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Japanese Kintsugi

Sun, October 24, 2021 Published by

Awhile back I broke a favorite vase of mine and I tried as best I could to put it back together again. It brought to mind the nursery rhyme about Humpty Dumpty after his fall. I kept the vase although it didn’t look the same and I couldn’t use it for it’s original purpose. Perhaps it looked ok from afar but upon closer inspection you can see where it was broken and repaired. I thought of my vase when I learned about the Japanese artform called Kintsugi. It is a beautiful form of ceramics which has much to teach us. When a vase or bowl or cup is broken, artists gather up the broken pieces and glue them back together. It is how they put them back together that is steeped in wisdom and beauty. They mix gold dust with the glue and instead of trying to hide the cracks they own them, honor the, even accentuate them by making them golden. They celebrate the cracks as part of their story. Kintsugi ceramics are stunningly beautiful and it is believed that once repaired in this ancient method, Kintsugi pieces are more beautiful, and more loved than before they were broken.

According to art historians, kintsugi came about accidentally. When the 15th-century shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa broke his favorite tea bowl, he sent it to China for repairs and was disappointed that it came back stapled together. The metal pins were unsightly, so local craftsmen came up with a solution — they filled the crack with a golden lacquer, making the bowl more unique and valuable. This repair elevated the fallen bowl back to its place as shogun’s favorite and prompted a whole new art form. Recently, a resident gave me a book called Life is Messy by Matthew Kelly who asks the question, “Can something that has been broken be put back together in a way that makes it more beautiful than ever before?” Kelly laments how quickly and easily our society throws broken things away because we cling to the false notion that we have to try to keep everyone and everything from being broken. He says, “I marvel how God doesn’t use straight lines or right-angles in nature. We invented right-angles and straight lines to prop up our insecure humanity. The perfection of nature is marked by crooked lines, brokenness, imperfect colors, and things that seem out of place. The perfection of creation is achieved through its imperfection. And so it is with human beings. Your imperfections are part of what make you perfectly yourself. If we put on the mind of God, we discover one of the most beautiful truths this life has to offer: Something that has been devastatingly broken can be put back together in a way that makes it more beautiful than ever before. It is true for things, but it is even more true for people, and it is true for you. This is the source and the summit of hope.”

Scripture agrees that like the kintsugi crafters who repaired the shogun’s bowl with gold long ago, imperfections are gifts to be worked with, not shames to be hidden. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” Owning the fact that we are all clay jars allows us to be free and human in the way God intended. Each of us is subject to chipping and cracking and likely to contain imperfections but it is those cracks and imperfections that give us character and beauty.

A Prayer for the Remembrance of 9/11

Fri, September 10, 2021 Published by

O God, our hope and refuge,
in our distress we come quickly to you.
Shock and horror of that tragic day have subsided,
replaced now with an emptiness,
a longing for an innocence lost.

We come remembering those who lost their lives
in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania.

We are mindful of the sacrifice of public servants
who demonstrated the greatest love of all
by laying down their lives for friends.
We commit their souls to your eternal care
and celebrate their gifts to a fallen humanity.

We come remembering
and we come in hope,
not in ourselves, but in you.

As foundations we once thought secure have been shaken,
we are reminded of the illusion of security.

In commemorating this tragedy,
we give you thanks for your presence
in our time of need
and we seek to worship you in Spirit and in truth,
our guide and our guardian. Amen.

– Written by The Rev. Jeremy Pridgeon, UMC

@nina_p_v via Twenty20

One Step Enough For Me

Fri, August 20, 2021 Published by

And yet his words are a prayer not for supernatural problem solving, nor even to grasp the entirety and complexity of whatever befalls us, but simply for the guidance and support to simply take one more step forward on our pilgrimage of life.

Our Joy That Hath No End

Sun, April 4, 2021 Published by

A Happy Easter to you all! It was wonderful to join with others in our Campus community at our Campus Easter Sunrise Service this year as we heard and rejoiced in prayer and praise; “Jesus Christ is ris’n today, Alleluia! Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia! Who did once upon the cross Alleluia! Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!”

The Blame Game

Sun, July 14, 2019 Published by

The Rev. Brad Munroe, the Executive Presbyter of the local denominational body of which I am a part (part of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A), has rewritten the Serenity Prayer for the 21st Century. 

