Let go, let be, let come

 

You don’t achieve liberation through control; you achieve liberation through acceptance. (Note: acceptance doesn’t mean approval or “it’s all good”.  Acceptance is a recognition of reality, pain, our limitations and abilities, the ongoing-ness of God)  Katherine Morgan Shcafler.

 

Brian McLaren writes about how life in the Spirit is a process of letting go, letting be, and letting come.  This is never one and done, but a continual and constant invitation.  This week, I want to encourage you to engage in a prayer practice that invites the Spirit to intercede and interrupt our thinking.  After all, it was my thinking that got me here and may not get me there where God wants me to go.  Sometimes I cannot grow or go because I am carrying too much “stuff” that the Spirit wants me to set down. 

 

What is a situation, person, pain, problem, ache, hurt, frustration, anger, fear, or dis-ease that you are carrying around?  Picture it ~ this might be easier with a person than it is with a general malaise that afflicts and affects many today.  Or maybe your fear is like that monster under your bed of your soul that disappears the moment you flick on the lights to try to see it.  Even when words are inadequate and insufficient, try anyway.  Or draw what you are carrying. 

 

The truth is, we cling to our brokenness, believing that we can, nay, we must, solve it.  And when we cling, we hold tightly to a thousand sharp shards of broken glass; we can be cut again and again. 

 

Imagine holding that thing you just described or drew on the piece of paper.  Make tense, tight fists with both your hands, squeezing that situation, person, or pain.  Maybe squeeze the way that thing is squeezing you. 

 

Let it go: I want you to open your hands.  Feel the blood release and flow freely back through.  Feel the relief of not trying to control and contain.  What would it mean to let go of that which you are holding?  Do you feel irresponsible?  Sometimes I let the gospel of thinking I must save the world be the voice that controls my calendar.  Or I think I can’t let go of that; who would I be if I didn’t have that anger or hurt…I might get hurt again.  Do you hear honest fear in that statement?  Open your hands, knowing that if the pain hops away like a cricket you’ve been holding, you can pick up the pain again if you wish. 

 

Let it be: Hold your hands in the form of a cup, letting that pain be in your hands.  Ponder prayerfully how that ache, problem, dis-ease has been defining you and draining your energy.  Ponder prayerfully and gracefully what you would say to a friend who would be going through something like this.  Would you verbally beat that person up, telling them they are weak or silly?  Probably not!  But my inner critic loves to do this to me.  Hold the heaviness, feel the weightiness in your hands of what you've been grappling with, how many calories you’ve been burning because of that.  Be with your ache, curiously listening to it. 

 

Let it come: Is there something else that wants space and place in your hands, too?  Just as there is only so much I can carry, there is only so much room in my soul.  There is that great ancient wisdom that within our souls there is a wolf and sheep…and the one that wins is the one you feed.  What are you feeding by how you are clinging?  We do not have endless energy, so when we give our breath, life, and attention to that which is draining, what leftovers do we offer to other parts that are more life-giving?  May this prayer practice help you today notice what you are carrying and that you are being carried by the Creator who holds you every moment.  Amen.

Prayers

 

God, thank you for this body that carries me around.  Thank you for the places I’ve been, the people I’ve connected with, the ways You show up in sights, sounds, smells, and the ordinariness of life.  Thank you, even, for people who are like south stars and tell me how I don’t want to be.  Thank you to the people who push buttons because they teach me to be careful with my words.  Thank you to people who are bullies and convict me to keep my core value of letting loose Your love even when others don’t notice.  Thank you for the truth that just as my body keeps making new skin cells and blood flowing and thoughts growing, You are not finished with me or anyone I meet or this world.  Help me participate and part-take in sharing in what You are up to in the world, especially here and now.  In the name of the One who knits us together with grace and love, Jesus the Christ.  Amen.  

