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Corona Sabbath 18 GRATITUDE

IMG_2832These weeks when we cannot gather in person for Sunday worship, Lakewood United Church of Christ is providing brief weekly sabbath programs for you to listen to on your own or with others in your social isolation group. They will be posted on Friday so that you can schedule your sabbath time to suit your schedule and your spiritual inclinations. We hope these programs are of spiritual support to you in these difficult times.

During these summer weeks, the theme being used in “Grounded.” Some of us feel that shelter-in-place feels like being grounded. Some would normally have travel plans and feel grounded. With the many challenges facing our society, it is important to feel grounded. So these Summer Sundays will focus on key concepts in Christianity that provide grounding. So, welcome to “Grounded.” This post focuses on gratitude.

There is a scripture reading offered by Claire Stiles and a brief meditation by Pastor Kim Wells as well as music offered by Music Director Hilton Kean Jones and guest musician, Ian Blair-Catala.

You are invited to find a quiet space, inside or outside. Light a candle. Take a look around you. Breathe. Life-giving breath. Be present.

You may begin by offering this reading:

I move through my day-to-day life with a sense of appreciation and gratitude that comes from knowing how fortunate I truly am and how unearned all that I am thankful for really is. To have this perspective in my everyday consciousness is in itself a gift, for it leads to feeling “graced,” or blessed, each time.

–Jean Shinoda Bolen

You are invited to sing, “For the Beauty of the Earth,” hymn 28, in the New Century Hymnal, as accompanied by Hilton Kean Jones in the video below, just like at church!

This next video includes a scripture lesson read by Claire Stiles and a reflection by Rev. Kim Wells.

(For written text of the above video click HERE.)
As you listen to the music from Hilton which follows, you are invited to notice the thoughts and feelings and that arise for you.

After viewing the video, you are invited to offer the following closing –

We return thanks to our mother,
the Earth, which sustains us.
We return thanks to the rivers and streams
which supply us with water.
We return thanks to all herbs, which furnish medicines
for the cure of our diseases.
We return thanks to the corn, and to her sisters,
the beans and squashes, which give us life.
We return thanks to the bushes and trees,
which provide us with fruit.
We return thanks to the wind,
which, moving the air, has banished diseases.
We return thanks to the Moon and the stars,
which have given us their light when the Sun was gone.
We return thanks to our grandfather He-no,
who has protected us from witches and reptiles.
We return thanks to the Sun,
that he has looked upon the Earth with a beneficent eye.
We return thanks to the Great Spirit,
in whom is embodied all goodness,
and who directs all things for the good of all.

After an Iroquois song, 19th century

The following music video is a guest appearance by Lakewood UCC parishioner, Ian Blair-Catala, the famous Beatles song, Hey Jude. Thank you Ian for your contribution.

LAKEWOOD UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

The mission of Lakewood United Church of Christ, as part of the Church Universal, is to:

  • Celebrate the presence and power of God in our lives and in our world;
  • Offer the hospitality and inclusive love of Christ to all people;
  • Work for God’s peace and justice throughout creation.

QUICK LINKS TO OUR RECENT POSTS DURING THE CORONA CRISIS:
Online Devotionals: https://lakewooducc.org/category/online-devotional/
Sermon Texts: https://lakewooducc.org/category/posts/sermon-texts/
For above links, please note “Older Posts” button near bottom of page.
Music: https://soundcloud.com/hilton-kean-jones/sets/music-at-lakewood

Corona Sabbath 18 GRATITUDE Reflection Text

Greetings and welcome to Corona Sabbath. This is one of the ways the church is endeavoring to offer spiritual support during these challenging days of COVID-19. We appreciate your feedback and suggestions.

In this summer series on the theme “Grounded” we turn to one of the foundations of our faith – gratitude.

We listen to 1 Thessalonians 5:13b-18 read by Claire Stiles, a scripture lesson that speaks to new believers of the basics of faith including gratitude.

Claire’s video

Scripture 1 Thessalonians 5:13b-18

Live in peace with each other.

We urge you, sisters and brothers, to warn the idlers, cheer up the faint-hearted, support the weak and be patient with everyone. Make sure that no one repays one evil with another. Always seek what is good for each other – and for all people.

