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The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

First Sunday after Pentecost:

Trinity Sunday

… 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

Praise to you, God, for all your work among us. Yours is the vigor in creation, yours is the impulse in our new discoveries. Make us adventurous, yet reverent and hopeful in all we do. Amen.

The Gospel                                                                                                             Matthew 28:16-20

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Poem: “Trinity Sunday”                                        by Malcolm Guite (b. 1957) (from Sounding the Seasons)

In the Beginning, not in time or space,
But in the quick before both space and time,
In Life, in Love, in co-inherent Grace,
In three in one and one in three, in rhyme,
In music, in the whole creation story,
In His own image, His imagination,
The Triune Poet makes us for His glory,
And makes us each the other’s inspiration.
He calls us out of darkness, chaos, chance,
To improvise a music of our own,
To sing the chord that calls us to the dance,
Three notes resounding from a single tone,
To sing the End in whom we all begin;
Our God beyond, beside us and within.

Meditation

To say the least, the concept of Trinity can be elusive and hard to grasp — an abstract doctrine full of paradox and puzzle. Once the mind seems to hold the idea for a moment, it quickly slips away! But what if the Trinity is actually one of the most personal and intimate aspects of our faith, one to be comprehended more by the heart than the head?

In the book Mysteries of Faith, Mark McIntosh suggests that by simply by stating that God is Love, “we come to understand that God is God through relationship: the communion of Lover, Beloved, and Enrapture.” And that we are called and drawn into this communion: “God has chosen not to be God without us. We have been invited…to become participants ourselves in the divine relationship, the Trinity.”

The poem by Malcolm Guite seems to delight in both cosmic and intimate aspects of the Trinity, using vivid images of poetry, music, and dance. The sonnet begins by imagining creation before time and space but concludes with an image of close relationship — God is not only beyond, but also beside and within us.

Questions for Reflection

1. What have your experiences of Trinity? Do you find you approach it with head or heart, or some combination of the two?
2. In addition to the traditional ones, there are several words used for the three persons of the Trinity, such as “Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier.” In the context of God as Love, the writer referenced above used “Lover, Beloved, and Enrapture.” Which words are meaningful for you and give you new insights? (You may wish to create your own!)
3. The poem refers to inspiration and musical improvisation. Do these words resonate for you? Improvisation suggests spontaneity and creating something new in the moment. How might this be a part of our relationship with God, and with each other in community?

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: Frank Nowell

Link to PDF

The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

Seventh Sunday of Easter:

Sunday after the Ascension

… 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.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen. The Lord is Risen indeed. Alleluia!  

Opening Prayer

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 The Gospel                                                                                                             John 17:1-11

Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

Poem: “Think Not All is Over”                                         by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896)

Think not, when the wailing winds of autumn

Drive the shivering leaflets from the tree, —

Think not all is over: spring returneth,

Buds and leaves and blossoms thou shalt see.

Think not, when the earth lies cold and sealed,

And the weary birds above her mourn, —

Think not all is over: God still liveth,

Songs and sunshine shall again return.

Think not, when thy heart is waste and dreary,

When they cherished hopes lie chill and sere, —

Think not all is over: God still loveth,

He will wipe away thy every tear.

Weeping for a night alone endureth,

God at last shall bring a morning hour;

In the frozen buds of every winter

Sleep the blossoms of a future flower.

Meditation

This Sunday is an “in between” day: liturgically, Jesus has already ascended, but Pentecost is still on the horizon.

Though today’s Gospel reading doesn’t quite capture this limbo status, we can certainly imagine it: the disciples puzzled about Jesus’s promise to send another Comforter, but also viscerally aware of something holy within them; the genuine sadness at saying goodbye to their friend and their God, tempered somewhat by the hope of continuity.

Perhaps we, too, feel those same things.  Harriet Beecher Stowe’s poem beautifully captures the way that the seasons reflect change, and how that very change is sanctified as holy.

We can see right now the blessings of spring: flower buds, a healthy dose of rain, temperate weather.

God’s promise is that even in darker times, even in a more winterlike spiritual landscape, the presence of Love, of hope, of renewal, is real.

Questions for Reflection

When have you felt a sense of the “in between” times?  When have you felt a yearning anticipation for what’s to come?

