God's Spirit

"In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit." (Acts 2:17-18)

Yesterday, many churches celebrated Pentecost, the festival of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus had been raised from the dead and was taken up into heaven, God sent the Spirit upon Jesus' disciples. A man of flesh and blood could not be with them forever. But God's Spirit can. Some call this the birthday of the church because a small, Jewish movement broke wide open and included everyone of any nationality or religion. God's Spirit knows no boundaries. 

Peter quoted the above passage from the Prophet Joel 2:28: God will pour out God's Spirit on all people, young and old, male and female, slave and free, and they shall dream dreams and have visions. That gives me hope for the future. Dreams and visions are indicators that something better is yet to come! This world is not all there is. When we get caught up in the hopelessness of violence and terror, the despair of poverty and natural disasters, the suffering of those affected by addiction or mental illnesses... That's when we need God's Spirit to give us the dreams and visions of a better world. 

What are your dreams and visions for this world? 

Come, Spirit, come,

Inspire us, encourage us, fill us with your presence, fill us with your love, 

Come, Spirit, come, 

Be a breath of fresh air in our hearts and our minds, give us dreams and visions and help us build a better world.

Come, Spirit, come. 

Citizenship

I am currently in the process of applying for U.S. citizenship. I have been a legal resident for over five years and am eligible, but I still have to go through some administrative steps and an interview. I will then also have to take an oath of allegiance.

I look forward to being a full citizen with all rights and privileges.

But this process made me think about what "citizenship" means, and what country I am willing to pledge my loyalty to. I am keeping my German citizenship because I still feel connected to my country of origin, its people and its culture. And I know how privileged I am that I will soon be a citizen of two democratic nations that protect each individual's dignity. Not everyone is so privileged. Not every nation respects freedom of speech and religion, or other basic human rights. And even those nations who do, do so first and foremost for their own citizens. Those who are not a citizen or a legal resident have no rights and privileges. They live in constant fear of being caught and shipped back to a country where there are no guarantees for a life in freedom and safety.

Shouldn't we all be global citizens? Shouldn't our freedom and dignity be respected and protected no matter where we are? 

God says so, in Leviticus 19:34:

"The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God." 

"Aliens" and citizens should be treated the same. 

Paul writes, in Ephesians 2:19:

"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God."

In the eyes of God there are no strangers or aliens, there are only citizens of the household of God. In the eyes of God we all have the same rights and privileges: to be loved, and to love. To be welcome, to be safe - and to welcome others and make them feel safe.

No matter what passport I carry, that's the kind of community that I want to be a citizen of!

May God help us to live this way. 

Mental Health

I had a friend who would sometimes say, "I need a mental health day!" and would take a day off from work. I commend her for recognizing when she needs to take time for herself. Not everyone has the privilege of being able to do that, but for those who can it's a good practice.

I'm not saying this will cure mental illnesses. Of course it won't. In many cases, medication and/or therapy will be necessary. But for those who do not have a diagnosed mental illness, taking time for yourself is a good preventative measure. 

Here at Trinity we've just started reading "Blessed Are the Crazy" by Sarah Griffith Lund. Many were put off by the title because it seems to support the stigma that people with mental illnesses are "crazy." We all agreed they are not. They have a physical illness like cancer or diabetes. But mental illnesses are very complex and they affect people's mood and demeanor. That's why it's so hard NOT to label them as "crazy" or "weird."

But they are not. They are God's children and they have an illness which means they need help, and they need compassion. 

I was impressed and deeply moved by how bravely several individuals shared their own history with mental illnesses. This I believe is where we need to begin: by talking about it. By learning about people's experiences and recognizing the immense suffering they go through. The shame that's associated with it. How it can be incredibly isolating when you feel misunderstood. 

We talked about what helped them through it, and the support of family and friends was mentioned. 

That's where we as people of faith come in: we can support individuals with mental illnesses by listening, being patient and compassionate.

More and more people are dealing with anxiety and depression. More and more young people! This is an epidemic that we cannot ignore. 

There's so much more to this: Our mental health care system, for example. Anyone who has had to deal with it could tell story after story about how frustrating it is to find help. 

But for now, let's start talking about mental illnesses. Let's start talking about our own struggles and where we find hope and healing. 

For more information on mental illnesses, check out this link:

https://www.theskimm.com/skimm-guides/mental-health-basics?p=custom

Created in God's Image

On Earth Day we read the story of how God created humankind: Genesis 1:26-31.

