photos by Olivia Finston-Fox

EASTER SUNDAY!!!!

God of little buds just now wearing green sleeves,
God of lilac limbs all full with signs of flowering,
God of fields plowed and black with turned-over earth,
God of screeching baby bird mouths widely awaiting food,

God of openness, of life and of resurrection,
Come into this Easter season and bless me.
Look around the tight, dead spaces of my heart
That still refuse to give you an entrance.

Bring your gentle but firm love.
Begin to lift the layers of resistance
That hang on tightly deep inside of me.

Open, one by one, those places in my life
Where I refuse to be overcome by surprise.
Open, one by one, those parts of my heart
Where I fight the entrance of real growth.
Open, one by one, those aspects of my spirit
Where my security struggles with the truth.

Keep me open to the different and the strange;
Help me to accept the unusual and also the ordinary;
Never allow me to tread on others' dreams
By shutting them out, closing them up,
By turning them off or pushing them away.

God of the Resurrection, God of the living,
Untomb and uncover all that needs to live in me.
Take me to people, events, and situations
And stretch me into much greater openness.

Open me.  Open me.  Open me.
For it is only then that i will grow and change.
For it is only then that I will be transformed.
For it is only then that i will know how it is
To be in the moment of rising from the dead.

taken from may i have this dance; An Invitation to Faithful Prayer Throughout the Year by Joyce Rupp

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

REJOICE, for Christ is RISEN!!!

Lent Day 39:

...Christian faith speaks about the paschal mystery, about Jesus Christ's death and resurrection as the first fruit of an inclusive harvest, about new unimaginable like breaking out through death itself and as a corrective to death.

Although for a time there was no glimmer of hope, God was near at hand, nevertheless, and Jesus was not ultimately abandoned.  The victory arrives through the living communion of love, overcoming evil from within.

To say this is not to rationalize suffering or to find a solution to the problem of evil or to offer cheap consolation.  The cross and resurrection scandalize and cannot be reconciled theoretically.

Rather, this event deepens the mystery of how God's solidarity with the suffering world brings about a future even for the most godforsaken.  It points to the real mystery of the trinitarian God as an ally against suffering and moves the community to the practice of love that corresponds to this mystery.

from She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse by Elizabeth A. Johnson

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

May all beings be free of suffering,
May all beings be at peace,
May all beings experience life breaking out,
May all beings be one with God.
Amen.

Lent Day 38:

26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying,“Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” 30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  Matthew 26:26-30

Eucharist is recognition. It is the full realization that the one who takes, blesses, breaks, and gives is the One who, from the beginning of time, has desired to enter into communion with us. Communion is what God wants and what we want. It is the deepest cry of God's and our heart, because we are made with a heart that can be satisfied only by the one who made it.

God creates in our heart a yearning for communion that no one but God can, and wants, to fulfill. God knows this. We seldom do.

We keep looking somewhere else for that experience of belonging.
We look at the splendor of nature, the excitement of history, and the attractiveness of people, but that simple breaking of the bread, so ordinary and unspectacular, seems such an unlikely place to find the communion for which we yearn.

Still, if we have mourned our losses, listened to him on the road, and invited him into our innermost being, we will know that the communion we have been waiting to receive is the same communion he has been waiting to give.

from With Burning Hearts by Henri J.M. Nouwen


A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:
When do you yearn for communion/belonging? 

How do you attempt to satisfy that yearning?

What does it mean to you that no one but God can, and wants, to fulfill your yearning?

Meditate on these words of St. Augustine:  "My soul is restless until it rests in you, O God."

Lent Day 37:

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and the daughters of Life's
longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And thought they are with you
yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit,
not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
Maronite Christianity, an ancient sect, emerged in the fifth century when the early Christians of Syria pledged their allegiance to a hermit, Marun, whose gifts and virtues brought him many disciples. Using a ritual alive with the Aramaic tongue of Jesus and a liturgy that is among the oldest and most moving in the Christian Church, the Maronites were able to protect their traditions due to the physical remoteness of the mountain region [of Lebanon]. The spiritual nature of Gibran's mother and the impressions that the child received from the mystical ceremonies of the Maronites remained with him all his life (The New York Times).

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

Use this poem by Kahlil Gibran as a prayer throughout the day.  It is often easier to remember a long text like this if it is set to music.  An African-American a capella group called Sweet Honey in the Rock has recorded this poem under the title "On Children".  It's a great way to meditate.  Here's a link:

Lent Days 35 & 36:

Chag Sameach!  Joyous Festival!  Happy Passover!

My father was a wandering Aramean,
and he went down into Egypt,
and he lived there as a small people,
and he became a great, powerful and numerous nation.
And the Egyptians treated us badly 
and afflicted us
and subjected us to hard labor.
And we cried out to the Lord,
God of our ancestors,
and the Lord heard our voice
and saw our affliction
and our toil
and our oppression.
And the Lord brought us out of Egypt
with a strong hand
and with an outstretched arm
and with great terror
and with signs
and with wonders (Deut. 26:5-8)

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

Tradition dictates that this passage serve as the focus of midrash - an extended discussion about the meaning of the story and its relevance to our lives.  Recite the passage and consider how you understand the story of the Exodus and where you might find yourself in this story.

taken from Gould Farm Passover Hagada

Lent Day 34:

Holy Creator,
thank you for artists:
visual, verbal,
musical, kinesthetic,
spiritual.

