A gift and reminder as we start a new week

Guide Me into an Unclenched Moment   by Ted Loder

Gentle me,
Holy One,
into an unclenched moment,
     a deep breath,
        a letting go
           of heavy expectancies,
              of shriveling anxieties,
                  of dead certainties,
that, softened by the silence,
     surrounded by the light,
        and open to the mystery,
I may be found by wholeness,
     upheld by the unfathomable,
        entranced by the simple,  
           and filled with the joy
               that is you.


May you find a moment of peace, a time of stillness, a taste of joy today.


Guerrillas of Grace: Prayers for the Battle  by Ted Loder, p. 23

Fragile faith

A prayer to start your day from Ted Loder


O God, I am so fragile;
     my dreams get broken,
     my relationships get broken,
     my heart gets broken,
     my body gets broken.

What can I believe,
     except that you will not despise a broken heart,
     that old and broken people shall yet
           dream dreams,
     and that the lame shall leap for joy,
        the blind see,
           the deaf hear.

What can I believe,
     except what Jesus taught;
     that only what is first broken, like bread,
        can be shared;
     that only what is broken
        is open to your entry;
     that old wineskins must be ripped open and replaced
        if the wine of new life is to expand.

an excerpt from the prayer What can I Believe ,  Guerrillas of Grace: Prayers for the Battle, Loder.

Water sports

When the dog days of August hit (although, living in Syracuse right now, I can;t even imagine dog days....I am having trouble imagining days with the sun out and the ground dry!)..........there is nothing like running into the refreshing water of lake or beach or stream.  Shocked by the coolness of the water at first, we can feel the sweat being washed away and the heat exiting our body like commuters leaving the morning subway train.  Our cranky, overheated self is replaced by a refreshed and even giddy self as we find a burst of new life, new energy, new attitude. We are transformed.


A splash of water will do that.  When the pressure and heat of this world bear down on us, a splash of water will renew, refresh and re-enliven us.  Sort of like baptism, hmmmm.  Can this image help you to claim the transformation that God is bringing to our lives through that baptismal water?


In mid-January, when I wake to temperatures in the teens, and need to put on a coat, boots, mittens and possibly a hat just to navigate the 50 feet of driveway to retrieve my newspaper..........it is unimaginable to me that there will be a day, probably only 6 months ahead, where I will step out into searing heat, barefoot and in shorts and a tank top to do exactly the same job.

In the same way, on those days when the world is bearing down with relentless demands or crushing crises, it is unimaginable that there will be a day, probably not too far down the road, when I will be lifted up and experience the sweet nectar of life, the joy of being and the blessing of family, job and community.  On those days when I only feel failure, it is unimaginable that there will be a day when I will feel love, acceptance, forgiveness, grace and possibly even shalom.

Well, my friends, that is the Spirit - God's Spirit of Love which is, in fact, LIFE ITSELF, moving among us and within us, calling us into Jesus' presence, reminding us of God's love, renewing the gift of life within us, splashing us with the water of new birth, making us into God's holy people.

Furthermore, on the dog days, on the crushing and relentless days, on the failure days, it is the promise of that gift of Spirit and Life and Love that enable me to hold on.  It is the Spirit who 'calls, gathers, enlightens and sustains us.'  Thank you Lord.

Called, gathered, enlightened and sustained

It's the season of family reunions.  All those relatives, many who live at great distances, some whose names are lost in memory, gather in one spot to drink coffee (and most times beer) and to eat 4 kinds of potato salad and try to catch up.  "My Lord how the children have grown!"  is a favorite refrain to each greeting.

It's all a bit awkward at the beginning....there are new in-laws to introduce and that search for a safe topic of mutual interest.  There's a lot of talk about sports teams and children's graduations, the weather and golf games, and if you happen to be related to me, Tim Hortons.  But if the stars align just right, and God smiles on your gathering, you will begin to share family stories....the buried treasure of every family.

There is the story about mom chasing the kids with water pistols on the first really hot day of the year.....in the house!  Then there is dad's love for anything plaid.  Great-grandma's sour cherry pie and Uncle Carl's crankiness.  There will be the detailed re-telling of someone's birth, and the sadness ladden story of where each one was when they heard of Great Grandpa's death. There are happy stories, funny stories, scary stories, and of course, sad stories as well.

It takes about 4 hours to get comfortable enough with one another to begin to tell the sad stories, and just possibly if everyone hangs in there long enough, you can get to those stories of conflict and crisis. If you get that far, you will have managed what many never do - to speak the truth about your lives together, your shared history, and have gained some insight into how meaning has been formed in you.

You might just take a moment, quietly, off to yourself, to realize that managing this life is beyond challenging; that the road is twisted and rocky and often dangerous; that having someone else know your story gives you strength and resilience; and in the end, there is so much for which to be grateful.

My daughter is taking the lead to plan our family's small reunion this summer.  I doubt that she has given a moment's thought to Martin Luther's explanation to the work of the Holy Spirit in his Small Catechism who 'calls, gathers, enlightens and sustains' the church.

Would we not paint our family reunions with a different color if we saw the Spirit moving among and through us to bring others to life.....to abundant life.......in the midst of joy and sorrow and evil and anger.........this Spirit works to sustain us.....in this frail collection of flawed human beings.......where we can practice being life for one another?

It is in the back yard, eating hamburgers and cole slaw, playing horseshoes or corn hole and waiting for the fireworks to start that the Spirit is working to call and gather God's holy people into one body...in Jesus' name, out of love, for the sake of each one.

Perhaps I need to re-think my approach to this year's hot dog extravaganza; it's a lot more holy than I realized.

A Prayer to start our Week

Listen to the Longing.........Ted Loder

an excerpt

Lord, we have only human words
     to address you lest we be
        entirely dumb before you.

So, listen now, beneath our words,
     to the longing that reaches toward you
        and the gratitude that beats in our hearts
            and fills us with joy for everything
               that is just and true, good and human,
        all the gritty, muddy, bony, bloody, hairy,
            sweaty, smelly, beautiful, tough, tender,
                 possibility-laced, throbbing living-ness of it.

Forgive us for taking it all for granted,
     for acting as though it is not a gift but ours by right,
        as though there is not enough for everyone..................

My Heart in My Mouth: Prayers for our Lives, Ted Loder