All Shall Be Well
Dear Members of the Parish,
The challenges of our economy, the state of the world and our environment can cause us to be very anxious. Those who are already retired are worried about whether they will have enough money to live on; those approaching retirement are thinking they can't afford to retire; those in the work force are wondering if their job is secure; and many have been laid off already, causing stress and financial hardship in families.
The one thing I've learned when I get anxious or worry about things is that I tend to want to control things even more than usual. Julian of Norwich, one of our greatest Christian mystics lived during the time of the Black Death. The Church at that time told people that God was punishing the wicked by sending this horrible disease upon them. Julian countered with, "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well." She did not believe in an angry, punishing God, but rather in the unconditional love of God.
Julian's, "All shall be well..." has in it an implicit trust in God's love to see us through no matter what happens. That is what we all need right now. We need to let go of our need to control situations that we really can't control and to trust in God's never failing love and care for each one of us.
On Sunday I spoke about using our imaginations and exploring metaphors, art, music and poetry in order to come closer to God. When we give ourselves to this exploration, we move away from the anxiety and fear that trap us and make us captives. Making time to explore the aesthetic world frees us to turn our attention toward God and in so doing, we come into the presence of the Divine.
I ended my homily with a prayer, which I expanded upon from Methodist Minister Jan Richardson. I offer it to you for the coming week:
The challenges of our economy, the state of the world and our environment can cause us to be very anxious. Those who are already retired are worried about whether they will have enough money to live on; those approaching retirement are thinking they can't afford to retire; those in the work force are wondering if their job is secure; and many have been laid off already, causing stress and financial hardship in families.
The one thing I've learned when I get anxious or worry about things is that I tend to want to control things even more than usual. Julian of Norwich, one of our greatest Christian mystics lived during the time of the Black Death. The Church at that time told people that God was punishing the wicked by sending this horrible disease upon them. Julian countered with, "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well." She did not believe in an angry, punishing God, but rather in the unconditional love of God.
Julian's, "All shall be well..." has in it an implicit trust in God's love to see us through no matter what happens. That is what we all need right now. We need to let go of our need to control situations that we really can't control and to trust in God's never failing love and care for each one of us.
On Sunday I spoke about using our imaginations and exploring metaphors, art, music and poetry in order to come closer to God. When we give ourselves to this exploration, we move away from the anxiety and fear that trap us and make us captives. Making time to explore the aesthetic world frees us to turn our attention toward God and in so doing, we come into the presence of the Divine.
I ended my homily with a prayer, which I expanded upon from Methodist Minister Jan Richardson. I offer it to you for the coming week:
A blessing upon your eyes this week, that you will find wonders along the way;
A blessing upon your mind this week, that you may find challenges that stretch your thinking;
A blessing upon your soul this week, that you may encounter the living God
as you sit in silence, take a walk or contemplate the stars.
A blessing upon your whole being this week as you turn your attention
and your imagination toward Jesus, who came solely for the love of you. Amen.
In gratitude and faith,
Miriam
A blessing upon your mind this week, that you may find challenges that stretch your thinking;
A blessing upon your soul this week, that you may encounter the living God
as you sit in silence, take a walk or contemplate the stars.
A blessing upon your whole being this week as you turn your attention
and your imagination toward Jesus, who came solely for the love of you. Amen.
In gratitude and faith,
Miriam
posted by Miriam | 9:14 AM
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