This Eastertide, on overload once again, I have chosen as my practice to notice and be grateful for the ways and times that Grace gets in and is enough for me to give thanks and bear the freight of the day. Certainly, the world is giving us too much to bear it seems, when war has broken our hearts with grim prognostications, the governmental systems are not only frayed but mired in standoffs, the environment has gone beyond groaning to wailing as it suffers, our institutions seem be coming apart at the seams, and the specter of COVID still looms over all. 

So, my attention has been pulled back to a favorite grounding text, in which the apostle Paul recounts his own misery, and then concludes that “God’s Grace is sufficient for me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9.) My intention this Eastertide is to look for, take note, savor and give thanks each day for the way that Grace has been sufficient. It has been more challenging than I imagined, not because the Grace is absent or hiding, but because my own perception, imagination and attentiveness are often underdeveloped. 
Grace has appeared:

• First roses have blossomed in my spring garden

• a mother hummingbird has reoccupied a nest tucked up under the eaves, and tends her eggs vigilantly

• my grandboy Teddy has vigorously moved into toddlerhood, with much joie de vivre

• my prayer for deep listening and patience to understand another’s point of view were delivered when I needed them

• my imagination was sparked as I filled bags of books for those who need them, while letting go of things which once gave me joy and I no longer need

My list could go on for ages. And I was reminded by so many Wise Ones of the ways that my faith continues to hold me in the arms of the Holy One of Grace, whose love never ceases, as I am taught how to love with Grace. Professor Kate Bowler brought me this reminder in her new book Good Enough with Jessica Richie; she quotes Thomas Merton here:

To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us–and he has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes the difference.

Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude

 
Grace and peace,
Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

Dry spells happen not just in the natural world but in our spiritual lives too. There is much we can do to prepare and the principles are surprisingly similar to those in the garden.

First we need to take notice of the signs that suggest a dry spell is on the way. “Unseasonably warm temperatures” or high stress and anxiety, and “lack of rain” or seasons of intensely draining activity, are my two best indicators that I need to take notice of. Its easy to ignore them and hope that the drain on our spiritual reserves will not deplete us, but that is as unlikely as the impact of drought on physical water supplies.

There are several ways to make ourselves less vulnerable to dry spells.

Store more water.
When drought hits every drop of water is precious. We need to store it so that is kept fresh and freely available. Jesus knew that. When he was driven out into the desert it was the “stored water” – his knowledge of the scriptures and the purposes of God – that sustained and strengthened him through what must have been a very dry and draining experience. And in the garden of Gethsemane, I am sure that his night in prayer was what gathered the reserves that would see him through the agonizing journey toward the cross.

Memorizing scriptures, sitting quietly in the presence of God for a few minutes each morning and drinking in the water of God’s Spirit, writing prayers and spending time reflecting on them are all practices that I find store water for me. What about you?

We need to conserve the water that is already in us.
Compost and mulch are a gardener’s best friend, but what are the equivalents in our spiritual lives? When we are dry and drained out it is often almost impossible to reach for the Bible or pray. Reading spiritual books seems to add to our dryness. So, what keeps the water of God flowing strongly within our hearts and souls during a dry spell? For me it is time spent out in the garden, and the reciting of prayers that others have written. Patrick’s Breastplate is an especially powerful prayer in this context. When I read it out loud it resonates through my body and lodges in my heart in a wonderful way. So grateful that I can rely on the words others when my well has run dry!

Grace and peace,
Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

The power of the Gospel lies in its beauty—a beauty that reflects the unwavering, relentless, and unconditional love of the Triune God. It is a Gospel of rescue and reconciliation, of invitation and inclusion. Everyone was made for the Beautiful Gospel!

Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, is at the center of the Gospel. He is the complete revelation of God, full of mystery and wonder. He has always existed beyond all time and space yet chose to enter our world to bring about the cosmic shift that began––and continues––to change everything.

This is the Gospel that Jesus proclaimed, lived and died for. By His resurrection, the restoration of all of creation began. It is a bigger and deeper Gospel than we have understood.