God, grant me the serenity to accept that others
may misunderstand, misinterpret, and misjudge
my motives when hearing the narratives I speak,
the courage to listen with grace, humility, and compassion
for other’s motives when hearing the narratives they speak,
and the wisdom to know when to speak and when to listen,
always seeking charity, clarity, and conviction from all.

In a recent article, Brad writes about the Fundamental Attribution Error (FAR) which is a term psychologists use to describe the phenomena of attributing ill motives to others while assuming pure motives for oneself. For example, if someone cuts us off while driving, our first thought might be “What a jerk!” Conversely, consider the last time you were suddenly honked at for drifting into a different lane.  You may have had an immediate alibi (e.g. the sun was in my eyes, my kids were distracting me) that explained your behavior based on a situation.  You didn’t immediately come to the conclusion that you were an inconsiderate or incompetent driver. Because of the Fundamental Attribution Error, we tend to believe that others do bad things because they are bad people. We’re inclined to ignore situational factors that might have played a role. 

A particularly common example is the self-serving bias, which is the tendency to attribute our successes to ourselves, and our failures to others and the situation. You might have noticed yourself making self-serving attributions at times. How often do we judge others harshly while letting ourselves off the hook at the same time by rationalizing our own unethical behavior? The Fundamental Attribution Error is so pervasive that I guarantee you will see it in action over the next week if you keep your eyes open.   If we were to add up how many times the FAR is made in the meetings we attend, the gatherings we go to, the conversations with family and friends, we would likely find reasons why our life together needs an injection of “the courage to listen with grace, humility, and compassion.”

Some helpful remedies and things to consider are:  watch out when you make generalizations and don’t be too quick to draw conclusions about the character and capabilities of others, assume the good will of the other person, and envision yourself in the shoes of the other person and imagine their challenges. Unquestionably, there are genuine jerks and incompetent people we run across in life.  Given our inherent tendency to ascribe negative traits quickly, we will be better off by considering alternate explanations before we jump to conclusions.  Those folks that are truly deserving of negative labels will have ample opportunity to validate our suspicions!

One Wild and Precious Life

Mon, May 20, 2019 Published by

Much-loved poet, Mary Oliver, died recently at her home in Florida at the age of 83. She lived for many years in Provincetown, Mass., with the love of her life, the photographer Molly Malone Cook. Oliver got a lot of her ideas for poems during long walks — a habit she developed as a kid growing up in rural Ohio. She wrote about one such walk in her poem “The Summer Day”:

Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper, I mean-

the one who has flung herself out of the grass,

the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,

who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-

who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.

Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,

which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

A friend of Oliver’s described her as “a visionary poet, and she’s also the quintessential tough old broad who finds traces of awe in, for example, scooping out the shining wet pink bladder of a codfish, or getting down on all fours with her dog out in the woods and, for an hour or so … see[ing] the world from the level of the grasses.”  What I particularly appreciate about Mary Oliver is that she knew the rewards of paying attention.  As Jesus encouraged, she seriously considered the lilies of the field how they grow. Her essay called “Staying Alive,” is about escaping from her difficult childhood into nature and literature.  Her work speaks directly to us as human beings in lines such as: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” In her poem, When Death Comes, she beautifully says, “When it’s over, I want to say all my life I was a bride married to amazement.” Writer Ruth Franklin says her work is infused with a deep spirituality. “The way she writes these poems that feel like prayers, she channels the voice of somebody who it seems might possibly have access to God. I think her work does give a sense of someone who is in tune with the deepest mysteries of the universe.”  As we move into the dog days of summer, I look forward to reading more of Mary Oliver.  What will you be reading?

How I talk to God : How God talks to me.

Sun, March 31, 2019 Published by

This year, as well as fasting from my favorite treats, I have also been accompanied on my Lenten pilgrimage by the poet Malcolm Guite’s book Word in the Wilderness; A Poem a Day for Lent and Easter. Poems are an ideal companion for the season of Lent as we seek to reorient ourselves to God, with poetry often providing a call for us to ponder the wonders of the world around us while looking and listening for God at work in us.

One of the poems included in Guite’s collection is entitled How I talk to God, by Kelly Belemonte.

“Coffee in one hand leaning in to share – How I talk to God. ‘Momma, you’re special’, three-year-old touches my cheek – How God talks to me. While driving I make lists: done, do, hope, love, hate, try – How I talk to God. Above the highway hawk: high, alone, free, focused – How God talks to me. Rash, impetuous chatter, followed by silence – How I talk to God. First, second, third, fourth chance to hear, then another – How God talks to me. Fetal position under flannel sheets, weeping – How I talk to God. Moonlight on pillow tending to my open wounds – How God talks to me. Pulling from my heap of words, the ones that mean yes – How I talk to God. Infinite connects with finite, without words – How God talks to me.”

