Miraculous Giving

Recently while reading the Daily Office I came across one of the most powerful stories found in the synoptic Gospels.  Often called The Widow’s Mite, the story appears in Mark & Luke and tells the story of Jesus, sitting across from the treasury, watching the rich folks place large amounts of money in.  Just then a poor woman puts in two copper coins (Mark tells us that these two coins together equal a penny).  Jesus’ response to this act of gratitude is, “This poor widow has put in more than all these…she has put in everything she had, her whole living.” (Mark 12: 43-44, Luke 21: 3-4)

At first we look at this story and say, well that’s nice.  But there’s no miracle.  Isn’t there?  I would say that there certainly is a miracle here, only it is not Jesus who performs said miracle; rather it is the poor widow.  A woman who has, seemingly nothing, offers all that she possesses.  Not in an attempt to be praised by anyone, not because someone hounded her and made her feel guilty.  She offers what she does out of her love for God, out of a sense of honor and respect for what God has commanded her to do.  And that, especially in our day and age, is truly miraculous!

In an age when we are told we need more, an age in which we are told to take, rather than to give, we need to hear this story.  The so-called Prosperity Gospel, which is preached far too loudly, tells us that if we give SOME money then God will bless us with MORE money (or some other treasure). But this is simply poor theology, and it treats our giving as some sort of contract with God, that if we do our part, God will bless us even more.  But what of the widow?  She does not give with the hope of attaining, rather she gives because that is what God has called her to do.  It is this same kind of giving of the self that we are still called to model today. 

New Testament scholar Preston Epps once wrote: “The Kingdom of Man says ‘get and accumulate,’ while the Kingdom of God says ‘give and share.’”  The widow is not concerned with the getting; instead, it is the Kingdom of God with which she is concerned.  When we give of ourselves, whether it be time, talent, or treasure, we are giving for the growth of the Kingdom of God. 

We can learn from this woman’s example of giving in a world that often tells us to take. We can learn that, to borrow the words of St. Francis, “it is in giving that we receive.” For when we give we do so prayerfully, carefully, in deep conversation with God.  Because when we give we do so, like the widow, for the growth of the Kingdom of God.  And in the giving, miracles happen. So whether it is time, talent or treasure, ask yourself:  what will I give to God?

The Tyranny of Perfectionism

Be perfect, as your Father is perfect in heaven.  - Matthew 5:48

The late father of a friend loved to tell this joke whenever he met his children’s new friends.

The Father: “You know what, I used to be perfect.”

Gullible Kid: “What happened?”

The Father replied, “One time, I thought that I had made a mistake!”

This “goofy dad” joke always made his kids groan, but it also filled them fear.  How could they possibly live up to such a perfect father? 

We often ask that same question when we hear Jesus’s final admonition in his Sermon on the Mount.  We marvel at his beautifully transformative words.  “Love your enemies.” “Turn the other cheek.” Go the extra mile.”   Then suddenly, it dawns on us how impossible these words are to put into action.  And then, Jesus adds, “Oh, by the way, as you’re working on that to-do list, don’t forget to be perfect too.”  Really?    

For anyone who struggles with the tyranny of perfectionism, and who doesn’t these days, Jesus’ words are not just uncomfortable; they are downright overwhelming.  Flooded with fear, we ask, are my grades good enough for college, are my children attending the right schools, is my parenting flawed, am I loving my neighbor, why can’t I answer all those emails, watch the game, get to the gym, and which fork am I supposed to use at that elegant dinner party?  Surely this is not what Jesus meant when he tells us to be perfect?

Blessedly, there is good news; after all, it is Jesus speaking.  His “command” to love others, care, forgive, practice generosity and be perfect is not an indictment, but rather an invitation to love as God loves.  Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount offers us a portrait of an all loving Parent who seeks us out, welcomes us home and graciously calls us children.  Jesus is not asking us try harder, but to walk with him in amazement at the power of what Love can do through us, because God’s love can do infinitely more than we can imagine.

