Enough.

 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 

Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!" --Luke 12:22-24

In the States, the day after Thanksgiving is referred to as Black Friday. It is the day when people go all out finding bargains, for Christmas gifts, for themselves-- for "fun." Those who follow such things say that how a store does on Black Friday speaks to the overall health of the store, and also to the general health of our economy.

I apologize if I am somehow responsible for sending the nation back into a recession, but I will not go out shopping on Black Friday.

There is simply nothing I need that badly, that I would go out amongst those "serious shoppers" and behave in less-than-comely fashion to pick up (fill in the blank here).

People have remarked about the irony that only in America will people go out and trample one another to buy more stuff, one day after professing thanks for all the stuff we already have.

Enough. Seriously, enough. 

Think of what so many of us already have:

--Enough food on the table to feed our entire families-- and leftovers for Round Two (and maybe three). And if you've had a turkey-- in a few days you can make turkey soup and continue to enjoy the taste of Thanksgiving.

--Enough clothing not to have to wear the same outfit for days on end unless one is so inclined.

--Enough disposable income to even consider going out to shop on this busy day-- and again in the days ahead, as Christmas draws closer.

But how about these?

Enough blood in our arms to donate a pint, so that as many as four recipients might have their lives improved-- or possibly saved.

Enough food to give a few extra cans or boxes to those who do not have enough.

Enough generosity of spirit to take some of those extra clothes and donate them, so another might have enough.

Enough time to spend a couple hours at a local soup kitchen, hunger center or parish meal to offer not only a warm meal, but a smile, a kind touch or a listening ear, to those for whom life is difficult right now.

Enough wisdom, enough genuine gratitude to stop, just for a moment, and reflect. 

Because truly, but for the grace of the Almighty, there go I. And you. It's true.

Where I live, it is now about 2:00 afternoon on Black Friday. The Doorbusters are done with, but the Midnight Madness lies ahead. I am sure some folks have been shopping for hours upon hours,and have gotten some amazing deals.

What if, for each hour we spent shopping, we spent even ten minutes in thanksgiving and/ or prayer?

What if, for each dollar we spent at a store, we gave even fifty cents to a local charity, or to an organization like the Red Cross, that provides for so many during difficult times?

What if?

They say it is the little things that change the world in big ways. 

What little thing will you do today, to change the world around you?

* * * * *

Most gracious and generous Creator, help us to realize that we are here, not to accumulate our own private "stash," but to unlock the storehouses of your generosity and be the means by which your blessings flow to those in need. Amen.

Peace.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. 

I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. --John 14:27

Peace. We talk a lot about peace. And for the last couple of weeks, I have been really thinking about what we mean when we say we want peace.

Peace is not necessarily quiet. Peace can be downright boisterous when it involves the return, for instance, of a child who has been absent a long time. The returned presence of a loved one brings peace to the worried parent's soul in the midst of celebration.

Inner peace can be, and usually is, a quiet stillness. When one has had troubles and finally takes the time to pause and rest, and if it is one's custom, to pray and talk to the Almighty about one's troubles, it seems at times as if a wave of love and gentle healing washes over, and the soul becomes quiet and still. At peace.

Peace among neighbors. Can it happen without a fence? And can it bring down a fence that has stood between for longer than anyone remembers? I believe the answer is yes-- to both questions. . . .

And what about those larger issues, those places in the world where peace, when it does happen, is a fragile, delicate thing, blown apart (often quite literally) by unexpected conflict? Those situations where we seem to feel driven to take sides, even when we really are fairly clueless what may be at the heart of the peacelessness?

We can listen. We must listen. 

We seek to set aside our preconceived ideas of who is "right" and who is "wrong," and just listen.

And trust. How hard it can be to trust, when we are people who would rather do something, who believe, at some level, that action does-- well, it gets things done.

Oh, if only we could rest assured we are taking the right action. 

Life's hard that way.

John Wesley's three rules try to encapsulate how we are to live: Do no harm; do good; attend upon the ordinances of God. But I met someone once who thought too hard about the first two that he became frozen in inaction, for fear that in doing one person good, he might harm another.

And that is why there is that third one. Take it to the Lord. Listen for the voice of the Creator in the midst of chaos. Allow peace, not as the world offers, but as only God can offer, to settle in your very being. 

Then, and only then, will we be able to discern the next step. And we need to understand that sometimes the next step may be simply to stay in one place and do-- nothing. Nothing but continue to attend.

Gracious Lord, we can get so irritated, wanting you to just speak up! Help us to slow down, to listen for your heartbeat, your desires-- not our own. Help us, Lord, to trust in you. Amen

Happiness is. . . .

As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 

But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property. --Mark 10:17, 21-22

I have been blessed, for three of the last four Tuesdays (time out for a hurricane), to spend time with a gifted storyteller. And now, for next week, I have been gifted the bare bones outline of a story to tell. It is based on an old Ukrainian tale, but shares much in common, I am sure, with stories from other cultures, as well. So here is my telling of "The King and the Shirt":

Once, long ago-- or not-so-long ago-- there was a mighty and powerful King. He ruled over a mighty and powerful nation, and he lacked for nothing. But one day, the King fell ill, very ill. And no one knew what to do.

The King called all his advisers to his side: the scientist and the shaman, the doctor and the priest. He beckoned with his finger; they all leaned in closely to hear what this mighty and powerful man might say.