Demands and Decrees we make

 

Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.  1 Corinthians 12:15

 

Belonging is a longing that stirs within us.  Belonging is acceptance, affirmation, being seen and heard, and embracing the fullness of life blended into one smoothie of life.  I believe that we long for a belonging that is more than fitting in.  We long to find people who love us fully.  And, because humans are humans, we also divide and discriminate, we rate and rank, and our opinions continue to act like we are the captain of the kickball team, getting to pick who we want on our side.  Ugh.  Two thousand years later, countless sermons have been preached, so many faithful lives lived, and we still administer litmus tests of who is in and out.  We still say to immigrants, LGBTQ+, anyone with a beautiful skin tone other than white, anyone who struggles to live paycheck to paycheck, people who live with mental illness, and in so many other ways that they are not welcome at our party.  Who would you like to not include in the body of Christ today?  I know, the good person inside of us wants to shout, “No one!  I love everyone!”  But I know I have a list.  I know some people push my buttons, people whose words have wounded, people whose very presence sets my mind spinning.  It’s okay to have a list.  The question is not whether some people annoy us, but what we do when those folks show up with a whole new set of creative ways to frustrate and flummox us.  You really must admire the creativity of some people’s abilities to anger you.  Frustration is part of community.  To be clear, I am not saying that harm physically, emotionally, or spiritually should go unaddressed or swept under the rug.  Boundaries are needed and necessary.  Your body has boundaries.  There are things your body can do and cannot.  There is a place where I end, and the other begins.  Boundaries help us.  Sometimes I will quote Parker Palmer in a group and say, “No fixing, no saving, no advising here.”  No saying, “I know exactly how you feel.”  No projecting your conclusions onto another’s complexity.  This is so hard because our hand wants to tell our foot how to walk better.  But honestly, I can’t walk on my hands, so that appendage should stick to typing and bringing my cup of coffee to my lips.  Continue to let Paul’s image sing, stir, and speak to your life.  Are you trying to tell someone else how to live?  What boundaries are appropriate for our church to thrive?  How can we find ways to contribute our individual uniqueness and celebrate the diverse unity of being the church these days?  Amen.

Diversity within Us

 

This week, you are paying attention to the diversity that is within you.  The many ways your one body moves through this world.  The different ways your fingers move from your toes, from your knees to your bones.  How our diverse bodies cooperate ~ then we are sometimes in tension within ourselves.  When was the last time you felt tension physically?  Or maybe you felt tension between your head telling you one thing, while your heart was telling you another?  I remember last year when I was diagnosed with a frozen shoulder; I could not move my left arm.  To be sure, this was more inconvenient than painful…but there was certainly discomfort, and my left arm protested when I tried to do certain things.  A year later, I am better, but it took time.  Sometimes it is one part of our body that is hurting that we notice more.  Is there a part of your body that is hurting or aching?  Your back?  Your legs?  Your mind from the “too muchness” of this world?  Today, name the ache and pain to God.  On Sunday, we heard Paul say, “If one part (of the body) suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”  1 Corinthians 12:26. Once we name the ache, can we name a joy we are carrying or a celebration from this week so far?  Your joy doesn’t have to be spectacular or involve receiving a plaque.  In fact, most meaningful moments don’t get a trophy.  ABC 7 doesn’t show up outside my front door to cover the breaking news of me loving my wife or texting my kids that I love them or that I tried to be a good human today.  Yet, the church is called to be a community of practice where concerns and celebrations are given space and place to be heard.  I invite you to phone a friend, FaceTime a family member, or go out for coffee with someone you can share your life with and open space for the other to do the same.  Don’t let 1 Corinthians 12:26 just be some good idea for another day; let us find ways to cultivate community and connection in meaningful ways.  Amen.

Breathe and Be in Your Body

 

As we listen to Paul’s wisdom about a body connecting and cooperating, one step is to listen to our own flesh, heart, mind, words, and life.  A few weeks ago, I did a body scan in worship.  Today, I invite you to do this prayer practice again.  This is taken from the website mindful.org

 

1.     Closing your eyes can be helpful to allow you to focus or soften your gaze.

2.     Bring awareness to the body breathing in and out, noticing the points where you posterior and back and legs make contact with the seat, how your feet touch the ground. Throughout this practice, allow as much time as you need or want to experience and investigate each area of the body.