"God created humankind in God's image; male and female God created them. [...] God saw everything that God had made, and indeed, it was very good."

When you look at yourself in the mirror, do you see "very good?" 

If not, let me remind you that you are. Because God said so.

We talked a little bit about what that means, being created in God's image. Some said it means we are different than the animals, we have a special role. We are supposed to be like God, as much as humanly possible. We were created pure. 

Do you have an image of God in your mind? Do you imagine God looking a certain way? Is it the "old man upstairs?"

But if God created male and female in God's image that means God is as much female as male.

To me, God is neither. God doesn't really have a face. God is love and spirit, creativity and presence. God is good. And God created us the same way: to love, to be creative, to be good and do good. And to be connected to God, to the Great Spirit. We are material beings: We have bodies that get hurt and that age and that eventually will die. But we are also spiritual beings. We have a spirit that connects directly to God's spirit, and to all life. 

In Genesis 1:28, God tells humankind to rule over the earth. There's that special role that we were given.

To rule also means to have responsibility. To take care of. That's what God calls us to do: To be God's presence in this world, and to care for all living beings. 

I said yesterday: That's a big responsibility we didn't ask for. But God thinks we can do it or God wouldn't have given it to us. 

We are very good. We are not bad or evil or ugly. And the world needs us.

God help us! 

My Body, A Temple

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?"  1 Corinthians 6:19

Jesus was raised from the dead in his physical body. He was changed somehow. His closest friends did not recognize him. But according to the Gospel of John, chapter 20, his disciples knew him when he showed them the wounds in his hands and side. 

Jesus' body was maimed and injured. The resurrection did not take that away. Those injuries made him who he was: The beloved of God, and the victim of humanity's hatred and violence.

Some of the wounds we acquire in this lifetime stay with us, and make us who we are.

But we are more than that. We are more than physical bodies, injured, ailing, aging, imperfect. 

We are God's temple. We are not our own. We are God's. 

I believe everything we have was given us by God, and it was given with a purpose and a responsibility. Our bodies deserve care and reverence, as any sacred space. Our bodies are God's way of being present in this world. They are vessels of God's love and temples of the holy Spirit. God wants us to use them to build God's reign in this world. 

How would you live if you believed that? 

Were You There?

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

This is an African-American spiritual about the crucifixion and death of Jesus, and our part in it. 

Watch a powerful version sung by Marion Williams here: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=xu_GW2osRVA

There's some real emotion behind her singing it. "Oh! It causes me to tremble." It shakes me up in the core of my being that the one we call the Son of God was so brutally murdered. That his best friends deserted and betrayed him and an angry mob screamed for him to be executed. 

Were you there?

Were you there when innocent lives were ended much too soon? When God's children screamed for help and no one came to their rescue? Were you there when they bled to death? Were you there when God's children were kidnapped, tortured, beaten and left for dead? Were you there when those who were supposed to protect them became their oppressors?

Or have you become numb against the pain because of all the news of violence and shootings? Just one more statistic. 

It would do us good to tremble though. It would make us more compassionate and, possibly, more angry. It would give us the passion to work against violence and for justice. And it would help us appreciate how much Jesus really does love us. 

And then, on Easter Sunday, may we all tremble as we shout: Halleluiah! The Lord is risen! 

May we tremble for joy that love is stronger than death, love stronger than hate, and God stronger than all evil. 

Were you there? 

Personal Freedom

"For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

I can think of a lot of "yokes" that we submit to, or are submitted to. What are yours? No matter what it is that holds you down, keeps you captive: I believe Jesus Christ has freed you from it. Living in freedom is something most people strive for. But it's also pretty scary! It means leaving behind what we know, what feels safe, and growing into the freedom that we are given. Yesterday we talked about the book "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz. These are the four agreements that he calls "A practical guide to personal freedom":

1 Be Impeccable with Your Word.

Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love. 

2 Don't Take Anything Personally.

Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3 Don't Make Assumptions.

Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life. 

4 Always Do Your Best

Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse, and regret. 

Most people found this some very powerful advice. But we also realized how hard it is to live that way! All we can do is keep working on it and acknowledge that we are often held captive by our own thoughts and feelings. That's where true freedom lies: in ourselves.

As we approach Good Friday, the day that Jesus died to free us from all human bondage, it is a helpful reminder that we are only unfree as long we allow ourselves to be. Freedom is possible. It needs to be worked at and practiced. But it is possible.

"For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."