This beautiful work causes us to ask ‘What is prayer?’, and reminds us that a life of prayer is both speaking to God, but also listening, in turn.

In his reflection, Malcolm Guite says this;

“Saint Paul calls on us to pray without ceasing, leading some contemplatives have interpreted that as a call to leave the world with its business and distractions and seek long swathes of uninterrupted time devoted to prayer and prayer alone. Others have seen it as a call to have a continual hidden mantra, wheeling and cycling beneath all we do, providing an undercurrent or ground note of prayer beneath all our daily activities.”

In different ways for different people, both of these approaches are valid and neither exclusive of the other. Perhaps the greatest gift of Belemonte’s poem is to remind us, once again, that each day we find ourselves in conversation with God within the ordinariness of our lives.

May we all spend this season of Lent attuned to that conversation, to both speaking and listening, so that that the very rhythms of our everyday lives are opened up to God, and offered up as our unceasing prayer.*

The Healing Power of Human Solidarity

Sun, March 24, 2019 Published by

Once again, the world has witnessed another atrocity born out of hatred. The faces of the fifty victims of that murderous shooting, of people gathered together in worship and prayer in Christchurch, New Zealand appear in our newspapers and on our screens, and once again the question is asked; `how did we get here?’ Free societies are an open marketplace of ideas and convictions, however the pluralism and freedoms which we hold dear is indeed fragile. As we have seen in the live-streaming of this latest tragedy, it has become much easier to dole out division and bigotry to an eager and growing audience. Social media sites like Facebook will again come under increased criticism for what they allow to be uploaded and shared, and rightly so. However, our response in the face of such horror needs to be an enduring one, born out of desire to invert the extremism of hate into the radicalism of love. As Professor Mona Siddiqui wrote last week, “Laws can curb the excesses of human behavior, but ultimately it’s our individual moral commitment to human fellowship and friendship which changes relationships and communities.” When we resolve to live out of love rather than submit to hatred, to live as peace-builders rather than turning away from others who are different from ourselves, then we can begin to have the difficult conversations about how we got here and how we can live into the model of humanity attributed to Saint Francis; ‘where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, joy’. To love requires much more of us than to hate, and yet, even in the shadow of these days following this massacre, we are witnessing the healing power of human solidarity. May this solidarity and opposition of hatred continue to grow, and may we all commit ourselves in our own way – by prayer, words and deeds – to its flourishing.

 

H.A.L.T.: A Self Care Tool

Sun, March 17, 2019 Published by

One of the scriptures that is read in the beginning of Lent is about the temptation of Jesus by the devil for forty days in the wilderness. He was tempted with hunger, with power, and the need to prove who he was. Whether or not you believe this actually happened or whether you believe in a hoof and horns Satan or “Tempter” as he is also known, we cannot deny that temptation is very real in our experience of being human. Lent invites us to pay particular attention to our lives and seek self-knowledge. It is in understanding and acknowledging our limitations, our weaknesses, and the urges that have defeated us in the past, that we are better prepared to battle temptations. How do we react when we are struggling with injured pride, a wounded ego, fear of not being appreciated, or anger at being ignored?

One step we can take is to recognize when we are most vulnerable. The mental health and recovery-oriented fields use the acronym HALT which stands for hungry, angry, lonely, and tired. When you ask yourself, “Am I hungry, angry, lonely, or tired right now?” it makes you stop and think about how you feel before you react to a situation. Each one of these four physical or emotional conditions, if not taken care of, leaves an individual vulnerable for relapse. Relapse for an alcoholic or addict means resumption of using alcohol or drugs to manage the discomfort, but even those of us not suffering from chemical dependency have our own forms of relapse (excessive gambling, eating, shopping, TV watching — to name just a few). Relapse may also show up as falling back into old beliefs about ourselves that result in feelings such as shame or guilt.

There is no getting away from sometimes feeling hungry, angry, lonely or tired so the more self- aware we are the better. Hunger, of course, describes the most obvious physical condition of lack of food but hunger can also point toward emotional needs: hunger for attention, for comfort, for understanding, or for companionship. Just as food takes care of our physical hunger, the solution to emotional hunger is community. Anger is a little more complex to understand. The way we express anger often takes destructive forms. We either turn anger against ourselves or against others. Anger can range from criticizing and belittling to name-calling and physical violence. Anger can also be like a repeated tape loop; in that case it’s called resentment. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous suggests that a person with resentment towards another pray for the other, that is, imagine all the good in life that we would like to have for ourselves to be bestowed upon the other person. You don’t have to call it prayer; choose a word that works for you.

