Interruptions

Have you ever had one of those days or weeks when things didn’t quite work the way you had planned? You have a vision of how things are going to go and then events take over or a phone call comes or a visitor appears. This is how my week has been. I have had one thing after another that seemed to sidetrack so many of my plans, which affect the plans of others. Oh, it doesn’t mean that the things I have to get done go away, but it often means that there are obstacles and roadblocks and interruptions to getting those things accomplished. You know exactly what I’m talking about, you have been there as well.

I often want to just throw my hands in the air and say, “I GIVE UP!!!”

We I read portions of the Bible I encounter many characters who have the same sort of experiences––sometimes there are obstacles of their own making; sometimes God puts up roadblocks; sometimes others cause interruptions to the flow of routine––but in all of these experiences, at least in my own life and in observing others, one thing that I notice is that God is still working.

God works in individual lives, in community, in difficulty, walking through valleys of the shadows of death, in joys and on mountaintops. God works in times of celebration and times of sorrow when communities come together to remember.

Sometimes when our plans don’t work out the way we envisioned them it is exasperating. But here is a challenge, it is what I was challenged with this week to stop and see God at work—in other people, in a gruff stranger that helped, in an enemy, in a quiet moment you hadn’t planned on, even in the desperation of having to ask someone else for help. Where is God at work in your life that maybe you were too busy planning to see God? Take a deep breath and experience a fresh breath of God’s presence.

Ordinary People Or Even Scandalous People Ushering in Grace

   As I was doing my devotional readings this morning one of them was the Matthew 1 the genealogy of Jesus. I read this several times a year because it reminds me of how God works.
   At first glance this does not appear to be the most stimulating reading. And yet if you take the time to look at the list as a photo book of sorts you begin to see who is in Jesus family tree. And quite frankly for me this is a grace filled, joy filled celebration of sorts, to see who is in the divine family tree. There are only five women listed, yes only five, we of course know there had to be more, but five are listed and they are interesting choices ( won't give it away so you can dust off your Bibles and read for yourself! And spend some time getting to know who they were.)
   But the genealogy in Matthew, the divine birth story of Jesus as Matthew tells it, beginning  with Abraham, demonstrates that God works through ordinary, flawed human beings to display the extraordinary things of God, and that means God can work through you and me too.
And that's my tripping into grace today!

Sometimes I come across other people's writings or pictures that give me glimpses of grace...

"Our hearts are set on pilgrim roads not to satisfy ourselves with finding one holy place,
    not to romanticize this thin place,
    but to take the experience of the Holy back into the thick of things..."

                                                                                           Murphy Davis, from Around a Thin Place

People can take journeys up to mountaintops or go to church or temple or on a pilgrimage and come off the mountaintop, out of church or temple, or back from pilgrimage, and feel a little weary, disappointed about being back in the "thick of things" in the world. But as Murphy Davis points out and as countless saints have discovered there is the beautiful opportunity to take the experience of the Holy back into thick of things...to be blessed while being a blessing.

My blog "Tripping into Grace" has taken a long vacation...but I have been inspired to trip back on to the scene...so watch out for signs and posts of what I see as grace all around...sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, often mundane, most likely caught off guard by grace and how I see myself and sometimes others tripping into this amazing gift...

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day Worship

November 24, 2011

(You are invited to use this Thanksgiving Day Worship. The parts in italics are for one participant to lead and the parts in bold are for all to share together. Happy Thanksgiving! May you find joy and blessing this day and always!)

CALL TO WORSHIP (Psalm 100:4-5)

Enter God’s gates with thanksgiving, and God’s courts with praise.

Give thanks to God, bless God’s name.

For the Lord is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever,

And God’s faithfulness to all generations.

PRAYER

God of creation, you have given us so much for which to be thankful. By your providence we are cared for all our days. Fill our hearts with generosity, not only for those close to us, but also the least and the lost, and especially for you, that we may share our blessings freely, and our thanksgiving without ceasing.  Amen.  

SCRIPTURE READING                Psalm 104:1-30

HYMN: Now Thank We All Our God (Martin Rinkart)

1.         Now thank we all our God


with hearts and hands and voices,


who wondrous things has done,


in whom God's world rejoices;


who, from our mothers' arms,


has blest us on our way


with countless gifts of love,


and still is ours today.

SCRIPTURE READING                Philippians 4:4-7

LITANY OF THANKSGIVING

For life in all its meaning, full of challenge and potential, growth and decay, we give you thanks, O Lord...Thanks be to God!

For time made more precious by its passing; for seasons by which to gauge the rhythm of our work; for times of rest and quiet times; for time spent with others and time spent alone; for times of celebration and the times of struggle which engage our being, we give you thanks, O Lord...Thanks be to God!

For the resources that make living more pleasant––good food, warmth and shelter, clothing––we give you thanks, O Lord...Thanks be to God!

