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Lent Devotion Seven.
3.8.22

We recently listened to a webinar with Jane Goodall talking about her latest book about hope. In fact it’s called The Book of Hope. I like Goodall. She is very down to earth and practical. She is also visionary but in a way that is accessible for us common people. She makes lofty dreams seem mundane. I like that.

In the interview, Goodall was asked about the mantra, Think globally act locally. Here’s what she replied: “If you think globally you can’t help but be depressed.” She went on to say the adage should be turned around. Look locally. Act locally. Find something that you can do and work on locally. Getting involved makes you feel good. So you do more. And that inspires others. Then with that good feeling and solid start, you can “dare to think globally.”

I love that approach. Start small. Actually do something. And go from there. So often we look at the big whole thing and get overwhelmed and then binge watch a TV show to escape. Lent is a time to reflect. To start. Or to take another step. Maybe a small one. And then another. Maybe even a leap. But we can start with just turning our head toward God, toward Divine Love. And then the body. And then a step. We don’t have to make a whole go of it at once. Spend some time alone. Reflect. Do something to help someone. Offer an encouraging word. A smile. Then let it build. Become habit. And notice the change that comes. Perhaps in ways quite unexpected and surprising. You never know with the wildness of mercy. But don’t be afraid to start small.

Prayer: Think about something small that you can do, wherever you are on life’s journey, to move in the direction of Love. Take that step. Be grateful. Take another step. Don’t forget to show love for yourself as well as others. See where the path leads. It probably won’t be straight or narrow. Because mercy is wild. Amen.

Lenten Devotion 6
3.7.22

Many years ago when we were visiting Kenya we took the train from Nairobi to Mombasa. This was at the end of our stay in Kenya, so it was timed so that we got back to Nairobi the night before our flight home. We bought our round trip train tickets in Nairobi. We were ready to go!

At that time, everything related to the ticketing was written up by hand. Our tickets were paper with our names hand written on them. The tickets were for a specific departure date and time but there was no seating assignment on the ticket itself. For that we had to look at a chalkboard on the depot platform. The
chalkboard had a list of all of the seats and compartments and a name by each one. We examined the chalkboard and found our names and headed to the proper compartment.

After our stay in Mombasa, we headed to the train station for our return to Nairobi. We had our paper tickets with our names written on them. We went to the chalkboard in the middle of the platform. All of the compartments and seats appeared to be filled but we could not find our names on the board. Anywhere. We panicked. We had to get on this train so that we could make our
flight home the next day. There were no other transportation options back to Nairobi in that time frame. Our names were not on that board. We were a wreck.

In desperation, we sought out someone who worked at the station. We poured out our predicament with evident panic. The station master was very relaxed. And he appeared relieved. He told us that there had been some kind of confusion. He had been told by Nairobi that four tickets for this train had been sold but he had not been given the names of the people. Four seats but who
were the people? So, he did not know who we were and could not put our names on the board. He was waiting to see if we existed, if we appeared, because he did not know who we were and he was uncertain. He had been looking for us. And here we were panicking, looking for our place on the train. We were worried that there was no room for us and he was worried that we would not appear.

Lent is a time for re-turning our lives to God. We need this season because we get distracted. We put our spiritual life on the back burner, we think temporarily, only to realize that we have forgotten about it. Then maybe a crisis comes. We are in distress or overwhelmed or beset with worry or grief or maybe just not in a good space. And finally we remember that we can turn to our faith, to God, to the church. And we realize that God has been there all the time. Door open. ‘Come on in’ sign posted. Waiting for us. Hoping we will come by. Wondering if we remember that we live in the reality of God.

This Lenten season, may we remember the wildness of mercy eager to take us in, take us back, take care of us.

Prayer: Think of a time when you felt very close to God. When you felt the warmth of Divine Love. When you felt connected to a larger reality. When you felt tapped in to the sacred. Remember that feeling. That experience. It is available to us all the time. Ready. Waiting. May we show up. Amen.