Next in the HALT acronym is Lonely, which can be a frequent companion for some. It is similar to Hunger in that the solution is the same, namely community. The last of the HALT acronym conditions is Tired. We all have a tendency to ignore tiredness at times. Many of us do not get enough sleep and being tired, overloaded or overwhelmed can affect our well-being. HALT, is a practical tool for everyday living. Thanks to the people in Alcoholics Anonymous, where this acronym initially emerged, for using their experience to benefit us all.

A Happy and a Holy Lent

Sun, March 3, 2019 Published by

Happy Lent!

Join us for some delicious pancakes on Tuesday March 5th, 8-10AM, in the Life Center as we keep the old custom of using up all the fattening ingredients in the house before the beginning of the Lenten fast. Ash Wednesday follows on March 6th. Ash Wednesday has, for centuries, been a day for Christians to have our foreheads marked with ashes as an acknowledgement of our mortality, and to reflect in penitence for our mistakes. Residents and staff are welcome to receive the imposition of ashes and spend some time in prayer and contemplation in the Life Center, 8:00AM-12:00PM, or at the regular Rosary gathering held at 10:00PM in the Plaza View Lounge. During the forty days (excluding Sundays) which follow Ash Wednesday, we journey together through the season of Lent. The intention of this portion of the year is for us all to make a conscious effort to focus on turning our hearts and minds back towards God. Sometimes people do this by practicing a little self-denial and self-discipline, perhaps by giving up a favorite food or treat as a reminder to focus instead on our spiritual nourishment.  A favorite family story of ours is how my brother (aged around 6 at the time) was asked by the priest following church what he was giving up for Lent. Without hesitation he replied, “school”. A good attempt, but not quite in with the intended goal of opening the doors of our hearts a little wider to the deep riches of faith.

Last year, Pope Francis offered a list of ways which we can fast, and by doing so grow deeper into our relationship with God and each other. 1. Fast from hurting words and say kind words. 2. Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude. 3. Fast from anger and be filled with patience. 4. Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope. 5. Fast from worries and trust in God. 6. Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity. 7. Fast from pressures and be prayerful. 8. Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy. 9. Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others. 10. Fast from grudges and be reconciled. 11.Fast from words and be silent so you can listen.

Ultimately, for Christians the penitence and fasting of Lent should be a preparation for the celebration and joy of Easter. Fasting is not about misery, self-punishment and joylessness. The fasting goals of Pope Francis make that clear to us all. However it is only possible to truly rejoice in the feast, when we have truly experienced the fast. And so, I wish you not only a happy Lent, but a holy Lent also.

Love Showed Up

Mon, August 21, 2017 Published by

How could I believe my eyes?  Men and women- many of them young adults -embroiled in violence – state troopers behind armor- pictures of swastika emblazed-confederate flags- wherever I turned on TV – internet -airwaves- the same scene bombarded me.  Is this the democracy, land of the free and home of the brave, where I grew up singing about our “sweet land of liberty”?

A kaleidoscope of emotions engulfed me: anger, agony, fear, aching for the victims.  I yearned to share my feelings.  On the internet, I read that many communities were already planning prayer vigils, most to be Sunday evening, August 12.  Late Saturday night I decided to email a few resident friends who hold concerns similar to mine about shifting values and priorities for our nation. I invited then to join me Sunday evening at 6:00 for a time of reflection and prayer. Sunday morning I notified our Spiritual Life staff about my intentions, and Chaplain Andrew Moore announced the vigil at our Campus Vesper Service. During that service Chaplain Andrew used this prayer, which speaks of our desire to overcome evil with love.

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us

through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole

human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which

infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;

unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and

confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in

your good time, all nations and races may serve you in

harmony around your heavenly throne. Amen.

At 6:00PM on that Sunday evening, nine residents gathered to share reactions and seek guidance in responding thoughtfully to the terror in Charlottesville. Barbara Glenn read to us a message just received from Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray. She was the minister of the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Phoenix until her election in June as national president of this denomination. Here is a portion of that email entitled “Love Showed Up Today in Charlottesville.”

