While earth abides

“While earth abides, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter and day and night shall not cease. ” (Genesis 8: 22)

This is the season of Harvest Festival - a good point in the year to look back, take stock, count our blessings and be thankful for all we have and enjoy.

Every culture has their own tradition of celebrating what is most basic to their survival: the food that comes from the earth.  For those of us who do not make our living from the land, we have some distance to travel to connect the meaning of harvest to our daily life. Without thinking, we may end up believing that we are what we are, and have what we have, because of our own hard work, a good education and a decent upbringing. Yet achievement and possessions are not why we are welcomed and embraced by the God who offers sunshine and rain to all people.

I believe that each of us is created and loved by God regardless of who we are, out of love alone. At harvest time, we come simply to say "thank you". 

So what are you thankful for?  How about jotting down a list each night before falling asleep?  

Being mindful of all the things for which you can be thankful boosts your well-being and immune system, research suggests. In a series of experiments detailed in a 2003 study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, listing all the things you are thankful for is linked with a brighter outlook on life and a greater sense of positivity.

To close, a Franciscan blessing: 

"May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that we may live deep within our heart.  May God bless us with a righteous anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that we may work for justice, freedom and peace.  May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that we may reach out our hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.  May God bless us with motivation to believe that we can make a difference in this world, so that we can do what others claim cannot be done. With God's help, Amen."

When did we forget that church is for broken people?

When did we first forget that church is for broken people?

When did we start to think that church is for people who are sorted and OK? 

Two men go to worship God. 

The first is a good man. He is respected by his fellow worshippers. He is familiar with the patterns of worship. Above all, he is confident because he knows that he has done everything expected of him. He is not like the scumbag next to him. No, it is from his confidence and the way he lives that he now prays to God.

The other is not a good man. Everyone else going to worship that day is astonished to see him there. They hate him. This man collaborates with the enemy. He fleeces people of their hard earned money, turning over the bulk of it to those who have invaded their country but keeping a good margin for himself. He is ill-at-ease with worship, for he has not been to worship for oh so long. He is far from confident. In fact, he is quite literally beating himself up, smashing his hands against his chest.

Which of these guys truly encountered and engaged with God in that place?

You can read the story here and listen to the full talk here.