Lent Devotion 5
3.6.22

In the early centuries of the Christian movement, the desert played a prominent role in the emergence of the church. Like Jesus, people went to the desert to be closer to God. Communities formed in the stark landscape of sand and stone away from material and social and even religious distractions. There was space and time to listen and commune with Divine Love. The fruits of this desert movement are still important today even though our circumstances are so different. We are still learning from the teachings of the desert mothers and fathers about life in God.

Episcopal priest Mary C. Earle is a scholar of the Desert Mothers. She tells us this about the desert experience: “The desert way does not gloss over our unjust and demeaning actions toward others, our sinful actions and behaviors. The desert way sees the truth of those actions with clarity and precision, yet always perceives them as much smaller than the vast and unfathomable love of God.”

That is the wildness of mercy. As we learn to trust in the love and mercy of the Divine, we become more willing to lay our burdens down. Let go of our sins, faults, and short comings. Our mistakes and our misgivings. And as we experience the healing and cleansing of Divine mercy, we learn to more readily see, accept, and release our sins. Our lives become more honest. More real. More authentic. We can stop wasting our time and energy protecting and defending and deceiving ourselves. We can then find greater joy and deeper connections with others.

Prayer: Think about something that you would like to let go of. Something you have done or said that you regret. That you know has caused harm or hurt. Maybe something that dogs you; that you have tried to bury but it keeps coming up. Let it surface. Examine it. Now imagine the vast scope of the desert. All that space. Filled with love and mercy. Surely there is mercy and forgiveness for your offense. Let that cleansing mercy blow through you like a desert wind that blows the sand. Give thanks for with wildness of mercy. Amen.

Note: After church today, LUCC member Bill Parsons will lead a discussion about the war in Ukraine. He will give some background information and respond to questions from those gathered. Bill is a retired history professor from Eckerd College. His specialty was Russia/USSR. He was instrumental in establishing the sister city relationship between St. Petersburg, FL and St. Petersburg, Russia. Bill has also fostered many other connections between Florida and Russia including the sister church relationship between LUCC and St. Job’s in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Lenten Devotion 4
3.5.22

These recent weeks have been an extremely stressful time. Perhaps Lent comes just when it should.

The invasion of Ukraine has the world stunned and the threat of nuclear attack has us all on edge. The UN climate report that came out recently indicates that global warming due to human activity is ahead of schedule and that catastrophic damage appears irreparable. And we are still navigating the covid
pandemic. And having been introduced to this plague situation, we have been advised to expect similar scourges in the future.

Well, the pandemic did not bring the world together. It could have. But it didn’t. And global warming has not brought the world together. It should have. But it hasn’t. But the invasion of Ukraine sure has brought the world together. The unity of the world community in support of Ukraine is unlike anything we have seen in recent decades. It is so uplifting!

Maybe now that the most of the worldwide community of nations and peoples has come together in support of Ukraine, maybe, just maybe, we can learn to work together with more unity on other issues like the pandemic and climate change.

There is a wildness in mercy. I am hoping that from this horrible tragedy, we can learn the power of cooperation instead of competition. And that we can work together to address the other severe threats that affect us all.

Prayer: Think of a country or a people that you have considered an ‘enemy.’ If enemy is too strong a concept, maybe think of a society that you feel you do not have much in common with. Now imagine finding common ground protecting the environment that sustains us all. Imagine coming together to address health concerns so that everyone can be safe and travel freely. This is the world that were created to live in. May we trust the wildness of mercy to get us there. Amen.

Note: After church this Sunday, LUCC member Bill Parsons will lead a discussion about the war in Ukraine. He will give some background information and respond to questions from those gathered. Bill is a retired history professor from Eckerd College. His specialty was Russia/USSR. He was instrumental in establishing the sister city relationship between St. Petersburg, FL and St. Petersburg, Russia. Bill has also fostered many other connections between Florida and Russia including the sister church relationship between LUCC and St. Job’s in St. Petersburg, Russia.