In those moments, what has fed your spirit?

Take a few pictures of the beauty of spring that surrounds you.  What did you choose to capture?

How do you nourish hope in your life?  Is it intentional discipline? A prayer? An image?

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: Matt Bentley  

Link to PDF

The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

Fifth Sunday of Easter

… 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.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen. The Lord is Risen indeed. Alleluia!  

Opening Prayer

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Gospel                                                                                                             John 14:1-14

Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.”

Poem: “The Way It Is”                                                                  by William Stafford (1914-1993)

There’s a thread you follow.  It goes among

things that change.  But it doesn’t change.

People wonder about what you are pursuing.

You have to explain about the thread.

But it is hard for others to see.

While you hold it you can’t get lost.

Tragedies happen; people get hurt

or die; and you suffer and get old.

Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.

You don’t ever let go of the thread.

Meditation

Jesus says a lot in today’s Gospel passage, and his followers don’t quite get it or him.  Ever literal, ever flawed, they want to know the destination instead of the path, and they insist on seeing the Father (again, the destination, perhaps) instead of following the Son (the path).  Jesus’s poetic, visionary, yet still ambiguous statement, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life,” provides enough direction, and enough freedom, for each of us to discern what it means to follow Jesus.

William Stafford’s lovely, simple poem gives us another metaphor: Jesus as the thread of life that anchors us and guides us throughout a lifetime of change, loss, and mystery.  Deceptive in its apparent fragility, this thread gives gentle yet firm guidance that doesn’t call attention to itself for its own sake. Parker J. Palmer has referred to this as “the red thread they call Love, the thread you hold, and then hand along, saying to another, ‘You’.”

Questions for Reflection

• Do you have a favorite metaphor for Jesus?  Why is it your favorite?
• What is the thread that you hold to in tough times?
• In Greek Mythology, the three Fates spin, measure, and cut the thread of human life, determining our destiny.  Jesus-as-thread gives us much more autonomy and choice, and yet, as the poem notes, we cannot stop time’s “unfolding.”  How does a life with Jesus help you confront things you cannot control?

Here is Parker J. Palmer’s poem “November 22,” from which the “red thread” quote above comes.

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: Matt Bentley

Link to PDF

The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

Fourth Sunday of Easter

… 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.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen. The Lord is Risen indeed. Alleluia!  

Opening Prayer

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Gospel                                                                                                             John 10:1-10

Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

Poem: “The 23rd Psalm (Dedicated to My Mother)”               by Bobby McFerrin

The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all I need,
She makes me lie down in green meadows,
Beside the still waters, She will lead.
She restores my soul, She rights my wrongs,
She leads me in a path of good things,
And fills my heart with songs.
Even though I walk through a dark and dreary land,
There is nothing that can shake me,
She has said She won’t forsake me,
I’m in her hand.
She sets a table before me, in the presence of my foes,
She anoints my head with oil,
And my cup overflows.
Surely, surely goodness and kindness will follow me,
All the days of my life,
And I will live in her house,
Forever, forever and ever.
Glory be to our Mother, and Daughter,
And to the Holy of Holies,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
World, without end. Amen.

Meditation

The gospel this week presents the image of Jesus as the gatekeeper for sheep, which along with the image of a Good Shepherd is often naturally complemented by Psalm 23. With a text as familiar as this psalm, it may be helpful to create a new paraphrase in order to reimagine familiar images, and revitalize the words and their meaning for us. An internet search of various paraphrases of Psalm 23 people yields some interesting results, such as:

“O God, you are the tender of my soul, I have everything I truly need.”

“He grants me safe harbour; he hushes my hurry, he heals me hidden hurts.”

“Your rain down your blessing on me like a shower.”

“You draw me to your table, where everything is a gift.”

“Your Being envelopes my being and I am wrapped in your peace.”

The poem by Bobby McFerrin comprises the lyrics to his musical setting of the psalm. It seems to be quite faithful to the original psalm text while also offering something new and personal — a unique tribute to the writer’s mother (and perhaps to mothers in general). In the words of Allison L. Boden, “In his meditating on the Psalm (McFerrin) found that female imagery for God was much more potent for him, because it had been his own mother who most embodied God’s love within his own life. Of all human beings she was most like this Shepherd.”

