John 9:1-41

As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.” The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore, his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out. Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”

 

Poem: “Beyond Our Sight”                                                          by Louis Ginsberg (b. 1895)  

There is a light beyond each fence;

There is a light behind each rose,

As if to the benighted sense

Some hidden intimation glows.

What burning rumor lights the air?

On every stem it glitters quick;

It uses every grass-blade there,

As if it were the richest wick!

What glory blazes us a clue,

As its authentic brilliance plays

Upon the earthly symbols to

Our poor uncomprehending gaze?

Meditation

The healing of the man born blind tells a story of personal transformation through an encounter with Jesus. Like other stories in John’s gospel, especially the woman at the well and the raising of Lazarus, this encounter and transformation operates powerfully on material, metaphorical and spiritual, and theological levels. The man born blind is actually healed; his physical sight is restored. Jesus dismisses the damaging notion that physical illness and disability is a result of sin. And the man’s physical sight is the entry point into a profound and life-changing revelation: Jesus is the light and salvation of the world.

The poem offers us a moment to reflect on the glory hidden and revealed within and beyond the things of earth. This glory, we claim as Christians, dwells within the person of Jesus and is revealed not only in the transfiguration and on the cross, but in his healing and liberating encounters with all of us.

The healing of the blind man is more than a symbol; it is a sign that partakes of the truth it reveals. Like the man whose sight is restored, all of us can find our way to deeper meaning, freedom, and peace when we “see” Jesus.

 

Questions for Reflection

When have you seen something in a completely new way, as if your sight had been restored?

Have you had an experience of seeing the glory hidden in the natural world, as it blazes forth for a moment? Have you had an experience of seeing the healing power of Jesus at work in your own life, or the life of someone you know?

The hymn “Amazing Grace” draws its most powerful images from this story and the story of the man with two sons. “I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see,” is a simple and profound expression of our reconciliation with the holy one, and with the holy in all things. You might want to recall a moment when this hymn has been particularly meaningful to you.

Prayers

We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered today

We bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayer

We bring to God a troubled situation in our world

We bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trust

We bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affection

We offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our lives

We name before God those who have died.

 

Gracious God, you hear all our prayers: those we speak aloud, those we hold in our hearts, and those prayers for which we have no words. Hear the prayers of your people, and grant them as may be best for us, for the sake of your holy name. Amen.

Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.

May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.

Reflections this month offered by: Rev’d Elizabeth Randall

The poems and meditations this season are the last from our Rector as she is retiring later this Spring. Thank you Mthr. Elizabeth for your years of wisdom, and insight.  

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The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

The Second Sunday in Lent

 

… At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance…

T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

 

 Like a tent in the wilderness, God’s table stands ready;

A place of sanctuary and safety, of hospitality and healing.

 Come, all you who are tired and travel-stained, footsore and famished;         

Come with your fellow travelers to find companionship and comfort. 

Jesus waits to meet us here and welcome us in,

Offering rest and renewal, solace, and strength, for the journey still to come.

 

Opening Prayer

Lord, help us to see: to see what is eternally good and true, and having seen, to go on searching until we come to the joys of heaven. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Gospel                                                                                                 John 3:1-17

There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

 

Poem: “Wind”                                                                               by Florida Watts Smyth

What does wind stir in me

That stirs not in the tree?

It stirs a farther hope.

Trees stand, but I shall run

Beyond that slope,

Beyond the sun,

And see,

Wind-swept, the spaces of eternity.

 

Meditation

The “story” of Nicodemus is really the first of the discourses of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel with a brief narrative introduction. It was since the earliest days of the church, and it remains, one of the gospel passages that serve as a foundation for formal Christian theology. It contains, scholars claim, essential elements that help answer basic questions: how does God enter the world? Who is Jesus? What is the nature of divine love? The key phrase, “God so loved the world that he gave the only Son” is for many the most important verse in the entire Bible.