‘Today was a tragic day. We came to Charlottesville to bear peaceful witness but were met with hate and racist violence. My heart has been broken, and I am deeply troubled by what is happening in this community and cross this country. This morning faith leaders went to Emancipation  Park to block the entrance and prevent the Unite the Right rally from taking place. The message was clear – to stand with the community to say that hate has no place here.  The white nationalist protesters we faced chanted Nazi slogans between sexist and homophobic slurs. And they had automatic weapons, paramilitary uniforms, and clubs….They had their guns and shields.  We had our songs, our faith, our love. And we had each other.’

And here on this campus we have each other. Our reactions to changes in this nation will vary.  As we respond to the steady stream of “breaking news,”  may we seek to understand divergent views.  May our love for justice and peace leave no room for hate.

 

Guest Author this week is Rev. Dosia Carlson, Beatitudes Campus Resident
Liaison is Rev. Andrew Moore, Associate Chaplain of Spiritual Life

The Steadfast Love of the Lord Never Ceases

Wed, July 5, 2017 Published by

In the past few weeks, I have had conversations with many of you about the recent losses of innocent life in Britain due to both terrorism and tragedy. These most recent barbarous attacks, as well as the Grenfell Tower fire have left my country reeling, with people struggling to make sense of such intense feelings of anger and the depth of sorrow after such loss.

I can tell you from the heart, that what makes Britain a wonderfully unique place to live and work, is its cosmopolitan identity and socially diverse peoples. Every corner of the earth is represented in the cities of Manchester and London where these tragedies have taken place. Cultures blend in the streets, in the markets, in the schools, and the very real way in which the communities affected by these tragedies have pulled together in these past weeks is a tribute to their dynamism. The one abiding blessing of these past few weeks is to have seen people of every faith, ethnicity and background supporting one another.

Photographs of a memorial wall on the façade of a church in London have been shared around the world to bear testimony to this spirit. Many of the prayers written on that wall, representing many faiths, are heartbreaking. They are raw. They are from the heart. They are a modern lament rooted in anger and confusion. “Our loss is heaven’s gain,” says one – while another writes: “pray for our community”, and most simply and poignantly of all, perhaps – “we are one.”

As I have wrestled myself with the intensity of human suffering being felt in places which are so familiar to me, there is one part of the bible which has resonated with me as I have prayed for all involved.

The Book of Lamentations, in the Hebrew scripture, deals explicitly with the personal consequences of loss and mourning brought about by communal suffering – in that case the destruction of Jerusalem- : “The thought of the affliction weighs me down,” writes the author.. “I cannot get it out of my mind; I am bowed down by it.” And, just like many of us are perhaps feeling when we see again images of the burnt out tower block, or the aftermath of terrorist destruction he adds: “my soul is bereft of peace.”

It is only after he has truly expressed his anger and pain that the writer of lamentations can eventually move on to affirm, in hope and – despite everything – that: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end.” May we all, in whatever anguish or sorrow we face, remember that same truth, and share it readily with others.

Don’t Worry

Mon, June 12, 2017 Published by

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

– Buddha

Are you a worrier? I know I am. I come from a great line of worry-warts in my family. We are exceptional at putting countless amounts of overthinking into situations and circumstances to which we have little to no control. It’s not good emotionally, mentally or physically. So why do we do it at all? More importantly, how can we stop?

Some scientists theorize that worrying may actually keep us safe. For example, if I’m concerned about being in a car accident, that worry will probably get me to put my seat belt on, which is a good thing.

It’s nice to know that worrying actually suits a purpose, but I still would much rather do without such an excess of it.

In the article, “Seven Awesome Reasons to Be Present and How to Do It,” by Henrick Edberg, I read that being in the moment is an excellent way to stop worrying. When I am focused on what is happening right here and now, I don’t allow time for my brain to worry about what might happen or stress about what has already passed.

Edberg explains there are many ways to keep your mind in the present moment. You can focus on your breathing or even focus on the sights and sounds that are around you. Feeling the sun on your skin or listening to the birds singing can bring you into the present and keep you there. Being aware with your senses can draw you into the moment and away from your anxiety.

Another technique that works for me is prayer. I silently repeat a short prayer over and over until my anxiety goes away. My go-to mantra is, “God has got this.” It’s simple and easy and, most importantly, it works for me.

Sure, I’ve got work to do with controlling my worrying. It is a lifelong challenge for me to work on and find different techniques that help. There is also a comfort in knowing that my worrying is a human condition and I’m not alone. Even people in biblical times were sometimes worrying too much and turned to the scripture for guidance.

