RevPeterLougheed
Making Room For Soul (Sermon - 8 March, 2009)
Posted on: 03/08/2009 15:05
And what are we supposed to do with this season of Lent? Self denial in Lent is not really a Protestant thing. But most religious traditions do call for some special effort during holy seasons.
What do you do to keep your soul intact in the chaos and confusion of this world?
You may have heard this in your house. Turn off that television and go to bed? Can you not turn off your cell phone while we are eating dinner? Do you have to bring your ipod with you everywhere you go?
Now the Church is backing you up. Some Roman Catholic bishops have called for a ban on text messaging every Friday in Lent. An Italian diocese in Modena claims, “(This is) a small way to remember the importance of concrete and not virtual relationships.”
I heard through the technological grapevine that a relative of mine is giving up Facebook for Lent. She isn’t Catholic but she must have seen it on the internet. Ironic how the word gets around.
And what are we supposed to do with this season of Lent? Self denial in Lent is not really a Protestant thing. The stricter strands of our tradition would probably say, “If something is bad enough to give up for Lent then you probably should not be doing it the other 46 weeks of the year.”
But most religious traditions do call for some special effort during holy seasons. One devotional practice within the Roman Catholic tradition has been to make the Stations of the Cross. The point is to make a prayerful circuit of 14 stations which depict the highlights of Jesus’ last days.
A New York priest tells the story of two pickpockets who decided in Lent it was time to make a new start. They went into a Franciscan church on West 31st Street to “confession.” First one went in and in a few minutes came out with a puzzled look on his face. Then the second one went in and emerged looking equally confused.
“What did he say to you?” asked the second pickpocket.
“He told me to make the Stations,” replied the first.
“That’s funny,” said the second. “He told me the same thing. What do you make of it?”
“I don’t know,” said the first. “It’s a strange way to reform, but you hit Grand Central and I’ll work Penn Station.”
It may not have worked for those two men, but the Stations of the Cross were meant to be a way to consider the call to follow Jesus to the cross. Take up your cross was the theological theme of Lent. That has often been interpreted as a call to self-denial. Find someone you like and stop doing it.
That sounds too much like self-flagellation. If it hurts it must be good for you. Many of us have trouble with that theology. We can understand taking on something that is life-giving and positive for Lent. And maybe we will need to let go of something that takes up the time and energy that is needed for that new good thing. That kind of giving up, makes sense.
What do you do to keep your soul intact in the chaos and confusion of this world?
I find that I learn best from people I admire. If someone’s insights have moved me, I want to know how they evolved, what do they do to attune themselves, how do they gain wisdom? Here’s how some of the authors I have learned from care for their souls...
Marianne Woodman, a writer and Jungian therapist, nurtures her soul by going for a walk on a crisp autumn day, by arranging fresh flowers, by recreating a room in her house, by dancing, by opening up to friends. Marianne says that growing older has become a means to nurture her soul. The years have brought her some perspective... Every morning she is up at 4:30 for a time of visualization and meditation. In the evening she writes a daily journal, which she calls her “soul book”, the place she records her dialogues with God.
Dr. Bernie Siegel writes a journal to keep him in touch with his feelings. It’s so easy to forget what takes place in one day. So much takes place that we can quite easily bury the difficult thoughts and feelings, even if they are important and need to be talked through and sorted out. Siegel writes a poem each day to express his feelings about the day.
That is the practice I am going to take on this Lent.
Jean Shinoda Bolen starts the morning with a coffee. I was hoping one of these folks would begin in that sensible way. Holding onto that cup of warmth, she gazes out her window at the beauty of the outdoors. The scene is always different in some way and the beauty of the outdoors moves her.
Arthur Gordon once wrote about a time when life looked rather bleak. Many of us have times like that, when everything gets flat and stale. Gordon said, the effect on his work and his relationships was severe. “Every morning I would clench my teeth and mutter, ‘Today life will take on some of its old meaning. You’ve got to break through this thing. You’ve got to.’ But the barren days went by and the paralysis grew worse. The time came when I knew I had to have help.”
Gordon sought out his family doctor, a general practitioner, whose wisdom he trusted. The doctor asked him, “When were you happiest as a child?”
Gordon pondered this and then replied, “Why, at the beach, I suppose. We had a summer cottage there. We all loved it.”
“All right,” said the doctor, “Here’s what I want you to do.” the doctor told him to pack a lunch and drive to the beach the next morning. He was not to read, listen to the radio or talk to anyone.
“And,” the doc said, “I’m going to give you a prescription to take every three hours.” He tore out three pages from a pad, wrote something on each of them, folded them carefully and said, “Don’t read these now. I want you to take these at 9am, noon, 3 and 6 o’clock.”
Gordon thought it was a joke, but the doc said “You’ll know I’m serious when you see my bill.”
Gordon drove to the beach the next morning. This was a day of silence, of recollection, of memory, of being ministered to and healed by the sounds of the ocean and sky. The doctor’s prescriptions were brief. The first one said, “Listen carefully.” At noon he read, “Try reaching back.” 3pm was another reminder to find the quiet within.
His story ends with these words, “The western sky was a blaze of crimson as I took out the last piece of paper, six words this time. I walked slowly on the beach. A few yards below high water mark, I stopped and I read the words again. ‘Write your worries on the sand.’ I let the paper blow away, reached down, picked up a fragment of a shell and, kneeling there under the vault of the sky, I wrote several words on the sand. Then I walked away and did not look back. I had written my troubles on the sand and the tide was coming in.”
How do you make room for your soul in your hectic life? What have you found that in the face of stress and suffering brings you peace?
Clarissa Estes, author of Women Who Run with the Wolves has written another book called, Faithful Gardener. In this book she has written a poem which I’ll paraphrase:
Life is going to strike you with some mighty blows, but do not fall down. If you cannot keep from falling down, then don’t stay down. If you cannot keep from staying down, then lift your heart toward heaven.
In the end, no one can keep you from lifting your hearts toward heaven except yourself.
How will you nurture wisdom for yourself this season? What works for you? What deepens you, opens up your heart, helps you to pay attention to the important parts of your life. May the Spirit guide your steps. Amen.
with thanks to:
Jean Bolen, Clarissa Estes, Arthur Gordon, The Modena Diocese in italy, Bernie Siegel, Marianne Woodman.
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heavenlydevotedson
This is my so called blog.
Posted on: 03/12/2009 00:18
This is my so called blog. My calling in life is to preach the gospel to every living creature in every nation. Thus I am doing this blog here. If you disagree with me about Jesus being fully man and fully God who died for all mankind and ressurected to life again, and now sits at the right hand of the Father then respond to me that we may have dialogue. I would like to have an opportunity to see you converted to christianity. But not by wits, or through some great philisophical discussion. Because sometimes our mouths are just open tombs that lead to our heart. I love mankind because God said to love your neighbor. Not because I am a wonderful person and just decided to love everyone blindly. I love you enough to tell you the truth. You do not have to accept it, you just need to hear it, so that on the day of judgement before the throne of God you can be reminded of our conversation and give an account for your decision.