In my reflections, if a bona fide member of the academy comments that my reflection contains either an original thought or argument, I will note it in that reflection. Also, if it is brought to my attention that what I have said is also mentioned in another source, I will also note it. My intention in these reflections is to stimulate inquiry, imagination, and broadening of horizons.- JP
Note: The most recent reflection is at the top and my first is at the bottom. You can either start at the bottom of the well and swim up or start at the top and dive in, your choice. – JP
13 Hours
Christmas 2017
I have actually been working on putting this reflection together for about three months. Each time I thought I had a good start, I started and it bogged down. I finally stopped long enough to ask my self why I wasn’t getting anywhere. I discovered that I was reading too much. Too much news, too many opinion pieces, too much about the church population decreasing and too much about people enjoying the possibility of an apocalypse. As Bill the Cat would sum it up, “Thbbbbt”.
As two colleagues said in their sermons on Advent Four and Christmas Eve (same day this year), it is simply recognizing that God is with us (Emanuel). How we recognize this and how we act upon our belief is what can make or break Christmas for us.
Are we going to “make this Christmas the best ever” or are we going to “make the best of Christmas”? Don’t get me wrong, along with my colleagues and I am sure many others, I love the lights, the trees, the creches, the story, the giving and receiving, friends, family and the support of those who do all the things that make it possible for me to sit down, sigh, and enjoy a cup of egg nog. I am also humbled in that moment of relaxation to consider my belief that I am in constant contact with Divinity. However you approach Christmas, the sustainability of a celebration based on a story whose authenticity is constantly debated, has to give one pause.
For me, the constant contact with Divinity, I feel, gets me through the minefield of the proponents of negativity and fear. Make it about control, and life goes one way. Make it about being a steward, and life goes another way. I am in ‘camp stewardship’.
As George Burns said to Bob Denver in the last scene of Oh God, “You don’t need anything more, you have it all right here, use it”. Christmas is a moment of focus, not an end, not a beginning. It is a moment when we can decide the amount of effort of our stewardship. It is a moment in the infinite string of moments when we have to choose how to live ‘Emanuel’.
Life is a Pimple 07/26/2017
OK, let’s all admit it, we are fascinated with pimples. We don’t have to admit it publicly, but we do need to be honest with ourselves. Whether it is one we can see on ourselves, or the one on your back that your partner insists they can take care of, we all want to heal it in some way. And that is really what this is about, healing.
We all know that what causes a pimple is not pleasant. We really don’t want to see what comes out after we open it up, but it’s like a train wreck about to happen, we can’t look away. So, let’s examine the process.
First, we need to open up the pimple. The ugly stuff needs to be exposed. Whether we open it purposefully or as the by-product of an action we engage in that was intended to bring about a completely different kind of healing, the ‘stuff’ is exposed. Next comes the action of getting all the ‘stuff’ out. We do that by applying some form of positive pressure. Once all the ‘stuff’ is out, we wipe it away and apply some form of unction so healing of the exposed area of the body can begin. Our current political situation is like that pimple.
Some will say they were scratching an itch and had no idea they were going to open up a pimple. Some will say they saw a pimple and needed to open it so it would not continue to fester. Either perspective is valid for any political persuasion. So, what are we to be about in our participation in the pimple process? Healing!
Some unctions are soothing immediately, and some cause distress in some form before the soothing occurs. Either way, the goal is to have the area affected by the pimple return to its intended state of being. There may be a scar, but the area is not inflamed or exposed to pressure from the ‘stuff’.
Before we enter into the pimple process, we need to ask ourselves if what we see is really a pimple. If it is a pimple, we then need to decide on a way to open it. We also need to be mindful of actions we take that could open a pimple we don’t see and the result of not being prepared to deal with the consequence of our action. Positive and purposeful actions that are not about simply ‘winning’, but are ultimately about healing, are our best course.
My advice, be both the positive force that gets the ‘stuff’ out and the healing unction. Don’t be the pimple.