The Gospel tradition is long and wide; forming the church into a rich mosaic. Come because you hunger to know more of Jesus Christ. The gospel is a story — the story of  Israel culminating in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The gospel is not a formula or a set of spiritual laws or an explanation of how to go to heaven or a particular politics.
 
It’s a story.
 
When we reduce the gospel to tidy explanations or cartoon tracts or narrow religious dogma or political activism or self-improvement techniques or wellness practices or anything other than the story that crescendos with Easter, we strip it of its power to fascinate and illuminate.
 
Come because you long to be with others who are on a similar journey. Come because you long to experience the wonder of sacred space and intimacy with Jesus.

Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

The Holy Sepulchre 
 
The exotic waft of incense
The chill of cold marble
A thousand lamps shining on gilded crucifixes
Pious pilgrims performing prostrations
Bored tourists in idle conversations
Beeswax candles and cellphone cameras
Priests wearing habits
Pilgrims toting backpacks
Cueing worshipers and churlish monks
Lonely planet boys and girls
Climbing up to Golgotha
Stooping down into an empty tomb
Is this where death was undone?
It may be, but there is no proof
It feels more like an arcane shrine
Curated by competing religious orders
Than where an angel rolled back the stone
And yet…
I come back year after year
More at home each time
And though I understand why many might be
I am not disappointed
And after all, what did the angel say?—
He is risen! He is not here
HE IS NOT HERE
And what did the apostle say?—
He ascended to fill all things
TO FILL ALL THINGS
Where is the empty tomb?
It’s right here—
In a world where death is but a door
Leading to the One who went before
To prepare a place for us
In the Father’s house of love
Morning has broken
 
Brian Zahnd

 
Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

Palm Sunday 

Now to the gate of my Jerusalem,
The seething holy city of my heart,
The saviour comes. But will I welcome him?
Oh crowds of easy feelings make a start;
They raise their hands, get caught up in the singing,
And think the battle won. Too soon they’ll find
The challenge, the reversal he is bringing
Changes their tune. I know what lies behind
The surface flourish that so quickly fades;
Self-interest, and fearful guardedness,
The hardness of the heart, its barricades,
And at the core, the dreadful emptiness
Of a perverted temple. Jesus come
Break my resistance and make me your home.

                Malcolm Guite
 
Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

In the last year I’ve wanted to get to know Jesus more deeply by focusing on the many trials he experienced at the end of his life. So, I began applying a variation of the Examen—a reflective devotional exercise described in St. Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises—to the Stations of the Cross. I make it a 15-day exercise (I always add the Resurrection to the 14 Stations), focusing on just one Station a day, Monday through Friday. This adds up to a three-week exercise, and it has helped me not only to decompress at the end of the day, but to engage in my relationship with Jesus in new ways. Oh, and to make sure I remember to do this exercise, I set an alarm on my phone as a reminder!

I invite you to do the same. You can approach this reflection at any time in your day, before or after work or dropping off the kids, wherever you are in your life’s journey. Here are five simple steps, derived from the Examen, to help you unlock the Stations of the Cross in a practical, contemplative, and reflective way.

Step 1: Choose a Station. Let’s say we’re focusing on Jesus taking up his Cross. You can read a passage from the Bible that correlates to that scene or simply picture an image in your mind. Then take a few deep breaths and ask God to help you quiet your head and open your heart. Often, we only try to focus on getting rid of all the mental chatter inside of us, but it’s also important to place our attention on the waves of emotions and feelings inside us. Something in you might resist focusing—you may feel tired, nervous, or angry, but that’s okay. Allow yourself to find a level of openness that is true to you.

Step 2: Remind yourself that God is all around you. He’s inside you and outside you and his heart beats in yours. Try to feel that reality as best as you can. Then take the picture of Jesus carrying his Cross and imagine placing the image inside you. Let it take root in you.

Step 3: Ask the Holy Spirit to rise up inside you and give you the wisdom to acknowledge God in your life. Ask the Spirit to help you meditate on the scene inside you. How do you think Jesus felt when this was happening? What was he thinking? What is your cross to bear? How heavy is it? How does it affect your relationship with God?

