…Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As God who so loved me has sent me, even so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive sins, they are forgiven; if you hold them bound, they are held bound.” ~ John 20: 21-23

In The Rising**, Wendy Wright talks about the verses above in John and says “What they {the followers} receive in this sacred aspiration is the power to forgive. It is as simple as that. This is the miracle of Easter, that whatever is bound, enchained, enslaved, or unfree, can be loosened, liberated, and freed through our forgiveness. In fact, if we do not exercise this God-given capacity, our lack of action is not neutral. Without forgiveness, we hold each other bound. Without being forgiven, we cannot be free.” (p. 131)

POTENTIAL ACTION:  Since our lack of action is not neutral, consider liberating yourself and others by sharing/saying these Four Things That Matter Most*** with family members and other dear ones in your sphere:

• Please Forgive Me [For Any/All Hurts You Have Sustained From Me]
• [If There are Things You Wish I Could Forgive, Know That] I Forgive You
• Thank You [For Being Part of My Life]
• I Love You

Expressing these four things does not suggest that hurts are gone or that you somehow excuse all that transpired. It does, however, affirm the desire for love and peace.

Let’s encourage one another to actively increase peace. Winning peace within our family and friends would be a great start, wouldn’t it?!

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

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** from The Rising: Living the Mysteries of Lent, Easter, and Pentecost by Wendy M. Wright

*** from the book The Four Things That Matter Most by Ira Byok, with added words in [ ]

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

~ Genesis 1:28

We’ll be building on the “A Healthy Church Needs a Healthy Planet…” theme today (and in the weeks ahead.) For this post, we’re using a surprising source – Rolling Stone! 🙂 The Bill McKibben article HERE “How To Tackle Climate Change, According to Math” provides some valuable commentary, including

“We live in a world where reason — including economic reason — dictates we move as fast as is possible toward clean energy. But inertia and vested interest provide friction that slows that transition. So the tie will be broken, or not, by something that can’t be quantified: a combination of fear, hope, moral indignation, and human solidarity that provides, or doesn’t, the political will to break this logjam. You can’t count on it — but if we push, it will count.”

As McKibben says, we must PUSH. Storing up riches isn’t worth much if humankind perishes, is it?

As we consider the Christian imperative for replenishing the earth** there are plenty of actions we can take as individuals. For the next several weeks we’ll periodically come back to commentary and associated activities

PROSPECTIVE ACTIVITY – WATER. Water is one of the precious resources from our earth. Take a few minutes and visit the website HERE to consider 45+ ways you might be able to alter water usage. Every gallon saved makes a difference!

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

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** while limiting many of the negative dominion aspects

Happy Easter! May you have a glorious, meaningful Easter day of worship and fellowship…

Now what?

In her book The Rising: Living the Mysteries of Lent, Easter and Pentecost, Wendy M. Wright talks about the “Easter Octave” – the 8 days of Easter and after. She tells some stories, including her experience of “putting yourself in Mary Magdalene’s place” in the John 20:11-18 verse.

When you have 10 minutes – maybe even right now?

• close your eyes and center yourself, imagining you in the role of Mary Magdalene – you’ve experienced the crucifixion and are going to visit the tomb
• read John 20:1-18 (listed below,) as though you are living what Mary Magdalene did, with Jesus saying YOUR name
• pray that you might carry that sense of post Easter experience in the day ahead

Want a topical SONG? HERE is “In The Garden,” performed beautifully by Anne Murray

May the Spirit move through you vibrantly today and throughout this Easter Octave!

And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

~ Hebrews 10:24-25

On this Good Friday, we focus on this text in the fourth paragraph of LP’s Holy Week Prayer*

We pray that we will complete our Lenten journey by seeing our brokenness borne by and entombed with Jesus, which will prepare us to hear anew the almost unimaginable proclamation that the tomb is empty, Jesus is risen, and life and love prevail. 

The language of this section of the prayer is difficult, freeing and inspiring: brokenness borne by and entombed with Jesus…the tomb is empty, Jesus is risen, and life and love prevail.

WOW!

Good Friday provides such a wonderful opportunity to reflect on this gift given and the wonderful journey available ahead in spite of inevitably troubling circumstances in the path…

May you feel entombment of your mistakes, with exuberant energizing of the Spirit to share Christ’s example with those you meet!

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* In the early 2010s, Rev. Dr. LP Jones prepared and shared a Holy Week prayer with the MWPC community as part of his weekly newsletter column [read or listen to the entire Lenten Prayer HERE and/or read the Holy Week Prayer HERE]

On this Palm Sunday, consider taking a few minutes to read this prayer by Rev. Cynthia Langston Kirk (link HERE).

May we face difficult tasks gallantly, be the good friend, cause minimal pain, “stay awake” and avoid skipping right from palms to lilies!

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

In the third paragraph of LP’s Lenten Prayer* we read

Help us to build a community known for the risks it takes to help others experience your loving presence.