Control 04/17/17
It has been six months since I contracted the dreaded ‘crud’ and today I can finally breath again and not cough every two minutes. I am telling you this not to gain sympathy, but to let you know that I have taken the time to examine the moments I was inspired to write a reflection and for many reasons, waited.
Three weeks ago, I was at a conference of Chaplains to Retired Clergy hearing from several speakers who covered subjects from ‘How dementia affects the family, to ‘Don’t answer the phone’. After an intense day, several of us were relaxing after dinner discussing how different generations respond to the same subject. One of my colleagues, a grandparent, related what their seven-year-old granddaughter said from the back seat as they were traveling to a camp ground, “Hey grandma, who did you vote for, the idiot or the crook?” It was not a coincidence that I had just put my drink down, it was my dry-cleaning angel saving me from having to pay for a large cleaning bill. What ensued for the next hour was a discussion on how to deal with several thousand years of philosophy, psychology, nurture, observation as reality, responsibility, and control under extreme conditions of surprise.
There is a great scene from the TV series ‘Joan of Arcadia’ when Joan says to God, “I want to see it all”. God politely tells her that she is not ready to see it all. She insists. God relents and lets her “see it all”. Joan is overcome and faints, waking up the next day in the hospital not remembering a thing. We are Joan. As we mature, we move from that unfiltered world where idiot and crook are natural labels to being challenged and making decisions about our environment. Therein lies the crux of the situation. What decisions do we make and how do we decide those are the decisions we should make? Do we vote for the idiot or the crook? Or, do we decide to see a picture that is not an idiot or a crook?
The question always being asked is, do I control my decisions or are they all made for me or only some of them? Everyone at the table agreed that, “I can’t give you any guarantees as to the answer, but I can tell you what I believe, if you want to hear it”. I can tell you water boils at different temperatures depending on atmospheric pressure. I can tell you that some galaxies move perpendicular to others and not along radians from a central point of origin. I can tell you those are facts, but why they work that way is seen several different ways. I can tell you that I do not need to know the belief system of the chef at the restaurant that served me dinner. I can tell you that I have friends who voted for the idiot, and friends who voted for the crook. Can I tell you I decide? I can tell you why I decide?
I believe an intrinsic characteristic of our nature as a product of the conscious thought of God is to decide, to make choices. I also believe God, Source, Unconditional Love, chose to make it so. And, because I believe that our source is unconditional love, if my choices are not consistent with unconditional love, I am not being responsible with my choice. And, how do I present my choices to those with no filters so their choice is not reduced to only seeing the idiot or the crook? I try my best to live the axiom I encountered in seminary, “My up, can’t come at the expense of someone else’s down”, Rosemary Radford Ruther.
I control my choices, I do not control yours. Choose wisely!
? 2/25/17
I purposely did not title this reflection because any title, by its nature, limits and directs the reader in ways that the writer may or may not intend. My intention is for you to be open and come up with your own title after reading the reflection.
The season of Lent in the Christian tradition is one whose observance is more than a bit confusing to both participants and observers. I can remember back to the first grade when Mardi Gras was pancakes, only pancakes, potato, wheat, fish, and other uneatable substances. Then and extended period of no chocolate followed. I took it in stride as I progressed and only during college began to meet other experiences of “Fat Tuesday” that increased knowledge, if not understanding, of religious observances. Oh, I forgot to mention eggplant pancakes. The aha moment for me was realizing that everyone around me was going through the same process. That dark chocolate bar a fraternity brother shared with me on the day after Ash Wednesday was a delicious wake up call. The ‘wake up’, was to discover that I could ask why do we observe Lent at all and not be struck by lightning.
Along with knowing that asking questions was not akin to holding a lightning rod in your hand, I also felt moved to see Lent from a different perspective. A period of spiritual discipline is a positive only if the goal is a positive outcome. If the goal is to say at the finish of a discipline, “Glad that’s over”, my contention is that discipline did not serve the observer well. That is why after a couple of years of Wednesday soup suppers (only soup), I changed direction. I presented this to the members of the parish.
