God's palette of brilliant colors ignited the trees in northwest Ohio this month. Autumn exhibits meaningful messages if we pay attention to her music. "Of the four seasons, autumn is by far the most paradoxical. Wedged between an equinox and a solstice, it moors us to cosmic rhythms of deep time and at the same time envelops us in the palpable immediacy of its warm afternoon breeze, its evening chill, its unmistakable scentscape. It is a season considered temperate, but one often tempestuous in its sudden storms and ecstatic echoes of summer heat. We call it “fall” with the wistfulness of loss as we watch leaves and ripe fruit drop to the ground, but it is also the season of abundance, of labor coming to fruition in harvest. " Maria Popova I gaze at trees gathered together like patchwork quilts across auburn fields of corn, showcasing their pigmented performance. They blend together in a murmuration of color. God's palette contains some colors that on their own are not … [Read more...]
Pentecost – Quotes to Ponder
Pentecost Sunday is May 31. And you thought that was only Memorial weekend. Ha! But the joke is on me. My internal sense of calendar and time are so warped in this pandemic as I wrote this post I didn't realize Memorial Day arrives May 25! I have certainly lost track of the days and dates in this strange time of Covid 19. Is it the same for you? But I digress...back to Pentecost. In 2010 I wrote a blog post about Pentecost and thought I would update that info and offer new quotes for you to ponder. What is Pentecost? Pentecost is the celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit to the early Christians. It marks the birth of the Christian church and means “fiftieth day,” as it is celebrated fifty days after Easter. Red is the liturgical color for this day. Red recalls the tongues of flame in which the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples. A tradition of some churches in ancient times was to baptize adult converts to the faith on … [Read more...]
What’s Today? Shrove Tuesday!
Today is Shrove Tuesday. I didn't know much about this special day until a few years ago and now include its celebration as part of my yearly practice of entering into the season of Lent. What is Shrove Tuesday? Shrove Tuesday is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and the start of the Lenten Season. I am sure most of you have heard of New Orleans grand party – Mardi Gras – that is celebrated on the same day. Shrove Tuesday is the last day of what traditionally was called “Shrovetide,” the week preceding the beginning of Lent. The word itself, Shrovetide, is the English equivalent for “Carnival,” which is derived from the Latin words carnem levare, meaning “to take away the flesh.” Does sound like Mardi Gras, doesn't it? While this was seen as the last chance for merriment, and unfortunately in some places resulted in excessive pleasure, Shrovetide was the time to cast off things of the flesh and to prepare spiritually for Lent. Actually, the English term provides the … [Read more...]
Preparing Your Heart – Advent Devotional Resources
Christmas is fast approaching but first Advent. Advent Advent is the four weeks before the celebration of the birth of Jesus. December 1 is the first Sunday in this season this year and at our church, we will light the first of the four candles surrounding the white Christ candle. The candles symbolize joy, hope, peace, and love. This time before Christmas is a time of anticipation and waiting for the gift of this holy season. If we pay attention, God will surprise us with his presence. If we wait in stillness, we will find him in unexpected places like a manger in Bethlehem. “Advent, like its cousin Lent, is a season for prayer and reformation of our hearts. Since it comes at wintertime, fire is a fitting sign to help us celebrate Advent. If Christ is to come more fully into our lives this Christmas, if God is to become really incarnate for us, then fire will have to be present in our prayer. Our worship and devotion will have to stoke the kind of fire in our souls that can … [Read more...]
Finding Joy and Direction in Seasonal Rhythms
Seasonal rhythms erupted in northwest Ohio this past week. Trees ignited in reds, yellows, and oranges. We actually experienced several sunny days accentuating the fall colors. One season brilliantly illuminating the way into another sequence of time. Time changed a few weekends ago too – bringing darker mornings. Now we are transitioning from colors to drab. Yet I hold the promise of new life as bird nests once hidden suddenly appear. Read more here about my lessons about bird nests. I am not a fan of the gloomy winter days. I long for the joy found in the light and warmth of summer. But there is a comfort in living into the rhythms of each year. The discovery of each season's gifts. The understanding that there is a time of everything in life. A few weeks ago I heard a speaker say we really only deal with 2-4 main issues our entire lives. Like a spiral, we keep coming back to the same flaws, strengths, and desires over and over again but with a different perspective, … [Read more...]
July Joy
Do you sense July Joy? July starts with a bang – with fireworks, festive activities, and celebrations. Even the flowers, especially daily and lilies now blooming, smile this month. Joy is a beautiful gift from God and one I am embracing this month. This essence brings healing, energy, and an invitation to dance with the spirit. I celebrate God's delight – his goodness and faithfulness. I wrote a whole series of the spiritual practice of celebration a few years ago. You can check it out here and here is the link for a free download accompanying this practice. Click here to get the download With this week bringing a holiday for those of us in the US, take a few moments to enjoy and embrace celebrations and joy. Pause and pray with thankfulness for all God has given us. We do have lots of reasons to celebrate. Celebrate our freedom. Celebrate our friends and family. Celebrate our faith. Quotes about Joy We have God’s joy in our blood. Frederick … [Read more...]
Holy Week – What is Holy Tuesday?
What is Holy Tuesday? This week is Holy Week – a major worship-filled week for Christians. What a week to create space in our lives, calendars and time to come humbly and mindfully before God who gave us all – life, love, and grace. We start the week together waving palms, honoring Jesus as King. We eat together on Thursday beholding Jesus as the bread and wine. We cry together in the dark sanctuary on Friday evening, remembering the cruxificion. We rejoice together on Sunday receiving the gift of everlasting life from the One who defeated death forever. As this post goes live, it is Tuesday. What is Holy Tuesday? Holy Tuesday The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us that on Monday Jesus cleanses the temple of the money changers, curses the fig tree, and weeps ever Jerusalem. On Tuesday, all four Gospels relate that Jesus finds the fig tree withered and talks about faith. What Does Holy Tuesday Teach Us? As I paused on this way through this sacred time, I … [Read more...]
Ash Wednesday and Lenten Fasting
Ash Wednesday begins this week, marking the first day of Lent as we turn our hearts and minds toward Good Friday. Then we can celebrate Jesus's resurrection on Easter Sunday. Ash Wednesday On Ash Wednesday, many churches hold a special worship service where the people are blessed with ashes, typically marking their foreheads with the sign of the cross. The blessing typically comes with a reminder that we all come from ashes, and to ashes, we all will return. The marking of the forehead has been a known custom since Pope Gregory the Great in 604. It has been said to have a twofold purpose, one being the ashes were marked for humility and mortality and then also for sorrow and repentance. In the 12th century, the rule developed that the ashes were to be created by burning palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday. Many parishes today invite parishioners to bring such palms to church before Lent begins and have a ritual burning of the palms after Mass. The custom of … [Read more...]