In a feeble voice, the King whispered, "I will give half my Kingdom to the one who can cure my illness."

The King's advisers looked at one another. They talked among themselves. No one really knew what to say!

Finally, one man offered what he believed would cure the mighty and powerful King's illness: Find a man who is happy, and remove the shirt from his back. Bring it to the King and place it around his shoulders, and the King will be healed.

* * * * *

Immediately, the King sent his messengers out with his advisers, in search of a happy man.

They travelled far and wide across the Kingdom, to cities and towns, to forests and glens, in search of a happy man-- but they found none.

The scientist found a very rich man who seemed happy-- ah, but he was ill, wracked by disease. Not so happy, after all.

The doctor found a man who was extremely healthy, living a good life-- but he was very, very poor. He certainly couldn't be happy!

The shaman discovered a man who was both wealthy and healthy! Surely he must be happy! But no-- this man had married a woman who was a grumpy old nag. There was no happiness under their roof!

And the priest came upon a lovely family. Beautiful wife, proud, handsome father-- but then he met their children. They were the naughtiest group of brats he had ever met! Definitely not the stuff of which happiness is made!

* * * * *

Finally, late one night, the King's own son was travelling through a hamlet on the outskirts of this mighty and powerful Kingdom, and as he passed a tiny hut, faintly illumined by a single candle, he heard a man's voice: "Ah, at last I am finished working for the day! My stomach is full, and I am ready to sleep. What more could a man want?" And the man sighed a deep, contented, sigh.

The King's son, overjoyed and relieved, was certain he had, at last, found a truly happy man. So he sent his messengers inside the tiny hut to remove the shirt from the man's back, so that it might be brought to the King and placed around his shoulders. The King would be healed,and the happy man would receive as much money as he wanted.

But when the entered the hut, they saw that the happy man was so poor, he hadn't even a shirt on his back.

And that is the story of "The King and the Shirt."

* * * * *
Lord God, help us to listen with open ears to the stories we tell. Open our eyes to your Most Holy Presence in the world,and in each other. Amen.

Eyes on the Prize

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders 

and the sin that so easily entangles, 

and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 

--Hebrews 12:1

(No, this is not another Happy Meal blog. But if you missed that one, it's back on October 13, 2011. Try it, you'll like it!)

We have just wrapped up what has been, easily, the most challenging election season in my lifetime. There have been phenomenal amounts of money poured into advertising at all levels, from state senators to the top office in the land, advertising that seemed bent not on telling voters what the candidate would do for us, but what the other guy (or gal) would do to the country.

Ugly, ugly, ugly. 

This great nation took a sharp turn and, for the last several months, took her eyes off the prize. We could so easily have wound up in a ditch.

Remember when Bill Clinton ran for office, and it came out that there were signs strategically posted at his campaign offices that said, plainly, IT'S THE ECONOMY, STUPID? So when the conversation started down a rabbit trail, those engaged would be abruptly reminded of the single, most important issue of the election. And in the end, the nation benefited. Focus was maintained (for the most part).

So now here we are. 

We have re-elected President Barack Obama for another four years. And we have also re-elected many of our senators and representatives to their offices for another term. And just as importantly-- we did not re-elect some whose thoughts, speech or lives had become detrimental to their continuing in office. (Aside: Do not make "consensual rape" a political talking point and expect to garner female fans. But I digress.)

It is time to stop pounding those plowshares into swords. It is time to go to work-- for peace, for hope and for one another.

It is time to remember, again, that we are all of one family. And families are built and nurtured and transformed, not by beatings or bilious speech, but by love. By building one another up, not by tearing down. 

Mother Teresa said this: We belong to each other. And we belong to God.

Now I will add this: I am a believer in separation of church and state. I do not believe we should elect someone to office based on his dogma or creed. I am thrilled we have a Buddhist and a Hindu now in Congress-- but I wish it weren't such a big deal. I am hopeful they won simply because their lives exhibited the characteristics of leadership desired by their home states.

But here's the deal: I do not believe in separation of God and state, or God from state. I believe any group or individual fortunate enough to have won the right to speak for me in Congress or the White House also speaks as one granted that right-- by the Almighty. Not by a Christian God or a Muslim god, but by the single, all-power-filled Creator, without whom nothing-- nothing is possible.

Without whose grace our very next breath does not happen.

So now, beginning today, it is time to refocus our vision. It is time to stop and to pray-- in whatever form that action might take for you. 

It is time to listen for the heartbeat of the Spirit that dwells within each of us, and to discern-- not a partisan, small-minded, self-benefiting agenda, but the huge, healing vision of God. 

We have stumbled recently. There is no denying that one. The international press has been all over the "leading nation of the world," reminding us that we are fallible. We have wound up stalled out, in a ditch-- almost overturned, at times. 

And we now have the chance to right ourselves, brush off the dirt and seaweed, smooth our wrinkled clothing, straighten our hair-- and step out in faith. 

Let the healing begin. And let it begin with prayer.

Most gracious One, thankfully we come before you and are reminded that our human elections never, for one moment, threatened your sovereignty or your reign. Help us, Lord. Grant us the grace to bring about true change in this place, one smile, one meal, one life at a time. Change me, Lord, that I might change the world. Amen.