Rejoice always, pray constantly, and give thanks in all circumstances – for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

[pause]

Reflection from Kim

I am listening to a beautiful novel by Louise Erdrich. I so appreciate her stories set among the indigenous peoples of this land. In The Game of Silence it seems like one character or another is regularly taking out a pouch and sprinkling a pinch of tobacco. When a bear, needed for food, is killed, tobacco is sprinkled. When an animal provides guidance, tobacco is sprinkled. When a tree gives its branches for the making of a dwelling, tobacco is sprinkled. Repeatedly during the course of every day life, tobacco is sprinkled. It’s not just on a special occasion or at a ceremony. Day in and day out, tobacco is sprinkled as an offering of gratitude for what has been provided.

In every religion and culture there are rituals and provisions for the expression of gratitude. And of course we have this in Christianity. The Psalms are full of expressions of thanksgiving to God. Sacrifices were made out of gratitude. Jesus teaches about gratitude like the story of the 10 lepers who are healed but only one returns thanks. And there are the verses we listened to this morning from the apostle Paul about giving thanks in all circumstances. The Bible is filled with wisdom about gratitude.

There appears to be a universal human need to express gratitude. I don’t think it is because we need to be thanked. I think it is because we need to be thankful. The Psalms don’t thank God up and down and sideways because the God figure needs to be fed gratitude. It is because the people need to express gratitude. In the New Testament we are even told not to expect any thanks for the good we do. It’s not about being thanked. It’s about thanking. Showing gratitude. Because to be whole and healthy and thrive as a human creature, we have a fundamental need to express gratitude.

Gratitude is a reminder that we are constantly benefitting and receiving in ways that are completely outside of our control. We are beneficiaries of boundless generosity and goodness that we have no influence over. Our lives are sustained by thousands of other people whom we never see or know. And we are alive thanks to forces of nature that we did not design and do not control.

To practice gratitude is to realize how gifted we are. It is to acknowledge our dependence and interdependence.

Gratitude is good for us. Gratitude contributes to a sense of well-being. We realize how much we have and how we are continuously benefiting from the efforts of other people and from the world around us. We don’t have to do it all on our own. We can’t. I am trying to thank people more, whenever I can, not for their sake, but to remind myself how I am continuously dependent upon and benefitting from others. Gratitude engenders a sense of peace and security. We realize that there are people who are helping us and who will help us. We are not alone. Gratitude fosters generosity. When we pay attention to what we are being given we are freed to give. We see that there is enough for all. Gratitude gives us a sense of solidarity not only with other human beings but also with nature that is sustaining all of life. Gratitude is self care. It nourishes us.

Now, I want to shift gears for a moment. Gratitude seems so simple and straight forward. We should be reaping the benefits of gratitude day in and day out. We should have hearts brimming with thanks. It seems so easy. But there are forces working against gratitude.

We have an economic system that is based on creating needs, wants, and desires. So that we spend more money. So that business flourishes. So that people have jobs and get paid. So that they can buy the things that they have been conditioned to want. Its a self reinforcing cycle.

To keep this cycle spinning involves creating the impression of scarcity. There isn’t enough so you have to get yours. And this involves competition. So we get tied into competing with each other for what are portrayed as necessary scarce resources, supplies, and commodities.

To create these needs, wants, and desires, we are messaged that we are wanting. We are not enough. We don’t have enough. We are lacking. Our hair is not silky enough. So we need a new shampoo. We are not fit enough so we need a new gym membership. We are not comfortable enough so we need a new car. We are not thin enough so we need an expensive weight loss system. Our relationships are not good enough so we need this product or this service or this experience to make them better. Disney, anyone? We are told that we aren’t good enough and we don’t have enough. There is something newer, better, faster, and flashier that will make us ok. So our economic system functions by creating needs and wants in us so that we will spend our money on goods and services. So that other people can make money. And so that we need to make money so that we can spend more on the things that we are made to believe will make our lives better. It is a rat race.

And this cultivation of neediness suppresses the impulse toward gratitude. We are taught to see what we don’t have, and should want, rather than all that we do have. And this messaging is ubiquitous – it follows us on line, on buses, on our social media, on our phones, on billboards, on the TV, in print media, in ads on school bulletin boards. EVERYWHERE. Our society is masterful at creating wants and desires by telling us what we are lacking.