And yet, beyond its theological importance, this passage has a more personal resonance for many. Rather than inviting formal theological questions, it might lead seekers into deep personal reflection. Since at least the fourth century this passage has taken its place with three other narratives from John’s gospel – the woman at the well, the man born blind, and the raising of Lazarus – as the stories that lead those preparing for baptism into life-changing encounter with Jesus. The ancient and always new process of faith formation called the catechumenate reaches its final phase when we enter into these stories and make them our own.

The essential symbols of these four stories – wind, water, light, and life itself – are archetypes that lead us beyond ourselves into a world that is bigger, more life-giving, more mysterious, and more challenging than what we might have imagined before we met Jesus. Two moments in the Nicodemus story, his coming “by night” and Jesus’ gnomic utterance, expressed in the King James Version as “the wind bloweth where it listeth,” hint at this mystery and promise.

The poem offers a brief glimpse at how the symbol, the archetype of the Nicodemus passage – wind – can carry us beyond ourselves, “over the hills and far away” into the “spaces of eternity” that we cannot yet imagine, but long for all the same.

 

Questions for Reflection

Have you had an experience of wind that has led you into wondering, or exhilaration, or fear? If you revisit that experience now, what might it show you?

Have you had a time when you felt as though your life had been given back to you, that it was all new? If you have not, do you know of someone else who has had an experience of this sort?

Is “John 3:16” as a shorthand for “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” a positive phrase for you? If so, why? If not, why not?

You might want to spend some time with this sketch by the African American painter Henry Ossawa Tanner, a study for the painting “Jesus and Nicodemus on a Rooftop.”

 

Prayers

We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered today

We bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayer

We bring to God a troubled situation in our world

We bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trust

We bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affection

We offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our lives

We name before God those who have died.

 

Gracious God, you hear all our prayers: those we speak aloud, those we hold in our hearts, and those prayers for which we have no words. Hear the prayers of your people, and grant them as may be best for us, for the sake of your holy name. Amen.     

Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.

May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.

  Reflections this month offered by: Rev’d Elizabeth Randall  

Link to PDF

The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

The Last Sunday after the Epiphany

 

… At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance…

T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

                         Peace on each one who comes in need;

                        Peace on each one who comes in joy.

                        Peace on each one who offers prayers;

                        Peace on each one who offers song.

                        Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son,

                        Peace of the Spirit, the Triune One. 

Opening Prayer

Spirit of energy, Spirit of change, in whose power Jesus is anointed to be the hope of the

nations: pour yourself also upon us, without reserve or distinction, that we may have

confidence and strength to plant your justice on the earth, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

The Gospel                                                                                                             Matthew 17:1-9

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James, and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud, a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him, I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

 

Poem: “Lullaby”                                                                                         by  Louise Glück (b. 1943)

Time to rest now; you have had

enough excitement for the time being.

Twilight, then early evening.  Fireflies

in the room, flickering here and there, here and there,

and summer’s deep sweetness filling the open window.

Don’t think of these things anymore.

Listen to my breathing, your own breathing

like the fireflies, each small breath

a flare in which the world appears.

I’ve sung to you long enough in the summer night.

I’ll win you over in the end; the world can’t give you

this sustained vision.

You must be taught to love me.  Human beings must be taught to love

silence and darkness.

Meditation

In today’s Gospel reading, Peter, James, and John witness Jesus’s transfiguration on the mountain, a fittingly exalted moment for the last Sunday of the season of Epiphany.  Until now, the milestones in Jesus’s life have been related to his humanity, and to the material world: his birth in the smelly stable, his baptism, his miracles related to wine, illness, and death.  But this is something else entirely, and perhaps the first time that Jesus’s divinity is made apparent not through his words or his actions, but through his physical appearance.  This is God as radiance, as beauty, as sublime light.

Today’s poem, a lullaby from the words of a motherly God, reminds us that we can’t dwell in those moments forever, and that in order to love fully, and to love God fully, we must carry those sublime moments with us into the silence, into the darkness.  We might consider the poem as a post-Transfiguration “cool down” session, bringing us back down to earth, down from the mountain, and back into our bodies and our dirty, messy lives.  The challenge and the promise, then, is that we can find beauty, radiance, sublime light and God even in the mess.

