Thoughts, Hopes, & Psalms

'For the expanding grandeur of creation, worlds known and unknown, galaxies beyond galaxies, filling us with awe and challenging our imaginations:

We give thanks this day.

For this fragile planet earth, its times and tides, its sunsets and seasons:

We give thanks this day.

For the joy of human life, its wonders and surprises, its hopes and achievements:

We give thanks this day.

For our human community, our common past and future hope, our oneness transcending all separation, our capacity to work for peace and justice in the midst of hostility and oppression:

We give thanks this day.

For high hopes and noble causes, for faith without fanaticism, for understanding of views not shared:

We give thanks this day.

For all who have labored and suffered for a fairer world, who have lived so that others might live in dignity and freedom:

We give thanks this day.

For human liberty and sacred rites; for opportunities to change and grow, to affirm and choose:

We give thanks this day.

We pray that we may live not by our fears but by our hopes, not by our words but by our deeds.

We give thanks this day.' 

Amen!

Thanks to O. Eugene Pickett

 The Christian doctrine of creation refers to God who, by a love, power, and wisdom that are absolute and unimaginable, brings into being things distinct from himself. Creation is the beginning of God’s Revelation of Itself , in which its reality is manifested all things in their very coming to be and continuing in existence. 

This is the basis of all other Christian doctrines, and is referenced in the very first line of what is known as the Nicene Creed: "I  believe in one God, the Father and Mother almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.” 

This Christian belief in a Creator God has four distinctive elements: 

God uses no preexisting material to create the universe. God’s act of creation causes matter, space, time, and even the very laws which govern the universe to exist. 

Regardless of the scientific explanations of ‘how’ it came to be, God, in one divine action from all of eternity, creates and sustains all that exists.

For God, who transcends time, to create at the first moment of the universe is no different than what God is doing at this moment. Right now, as much as at any time in the past, God is saying “Let there be light,” “Let the earth teem with living things,” etc. 

God’s act of creation is not a historical event that happens within time, but it is instead a metaphysical reality describing the universe’s dependence on God’s eternal act of creating, which transcends time.

God is free to create the cosmos, and to do it in the way he sees fit. God, who is Love (1 John 4:8), chose to make this universe; he did not have to create in order to be God. 

The perfect freedom by which God creates means that the universe was created out of perfect love.

Creation is the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who, in a perfect communion of love produce the universe out of divine love and goodness. Everything created exists because of God’s inexhaustible, merciful love. 

God had no need to create; rather, the universe is the product of love overflowing and merciful love, and is therefore the foundation and deepest meaning of all things. 

This is the heart of the true Christian doctrine of creation. Just as God causes humankind to come to life  through mercy, causing goodness in us precisely where we have carved holes of nothingness into our lives through our very human deficiences, the doctrine of creation ex nihilo, out of nothing, means that every moment is an overwhelming display of the same kind of love. 

Creation itself is an act of mercy, of God causing goodness where it has no claim, where it is absent. The freedom that we find in the natural development of the universe is something we should expect if we see it from within the light of the four acts of Creation.

+Linda Jarvis/STEP

Today, we must ask ourselves the questions, What type of person do I choose to be during this brief earthly interlude?  Shall I share in the joys and wonders of God's hospitality with gratitude, or will I call upon the uncertainties of my human nature in response to earthly living?  Will my reponse to receiving God's gifts of earthly life  be an open-hearted Thank You while we share in these gifts, or will the response be, " It was the least I could do." ?

In answer to these questions, Jesus teaches us clearly.

' Turning to the woman, he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered into your house, and you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head.  You gave me no kiss, but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet.  You didn’t anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.’ 

Amen.

+Linda Jarvis

Earthly life is brief, it is transitory. We are all just passing through from where we came, to where we are going. As such, we must remember that in one form or another, each one of us is no more than an earthly immigrant briefly manifesting physically in God's eternal universe. The question is , How do we treat our fellow immigrants? How do we choose to treat our neighbors?

In answer, Jesus teaches us clearly.

Matthew 22:

[36] Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

[37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

[38] This is the first and great commandment.

[39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

[40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Amen.

+Linda Jarvis

The Grace community honors and affirms that the universe is God's creation. The universe and all it contains is God's gift manifested in forms that we can experience.  We must remember every day that we are children of God who have been welcomed  to briefly visit any and all of the magnificent mansions on our wonderful earthly home called Mother Earth.