The spiritual discipline of gratitude gets us off the hamster wheel of constantly seeking that which does not satisfy and instead makes us tired and stressed. Gratitude shows us the abundance of the world we are in. It makes us aware of all that we are being given. And all that we have to give. Gratitude teaches us that we are all interrelated and interdependent not only with one another as people but with the earth and all life forms. We need the fish, and the ferns, and the fungi, and all other life forms to survive. We are dependent on nature, as a nursing baby is dependent on its mother. Our awareness of all of this, with the accompanying sense of abundance and generosity, feeds our souls and gives us a life-affirming sense of our place in the world and of our mutuality.

Especially during these COVID times, when things are uncertain and we feel separated and isolated and afraid, it is important that we keep our spirits up by cultivating the spiritual discipline of gratitude. We need gratitude as Paul says, in all circumstances. And the worse the circumstances, the more we need gratitude to help us stay steady, make it through, and weather the storm.

Much of the time we are on auto pilot. We are not paying attention. We are going through the motions. We are numb. We have compassion fatigue. We are depressed. And we forget about our need to be grateful, to cultivate gratitude, to express thanksgiving. And our lives are diminished without this necessary component of our human well-being.

I am thinking again about the little pouch of tobacco carried by the figures in Erdrich’s novel. Sprinkling tobacco here and there in the course of daily life as an expression of gratitude for all that is being given. Maybe we need some symbolic gesture or action that fits our circumstances to continually remind us to express gratitude. Something more than grace at meals and bedtime prayers. Something that can be woven into our daily lives. So that we can be firmly grounded in the abundance and generosity of the profusion of life and love within us and around us! Amen.

(Click HERE if you wish to see the post containing the video of this text.)

Weekly Update 7/15

WHAT IS GOING ON AT CHURCH –

Summer Sundays

The theme for the Corona Sabbath posts this summer is ‘GROUNDED.’ Yes, with the COVID-19 pandemic continuing, many are not taking expected summer trips and vacations.  Feeling grounded.  And with the demonstrations going on, many do not feel safe to venture out because of the pandemic and feel grounded.  And with a global pandemic, a global recession, and global demonstrations against racism, it is a time to lean on our faith to help us feel grounded.  Each week’s presentation will explore a different dimension of our faith which helps us to feel grounded in these uncertain times.  When we are grounded, we can grow and flourish and bear fruit!  So, look for the Corona Sabbath post each week to help you be grounded! The theme for this week is Gratitude.

Zooms Ahead!

There will be another all church Zoom gathering on the evening of Friday July 24.  This will be a Christmas Eve in July celebration complete with Christmas carols. The choir has recorded a special selection that will be part of this Zoom.  Bake some Christmas cookies and get in the spirit to celebrate!  We are grateful for the birth of Jesus 365 days a year! 

There will also be an all church Zoom gathering  on Sunday morning August 9 at 10:30.  The theme is Back to School.  It is the Sunday before school starts and it will be a celebration of learning and a time to share memories of teachers who have made a difference in our lives.  

Christmas in July Zoom

5 posts are scheduled for the church website as leap-ups to the Christmas in July Zoom the evening of July 24. These 5 posts are scheduled for the 20th through the 24th. Here’s a playlist of all those pieces: https://soundcloud.com/hilton-kean-jones/sets/christmas-in-july should you wish to listen to them all at once, any time you want. They are all pipe organ pieces composed by Lakewood music director, Hilton Kean Jones, recorded at Tampa’s Bayshore Baptist Church in 1993, and published by Concordia Press.

July 20 – Come, O Come, Emmanuel
July 21 – God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen
July 22 – Angels We Have Heard on High
July 23 – O Come, All Ye Faithful
July 24 – What Child is This

Hymnals for All

While we might not be able to recite many scripture verses, we can probably sing the words to many hymns.  Singing is one of the things people miss most about not having in-person church services at this time.  Hymns are a source of inspiration.  We have associations with certain hymns.  The tunes and the words help us to feel grounded.

Music Director, Hilton Jones, would like to use more hymns in the devotional posts provided by the church.  If you have a hymnal and sing along, there are no copyright issues and problems. 

To that end, please know that the church hymnals are available to be checked out like a library book but with no due date and no fines!