Questions for Reflection

• What images from the Gospel reading resonate the most for you today?
• What images from the poem strike you most?
• Think of the most sublime or radiant experience you have had.  Where was God present in that moment?
• Where do you see God’s presence in the most humdrum, banal aspects of your life?
• The Transfiguration has been rendered artistically by many.  Explore the images below.  What is your favorite? Why?

 

Prayers

We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered today

We bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayer

We bring to God a troubled situation in our world

We bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trust

We bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affection

We offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our lives

We name before God those who have died.

 

Gracious God, you hear all our prayers: those we speak aloud, those we hold in our hearts, and those prayers for which we have no words. Hear the prayers of your people, and grant them as may be best for us, for the sake of your holy name. Amen.

Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.

May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.

Poem and Reflection offered by: Matt Bentley

Link to PDF

The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany

 

… At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance…

T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

                       Peace on each one who comes in need;

                        Peace on each one who comes in joy.

                        Peace on each one who offers prayers;

                        Peace on each one who offers song.

                        Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son,

                        Peace of the Spirit, the Triune One. 

Opening Prayer

Spirit of energy, Spirit of change, in whose power Jesus is anointed to be the hope of the

nations: pour yourself also upon us, without reserve or distinction, that we may have

confidence and strength to plant your justice on the earth, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

The Gospel                                                                                                             Matthew 5:13-20

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

 

Poem(s): “The Candle Indoors”                                           by  Gerard Manley Hopkins (b. 1844)

Some candle clear burns somewhere I come by.

I muse at how its being puts blissful back

With yellowy moisture mild night’s blear-all black,

Or to-fro tender trambeams truckle at the eye.

 

By that window what task what fingers ply,

I plod wondering, a-wanting, just for lack

Of answer the eagerer a-wanting Jessy or Jack

There God to aggrandise, God to glorify.—

 

Come you indoors, come home; your fading fire

Mend first and vital candle in close heart’s vault:

You there are master, do your own desire;

 

What hinders? Are you beam-blind, yet to a fault

In a neighbour deft-handed? Are you that liar

And cast by conscience out, spendsavour salt?

 

“The Lantern Out of Doors”

Sometimes a lantern moves along the night,

That interests our eyes. And who goes there?

I think; where from and bound, I wonder, where,

With, all down darkness wide, his wading light?

 

Men go by me whom either beauty bright

In mould or mind or what not else makes rare:

They rain against our much-thick and marsh air

Rich beams, till death or distance buys them quite.

 

Death or distance soon consumes them: wind

What most I may eye after, be in at the end

I cannot, and out of sight is out of mind.

 

Christ minds: Christ’s interest, what to avow or amend

There, eyes them, heart wants, care haunts, foot

follows kínd,

Their ransom, their rescue, and first, fast, last friend.

 

Meditation

Today’s Gospel reading invites us to consider ourselves as lights to the world and as salt of the earth.  As is the case with so much of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, the imagery here is earthy and elemental, giving us common images of everyday life instead of ephemeral, abstract teachings untethered from reality.  This is, after all, the Word made Flesh, preaching to his very fleshy and carnal followers to whom ‘light’ and ‘salt’ would be tangible and accessible metaphors.  The focus on light within the context of the church year tells us that our own light (God within us, perhaps) is the same light that guided the Magi on Epiphany and the same light that prompted Simeon to break out in song at the feast of the Presentation (celebrated on February 2), proclaiming the child Jesus as “a light to lighten the Gentiles”.