To all things there is a season and a purpose unto heaven. As such, earthly life is brief and transitory.  We are individually and collectively the beloved children of the Creator, yet no matter if we and our families have moved frequently from place to place, or have sheltered in one place for generations , no matter if we choose to sit together at the one earthly table and share in the abundant gifts of creation gifted to us by God on this glorious, one of a kind, big blue planet known as Mother Earth, or if we choose to sit at the table and refuse to share in its bounty, we are all here for no more than a season.  How we respond to our neighbors at the table is a matter of choice.

Sarah and Abraham made a choice when three immigrants in their country unexpectedly visited their home. They provided a kind welcome and shared God's gifts.  They greeted them with hospitality. Their guests turned out to be Angels sent by the Creator.

Admittedly, some whom we will meet will not be angels, but that should not change our fundamental nature of being children of the Divine.  So, be Curteous, be Civil, and yes, be Wise and greet one another the with the kindness and respect with with we wish to be greeted. 

Amen.

+Linda Jarvis

'God has gone up with a shout,  the Lord with the sound of the ram's-horn. Sing praises to God, sing praises;  sing praises to our King, sing praises.'                        

Mother-Father Creator, you have known us before the beginning of earthly time. You have known us in the heights of our goodworks and in the depths of our inhumanity to your creation; you know us individually and collectively as your Beloved.

You have walked with us and talked with us during this deeply reflective Lenten season of repentance and mercy. Now as you ascend to the unknowable, unfathomable mystery of Creation, help us to inhabit and own our Beloved identity. As this quiet earthly Lenten season with Jesus gives way to the Holy Spirit's unquenchable flames of the Pentecost, give us the rock-solid assurance of your unwavering faith in your Beloved as we seek the same in you.

Amen.

Blessings and peace,

+Linda Jarvis

Congratulations to the Reverend-Elect Gymnetta Fludd, a third year resident at Grace Theological Seminary, who officiated the celebration of Resurrection Day 2023.

Congratulations to Deacon Mr. Vincent Jarvis who welcomed our community to our Palm Sunday 2023 celebrations.

' My salvation and my honor rest on God, my strong rock; my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge.'

In the Liberal Catholic tradition, the forty days and nights of Lent are spent in an inward journey of the spirit. During this time we live our lives quietly while solemly reflecting upon Jesus as he fasted and prayed alone, all the while squarely facing but refusing to succumb to a myriad of temptations.

Jesus was nourished by the Living Waters of his faith. It was this that fed and sustained him in the desert through the long, lonely, scorching days, and the long, lonely, cold nights. God has made these Living Waters available to everyone regardless of their finances, races, ethnicities, ages, beliefs, and genders. 

We urge you to fast and pray, and face but not succumb to the temptations that will surely come your way during the long days and nights of this penitential season. Call upon your Rock, call upon your faith, nourish yourselves in the Living Waters.

Many Blessings,

+Linda

In the Liberal Catholic tradition, we read and reflect upon the Psalms daily. In the Psalms we often discover gifts from God in the linings of life's thick, heavy clouds.

 In the Psalms, amid the gloom of earthly despair you can glimpse slivers of bright silver.  They are bright enough to emit a glimmer of light which can lluminate the faint contours of the path upon which we all journey.  

These slivers of silver are a beautiful gift from God.

Many blessings,

+Linda Jarvis

Advent is a quiet time of reflection coupled with expectation. It is a time of prayer and hope.  It is a time for deep and truthful contemplation. Please set aside extra time for prayer in the coming weeks, reflect upon the year that is concluding, and wait quietly in joyful anticipation for the year ahead.  Thank God for both the open-hearted gifts that were received, and for the sometimes bitter-sweet lessons that we were taught and learned during the past year.

Blessings,

+Linda Jarvis

' Disturb us, O Lord

when we are too well-pleased with ourselves 

when our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little, 

because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, O Lord

when with the abundance of things we possess, 

we have lost our thirst for the water of life 

when, having fallen in love with time, 

we have ceased to dream of eternity 

and in our efforts to build a new earth, 

we have allowed our vision of Heaven to grow dim.

Stir us, O Lord

to dare more boldly, to venture into wider seas 

where storms show Thy mastery, 

where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.

In the name of Him who pushed back the horizons of our hopes 

and invited the brave to follow.' 

Amen.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Thanksgiving Blessings

Thanksgiving is a joyous and wonderful time to share with friends, and family usually with food and fun. Getting together can be challanging even without a COVID pandemic, so we cherish these marvelous and heart lifting times. Let us give thanks:

Almighty and Living God, as we gather around your table we humbly give thanks for all that you have given us this past year; not only for the table set before us but also for all who are sitting around our table; family and friends and for those who are not able to be here.