Holy Creator,
thank you for artists
who express our impressions,
our feelings, and our hopes.

Your gospel is found
not only in scripture,
but in the stroke of a brush
or of a pen,
in melody and harmony and dissonance,
within dance and movement,
within prayer.

Bless the prophecy of artists
who charm and chide,
critique and cajole,
who prompt tears, laughter,
peace, and passion.

Within their creative process
may we recognize
the divine in all creation
and be moved to awe
and wonder and worship.

Receive all art, O Divine Creator,
as acts of prayer,
a reflection and response
of creation.
And, as the disciples requested,
continue to "teach us to pray".
Amen.

from Coming Out to God by Chris Glaser

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

Take paper and crayons or paint or pencils and create an image of what you think God looks like.  It can be a form of some kind, or simply colors; whatever strikes you as representing the Holy.  Use this "hands-on" practice as a form of prayer as you welcome and honor the presence of God.

Lent Days 32 & 33:

Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, 
a holy place, a Divine Center, 
a speaking Voice, to which we may continuously return.  
Eternity is at our hearts, 
pressing upon our time-torn lives, 
warming us with intimations of an astounding destiny, 
calling us home unto Itself.  
Yielding to these persuasions, 
gladly committing ourselves in body and soul, 
utterly and completely, to the Light Within, 
is the beginning of true life.

from A Testament of Devotion by Thomas R. Kelly (1893-1941) a Quaker missionary, educator, speaker, writer, and scholar

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

Thomas Kelly was the first mystic I ever read.  I was introduced to him by the first female clergy I had ever met, the Rev. Pansie Evers.  The combination of these two things - an introduction to Christian mysticism and an introduction to the possibility that I too could serve God as a pastor - were life changing.  I think this is always true of the Christ Light Within; it changes us.  Whether we are awakened to it through the writings of others or through the life witness of people we are blessed to know, or through the beauty of the world around us; the Christ Light is in us waiting to warm and guide us.

How does the Light of God present Itself to you?

Where might you find it shining today?

A Consideration of Biblical Views of Atonement

Lent Day 31:

For the last five years during Lent I have led a discussion at RCHP on Biblical Views of Atonement. There is nothing more mystical than the death and resurrection of Jesus.  My suggestion for your prayer and meditation today is simply to consider what Atonement means to you.

Lent Day 30:

(This beautiful piece titled "Contemplation: Dog Art Painting" was created by Sharon Cummings and can be purchased at http://fineartamerica.com/ as well as redbubble.com  
I'm saving my money to get a print.  It's perfect!)

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

Find a tree.  Sit and stay.

Lent Day 29:

Meditation is not merely the intellectual effort to master certain ideas about God, or even to impress upon our minds the mysteries of the Christian faith.  Conceptual knowledge of religious truth has an important place in our lives.  The spiritual life needs strong intellectual foundations, and reading theology helps us understand faith experience.  But meditation itself is neither study nor intellectual activity as such.  Its purpose is not to acquire or to deepen our speculative knowledge of God or of revelation.  Rather than seeking to know about God, we are seeking to know God directly, beyond all the objects which God has made.  We are seeking to experience God's presence with the awareness of loving faith.

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

Seek out a quiet place.  Find a comfortable, upright position in which you are relaxed but alert, with your eyes lightly closed.  Remain as still as possible.

Silently, begin to say interiorly a single word or phrase selected from the context of Christian faith.  Listen to it as you say it gently but continuously with faith and love.  Do not think or imagine anything, spiritual or otherwise.  If thoughts and images come and your attention strays, as soon as you become aware of this, return to saying your word.

all of the above is taken from Prayer of Heart and Body by Father Thomas Ryan

Lent Day 28:

As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, 

so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. 

To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. 

To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over 

the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.

~ Henry David Thoreau

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

I walk a pathway;

Of rocks, roots,

Leaves and mud.

Traveling alone at times,

But more often with trusted companions.

We are cutting a trail of holy thoughts.

Lent Day 27:

In the face of the struggle for freedom,
Give us strength.
In the face of decision about freedom,
Give us wisdom.
In the practice of freedom,
Give us guidance.
From the dangers of freedom,
Give us protection.
In the life of freedom,
Give us joy.
In the way in which we use our freedom,
Give us a clear vision

South American Council of Churches
"A Litany for Human Rights," All Year Round
British Council of Churches, 1988

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

In what way do you act on your own freedom?
In what ways are you enslaved?

Lent Day 26:

Home is a movement,
a quality of relationship,
a state where people seek to be "their own",
and increasingly responsible for the world.

from The Journey is Home by Nelle Morton (theologian and Christian Educator)


A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

Take a moment to sit quietly.
Consider when you have felt most "at home".
Imagine that place or time or experience.
Recall the sounds, smells, the texture of it.
Breath in a blessing and exhale a blessing
for the home that allows you to be "your own".