 

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.”

– Psalm 34:4

 

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.”

– Philippians 4:6

So, let’s work together to go out in this great wide world and live out our hopes and not our fears. Remember, God has got this.

An Element of Faith

Mon, February 20, 2017 Published by

A humble wardrobe was given magical significance by the story telling of C. S. Lewis. Aslan, the White Witch and a whole cast of creatures have delighted readers ever since the Chronicles of Narnia were published in the 1950s.

Although I love the world of Narnia, my favorite of Lewis’s works are not his fiction, but his writings about finding faith. A more correct description of them might be “his writings about trying not to find faith, but eventually giving in”. During the 1920s he wrote as a convinced atheist. He then went on a journey of intellectual wrestling, finally kneeling down in his room at Magdalene College, Oxford, describing himself as “the most reluctant convert in all England”.

His spiritual struggles and doubts did not end that night on the floor of Magdalene College. Far from it. Although he became a highly respected theologian, he also wrote books like A Grief Observed. In its pages he described the aftermath of the death of his wife, saying that his prayers seemed to be met with stony silence, and that when he needed Him most, God felt horribly absent and unresponsive.

I find Lewis’s honesty very reassuring; it gives me a sense that I can trust his writings on spirituality as he’s sharing his full story with all of its ups and downs, rather than just a handful of positive sound-bites. Sometimes, presentations of faith can lack this, and instead feel like meeting a salesperson who is over-selling a product that will apparently “never go wrong” and promises to “make life perfect”. I am far more convinced by people like Lewis who admit that the journey of faith is always a work in progress.

As German theologian Paul Tillich put it: “Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith.” Uncertainties can be positive catalysts that add energy and prevent faith from becoming static and fossilized. Thomas in John’s Gospel was famously honest about his reservations. I’ve often felt it unfair that he’s become known as “Doubting Thomas” as it sounds so negative. Perhaps instead he should be named “Authentic Thomas”, for bravely owning up to his uncertainties. Maybe it’s time to give his reputation a re-brand and hand him some belated credit.

Those following in Thomas’s footsteps today, and I count myself among them, honestly acknowledge the black, white and difficult gray aspects of faith. On that journey of authentic spirituality there are few better guides than C.S Lewis and the writings he leaves behind.

Taizè Worship

Mon, June 15, 2015 Published by

Though we are many, we are of one body in the one Lord.

As war was raging across Europe, Roger Schütz crossed over the border from Switzerland to France and settled in the small community of Taizè, nestled in the hills of Burgundy.

Sixty years later I also travelled to Taizè, but rather than finding a sleepy village, I was following in the footsteps of many others who had been drawn to what this place had become in the intervening years.

Gradually over time, from its founding in 1940, an ecumenical Christian community begun by Br. Roger has blossomed in that place, now comprising more than one hundred brothers from both Protestant and Catholic traditions, who originate from about thirty countries across the world. This community has become one of the world’s most important sites of Christian pilgrimage. Each year over 100,000 young people from around the world make pilgrimages to Taizè for prayer, Bible study, sharing, and communal work. Through the community’s ecumenical outlook, they are encouraged to live in the spirit of kindness, simplicity and reconciliation. Unity and diversity have become synonymous in this remarkable place, which truly exemplifies that ‘though we are many, we are of one body in the one Lord’.

Some of my most abiding memories of Taizè are of its distinct style of worship. Since its beginnings, the Taizè community has been known for its reflective and contemplative style of worship, allowing for people of any faith background to dwell within the presence God. The simple Taizè practice of prayerful silence accompanied by music with words taken from scripture doesn’t belong to any one denomination or group, and so the distinctions and differences of history are left at the door of the church. The differences between those worshiping is not what is important, for that place shows that there is far more that unifies rather than divides us.

Here on this campus, we live amongst a colorful spectrum of faith. We have residents and staff who worship in communities and denominations across the Valley, as well as residents who worship alongside each other here on the campus. So wouldn’t it be a wonderful expression of our faith and love for one another to gather all of that diversity into a special act of worship! For that reason, the campus will be hosting a Taizè style prayer service on Saturday, August 1st, at 6PM in the Life Center. We are inviting members of our surrounding faith communities as well as all of our residents and staff to join together for this act of worship, where each and every person will be ‘at home’ in the presence of God. For many it will be something new, but for all, there will be an opportunity to abide in the love of God together as one family. I look forward to seeing you there.