Have you experienced that risky feeling lately? For those of us blessed enough to hear him on March 17, Bryan Stevenson exhorted the group gathered (at Christ Cathedral in Cincinnati) to get Uncomfortable & Inconvenienced as one of his key principles. For many people, risky brings along uncomfortable and/or inconvenienced for the ride…  🙂

ACTION OPPORTUNITY – as we experience this day, let’s be intentional. Consider finding a place to be inconvenienced and/or uncomfortable. Maybe that’s with a group from your faith community in organized efforts already scheduled. Or perhaps on your own? (some examples are below**)

May you intentionally find yourself uncomfortable and inconvenienced in the week ahead, sharing Christ’s example while strengthened and spurred by the Spirit!

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* In the early 2010s, Rev. Dr. LP Jones prepared and shared a Holy Week prayer with the MWPC community as part of his weekly newsletter column [read or listen to the entire Lenten Prayer HERE]

No, the Lord has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God. ~ Micah 6:8 (Good News)

The song We Are Called, written in the late 1980s, has been an inspiring part of worship services ever since. Many of us think of this song as Come Live in the Light!

The background of We Are Called is HERE, including this commentary:

The first stanza invites us to “Live in the light” of God’s grace and freedom and to reflect that light with “joy and . . . love.” Stanza two, following naturally in the spirit of the first stanza, invites us to “Open our hearts” to “mercy” for all who live in “fear,” “hatred,” and “blindness.” The final stanza invites us to an eschatological vision of the future when “all will be one!”

While reflecting on the Micah 6:8 passage and feeling the urge to action, consider spending a few minutes enjoying this wonderful folk tune

• HERE is a version by the Notre Dame Folk Choir, seemingly showing the vibrancy that David Haas may have envisioned when writing it? (thanks Chris D!)
• HERE is a COVID-19 era version with a virtual choir, allowing focus on the instrumentalists and director as well as the singers [and lyrics so you can sing along should you choose ]

PRAYER: Creator God, help us to live in the light, acting for justice, being faithful and living obediently. Amen

May you enjoy this day, filled with song and the Spirit!

In a continuation of the last CP post, we think of the Dorothy Day effect in the larger community. Not only did she share personalism with those living in the NY area, her witness and legacy grew 70 x 7 (and more!)

An MWPC friend shared a Dorothy Day experience that touched his extended family and ultimately thousands of Cincinnatians.** Over-the-Rhine Kitchen – now called Queen City Kitchen – was established because of the energy and light that Dorothy shared at House of Hospitality in New York City (more details at the website HERE.)

Isn’t it nice to know such efforts can have such an amplification effect? Bet it’s happening based on your life too, though perhaps at a little smaller scale than for the Dorothy Days of the world (but no comparisons allowed!)  🙂

 

As we continue Moving Towards the Light, it’s nice to have beacons like Dorothy Day…

Enjoy this day, perhaps with a personalism perspective, loosening life’s self-focus and allowing more strengthening and spurring of the Spirit in the process!

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The Lord is my light and my salvation – why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger – why should I tremble?  Psalm 27:1 NLT

Dorothy Day has come into several conversations over the past few weeks.** She definitely fits the mold of “Move Toward the Light” from the last CP post (HenriNouwen.org contributions)

Looking for examples of those willing to Trust God, Dorothy Day seems a model. CP can’t do justice to her in one post so a follow-up will be forthcoming.

Church scholar David J. O’Brien has called Dorothy Day “the most significant, interesting, and influential person in the history of American Catholicism.” One of Dorothy’s major contributions was founding the Catholic Worker Movement which resulted in millions of meals being served, among many other good works.

Today’s CP focus is on Dorothy and the Personalism approach. According to the webpage HERE

Personalists believe you can change the world by changing yourself, but also that we are morally responsible for one another. People ought to be self-governing, sincere, determined to harmonize means and ends, and bent not just on personal conversion but on shaping law, policy, and institutions, all of which in turn shape people.

Dorothy’s focus was on individual “guests.” Getting to know them, their issues, what they thought about topics and more. She ACTED, and with such action made it possible for millions to be positive affected and effected by altruistic egoism efforts of personalism.

As we continue Moving Towards the Light, it’s nice to have beacons like Dorothy Day to follow!

Enjoy this day, perhaps with a personalism perspective, loosening life’s self-focus and allowing more strengthening and spurring of the Spirit in the process!

 

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Move Toward the Light. Ah, that we might do as the Henri Nouwen post HERE describes…

I want to see you come closer to me and experience the joy and peace of my presence. I want to give you a new heart and a new spirit. I want you to speak with my mouth, see with my eyes, hear with my ears, touch with my hands. All that is mine is yours. Just trust me and let me be your God.”

Trust God.

Why is that so hard? Could it be that society’s focus on being self-sufficient has hardened our hearts to a God moving through us? If so, what a pity to miss the inspiration of new heights.

Let’s think about loosening our grip on our hearts and spirits in a variety of ways…

POTENTIAL ACTIONS: This season will likely find increasing numbers of folks looking for food, presenting opportunities to

• share financial and/or food offerings with a local** food pantry
• check with your faith community about upcoming opportunities to feed community members
• volunteer to help with a local mobile food pantry, community dinner
• find a Little Pantry in your area and help stock it with shelf-stable food items

**  for those in the Cinci region, some food organizations are listed HERE

Enjoy this day, strengthened and spurred by the Spirit!

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