Sunday April 28-Ps. 148 ifts a week that started with Earth day.It could fit some of the natural images on our psalm windows here at First, Alton. Can you even imagine a more inclusive hymn of praise from all of creation? What element of creation draws you closer to the presence of God? what draws you away from a sense of the presence? J. Philip Newell is on Facebook and writes well of the Spirit of creation within the Celtic empahsis on traces of god in the natural world.
Monday-This is the first time since I have been here that the river is threatening.I feel for the people whose livelihood is inconvenienced and worse by the waters. At the same time, it is a fascinating thing to watch the waters rise in unfamiliar areas such as the park by the marina. i saw three heron ( or egret some long-legged bird, I know few proper names for birds) and a fish there yesterday when I was reviewing this.
Tuesday-I was recently reminded that a sense of personal shame may be a more potent issue today than guilt.shame is the sense that something is wrong with or about me, independent of what I do. when we do wrong, we feel guilty, but shame seems to be a more pervasive sense of damaged sense of self. In worship, look at the declaration of pardon as healing a sense of shame as well. If God accepts us in the divine illumination, what need to we have ot hide from ourselves and others?
Wednesday-My calendar list this as a remembrance for the Holocaust. It may be related to yad vashem, that refers to Is. 56:5, where God’s people will be given a place and a name.One of the most-visited sites in Israel is the memorial to the 6 million names of those who perished in Hitler’s pogrom.One thing tha thelps me consider it is to look at those few “righteous gentioe” who braved the system to help those in desperate need.
Thursday is a national day of prayer-Ever since the revolution, assemblies have called for a day of prayer. Toward the end of his term President Reagan formalized this Thursday in May. Part of me militates against the state proposing a day of prayer, as I see it as outside its purview. On the other hand, it was a model for ancient israel, and it has been honored in american tradition. Nations are always in need of prayer.
Friday is called friendship day. I think it may be connected to church Women United. anyway, I applaud the idea. friends are often the crucible of the critical moments in our lives. Good marriages, I have noticed, often emerge from a friendship that turns into a romance. Who have been your good friends? What makes a good friend? How are friends similar and dissimilar to you?
Saturday-Why do some friendships seem to lose their potency over time? Some cherished friendships last a lifetime, but others seem more transient.Sometimes it comes from not tending them well, or sometimes, some unresolved hurt gets in the way. I am wondering about the ones that seem to fade away, almost beneath our radar, until one realizes that the old connection has withered.Do you think a cause is underneath it? Now consider the hymn, What a Friend We Have for some spiritual clues.
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