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January 2015: Sacred Remembering, Sacred Forgetting

1/3/2015

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"Dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven. (Philippians 3:13-14 )"

 Listen to:  Brandon Heath:  The story behind "I'm Not Who I Was"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqj9ACL5fNQ

 
As we stand on the cusp of a new year, many of us are busy deciding on resolutions that will help us change and grow.  We want to enter 2015 as better people.  We want to be healthier people, in body, mind and spirit.  We want to accomplish goals that will help us achieve more success or reconnect us to people with whom we've lost contact.

 While such goals are noble, it is said that only about 8% of us will manage to achieve our resolutions.   Why? We don't set reasonable steps to achieve our goals, we don't have enough support in place, or we carry emotional and spiritual baggage that gets in the way.  For example, we are told to "forgive and forget."  It's not as easy as it sounds.  Most of our habits of life are rooted in emotional or spiritual experiences, either for good or bad.  Through the prophet Isaiah, God tells us " Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  (Isaiah 43:18)."  How easy is it to forget?  We are not talking about the day to day details of life that many of us forget along the way.  We are talking about "forgetting" former habits and ingrained lifestyles that created pain for ourselves and others.  We are talking about traumatic, painful and unjust events that have touched our lives.  How can we just forget them?  


In fact, there are many times God commands us to remember:  Throughout  the book of Deuteronomy God wants the people of Israel to remember that they were once slaves, brought out from the land of Egypt.  Scriptures reminds us that God remembers the relationship God made with Israel (Lev. 26:45; Psalm 105:8 ; 106:45 ; 111:5 ). . Jesus, in offering the bread and cup of the last supper, commanded his followers to "do this in remembrance of me (Luke  22:19; 1 Cor. 11:24 ).  Even the thief on the cross asked Jesus to remember him -- and Jesus assured him that they would be together in Paradise that very day (Luke 23:42).  So remembering is a spiritual and faithful habit.  To bring a balance to our world we must remember where there is sin and injustice and work for righteousness, justice and peace. Yet to be whole people there are some things we must forget.

 
The words used to translate "forget" carry the nuance of "no longer caring for, neglecting, refusing to focus on or to set aside." Thus f orgetting is not the obliteration of a memory or an event.  Faithful forgetting is the choice to not place our energies on memories that bring us down or hold us back.  Faithful forgetting also chooses not to focus on those successes that would tempt us to place ourselves above or apart from others.  This spiritual act of forgetting frees us and others to move forward to be the people God envisions us to be.  
 
So if we truly want to be successful in our New Year's resolutions we need to focus on what is important to remember:  the practice of love that Jesus teaches us.  We must learn to "forget" -- not focus on those things, both good and difficult, that would separate us from others and from God's presence in our life.

 As part of our New Year's meditation, let us reflect on what we need to remember in 2015.  Let us also make a list of what we need to "forget"   and not focus on.   May we all have a Happy New Year -- filled with love, peace, justice and joy created by both remembering the holy and true, and forgetting that which no longer serves us in our journey of spiritual growth.


 
1.  What will I remember in 2015 to create a successful year?

2.  What should I “forget" -- put aside -- not focus on -- to create a successful year?

 Prayer:    "Lord, remember me.  Teach me right memory and teach me sacred forgetting."


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"God's State of the Union Address" January 2015

1/2/2015

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"For nothing will be impossible with God." Luke 1:37
Google: What did we search for in 2014?:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVwHCGAr_OE

On Tuesday this past week we heard the President's annual "State of the Union" address.  One day later here in New York we heard the governor's State of the State address.  Since 1790, when President Washington turned in hand-written report in compliance with Article II, section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, presidents' have used the address to bolster their work, set forth an agenda, and lay the groundwork of a legacy. Initially just called "The President's Annual Message to Congress," Franklin Roosevelt changed it to "State of the Union" in 1934 and it has stuck since then.  

The "State of the Union" address has got me thinking.   What if God issued a "State of the Soul" address to each of us every year?   What would we expect to hear?  Here is a wide range of opinions.  There is one pastor causing a stir because he claims God's State of the Union  address where he claims our President is following Satan, making homosexuality the key point of his address (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/30/pastor-obama-satan-_n_4690946.html).  Another pastor wrote a "God's State of the Union Address" in her blog, highlighting what scriptures have to say on key social issues. ( http://www.susangaddis.net/2015/01/state-of-the-union/).   I encourage you to look at these vastly different takes on "God's State of the Union Address."  What do you think?More importantly, what is God saying to us about how we are living our life and how we are living together with mindfulness?