You may pick one up at church on Sunday mornings (10-12) or Wednesday mornings (9-12) or Sunday evenings (7:30-8:00).  There is a clip board to sign your name indicating that you have taken a book. 

If you would like a hymnal delivered to you, please contact the church office and we will try to do that. 

When we can worship in person again, the hymnals will need to be returned. 

‘God respects me when I work; but God loves me when I sing.”  Rabindranath Tagore 

Rake Needed

The church is in need of a rake, a regular yard rake for leaves, etc.  If you have an extra one or see one at a yard sale, please consider donating it to the church.  Many thanks!

In Memoriam

The Care Team scheduled a visit to Ann Rogers complete with signs of love and support from her church family.  Just 5 days later, Ann was admitted to the hospital where she died on Thursday July 2.  Ann was a lifelong church musician, a quilter, a gardener, a cat lover, an avid baseball fan, and a dear friend to many.  Whenever people from the church visited her, she had a bag of groceries ready to donate to Operation Attack.  Ann will be sorely missed!  Please keep her friends and family in your prayers in this time of loss.  No memorial plans have been made yet.

Black Lives Matter Sign

The church has a Black Lives Matter lawn sign to give away.  Please contact the Church Office if you would like the sign.

 Moving Boxes Needed

Wally LeBlanc is in need of moving boxes.  If you have any to donate please contact Wally or the Church Office.  Thank you!


Voter Registration Deadline Coming Up

July 20 is the deadline to register to vote in the upcoming primary election on August 18.  Please make sure you are registered to vote.  It can be one online.  Encourage others to register!  Voting matters!

Sunday Evening Demonstration for Racial Justice

This past Sunday 17 people lined up on the sidewalk in front of the church sharing signs about the healing of racism.  Much support was expressed by passing cars.

This week, the  group included the LUCC family, the Social Justice Committee at Westminster Suncoast, and, for the first time, a few folks from the St. Petersburg Quaker Meeting.  We were glad to welcome the Friends whom we have worked with on Circus McGurkis.  

Ruth Pettis, artist, brought a collection of the signs she has been making each week.

All are welcome to be part of this witness in support of anti-racism Sunday evenings from 7:30-8 at the church.

Here are pictures from last week’s witness:  https://lakewooducc.org/2020/07/15/weekly-anti-racism-demonstration-2/ 

Corona Sabbath

In addition to the material from Hilton and Kim, we hope to include contributions from the congregation each week.  You are invited to send a picture, a poem, a quotation from a book or article, an image, a work of art, a song, a video of you doing something or reading something, anything you would like to share with your church family.  Hilton and Kim will try to incorporate the contributions into the Corona Sabbath Devotional on the related theme.

The themes coming up are:

Hope for the Future

Forgiveness

Compassion/Justice

Service/Generosity

Trust

Peace

Healing

Wonder/Awe

CHRISTMAS THEMED CONTRIBUTIONS ALSO WELCOME!

Please email contributions on any of these topics to the church at lakewooducc@gmail.com. Or use the “regular” mail. 

Many thanks for the contributions so far. Please keep them coming! 

This Sunday

The church will be open from 10:30 to 11:30.  The peace candle will be lit.  It will be a time of prayer and reflection as a witness that the church is still open and ministry continues even though we are not able to gather in person for worship.  

Look for a Corona Sabbath post on Friday.  Check for it at the website – lakewooducc.org
Also, please subscribe to the website so that you receive regular updates about church life. 

Weekly Labyrinth Walks Continue

Each Wednesdayat 9:00 a.m. a small group gathers at the outdoor labyrinth for a time of devotion, discussion, and meditative walking of the labyrinth.  The theme for the week is taken from the Corona Sabbath of the week before, so it is an opportunity to go deeper in the spiritual exploration of that theme for your life.  This devotional gathering is outside and physical distancing is maintained. All are welcome!

In recent weeks, the labyrinth has been restored and refurbished with some trimming, raking, and new hay.  Please know that this spiritual path is open for your use any time. 

https://lakewooducc.org/2020/06/23/labyrinth-has-been-refurbished

Spiritual Direction Offered by LUCC Clergy Member.