Lent Day 25:

Life is
A blue sky framed by firs.
Guilt, joy, frustration, contentment;
So many moments
That make up a day.
In all of this
Gratitude spills out
Like sap running freely from the tree.
God is good
We fail
We harm 
We forget 
but God is always good.
And this God 
Lives in me.


A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

How would you describe your day?  
Where do you see God in the moments of your day?

Lent day 24:

“We draw people to Christ not by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.”

From Walking on Water by Madeleine L'Engle

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

Read each line of the verse below slowly and in rhythm with your breath.

The true light,
which enlightens everyone, 
was coming into the world

John 1:9

Lent Day 23:

[Thanks to the Bible Study group of staff, volunteers and guests at Gould Farm led by Rev. Liz Goodman for providing the spark of inspiration for this entry]

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God".  Matthew 5:8

"This may well be the most important of all the beatitudes - from the perspective of wisdom it certainly is.  But what is purity of heart?  This is another of those concepts we have distorted badly in our very morality-oriented Christianity of the West.  For most people, purity of heart would almost certainly mean being virtuous, particularly in the sexual arena.  It would be roughly synonymous with chastity, perhaps even with celibacy.  But in wisdom teaching, purity means singleness, and the proper translation of this beatitude is, really, "Blessed are those whose heart is not divided" or "whose heart is a unified whole"...According to Jesus, this enlightenment takes place primarily within the heart.  when your heart becomes "single" - that is, when it desires one thing only, when it can live in perfect alignment with that resonant field of mutual yearning we called "the righteousness of God," then you "see God"."

from The Wisdom Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind by Cynthia Bourgeault

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

Heart of mine,
so often scattered into pieces,
be knit together.
Gaze upon the face of the Divine,
and know that there lies essential mercy.
Be a single entity
beating with each pulse
a rhythm of love,
yearning for God.

Lent Day 22:

Every element has a sound, 

an original sound from the order of God; 

all those sounds unite like the harmony from harps and zithers.

~ Hildegard of Bingen

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

Accept this offering of sound for your practice of prayer.
CLICK HERE

Lent Days 20 & 21:

The person who dives for pearls

is never satisfied to come up with shells.

Neither should those who aim at virtue

be satisfied

with honors and reputation. 

The more virtue parades itself,

the more it desires to be seen and acclaimed,

the less likely it is

to be real and true.

True virtue and personal attractiveness

are not rooted and supported

in pride, self-sufficiency, and vanity.

These produce a life lived

strictly for show.

It blooms brilliantly

and quickly withers away.

Having the appearance of virtue

may be fine for those

who do not seek it,

who accept it indifferently,

and who do not mistake the shell for the pearl.

But it can become very dangerous and hurtful

to those who cling to it,

and take delight in it.

For if someone

is truly wise, truly learned,

truly generous and noble,

their gifts will flower

in true humility and modesty.

A really great soul

will not waste itself on such empty goods

as rank, honor, and form.

It has higher aspirations.

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

All Through the Day; seek the pearl, not the shell.

from Set Your Heart Free; The Practical Spirituality of Francis de Sales

Lent Day 19:

“All mysticism is characterised by a passion for unity. To the mystic, true Being and Ultimate Reality are One…Christian mystics aspire to an intimate union of love with God, seeking God’s presence as the very ground of the soul. The human being is endowed with a spiritual sense that opens us inwardly, just as our physical senses open us outwardly.”

King, Ursula, Christian Mystics: Their Lives and Legacies through the Ages, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988 p.15.

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

Contemplate:  Consider what inward "spiritual sense" means to you.  What does it mean to you to experience a "union of love with God"?  

Prayer:  I feel the earth beneath me, the air around me, and the presence of the Holy Spirit within.

Lent Day 18:

Well, I believed that there was a God because I was told it by my grandmother and later by other adults. But when I found that I knew not only that there was God but that I was a child of God, when I understood that, when I comprehended that, more than that, when I internalized that, ingested that, I became courageous. I dared to do anything that was a good thing. I dared to do things as distant from what seemed to be in my future. I became a translator in Serbo-Croat in Yugoslavia, and I conducted the Boston Pops. I taught at the Habima Theatre in Tel Aviv in Israel, and I worked as a journalist in Egypt with the only English news magazine in the Middle East. All of that, and I come from a little village in Arkansas, smaller than Picayune, (laughs) and I was a young black woman, trying to do all the good things. When I was asked to do something good, I often say yes, I'll try, yes, I'll do my best. And part of that is believing, if God loves me, if God made everything from leaves to seals and oak trees, then what is it I can't do?

~ Maya Angelou  (our oldest daughter's namesake)

(taken from interview conducted via teleconference, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune and The (Baton Rouge) Advocate. http://www.nola.com/living/baton-rouge/index.ssf/2013/02/maya_angelou_discusses_her_fai.html )

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

God, help me to internalize, help me comprehend

that I am your child.

May I be encouraged by this reality.
May I courageously do good in this world 

because I believe

because I know

that You love me.

Amen.