Questions for Reflection

What images for God (like Shepherd, Father, Mother, etc.) resonate the most for you?

Is there a particular person, or more than one, who especially embodies God’s love in your own life?

You might wish to create your own paraphrase of Psalm 23, or a portion of it.

Or to listen to this performance of Bobby McFerrin’s musical setting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91TbjlaS4kc&t=42s

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: Frank Nowell

Link to PDF

The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

Second Sunday of Easter

… 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.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen. The Lord is Risen indeed. Alleluia!  

Opening Prayer

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Gospel                                                                                                             John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews [Jewish Authorities], Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Poem: “Easter”                                                                   by George Herbert (b. 1593)

Rise heart; thy Lord is risen. Sing his praise

Without delays,

Who takes thee by the hand, that thou likewise

With him mayst rise:

That, as his death calcined thee to dust,

His life may make thee gold, and much more just.

Awake, my lute, and struggle for thy part

With all thy art.

The cross taught all wood to resound his name,

Who bore the same.

His stretched sinews taught all strings, what key

Is best to celebrate this most high day.

Consort both heart and lute, and twist a song

Pleasant and long:

Or since all music is but three parts vied

And multiplied;

O let thy blessed Spirit bear a part,

And make up our defects with his sweet art.

Meditation

All of the stories of the risen Jesus appearing to his followers involve something very physical, such as breaking bread at supper in Emmaus. For Thomas, it is being invited to touch Jesus’s scars. In all these stories, the followers of Jesus are fearful, anxious, and overwhelmed with grief. Jesus comes to them in very tangible ways to provide unexpected hope and joy.

The poem by George Herbert employs musical metaphors to capture the joy of Easter. References to the wood of the lute (and the cross) and the stretched strings (and sinews) refer back to the crucifixion, but the image of heart and lute consorting to “twist a song pleasant and long” are the organic joyful response of the poem’s opening: “Rise heart; they Lord is risen.”

Theologian Howard Thurman speaks of the glad surprise of Easter — the end of winter and sudden coming of spring, and being led from darkness to light. “It is as if a person stumbling in the darkness, having lost their way, finds that the spot at which they fall is the foot of a stairway that leads from darkness into light. Such is the glad surprise. This is what Easter means in the experience of the [human] race. This is the resurrection!”

When we are feeling anxious or fearful, we may hear this message of hope again and again: Rise heart; your Lord is risen.

Questions for Reflection

Reflecting on the stories of the risen Jesus’s appearing to his disciples, or in particular the story of Thomas, what gives you hope? What provides comfort and joy?

Here is a beautiful musical setting of the George Herbert poem by Ralph Vaughn Williams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKGLvRPe_V0&t=85s

In what ways does music lift your heart at difficult times?

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: Frank Nowell

Link to PDF

The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

Sunday of the Resurrection: Easter Day

(Evening Service)

… 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.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen. The Lord is Risen indeed. Alleluia!  

Opening Prayer

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Gospel                                                                                                 Luke 24:13-49

Now on that same day, the first day of the week, two of the disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you– that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Poem: “Kitchen Maid with Supper at Emmaus; The Mulata*”                            by Natasha Trethewey (b. 1966)  

after the painting by Diego Velàzquez, ca. 1619

She is the vessels on the table before her:
the copper pot tipped toward us, the white pitcher
clutched in her hand, the black one edged in red
and upside down. Bent over, she is the mortar
and the pestle at rest in the mortar—still angled
in its posture of use. She is the stack of bowls
and the bulb of garlic beside it, the basket hung
by a nail on the wall and the white cloth bundled
in it, the rag in the foreground recalling her hand.
She’s the stain on the wall the size of her shadow—
the color of blood, the shape of a thumb. She is echo
of Jesus at table, framed in the scene behind her:
his white corona, her white cap. Listening, she leans
into what she knows. Light falls on half her face.

Meditation

The gospel reading for the evening of Easter Sunday tells of two disciples walking to Emmaus. Weary and overcome by grief and distracted by their anxieties, they fail to recognize the stranger they encounter on the road. Only later, when he breaks bread with them in the inn, do the two recognize the stranger as Jesus.