3.     When you’re ready (no rush), intentionally breathe in, and move your attention to your mind.  What is whirling, whipping, or whooshing around in there right now?  What thoughts keep coming back looking for more attention?  Who are some of the people who rest or reside in your mind…some of whom you never invited!  Some might be squatting in your mind, not paying rent or offering anything meaningful.  Name aloud the thoughts, questions, people, celebrations and concerns so your ears can hear your thoughts.

4.     Breathe in and out ~ move to your five senses ~ what do you taste on the tip of your tongue?  Your last sip of coffee/tea/water.  What do you hear?  The noise of the ceiling fan or bird or lawn equipment.  What do you feel on your skin?  Is there any stress or strain in your jaw or shoulders or gut? 

5.    I encourage you to be curious and open to what you are noticing, investigating the sensations as fully as possible, and then intentionally releasing the focus of attention before shifting to the next area to explore.

6.     Each time your attention wanders, simply notice that this is happening, then gently and kindly (please try not to force anything) direct your attention back to exploring sensations in the body. Rinse and repeat until you’ve finished your entire body exploration.

7.     At the end of this exploration of bodily sensations, spend a few moments to expand your attention to feeling your entire body breathing freely.

8.     Open your eyes if they have been closed. 

 

I encourage you to close by saying the Lord’s Prayer or 23^rd Psalm or the Prayer of St. Francis or some meaningful words that connect you to the wider group of bodies that are inhabiting this planet right now.  Amen.

Embodying Our Faith

 

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.  Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.  1 Corinthians 12:12-13

 

You are a combination and culmination of countless experiences and encounters.  You are a traveling art exhibit that has collected and curated in your one wild and precious life.  Some of the pieces you carry bring smiles to your face ~ like the beauty of a sunset at the Grand Canyon or the mystery of savoring one solo jellybean.  Other parts of the exhibit are a bit tattered and torn, weathered and worn, like that sweater I have with the elbows threadbare and buttons hanging on for dear life.  You are multitudes.  Just as your fingers help you hold your spoon at breakfast, your eyes help you read these words, and your mind is questioning, “Where is Wes going with all this?”, each part contributes to the collective.  In the verse above, Paul reminds us of the beauty of community and the necessity of diversity.  This is a lesson we are struggling mightily with right now.  More and more, we compartmentalize ourselves into groups that agree with us.  More and more, we prioritize belonging to certain groups.  More and more, we tribalize with those whom we accept, cancel those who are not, and demonize anyone who dares challenge our opinions.  Paul is saying to the Corinthians (and to us) that we need each other.  In fact, the more we can be close to someone who lives and moves through the world differently, the more I can see the world in new ways. 

 

C.S. Lewis once said that while reason is the natural organ of truth, imagination is the organ of meaning.  We keep arguing about truth (without ever talking about how our emotions and experiences skew what we understand or articulate as true).  What we are really thirsting for is meaning.  Meaning can be found in those times when our minds, hearts, souls, and energy of life are aligned with God and with others.  Meaning can be found when my life resonates with your life and the Spirit connects us.  Meaning is deeper than words; more than seeing is believing.  Meaning is always more than one person’s conclusion or conviction.  Meaning is an invitation to be held communally and collectively.  Meaning isn’t static but is always evolving and expanding.  Just as your body is constantly changing ~ shedding dead skin cells, blood flowing, thoughts forming, and life growing ~ so too meaning will never fit in the Tupperware containers stored in our minds. 

 

Today, I invite you to ponder the question, what is meaningful to you?  Where do you find meaning?  With whom do you search for meaning alongside?  On Easter, I asked the question, “What are you searching for?”  But that question is never explored in a vacuum.  It is a question that needs others to help us both listen to ourselves and expand beyond our own limits.  Who is someone who will both lovingly listen to you as you respond to this question and can help you discern the limits of your own conclusions?  If you would like to talk more about this, please contact me.  May our Easter-ing ways continue to expand and embrace the “more-than-ness” of our communal life.  Amen.

Prayer for Discernment