Rather than give up something that you know at the end of Lent you are either going to start eating of doing again, take on something that you have not been doing that you will keep doing when Lent is completed. It could be anything, including ceasing an activity, that by taking on the change will result in a positive outcome. I know that this may seem to simplistic or easily circumvented, but as I replied to one parishioner who demanded that I give and example of a constant discipline: Love your neighbor as you Love yourself.
The Seasons of the Christian tradition are guides and reminders, they are not shackles. If they are experienced as shackles, they should be avoided or repurposed to provide a positive outcome. That being said, if my Jenny Craig advisor is reading this reflection, I am going to eat a boat load of pancakes (sourdough) on Tuesday! I am also going to do ten push ups for every pancake.
Make your discipline this Lent one which increases your knowledge of who you are.
Epiphany 2017
I could say that I have not written a reflection for a while due to illness, but that would be too easy. I think what actually happened was my muse took off for Auckland for the winter. However, as with any close acquaintance, they always show up for a quick visit and then take off again. Last night was my epiphany visit.
Part of the epiphany I had about Epiphany, was to not get caught in a quagmire of explanation about the myriad explanations for Epiphany as we know it and be as salient as possible in this reflection. So I won’t go into detail about why the Magi are only mentioned in one Gospel and not even numbered, or why they show up two years after Jesus’ birth, or what the bright light that guided them was. GOOGLE!
What I am reflecting on is why a group of wise persons (some might have been women), who were not Hebrew, embarked on a not so safe journey for seemingly altruistic reasons. There is some groundwork however.
The ‘Wise Men’ were most likely Zoroastrians. This is significant because Zoroastrianism is monotheistic, was established around 1500 BCE and has many points of overlay and commonality with ancient Hebrew. The Wise Men were also part of the Persian empire and culture which was well connected through trade with Israel and Egypt. Whether their route originated in Persepolis or Yemen is not determinate to the story. The fact that the route was well established did not make it any less treacherous. So think about this. What would motivate you to ride a camel for over a thousand miles following a bright light in the sky, carrying expensive merchandise to be given as presents, with no guarantee of success or remuneration? The last part of the question holds the key to how to see the Magi’s motivation. They were seeking to not only meet face to face with Divinity, but to also demonstrate to Divinity they understood the lynch pin in all of creation.
The three gifts were the demonstration of the lynch pin. The Magi were not only mystics, they were practical. For a family to survive, especially a family that had taken on the responsibility of caring for God Incarnate, they would need a source of energy to operate in the world. Gold is that source of energy. They would need help in providing for health of both body and spirit. Frankincense was not only used for incense in ritual, it is also a strong antibiotic. Its many uses included cleansing the umbilical cord and keeping the sinuses healthy. Myrrh was used for both ritual cleansing of the body after death and diaper rash. It embodied both the Zoroastrian belief that life is a continuum encompassing both sides of a coin at the same time and the Hebrew belief that we are inextricably connected to each other, creation and God. The gifts themselves were not the demonstration, it is what the Magi did with them. They gave them back to Divinity not seeking reward or commendation. They gave them with no condition. That is the lynch pin, unconditional love.
Source, God brought all we are into being and gave us a choice on how to use the gift of existence. The Magi believed that Divinity had entered directly into our existence to tangibly demonstrate to us what unconditional love not only looks like, but how it is our goal. We can experience that same set of circumstances when we present a gift. We give the gift and may include instructions on how it can be used to fulfill its potential. But to make it a demonstration of unconditional love, we must let the receiver of the gift choose how to use it. We may be disappointed or elated in how it is used, but we can only be available to give advice or help as the receiver asks of us.
Did the Magi return to their land happy or sad? I’d say both. Happy that they met face to face with Divinity, and sad that they knew their gifts would be both an experience of joy and heartbreak. That being said however, should not deter us from taking every opportunity to demonstrate unconditional love. It is our guiding star.