“Love wins,” says Glennon Doyle Melton, and creator of Momastery.com  and the best-selling book, Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed.  Glennon grapples with life’s imperfections with a dose of courage and a dash of wit, and reveals that life is indeed challenging.  But with love, forgiveness and honesty, together we can do hard things.  As children of an all-loving God, we need not just survive, but rather together we can thrive.  Glennon will be with us at Christ Church Cathedral tonight.  If you are in Lexington, I hope you stop by as we explore the power of such amazing Love.

The Very Rev. Carol Wade 


Register for Carry On, Warrior here until 3:00pm today. You may also register at the door. The event begins at 7:00pm. $20/person.

Gravity and the Greatness of God

      I fret about some of the craziest things! In a fashion world where I see people matching stripes with polka dots, reds with purples and yellows, I worry if the two shades of blue I am wearing clash or compliment one another. I fret about having to go out into the humidity because my hair will become its unruly self after I have spent 20 minutes trying to have it look as good as the time it was last styled. I fret because I think you will focus on my hair rather than what is in my heart. I fret because I cannot do some things as well as others can. I fret about things over which I have absolutely no control. I laugh at my craziness of fretting.

      My son, daughter-in-law and I recently went to the Kentucky to see the film, Gravity. Without giving away the storyline, let me tell you the images of our beautiful blue planet were magnificent. During the film, I imagined myself in the place of the astronauts, quickly recognizing how great my fear would be in their circumstance. Perhaps that is what the producer wanted me to do- to feel the angst the characters were feeling. When we arrived back home, I took my dogs for a walk under a beautifully moonless and cloudless star-filled sky. New solar systems are born and others implode upon themselves as our universe continues to expand. Comets soar through the  silently cold vastness of space which separates the planets of our solar system. I was reminded of how small, how tiny and fragile I really was compared to the  awesome vastness and power of Creation. Thank goodness gravity holds my body to this planet. That is one less thing I have to worry about.

      Recently, while reading Glennon Doyle Melton's blog, I was reminded of how very much she and I are alike. We both have a tendency to fret about the craziest of things. We both are often too harsh on ourselves and then have to remind ourselves we are beautifully made children of God.
Glennon (I call her by her first name as if we are acquaintances in addition to being sisters in spirit.) recognizes God in the details as well as in the vastness of interstellar space. She sees God in the day to day snippets of life as well as in the vastness of the oceans and the stars in the sky. She sees God at work in her life as I see Christ in mine. More importantly, she recognizes the importance of others seeing God's hand at work in her life as I try to order my life.  When I read Glennon's works, I see myself in her words. I love that we are both drawn to the sea for the same reason. I get it that she has to remind herself that she is one of God's most important children just as each of us are all one of God. I celebrate with her the greatness of God in the smallest of places just as in the vastness of space and time. I think Glennon would agree with me, thank goodness for gravity; it is one less thing with which we need not trouble ourselves.

    

For I know that The Lord is Great

     Last evening, my son, daughter-in-law and I went to see the new film Gravity showing at the Kentucky Theatre. Without giving away the story line and plot, let me say the footage, shot from space, of our beautiful planet Earth was breathtaking. When we arrived back home from seeing the film, I joined my husband in his observatory to have a look at the night sky through his telescope. As always, the stars and visible planets were magnificent; the crescent of the moon floated silently as a sentinel in the darkness.

     I went indoors marveling at the magnificence of God, who created the beautiful planets that surround our lovely island home in the vastness of space and the suns of other solar systems and galaxies. I thought of the view of our beautiful island home from space and considered all the glorious gifts God has given us here on earth. We have the love of our families, pets and friends who enrich our lives. We have abundant food and water. Above all, we have the faithful forgiving love of God, who is ever-present with us.

     Before I went to sleep, I read Psalm 135.  The psalm includes the following: "For I know that the Lord is great and that our Lord is above all gods. The Lord does whatever pleases Him in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the deeps. He brings rain clouds from the ends of the earth; He sends out lightning with the rain, and brings the wind out of His storehouse." Indeed, I know that the Lord is great and for that I say Amen.