For many of us, letting our lights shine before others is an uncomfortable invitation, especially in a culture where achievement is so often exploited for superficial or insincere reasons.  Perhaps this pair of enigmatic poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins will prove helpful.  In each poem, a light is seen by a viewer, a candle indoors seen by someone outside, and a lantern outdoors seen by someone inside.  And in each poem, the light is attractive, appealing, and becomes not a simple metaphor for God, but rather a spark that ignites a series of questions that lead to faith: What is this light? Whose is it? What do I do now?  In the first poem, the answer seems to be “What’s stopping you from looking within your own heart first?,” whereas the second reminds the reader that the light that saintly people (all of us!) give off continues after death, as does the light and love of Jesus.

 

Questions for Reflection

• There are a couple of strange and very ‘Hopkins’ turns of phrases here.  What do you make of the phrase ‘saltsavour’ given the Gospel reading for today?  How do the poems’ sound effects help paint the picture?
• What does it mean to you to let your light shine?  What keeps us from doing so?
• The next time you pray, or worship, light a candle and observe what its light does to the room and to your senses.
• What does it mean to you to be ‘salt’ to others?  Think of what salt looks and feels like, and then what it does to and with food.

 

Viewing:

• Sister Rosetta Tharpe, “This Little Light of Mine”
• Bruce Springsteen, “This Little Light of Mine”

 

Prayers

We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered today

We bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayer

We bring to God a troubled situation in our world

We bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trust

We bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affection

We offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our lives

We name before God those who have died.

 

Gracious God, you hear all our prayers: those we speak aloud, those we hold in our hearts, and those prayers for which we have no words. Hear the prayers of your people, and grant them as may be best for us, for the sake of your holy name. Amen.            

Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.

May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.

Poem and Reflection offered by: Matt Bentley

Link to PDF

The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

 

… At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance…

T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

 

                          Peace on each one who comes in need;

                        Peace on each one who comes in joy.

                        Peace on each one who offers prayers;

                        Peace on each one who offers song.

                        Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son,

                        Peace of the Spirit, the Triune One. 

 

Opening Prayer

Spirit of energy, Spirit of change, in whose power Jesus is anointed to be the hope of the

nations: pour yourself also upon us, without reserve or distinction, that we may have

confidence and strength to plant your justice on the earth, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

The Gospel                                                                                                             Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

 

Poem: “A Brave and Starling Truth”                                           by  Maya Angelou (b. 1928)

We, this people, on this small and drifting planet
Whose hands can strike with such abandon
That in a twinkling, life is sapped from the living
Yet those same hands can touch with such healing, irresistible tenderness
That the haughty neck is happy to bow
And the proud back is glad to bend
Out of such chaos, of such contradiction
We learn that we are neither devils nor divines

 

When we come to it
We, this people, on this wayward, floating body
Created on this earth, of this earth
Have the power to fashion for this earth
A climate where every man and every woman
Can live freely without sanctimonious piety
Without crippling fear

When we come to it
We must confess that we are the possible
We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world
That is when, and only when
We come to it.

 

Meditation

As you read the familiar and beloved words of the Beatitudes, do you find in them comfort… or a call? We can imagine that many who gathered to hear Jesus – including those who were poor, discouraged, or oppressed – found consolation in these sayings. And this is still true today. But the Beatitudes also seem to issue a call or a challenge – to be peacemakers, to be more merciful and meek, pure in heart. Perhaps a beatitude (blessing) does both simultaneously: provides comfort and calls us to something new or deeper.

 

The poem is from a larger extended piece composed for the 50th anniversary of the United Nations in 1995. Maya Angelou reflects on the stark contradiction between human cruelty and kindness, stating that we are inherently neither “devils nor divine.” Her lack of closing punctuation throughout the poem underlines the open-ended nature of the choices we have as human beings. But her poem concludes with these beautiful and inspiring words… and at last a closing period:

When we come to it
We must confess that we are the possible
We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world
That is when, and only when
We come to it.

 

Questions for Reflection

What connections do you find between the poem and the Beatitudes?

To hear Maya Angelou reading the entire poem,

visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjEfq7wLm7M&t=14s

Do you find comfort or challenge in the Beatitudes, or some combination of both?