We give thanks for life, laughter, for health and happiness, for relationships and memories. We thank you Lord for lessons learned and tears cried as you grant us the ability to grow through them.

We thank you for your comfort, your ever-presence, and your great guiding light shining brightly upon us and within us in good days and bad.

Oh merciful God, we thank you for what we have now, what we had yesterday and what you will provide us in all the days to come. Give us strength to never take that for granted, and to always be grateful for every good and perfect gift that flows from you.

As we rejoice in your blessings, in praise and thanksgiving, we also pray for all those who are less fortunate. Bless them and keep them, comfort them, protect them and shield them from pain and suffering.

Gracious God, our hearts are filled with your generous love. Give us the power to share your love and goodness this Thanksgiving day and each and every day.

We pray this in your name.

Amen

The Rev. Deacon Francis

'We will celebrate and praise you, LORD! You are good to us, and your love never fails.'

When reflecting on Psalm 106:1, I celebrate the attitude of gratitude that the writer shares with us. According to history and tradition, this shout of praise and adoration to God often rose spontaneously from the hearts and lips of our earliest Brothers and Sisters as they carried the Ark, and as they dedicated Temples. 

One commentator wrote the following words, "God's people have reason to be cheerful people..." I completely agree. We are honored and blessed to be the Body of Christ; brothers and sisters in the house of the Lord. It is the greatest reason for celebration and praise of them all.   Hallelujah! 

I wish you peace, grace, hope, and illuminating slivers of silver in the days and weeks to come.

+Linda

' Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. Rescue the weak and homeless from the powerful hands of heartless people.'

Psalm 82.4 

When reflecting on Psalm 82: 4, I am reminded that WE are the hands and feet of God on earth. As the Body of Christ we have been entrusted by the Creator to physically, emotionally, psychologically, and yes...spiritually care for God's creation called Humankind. 

Every human encounter is a form of ministry for the Body of Christ whether it be loose change carefully placed in a cup or outstretched hand, or a simple smile with eye contact that communicates "I see you". 

 Every day we must try to remember that we "The Body of Christ", have been entrusted by God to care for the creation called Humankind.

I wish you peace, grace, hope, and illuminating slivers of silver in the days and weeks to come.

+Linda

' I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore. ' – Psalm 121

  GUN SAFETY

This has been a very difficult year for most of us. For many, it has been absolutely terrible, and for more than a few it seems that our most heartfelt prayers have gone unnoted or worse, unanswered. The murders in the past few weeks of people who could be our neigbors out shopping for food, children and their teachers in school, and healthcare workers caring for their patients, have left us broken-hearted. Weapons of war were bought and paid for with a few pieces of silver and used to kill our brothers and sisters.

My ecumenical roots are nourished by my initial ordination sixteen years ago as an Interfaith Pastor, and here I am reminded of The Fourth Noble Truth within which lies the The Noble Eightfold  Path. The Noble Eightfold Path contains the guide to end suffering.  

THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH 

Right understanding (Samma ditthi) 

Right thought (Samma sankappa) 

Right speech (Samma vaca) 

Right action (Samma kammanta) 

Right livelihood (Samma ajiva) 

Right effort (Samma vayama) 

Right mindfulness (Samma sati) 

Right concentration (Samma samadhi)

Even a quick glance at the noble eight-fold path informs us that if any one of these eight had been mindfully exercised by the arms manufacturers or their workers, or the arms-dealers, or the persons who caused so much grief and harm, we would not be in mourning today.

To our brothers and sisters who have lost loved ones, know that your loved ones will always be with you, forever lovingly encapsulated in the poetry of the psalms. This small sliver of a silver-lining is a gift that you can carry in your heart. 

A second silver-lining may be glimpsed as you realize that you have come to appreciate those for whom you presently care and love even more than you did before. Their presence is cherished and welcomed during the most mundane and normal occurrences in everyday life. You realize that they too are slivers of silver; your gifts from God.

Remembering these shimmering gifts during horrible times can help to illuminate and brighten our lives; sometimes as through a mirror darkly, and sometimes with enough glimmering brightness to keep us moving forward in hope. However they may manifest, please try to cherish them for the gifts from God that they are.

I wish you peace, grace, hope, and illuminating slivers of silver in the days and weeks to come.

+Linda