In these troubled times, it is important to find ways to tend to our spiritual lives. In the Christian tradition, Spiritual Direction is one of the ways of paying attention to the spirit in our lives. A Spiritual Director is someone to talk with about what is going on in our spiritual life and in our relationship with God however we may conceive of God.

Rev. Sally Purvis, Ph.D., a member of LUCC, is a retired clergy person with training and experience in Spiritual Direction. She is offering her services as a Spiritual Director to the community. The sessions would be held on Zoom and there is no fee to be paid. Church leaders are pleased to have the ministry of the church expand in this way.

Spiritual Direction with Sally is open to anyone, not just the congregation. And it is offered to everyone whatever their spiritual or religious background or affiliation or lack thereof. Sessions are generally held once every three weeks. Spiritual Direction is not a mode of therapy. It is a process for understanding and deepening your relationship with God/Spirit in ways are authentic and life-giving.

Sally was trained by Henri Nouwen, a noted spiritual guide of the 20th century, and did Spiritual Direction as part of her professional ministry before retiring in 2015.

If you would like to explore Spiritual Direction with Sally, please contact her at
sallybpurvis@icloud.com or contact the church (867-7961 or lakewooducc@gmail.com ).

The church is very grateful to Sally for offering this avenue of support to the congregation and the community.

QUICK LINKS TO OUR RECENT POSTS DURING THE CORONA CRISIS:
Sermon videos: https://lakewooducc.org/category/online-devotional/
Sermon texts: https://lakewooducc.org/category/posts/sermon-texts/
Posts containing music: https://lakewooducc.org/category/posts/music/

For all those links, please note the “Older Posts” button near bottom of page.

FOR JUST THE MUSIC: https://soundcloud.com/hilton-kean-jones/sets/music-at-lakewood 

Daily Corona Prayer

https://lakewooducc.org/2020/03/20/lucc-corona-daily-prayer

Assistance Available

If you need help of any kind – something from the store, someone to talk with, support managing during shelter-in-place, parenting concerns – please know that the church is ready and willing to help in any way needed.  This situation is trying for everyone.  You are not alone.  We’ll make it through together.  Please contact the church office (lakewooducc@gmail.com or 867-7961 or Rev. Kim Wells at wells.kim.p@gmail.com).  

Miss someone from church?  Give them a call or send a note.  Personal contact is so important when physical contact is limited.  

Music Ministry

About Hilton’s music. . . If you would enjoy hearing Hilton play more Irish folk songs, you can
listen for free at either https://hiltonjones.bandcamp.com/album/irish-
tunes or https://soundcloud.com/hilton-kean-jones/sets/irish-tunes .

July Birthdays:  Ann Quinn 7/6. Someone missing? Contact the church office with birthday information.

Circle of Concern: JoAnn Reid, William Owen, Wilbur Reid, Martha Lamar, Jen Degroot, Carolyn Moore, Ann Quinn, Maggie Brizendine, and all healthcare workers and essential workers. All those suffering from COVID-19.

Please keep Yvonne Riesen and family in your prayers.  Yvonne has moved to the Memory Care unit at Westminster Suncoast.  Calls and notes are a way to show your concern and support to Yvonne.

Maggie Brizendine has been in the hospital and should be moved into rehab soon.  Please keep her in your prayers.  

Please remember the family and friends of Ann Rogers in your prayers, especially her dear caregiver, Gene.

Please keep LUCC member, Olivia Gibson, in your prayers. She is a nurse in a COVID-19 unit in a local hospital. We are grateful for her ministry!

Recent Posts:

Weekly Update: If you are involved with an activity or event that you would like to share with the LUCC family, please send the information to the Church Office by Tuesday since the Update usually is sent out on Wednesday.

Weekly Anti-Racism Demonstration

This past Sunday 17 people lined up on the sidewalk in front of the church sharing signs about the healing of racism.  Much support was expressed by passing cars.

This week, the  group included the LUCC family, the Social Justice Committee at Westminster Suncoast, and, for the first time, a few folks from the St. Petersburg Quaker Meeting.  We were glad to welcome the Friends whom we have worked with on Circus McGurkis.  

Ruth Pettis, artist, brought a collection of the signs she has been making each week.

All are welcome to be part of this witness in support of anti-racism Sunday evenings from 7:30-8 at the church.