You may wish to create a new Beatitude – one that, in the spirit of Jesus’s blessings, speaks to our modern world.

For inspiration, Pope Francis in 2016 suggested six new beatitudes:

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2016/11/01/pope-francis-offers-six-new-beatitudes-modern-christian

 

Prayers

We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered today

We bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayer

We bring to God a troubled situation in our world

We bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trust

We bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affection

We offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our lives

We name before God those who have died.

 

Gracious God, you hear all our prayers: those we speak aloud, those we hold in our hearts, and those prayers for which we have no words. Hear the prayers of your people, and grant them as may be best for us, for the sake of your holy name. Amen.

Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.

May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.

 Poem and Reflection offered by: Frank Nowell      

Link to PDF

The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

The Second Sunday after the Epiphany

 

… At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance…

 

T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

                       Peace on each one who comes in need;

                        Peace on each one who comes in joy.

                        Peace on each one who offers prayers;

                        Peace on each one who offers song.

                        Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son,

                        Peace of the Spirit, the Triune One. 

 

Opening Prayer

Spirit of energy, Spirit of change,

in whose power Jesus is anointed to be the hope of the nations:

pour yourself also upon us, without reserve or distinction,

that we may have confidence and

strength to plant your justice on the earth,

through Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

The Gospel                                                                                                             Matthew 1:18-25

John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.” The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

 

Poem: “The Lamb”                                                                         by William Blake (b. 1757)

Little Lamb who made thee?

Dost thou know who made thee,

Gave thee life & bid thee feed.

By the stream & o’er the mead;

Gave thee clothing of delight,

Softest clothing wooly bright;

Gave thee such a tender voice,

Making all the vales rejoice?

Little Lamb who made thee?

Dost thou know who made thee?

Little Lamb I’ll tell thee,

Little Lamb I’ll tell thee:

He is called by thy name,

For he calls himself a Lamb:

He is meek & he is mild,

He became a little child:

I a child & thou a lamb,

We are called by his name.

Little Lamb God bless thee.

Little Lamb God bless thee.

 

Meditation

In the first chapter of John, John the Baptist is introduced as the one who is not the light, but the one who points to the light. Later in this chapter, priests and Levites from Jerusalem asked John who he was and why he was baptizing people. John said he was not a prophet but is one crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord.” Finally, in the gospel for this week, John calls Jesus the Lamb of God. He says “Behold the Lamb of God,” first to the priests and Levites and then to two disciples. The identification of Jesus as Lamb of God is connected to the call and following of the disciples.

In the poem by Willima Blake, from Songs of Innocence and Experience, a child asks a Lamb “who made thee.” One literary commentator, Oliver Tearle, calls this delightfully simple poem a “riddle, crossed with a nursery rhyme, crossed with a religious catechism.” And the solution to the riddle is: ‘The Lamb made the lamb!” As the poem concludes, Blake has this wonderful identification and connection between Jesus, the lamb and the child:  I a child and thou a lamb, We are called by his name.

 

Questions for Reflection

What images and names for Jesus are most meaningful for you?

In what way do these images and names call you to follow Jesus “more nearly?”

You may wish to watch and listen to a choral setting of this poem by the contemporary composer, John Taverner, sung by the choir of Kings’ College, Cambridge (about 3 minutes):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClMUquOdDT4&t=10s

 

Prayers

We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered today

We bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayer

We bring to God a troubled situation in our world

We bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trust

We bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affection

We offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our lives

We name before God those who have died.

 

Gracious God, you hear all our prayers: those we speak aloud, those we hold in our hearts, and those prayers for which we have no words. Hear the prayers of your people, and grant them as may be best for us, for the sake of your holy name. Amen.         

Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.

May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.

Poem and Reflection offered by: Rev’d Frank Nowell     

Link to PDF

Link to PDF (with Images)

The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ

 

… At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance…

T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

                        Peace on each one who comes in need;

                        Peace on each one who comes in joy.

                        Peace on each one who offers prayers;

                        Peace on each one who offers song.