Artists have long been inspired by this very human and intimate story, and have depicted various aspects of it in the visual arts. One of the most remarkable of these paintings is by Diego Velasquez (see below). His representation does not show any of the main characters in the story, but rather focuses on a kitchen maid who is serving supper to Jesus and the disciples.

The poem by Natasha Trethewey picks up on aspects of the painting to further animate the  character of the kitchen maid in our mind’s eye. By comparing her to various physical objects in the painting – the vessels, the pitcher, the mortar and pestle, the garlic bulb – we may consider aspects of the maid’s story and her background.*

Perhaps most striking is the image of the maid as a reflection of Jesus: “She is echo of Jesus at table, framed in the scene behind her: his white corona, her white cap.”

And in the conclusion of the poem, light (the light of resurrection?) falls on her face.

Questions for Reflection

What images, words and phrases in the Emmaus story resonate with you the most? Are there new insights for you?

In the poem, what do you make of the words, “Listening, she leans into what she knows.”

How can we tune our ears and eyes to recognize Jesus in the strangers we encounter?

* Trethewey offers an alternate title of “The Mulata” for her poem. Referring to a woman of mixed race, the term has been considered variously as insulting or as a term of pride, depending on its context. The poet herself was born from a mixed marriage in Mississippi in 1966, a year before the Supreme Court struck down anti-miscegenation laws.

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: Frank Nowell

Link to PDF

The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday

… 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

We praise you God, that the light of Christ shines in our darkness and is never overcome; show us the way we must go to eternal day; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Gospel                                                                                                 Matthew 21:1-11

When Jesus and his disciples had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, `The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, “Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven! “When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Poem: “The Last Seven Words”                                                   by Mark Strand (b. 1934)

The story of the end, of the last word
of the end, when told, is a story that never ends.
We tell it and retell it — one word, then another
until it seems that no last word is possible,
that none would be bearable. Thus, when the hero
of the story says to himself, as to someone far away,
‘Forgive them, for they know not what they do,’
we may feel that he is pleading for us, that we are
the secret life of the story and, as long as his plea
is not answered, we shall be spared. So the story
continues.  So we continue. And the end, once more, becomes the next, and the next after that.

Meditation

Each year on Palm Sunday we read the great drama of the Passion of Jesus. (The word “Passion” comes from the Latin passus meaning to suffer or endure.)  Although familiar, the story always has the power to grab our attention… and even to shock us. When the story is read in a liturgical setting, we may participate in one or more roles in the drama, or at least participate as a member of the crowd, who calls for Jesus to be crucified.

The poem by Mark Strand was written to accompany a musical performance of the Seven Last Words for string quartet by Franz Joseph Haydn. The poem refers to the Passion as both the “story of the end” and the “story that never ends.” Through this reference to the open-ended nature of the story, we are reminded that it will be followed with another more glorious story. Yet both the gospel and the poem invite us to dwell in this moment and participate in Jesus’s suffering.

The Passion Chorale (O Sacred Head, Now Wounded) is a hymn created by Hans Leo Hassler based on a medieval hymn and text. The most famous harmonization is by J.S. Bach. Bach used the chorale melody and harmonies five times during his St. Matthew Passion (a musical telling of the complete Passion story as it is related by Matthew). Each time the chorale appears in a different key and with various harmonic frames, highlighting different aspects of the story and our response to it.

Holy Week is an opportunity to participate in Jesus’s suffering through liturgy, meditation, music, and prayer. Through all of these we may find new angles and connect with the story through our senses, minds, and hearts.

Questions for Reflection

When you read or hear the Passion story, where do you see yourself in the story – as an observer, a participant, or both?

As we enter into Holy Week 2023, what is most on your mind or heart? Are there specific aspects of the Passion story you wish to go deeper with?

You may wish to read the entire poem on the Seven Last Words by Mark Strand.

http://jacketmagazine.com/19/stra.html

Or to listen to the Passion Chorale in this version sung by the Gesualdo Six.

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

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: Frank Nowell

                  To Read the Passion Gospel in its entirety: Visit this link.

Link to PDF

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.  

Link to PDF

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