God in the Atmosphere

God is the atmosphere

in which

“we  live, and move, and have our being.”

Acts 17:28

    Early one morning a few weeks ago, I lay in bed listening to a rumbling in the distance.  It continued to move closer.  Finally the sky moved gently from a foggy overcast morning with some light seeping through, to a dark morning with thunder crashing and the rush of water being poured onto the earth.  I took my plants out to get all the water that they could get.  I go into our family room with a cup of coffee and open the screen door to get closer to this beautiful symphony.  I settle in and just listen and was moved to a beautiful place.  The pouring rain allowed a deeper silence to come through.

    Rain drops drilled holes into the earth, revealing the wisdom of creation.  I moved outside after the storm slowed down and planted my bare feet firmly on the ground. I felt as though I was being cradled by the earth as the water washed into the cells of my body.  In this moment I knew my oneness with all of creation.  I saw how we are all connected though we live in the illusion of separation.  This was a moment of grace.

    The above incident gave me a glimpse into our essential oneness with God and all of creation.  I believe that the universal call is to this union with God.  We live and move and have our being in the atmosphere of God but do not realize where we are.  We look in many places for God when we are already there.  Every now and then we catch glimpses of this union as I did on that stormy morning a short time ago.  

    On October 25th, Glennon Doyle Melton will share with us in her humorous down to earth way, how living a life with armor keeps us from being awake to the atmosphere of God in which we always live.  The armor not only hides us from God and others, it hides us from ourselves.  

    “Melton is a courageous truth teller and hope spreader, a wise and witty friend who emboldens us to believe in ourselves and reminds us that the journey is the reward.  Carry on Warrior proves that by shedding our weapons and armor, we can stop hiding, competing, and striving for the mirage of perfection, to build better lives for our lives in our hearts, homes and communities.” (form Carry on Warrior, Thoughts on Life Unarmed)

    So may we continue to move together into this call of awakening to the atmosphere of God that we already live in.  In shedding armor, we will move close to this true home.  Please go to our website www.ccclex.org to sign up!

Grounded to God

Have you ever given thought to the joy of our incarnation? We are spirits, souls, beings (pick your favorite word), who inhabit bodies. This has tremendous implications because it’s something that most of the time we don’t think about or realize. It’s not too different from a fish not realizing that it’s in water. As incarnate beings, it’s difficult to separate ourselves from our incarnate, material reality because like the fish in water, what else is there? And yet we know that there is more. Even as we live and breathe and eat in our beautiful, flawed, material world, there is a spiritual realm that is as close to us as our breath.

Think of the satisfying crunch and saltiness of a potato chip. Or perhaps the golden, soft light streaming through autumn trees. Consider the delicate but durable petals of a rose as they unfurl in bloom. Think of the sonorous sound of a choir with every voice adding depth to the music to create a unique instrument. Or the simple pleasure of climbing into a bed with freshly laundered sheets. Our incarnate reality is an amazing gift. And so is our spiritual nature that lies along side our material selves.

When Christ Church Cathedral member, Holly Milburn, was in town recently she spoke with us about her experiences for the past year as a missionary in South Africa. We were spellbound by her stories. But she also said one of the most profound things that I’ve heard in a long time. Holly, who is perhaps 22 or so, said she thinks, “God created us because God thought we might enjoy it.” What a remarkable insight!

Holly is right. We do enjoy our incarnate reality, and a loving and generous God gave it to us. But it is easy to loose sight of our God given gifts. It is easy to loose sight of our spiritual reality that is as close to us as our breath. It is easy to become cynical, bitter and pained in a difficult world.

I think that it is our spiritual nature that grounds us back to the goodness that God breathed into all of creation at the beginning of the world. From time to time we need to pause and give thanks to our loving and generous God. This spiritual practice helps us to recall the joy of our incarnation.