                        Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son,

                        Peace of the Spirit, the Triune One. 

Opening Prayer

Collect: Son of God, Child of Mary,
born in the stable at Bethlehem,
be born again in us this day
that through us the world may know
the wonder of your love.
Hear this prayer for your name’s sake. Amen.

The Gospel                                                                                                             Luke 2:1-14

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see– I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

Meditation

This Christmas, consider a visual meditation. After each portion of the familiar story, you may want to spend some time in contemplation of the picture or pictures. How might they enhance your understanding of the scene? What are your feelings when you enter the frame of the picture? Is there one in particular you would like to carry with you through the twelve days of Christmas?

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

 

“In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.”

 

“Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.”

“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see– I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!””

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.”

“When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.”

 

“The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

Prayers

We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered today

We bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayer

We bring to God a troubled situation in our world

We bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trust

We bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affection

We offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our lives

We name before God those who have died.

Gracious God, you hear all our prayers: those we speak aloud, those we hold in our hearts, and those prayers for which we have no words. Hear the prayers of your people, and grant them as may be best for us, for the sake of your holy name. Amen.        

Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.

May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.

Pictures: The Birth of Jesus, Georges de la Tour, c. 1644

Vincent van Gogh, the Starry Night,

 Mark Rothko, White on Blue

Rembrandt, The Adoration of the Shepherds

El Greco, 1585

 African Madonna, Hennie Niemann Jr.

Reflection offered by: Rev’d Elizabeth Randall    

Link to PDF

The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

Fourth Sunday of Advent

 

… At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance…

T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

 

 

                       Peace on each one who comes in need;

                        Peace on each one who comes in joy.

                        Peace on each one who offers prayers;

                        Peace on each one who offers song.

                        Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son,

                        Peace of the Spirit, the Triune One. 

Opening Prayer

God of all hope and joy,
open our hearts in welcome,
that your Son Jesus Christ at his coming
may find in us a dwelling prepared for himself;
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

The Gospel                                                                                                             Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

 

Poem: from The Cherry Tree Carol                                             traditional; Child Ballad 54B

Joseph was an old man,

and an old man was he,

And he married Mary,

the Queen of Galilee.

When Joseph was married,

and Mary home had brought,

Mary proved with child,

and Joseph knew it not.

Joseph and Mary walked

through a garden gay,

Where the cherries they grew

upon every tree.

O then bespoke Mary,

with words both meek and mild:

‘O gather me cherries, Joseph,

they run so in my mind.’

And then replied Joseph,

with words so unkind:

‘Let him gather thee cherries

that got thee with child.’

O then bespoke our Saviour,

all in his mother’s womb:

‘Bow down, good cherry-tree,

to my mother’s hand.’

The uppermost sprig

bowed down to Mary’s knee:

‘Thus you may see, Joseph,

these cherries are for me.’

‘O eat your cherries, Mary,

O eat your cherries now;

O eat your cherries, Mary,

that grow upon the bough.’

As Joseph was a walking,

he heard an angel sing:

‘This night shall be born

our heavenly king.’

 

Meditation

Like his namesake in Hebrew Scripture, Joseph son of Jacob, Joseph of the house and lineage of David is a dreamer. The earlier Joseph who went down into Egypt dreamed, and interpreted the dreams of others; his dream of mastery over his brothers caused his downfall, and in Egypt his foretelling of years of plenty and years of famine saved him from prison, delivered an entire nation, and brought reconciliation to his family. The Joseph of the house and lineage of David dreams twice, and both times trusts the fearful message, “do not be afraid.” His trust leads him to shield Mary and her child from shame and isolation, and to take them to safety, back to the land of Egypt that once, paradoxically, sheltered and saved his namesake and all his kindred.