Step 4: Review your day. Where did your cross feel the heaviest today? Where did you encounter the cross on the shoulders of others at work, on the news, or in the streets? Where is God in these encounters? Ask God to make you more aware and compassionate of others and yourself.

Step 5: Give thanks to God for the opportunity to know Jesus better and ask God to help you to become more aware of the crosses that everyone carries in life.
 
Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

"He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many." 2 Corinthians 1:10-11
 
While I reflected on prayer this week, I focused on intercessory prayer. What I noticed when I read this the other day is the word "as" at the beginning of verse 11. Paul directly connects his hope in God continuing to deliver him from the trial he is facing to the prayers for him offered up by others. As pastor and author J. Hampton Keathley says, "God has chosen to use our prayers to accomplish his purpose." This elevates the need to be faithful in intercessory prayer. It also elevates the need to make sure that we are bringing others into our needs and struggles, so that they can pray for us and appeal to God on our behalf. 
 
The text says "so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf".  The Greek word used here for persons is "prosopon"; it literally means face.  So, we have the image of many faces lifted up toward God in prayer. What a great picture of intercessory prayer! 

In light of this and the Russian invasion of Ukraine that we are watching so uneasily, I am struck by God's deliverance coming "as" we help others by our prayers. May we bring comfort and be comforted as we turn our faces to God in prayer on behalf of others.

Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

We have tried so many times and over so many years

To resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. 

How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced?

How much blood has been shed? 

How many lives have been shattered? 

How many hopes have been buried?

But our efforts have been in vain.

Now Lord, come to our aid!

Grant us peace, teach us peace;

Guide our steps in the way of peace.

Open our eyes and our hearts,

And give us the courage to say:

“Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”. 

Instill in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace.

Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, 

You created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. 

Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; 

enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother and sister. 

Make us sensitive to the pleas of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war

Into instruments of peace, 

Our trepidation into confident trust, 

And our quarrelling into forgiveness.

Keep alive within us the flame of hope,

So that with patience and perseverance 

we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation.

In this way may peace triumph at last,

 and may the words “division,”, “hatred,” and “war” 

be banished from the heart of all humankind. 

Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands,

Renew our hearts and minds, 

So that the word which always beings us together will be “brother,”

And our way of life will always be that of 

Shalom, Peace, Salaam!

Pope Francis

Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson

Pastor for Spiritual Formation

I No Longer Pray For Peace

On the edge of war, one foot already in,
I no longer pray for peace:
I pray for miracles.
I pray that stone hearts will turn
to tenderheartedness,
and evil intentions will turn
to mercifulness,
and all the soldiers already deployed
will be snatched out of harm's way,
and the whole world will be
astounded onto its knees.
I pray that all the "God talk"
will take bones,
and stand up and shed
its cloak of faithlessness,
and walk again in its powerful truth.
I pray that the whole world might
sit down together and share
its bread and its wine.
Some say there is no hope,
but then I've always applauded the holy fools
who never seem to give up on
the scandalousness of our faith:
that we are loved by God......
that we can truly love one another.
I no longer pray for peace:
I pray for miracles.

- Poem by Ann Weems

Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson

Pastor for Spiritual Formation

Salvation Oracles on Reading Isaiah 43:1-5

There is a long list of threats around us:
     terror,
     cancer,
     falling markets,
     killing,
     others unlike us in all their variety,
     loneliness,
     shame,
     death--
     the list goes on and we know it well.
And in the midst of threat of every kind,
     you appear among us in your full power,
          in your deep fidelity,
          in your amazing compassion.
     You speak among us the one word that could matter:
               "Do not fear."
And we, in our several fearfulnesses, are jarred by your utterance.
     On a good day, we know that your sovereign word is true.
     So, give us good days by your rule,
          free enough to rejoice,
          open enough to change,
          trusting enough to move out of new obedience,
          grace enough to be forgiven and then to forgive.
We live by your word.  Speak it to us through the night,
     that we may have many good days through your gift.
 
~Walter Brueggemann
     from Prayers for a Privileged People

Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation