Author: lakewooducc

When is the last time you asked someone for help? Can you think of a recent experience in which you asked for help from a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger? Someone who was not being paid to help you, that is? And not a family member or a co-worker; these people are expected to help.

My guess is that we are more likely to be helping others than to be asking for help. Can you think of the last time you helped someone? A friend? A neighbor? A stranger? Does that come to mind easily? Can you think of several examples?

When we help others, we are embodying divine love. We are being “God’s hands.” We are conveying God’s love in deeds. This is one of the ways God loves the world.

Giving and sharing divine love is important. But to give this love someone has to receive it. There has to be someone willing to accept the love. For people to save their lives by serving and find their highest good by living for others, as Christianity teaches, someone has to accept their efforts. When we ask for help and accept support, we are saying “yes” to God’s love. We are receiving what others need to give. We are helping others become whole through other-centered living. We are giving value, worth and dignity to others by receiving their help. When we try to maintain self sufficiency, to tough it out, to cling to rugged individualism, we may be depriving others of the opportunity to serve. It may be a refusal of the love of God waiting to be given to us.

So, just say “yes.” Accept God’s love offered to you through the help of others. This is an affirmation of the interdependence of humanity, of our common human frailty, and of our need to serve.

Prayer: We find our highest good in service. We accept our vulnerability and our need by receiving help from others. For divine love to be shared it needs to be given as well as received. May we be part of that flow. Amen.

No distracting theatrics. No flamboyant panache. Just simply effortless perfection. This is how I experienced Peter Rosel’s performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Orchestra in g minor, Op. 25 (1830). This sedate, gray haired man sat on the piano bench and played, flawlessly, with seemingly effortless grace. There was not a hint of exertion or stress in the performance. And yet every note, every phrase, the whole thing was played with stunning exactitude, the music exuding perfection and passion.

Of course, behind this performance are countless hours of practicing, study, and work. But the performance itself seemed effortless. In watching this event, it was as if someone said, “Let’s take a walk around the block.” And you did. Nothing to it. Rosel’s rendition of the concerto seemed like that. It wasn’t smug or artificially restrained. He was prepared. And he did what he was there to do. No fanfare or falderal.

When it comes to living with faith, to serving God, to living in the commonwealth of God, I imagine Jesus performing like Rosel. I imagine Jesus just going about doing his business. Preaching. Teaching. Healing. Forgiving. Loving. Serving. Feeding. And I imagine him doing all of this with seemingly effortless perfection. Not seeking to draw any undo attention to himself. Letting his message and his ministry speak for God. No flamboyance. No theatrics. No distracting fanfare. Simply steady, effortless, grace.

As we noted, behind Rosel’s performance were countless hours of preparation and practice. Again and again we are told that Jesus went off to pray; he went up the mountain to pray, he went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, he went across the lake to pray. We don’t have a record of Jesus’ logged prayer time, but I suspect that it was considerable given the numerous mentions there are in the New Testament. It was this prayer time that was his preparation for his ministry. Through the discipline of prayer, Jesus stayed connected and grounded to his purpose and divine power. Prayer enabled him to be in complete synchronicity with the divine will for his life and for the world. It was prayer that kept him solid and centered amidst the roiling currents of his day.

In our society where such a high value is placed on productivity and efficiency, prayer looks like a waste of time. Nothing is really “accomplished.” We have nothing to “show” for it. We don’t necessarily get a direct, measurable, quantifiable result. Then why bother, right?

We, too, need prayer to keep us grounded and to foster that seemingly effortless, centered living. We, too, need prayer to keep us connected to the divine and to help us stay the course on God’s will for our lives and for the world. Prayer is the practice that will nurture us so that we can live out our values and commitments with strength and joy.

This Lenten season is a moment to put prayer time at the top of your “to do” list. And as the weeks go by, notice if you feel like there is a more smooth flow to the living of your days.

I know I could practice the piano relentlessly and I would never be able to play with the effortless perfection of Rosel. And I can pray and pray and pray, and I probably won’t approach the level of effortless perfection with which Jesus lived. But I can continually grow closer to living as my truest self grounded in divine love. I think that is why we are here. To make that journey.

Prayer: We are grateful for the arts and for incredible performances that delight and inspire us. We are grateful for Jesus and all that he teaches us about living lives that bring delight and joy to God and to others. May we invest ourselves in the discipline of prayer so that we may be grounded in love and free of the many machinations which continuously threaten to divert us from the life which truly satisfies. Amen.

As I mentioned in the last reflection, we attended a stunning Florida Orchestra concert last night. Since we go to the orchestra on a regular basis, we recognize many of the musicians. We saw a new trumpet player last night. During the Symphonie Fantastique, Opus 14a by Hector Berlioz, I noticed her. She was sitting with her horn on her lap, as were the other trumpeters. I kept glancing at her to see when she would play. Finally, the trumpeters were raising their horns. Oh good. The moment I had been waiting for. My spouse, Jeff, nudged me to look at the trumpets. Horns at the lips, they were ready. So was I. Then they played. One note. And put their horns back down on their laps. That was it. One note. For a while anyway. Then it was one note again. Later in the symphony, they had more to play.

One note. Important enough for the composer to include. One note. Requiring the musicians to count and make sure that it is played at the right spot, with the right amount of volume, and for the right duration. Very important that one note. It would have sounded very bad if the trumpets had not all played their one note together or if there was any kind of confusion or mistake in the playing of the one note. It would have been quite conspicuous actually. So, the one note was important and needed to be played properly.

As we think about living our lives in a way that is pleasing to God, we think about what we are called to do and how we are called to serve. Maybe we have big responsibilities. We also heard a concerto last night, that the pianist had to play a vast number of notes. Or maybe we have a small part. One note. Or maybe we are called to something in between. Maybe it depends on the circumstances. Our calling may change during the course of life’s journey. But everything that we contribute is needed and valued. Our service whatever it may be is important to the purposes of God. We are called to do what we can do, and to leave the result to God. We should not ignore our calling, even if it is just a bit part – the one note – because in God’s schemes everyone is important. We are all needed. So, may we each play our part, however large or small that may be with dedication and precision. And together, may our service be pleasing to God.

Prayer: May we always be ready to play our part in God’s hopes and dreams for the world. No one is unimportant to God. May we respect and value the contribution we and others can make, whatever that may be. And may be offer our best to God’s service. Even if that means playing just one note. May it be played well. Amen.

This evening we had the delight and blessing of attending another amazing concert presented by the Florida Orchestra. Peter Rosel played the Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Orchestra in g minor, Op. 25 (1830) by Felix Mendelssohn. At one point in the second movement, my spouse, Jeff, and I just turned to each other laughing. This man’s playing was so incredible that we were overcome with joy and delight. So many notes played so quickly and precisely. It was otherworldly. We just had to laugh.

I am thinking about what it would be like if I paid more attention to life around me. If I really noticed things. If I looked at the natural world that surrounds us. I think I would see more of God. At the concert, I am focused. My attention is on the music. And it brings such joy. I think if I brought this same level of attention to life, I would see the wonder. I would be aware of the amazing stories of the lives around me. And I would be filled with delight and joy. I would notice the amazing performances in the concert of life that are happening all the time. I would see and hear the incredible performance that nature is constantly presenting. And I would experience so much more JOY.

It is easy to get busy, to be distracted, to get absorbed in garbage, and miss the great performance that God is providing each and every moment. Enjoy all that life has to offer. Look for the great performances. Take joy!

Prayer: Each and every day is a gift. Amazing things go on. May we make more of an effort to appreciate what we have been given on this awesome journey! May we be wary of the messages and distractions that would prevent us from appreciating the beauty of life. May we receive the joy that God is constantly and consistently providing for us. Amen.