The earliest versions of the ballad now known as the Cherry Tree Carol come from mystery plays of the middle ages, with a grain of narrative from as early as the 7^th century CE. The ballad picks up on the – quite reasonable – anxiety of a bridegroom faced with what is called by genealogists a “non-paternity event.” The cherry, of course, is a long-established symbol of virginity, both its value and its fragility. Ultimately, the beauty of the ballad may be the tension between Joseph’s anger and disappointment and Mary’s serenity, resolved into reconciliation, as in the gospel passage, by a message from the divine.

 

Questions for Reflection

When you think about Joseph, what thoughts and feelings do you ascribe to him? What are your own thoughts and feelings when you consider his situation?

Which telling of the story do you prefer? The gospel account, or the ballad? Why?

You might want to listen to these very different versions of the carol, among the many and various to be found on YouTube:

 

Girls’ Choir of Ely Cathedral:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlqSAyp34TU

Pentangle:

https://www.google.com/search?q=cherry+tree+carol+youtube&oq=cherry+tree+carol&aqs=chrome.0.69i59l2j69i57j69i60j69i61l2.5542j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:45282c61,vid:C31BZ0vXAVY

The Cambridge Singers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-i9zcxVgeQ

The Wiggles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlqSAyp34TU

 

Prayers

We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered today

We bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayer

We bring to God a troubled situation in our world

We bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trust

We bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affection

We offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our lives

We name before God those who have died.

 

Gracious God, you hear all our prayers: those we speak aloud, those we hold in our hearts, and those prayers for which we have no words. Hear the prayers of your people, and grant them as may be best for us, for the sake of your holy name. Amen.  

Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.

May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.

 Poem and Reflection offered by: Rev’d Elizabeth Randall    

Link to PDF

The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

Third Sunday of Advent

 

… At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance…

T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

 

                        Peace on each one who comes in need;

                        Peace on each one who comes in joy.

                        Peace on each one who offers prayers;

                        Peace on each one who offers song.

                        Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son,

                        Peace of the Spirit, the Triune One. 

Opening Prayer

Come, O come Emmanuel,

you are the way, the truth and the life;

Come, living Savior

come to your world which waits for you.

Hear this prayer for your love’s sake.

Amen.

The Gospel                                                                                                             Matthew 11:2-11

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Poem: “Joy of the Redeemed”                                                     Isaiah 35:3-7

Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.

Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
“Be strong, do not fear!

Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,

with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.”

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.

For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;

the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;

the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

Meditation

The gospel passage shows us a poignant moment in the usually fiery story of John the Baptist. Imprisoned for speaking truth to power, surely knowing that his death is approaching, John sends word to Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Why does John doubt, when earlier he had so confidently proclaimed Jesus as God’s Messiah, the Holy One coming into our midst? Perhaps it is because even for John, the last and greatest prophet of the coming Holy One, the actions of Jesus defy expectation. John had announced, “his winnowing fork is in his hand!” But what he hears instead is that the deeds of power of the long expected Messiah are works of healing and justice.

The poetry of the prophet Isaiah is some of the grandest in scripture and beyond. In magnificent, rolling cadences, he lays out a vision of the renewal of all things at the coming of the Holy One into our midst. The prophet’s vision combines the powerful vengeance of the God who delivers the people, and the healing mercy of the God who mends all harms, among people and all nature.

While John may have been expecting a fulfillment of the promise of God’s vengeance in the coming of the Holy One, Jesus lives into the promise of healing and renewal. And so even John, his prophet, wonders, “Are you the One who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”

 

Questions for Reflection

Who are the prophets – ancient or contemporary – who matter to you?

Have you seen signs – small, perhaps – of the healing and renewal promised in the prophets?

If you encountered the Jesus we see in this passage, what would you ask him to heal or make new?

 

Prayers

We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered today

We bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayer

We bring to God a troubled situation in our world

We bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trust

We bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affection

We offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our lives

We name before God those who have died.

Gracious God, you hear all our prayers: those we speak aloud, those we hold in our hearts, and those prayers for which we have no words. Hear the prayers of your people, and grant them as may be best for us, for the sake of your holy name. Amen.

Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.

May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.

 Poem and Reflection offered by: Rev’d Elizabeth Randall