The Scriptures do indeed contain the key to God's State of the Union. Consider these:

Jesus' first State of the Union Address reiterated the words of the Prophet Isaiah: (Luke 4:16-21)

"And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’


And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount can be considered Jesus' Second State of the  Union Address.  It is too long to include here -- but I encourage you to read it in its entirety.  Here are a few well known verses:

5 When Jesus[a] saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely[b] on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.


Jesus' third State of the Union Address could be summarized in two brief passages:

First from Luke 26-28:

26And He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?" 27And he answered, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." 28And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE."…

and from John 13:

34"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

So the question for each of us is, how do we measure ourselves against the rule of love?  Remember how Paul laid it out for us in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:

4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends....

Whatever you believe, each of us needs to prepare our "State of the Soul Address." How well have we loved God and our neighbor in 2014?  Read these passages carefully again.  Where have we succeeded in the ways of love?  Where are our deficits?  have we been envious, boastful, rude; have we been bent on getting our way? Are we irritable or resentful?  How is our endurance?  In these sample verses we can find where God calling us to stretch ourselves in 2015 in our ability to love and care for our neighbor.

We set goals for financial gain.  We set goals for personal development.  We set goals for weight loss.  We set goals for advancing in our careers.  Now let us set goals for our soul -- for it is the most important action we can do for ourselves to create a life that is truly worth living.  Write your "State of the Soul" address first on paper.  Then write your "State of the Soul" address  in the deeds you carry out, every day of your life.  It may be hard -- but the good news is, with God's help, it is not impossible.

What is the State of my Soul?

What is God's Address to me?

 

Pray:  "Nothing is impossible with you, o God, so help me love with all the strength, heart and will I possess -- and love through me.  May this Love never end."

 

   
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"The Storm Is Passing Over"  January 2015

1/1/2015

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"The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. Nahum 1:7"






  Listen to:   Detroit Mass Choir: "The Storm Is Passing Over"  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3jgPsGQSdQ

 Where were you, Monday, January 26 as we braced for a blizzard to hit the Northeast?  I can tell you where I was.  Last minute as always, I scampered to get to the grocery store for supplies to carry us through the week. Flustered by the heavy traffic, I pulled rather crookedly into a parking spot, intending to straighten out. Immediately I heard the blare of a car horn -- a driver was obviously not please with how I parked.  I found myself in a dilemma -- I wanted to back out, but the driver was so close I couldn't maneuver.   She needed to back up to allow me to park more evenly.  I waited and waited until she realized she had to back up to let me fix my error.   Once correctly aligned, I received a withering look that wanted to know if I learned to learned to park in a desert.  Chastised,  I hurried to the drugstore and I noticed another sign of the pre-storm malaise:  shoppers had ditched their carts in such a sloppy way that a parked car was actually tramped in.


I share these illustrations not to gloat or criticize.  In these examples I immediately see myself. I am impatient and careless of other's needs too.  There are many kinds of storms and the worst kind are the ones we must battle daily: the storms of the spirit.  A storm is a violent disturbance, forces clashing to produce all sorts of reactions.  Natural storms bring us heavy rains, snow, hail, strong winds, lightening and thunder.  Spiritual storms are battles between our natural wills, expectations and desires and real life. Spiritual storms also result from clashes between our will and God's will.   Spiritual storms arise as our life circumstances change and we must learn to adapt, change and have patience.  In the storms of life we are called to face our fears and control our angers and disappointments.    

Monday morning I felt convicted of how I contribute to storms around me.  I recognized the snap judgments I make without having all the facts.  I saw how easy I can fly off the handle with no consideration for the feelings of others.  With regret I remembered my lack of care for the needs of others.   I saw how all these responses did not enhance my quality of life.  Quite the contrary. When I failed to consider God and others I felt pummeled by negativity.   So as I shopped I was mindful to smile and be courteous to the short tempers I encountered.  They were just as fussed as I was.  Placing the irritation and anxiety in God's hands didn't stop the storm from coming. However it did stop the storm in me.  That makes all the difference, doesn't it?

 What storms are raging within you?

Pray:  "God, calm the waves of impatience within me.  Calm the hail of judgment and criticisms.  Calm the winds of fear and anxiety.  Grant me peace - no matter what I am facing."

 


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    Moirajo is a minister, social worker, wife, mother, writer and animal lover. That's just for starters. Join the story, there's so much we can share together! 

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