For wisdom and insight; for the gifts of learning and of teaching; for books and other media by which we share ideas; for the joy of a new concept grasped or a new thought understood, we give you thanks, O Lord...Thanks be to God!

For family and friends, both nearby and far away, both living and dead, each of whom brings much to our lives; for holidays that gladden our hearts and remind us of our losses; for shared experiences that become tomorrow’s precious memories, we give you thanks, O Lord...Thanks be to God!

For governments and political leadership throughout the world, especially those that protect freedom and promote justice; for reformers and those with the courage to speak out where all is not what it should be, we give you thanks, O Lord...Thanks be to God!

Especially for the United States of America, a nation with a foundation of freedom; for peaceful transfer of power and the orderly election of leaders; for institutions that serve and protect and for men and women who are willing to die that others might live and enjoy their freedom, we give you thanks, O Lord...Thanks be to God!

For the places that we live, the beauty, resources and leadership; for our fellow citizens with whom we work and live in peace and harmony; for those who will not stand silent while others suffer or are deprived, we give you thanks, O Lord...Thanks be to God!

For the church, the body of Christ at work in the world; for all its joyous confusion and colorfulness, its gifts of the Spirit, its leaders and supporters, all those who give their time to its mission, we give you thanks, O Lord...Thanks be to God!

Especially for the places where we worship and the gatherings of God’s people that we have called home; for their history and heritage that help to show us the way; for those who have gone before us in the faith and made it what it is today; for the vision you hold out to it of what it can be and will be tomorrow, we give you thanks, O Lord...Thanks be to God!

For all the many gifts or our lives, and for our very lives themselves, we give you thanks, O Lord...Thanks be to God!

And let us pray the prayer that Christ taught disciples to pray together saying:

Our Father, who art in heaven…

HYMN: Now Thank We All Our God

2.         Oh, may this bounteous God


through all our life be near us,


with ever joyful hearts


            and blessed peace to cheer us,


and keep us in God's grace,


and guide us when perplexed,


and free us from all harm


In this world and the next.

3.         All praise and thanks to God


            the Maker now be given,


            the Son, and him who reigns


with them in highest heaven,


the one eternal God,


whom earth and heav'n adore;


for thus it was, is now,


and shall be evermore.

BLESSING

May the Lord, who is our peace, give us peace at all times and in every way.

Amen.

Bless the Lord.

The Lord’s name be praised. 

Running into Grace-Part 2

Participating in the half marathon was a real highlight for me, despite the lack of training and the extreme soreness. When I saw that there was a 5K on May 2010 for MacArthur Park I decided to sign up. For some reason as the MacArthur Park run got closer all I could remember about the half marathon was that I finished. I didn't remember the soreness, I didn't remember the promises I made to myself to train and prepare for another run. The MacArthur Park Run was an evening run. So, on that coolish Friday evening a group of people started gathering at the museum. It was a small group gathered for this run at least it seemed that way to me. But then all I had to compare it to was the Race for the Cure and the Little Rock Marathon. As Lindsay (my daughter and running buddy) and I waited to run, Jim (my husband) encouraged us. When we began the race it was fine but we'd barely made it half a mile before I started breathing hard and felt like I needed to walk instead of run. Lindsay encouraged me to keep going. But when a fat little dog and it's owner passed us I knew I was in trouble and I might as well walk a spell. We did run more but for the most part we walked that 5K, both of us feeling the lack of training. I knew then that if I was serious about running in the next half marathon or even walking in it, or if I ever intended to run in another 5K I was going to have to prepare and train. So what does all this have to do with Tripping into Grace? Everything....

Running into Grace

"Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those trained by it." Hebrews 12:11

Last year before I turned 48 I made a "bucket list" of the things I wanted to do before I turned 50. One of the things on my list was to participate in a half marathon. I say participate because as much as I wanted to run I was pretty sure I would walk a good part of that 13.1 miles. March 4, 2010 was a COLD, pretty day. There were so many people in downtown Little Rock that morning and it was so exciting and a little bit frightening. But the momentum of the crowd moved me. The excitement was overwhelming! So when the race started, Lindsay and I ran. Oh, I walked too but I ran more than I should have run for someone who hadn't trained, at all. Something more than my own stamina kept me going that day...there were people praying for me, people cheering me on along the way, and the other walkers and runners around me. I felt the community. My daughter and I crossed the finish line and it was very exciting.
The soreness, however, started settling into my muscles and bones almost immediately. And two hours later I was hurting. I think I felt that race for two weeks. It's a soreness that I'm not sure I will ever forget. a soreness that was compounded because I didn't TRAIN.
And yet a few months later I thought that I could just go run a 5K with no training...
I'll finish that story in my next installment but it reminds me of how we try to go about each day without the training and discipline of prayer, trust, and seeking God's will and way...

"Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those trained by it." Hebrews 12:11