ContemplativeJourney

Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; We are his people, and sheep of his pasture. - Psalm 100:3 If you happen to be from a faith tradition that differs from Christianity, or perhaps you come from a tradition of having no particular faith at all, you might not enjoy today's blog...though I hope that at minimum, you might find it interesting. While reading today's scripture lessons, I found that I wanted to write about several different ideas...my decision to write about sheep was partly influenced by the spiritual lessons, and partly because I found the subject-matter entertaining! I hope you'll be likewise entertained. I did a bit of internet research on the subject of sheep, and wanted to share some helpful insights with you, in the unlikely event that you find yourself raising sheep at some point in your future... "Why Raising Sheep is Fun" 1. Your lamb will recognize you and know it's feeding time when she sees you. 2. Walking a ...

Grace and peace to you . So begins the apostle Paul's first letter to the church at Thessalonica (also known as First Thessalonians). I won't bore you with the history of Thessalonica, except to mention that it was a wealthy city with a large population, and the church in that city was under heavy persecution at the time Paul wrote his letter to them. I suppose if Paul were writing letters today, they would be emails or blogs, but during those first 50-75 years after Jesus' death and resurrection, Paul sent his letters to groups of people who were gathering together (oftentimes in someone's home), and the letters would be read aloud in the group. Imagine this scene: a group of people who are gathered together in someone's home, quite possibly in fear of their lives, and Paul's letter begins with this simple phrase: Grace and peace to you. It seems to me that this simple phrase has enormous power, and in these words lie an extraordinary gift, for anyone who wishe...

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. In honor of the season, I need to begin my blog through Advent with a confession: With the rarest of exceptions, I haven't darkened the door of a church since late June of this year. To avoid boring you with the details of my year, allow me to simply say that it has been a time of great loss, grieving, questioning, and healing. Even though I haven't been in church, I have had a desire to blog through the season of Advent for several weeks now, and am embracing the next several weeks as a time of new beginnings for me...I am, I suppose, celebrating the new year a little bit early this year. Perhaps you too have been through a difficult year, or perhaps you're in the midst of a difficult time as you read this blog...whatever the case, I hope you will find comfort in these writings, and more importantly, comfort in this special season of anticipation and hope. I grew up in a non-liturgical Christian community, and have no memory of even he...

A few days ago I was given a very special gift...a copy of The Divine Hours , compiled by a favorite author of mine, Phyllis Tickle. The Divine Hours is a book of prayers, which, in the ancient traditions of the church, were prayed daily, at appointed hours of the day. I'd like to share some of what I read this evening, and then talk just a bit about the Parable of the Sower, as told in the 8th chapter of Luke... First, a prayer: O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into morning: Drive far from me all wrong desires, incline my heart to keep your law, and guide my feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, I may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen. In the parable of the sower, Jesus tells the story of farmer who went out to sow seed...some fell along the path, and missing the dirt altogether, was trampled upon and then eaten by the...