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Jesus SavesIn a conversation with Cheryl, the Chair of our Board, yesterday, we were talking about our up-coming Board retreat day. Something she said caught me. It was her comment about having eyes to see the magnificent things that are going on in our world. It's something I'm becoming more aware of in myself of late ... the nudge to open my eyes to see more of the wonder. My heart, it seems, is so open to the suffering, the tragic. And I said to Cheryl, I'm also sensitive to the need to make room in my conversations and reflections for the hard stuff as I speak of what it means to be a person of faith, where pain is a very real and present dimension of being alive. It's important to be able to bear witness to what holds me and what I hold to in the face of the unbearable. But maybe I play that tune more than I need to, more often than is helpful for the congregation with whom I'm speaking. Maybe.
One way or the other, I've noticed this nudge recently to be alive to the wondrous, to the enormous goodness that is happening around me and in our world.
This Sunday we'll be gathering around the story of the wedding at Cana, from John's Gospel. It's comes to me as another one of those nudges. Whether or not you're familiar with the story, here's a taster, with more in store as we come together on Sunday morning.
Good wine
You have run out of wine,
but Jesus doesn't believe in running out.
Forget all that “we don't have enough.”
Have some more.
You have huge vats for purification,
as if it's going to take a lot
to wash off all your crud.
Jesus doesn't think so.
Forget all that “I'm not good enough.”
A toast.
It's a wedding— which everything
seems to be to Jesus, a feast of faithful love.
He looks pretty loose after that last glass,
as if he's about to propose.
Scholars swirl the wine and think Eucharist,
woman at the well, water gushing up in you,
blood and water from his side, baptism—
but they've lost him.
He's gazing at you.
Serious theologians read the signs
like tea leaves, proven by the miracle,
but the Beloved looks past them
and catches you with his soft eyes:
“Hey. Wanna dance?”
- Steve Garnaas Holmes, posted on Jan 18, 2019 www.unfoldinglight.net
Grace and Peace,
Karen
PS your prayers for the Board as we gather on Wednesday for our retreat day would be a great gift.
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Tuesday Night JazzLet's pack the house this week for sensational trumpet player Miguelito Valdes. Tuesday Night Jazz is here to stay and it's time to bring your friends and let them in on this 'best kept secret'. See you Tuesday! Miguelito Valdes has made a name for himself first in his native Cuba performing at the Tropicana and then touring the world with the Buena Vista Social Club and the Afro-Cuban All-Stars . . . |
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Neighbourhood Potluck Dinner & Movie.Mark your Calendar for this wonderful social time. Gary, has selected a great film for us to watch and we will share dinner and each others company at a potluck in the lower hall before the movie. Come for one or the other or both. Everyone is welcome. |
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