what makes you happy

I had opportunity to re-stock my supply of doggy chew toys this week. Anytime I see toys on sale, I get them. 

I'm not concerned about what they look like; usually seasonal toys are much more affordable after the season, and the dogs don't care about a Christmas tree in April or an Easter bunny in August. 

My diminished concern about appearance is in direct relation to the immense appreciation of the pups in question. They *love* playing with chew toys. Squeeky, soft, crinkly, whatever: a dog with a chew toy is a very happy dog. 

A large part of their fun comes from destroying said toys. They chew and gnaw, flip and shake, toss and tug. (Thankfully, they don't consume the detritus, but leave it scattered on the floor. 

I think it's great. They are playful, happy dogs, living in joy. They know what they enjoy, and can communicate their happiness. They use the toys as they were intended (there's no sense keeping chew toys in perfect condition; they're literally made to be chewed on). 

So yes, there's often fluff by the table, or ripped-off limbs by the sofa. And it means cleaning up, and keeping a regular supply of toys prepared for the next 'new toy day'. No need to wait for a special occasion, just joy of living in the moment. 

What a lovely reminder for us, too. 

Life as a Sponge

A few days after a friend had completed a large liturgical project, she described herself as “feeling like a wrung-out sponge.” She had been giving extra time and energy to the project for several weeks, and while it was good and exciting work, it was a lot.

She used the sponge analogy for how she felt for a number of reasons: sponges can hold a lot; and they take a lot of squeezing before they are wrung out. Sponges are used as tools especially because of these qualities.

And most importantly: sponges are re-fillable. Whether in nature or human-made, they are designed to soak up water; to hold water; and to share the water. They consist of tubes and holes to let water pass through them.

In other words, sponges are meant to be filled and wrung out. (To leave a sponge full of water too long makes it a breeding ground for bacteria or fungi.)

So my friend’s comment about being a wrung-out sponge was not a complaint of tiredness (though she was very tired!); it was a commentary on having been used as intended. She had taken what she could hold, and shared it; she had been filled with gifts to compliment those offered by the others in the team, and had contributed.

And she knew that the end of one project was not the end of her ministry; while she needed to rest her body and spirit, she knew that she would soon be filled again: with ideas, with energy, with enthusiasm for her service to God and God’s people.

What a great analogy for us in our Christian journey, to be invited to share of what we have, to trust that our spirits will be refilled, to believe that we will be given opportunities to share our gifts over and over again, to know that we are being used in God’s kingdom.

In this time after the Feast of the Resurrection, where so many folks are feeling that tiredness that comes from the events of the past week, let’s remember that we are like sponges: emptied, but not spent; resting and re-fillable. Even a wrung-out sponge can delight in a hearty Alleluia!

What's Your Camel?

There’s a morality tale about an eighteenth camel – it goes that a man with 3 sons died, leaving half his inheritance to the eldest son, one-third to the middle child, and one-ninth to the youngest. The challenge: the man had 17 camels; obviously they could not be divided as he intended. The sons became adversarial, until a neighbour proposed a solution: she would add one camel to herd.

The maths become feasible then – one half is 9, one third is 6, and one ninth is 2 – thereby leaving one camel left over, to return to the kind neighbour. Problem resolved!

It’s a tale of mutual gains, whereby everyone wins: the sons each receive slightly more than expected, no camels are hurt in the process, and the feuding brothers can stop fighting. Even the neighbour who loaned out the camel lost nothing. A win-win all around, thanks to some outside the box thinking.

With a little creativity and collaboration, most of the challenges that we face today can likewise be overcome. While it may not involve a camel, it can be a simple solution that comprises new ideas and new ways of working together.

As we shift into a post-lockdown world and church, we know that people are being more discerning with how they extend their time, energy, and commitment. We are focusing more on actual engagement rather than casual association. As such, we know things are changing around us, and thus we are being presented the opportunity to re-examine how and why we are doing things. And, like the brothers with the camels, we may feel defensive and adversarial; yet like the neighbour we can instead seek solutions in mutually beneficial ways – no one needs to ‘lose’ for others to ‘win.’ Let’s keep a Christian focus on possibilities – and enjoy the potential ‘camels’ in our communities.

Spider/Plant

Walking toward the rectory this week, I noticed something amiss in one of the windows – there was something of a substantial size just sitting there. Immediately, my mind decided to fill in the blanks and tell me it was a giant spider.

GIANT spider.

Logic, of course, quickly kicked in as I went to take a closer look – it was not an arachnid at all, but a piece of a houseplant that was peaking through the blinds. (Ironically, a spider plant!) My brain had not caught up to some basic truths before making a decision (for example, we do not have 9” spiders in this part of the world, and if we did, there’s no way one would be left unattended to by the dogs.)

We know that our brains enjoy seeing patterns in life – completing stories or pieces of knowledge in a hurry not only lets our lizard-brains assess our level of danger (and thus response), but the brain itself releases dopamine (happiness) when a pattern is complete. This is why we jump to conclusions.

The danger in this jump is when we are unwilling to re-assess once we have gained further information. In some cases, when we choose to ignore additional information, because our jumped-to conclusion fits comfortably within our confirmation bias.

When it’s something as easy as a spider/plant, it’s not life-changing to revisit.

When it’s something we have attached values to, it can be harder. Yet, the difficult journey towards ever seeking increased knowledge and understanding helps us to build better community, with more authentic connections and genuine welcome.

We all make mistakes; we are all always still learning. It’s not a bad thing to make sure how we base our actions reflect an accurate reality.

Intentionality of Gathering - in person and in spirit!

Screenshot of praying together online;
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Wangaratta

This past week, I had the privilege and pleasure to worship with a number of friends and colleagues from around the world.

Not that any of us had traveled; but through the gift of technology we were able to let God’s Spirit guide us in Zoom Rooms and live-streams, in worship that included live prayers and recorded hymns, in a New York chapel, a Swiss office, and an Australian Cathedral.

While the past 2 years have been giving us new ways to worship, there are mixed feelings; pros and cons of online and hybrid church. Yet as we are emerging from COVID restrictions and developing our new realities, we know that online and hybrid church services are part of our lives – and are here to stay. They are not replacing gathered community, they are merely a different expression of it; giving us the option to increase (or decrease) our connections with each other in praise and service.

While these options allow us easier access to special events (like my friend’s ordination Down Under) and collaborative celebration (like the conference forum in Manhattan), they also create missional opportunities for our local community, connecting with those experiencing mobility challenges or illness or who lack transport…

And what we do with these multitude of options – the ordinary Sundays and mid-week prayers – is entirely up to us. We can choose to be engaged with the liturgy, following along in the bulletin, and praying for the Spirit of God to move in our hearts - or we can not; the choice is ours.

And we can be more intentional about our time together in the buildings; ensuring we are healthy when we go, and interactive in meaningful ways, and mindful of the space and place of what the building’s beauty has to offer.

The Spirit of God continues to move. She is dancing, singing, embracing us – wherever we are. She is not limited by distancing or intermittent like the WiFi; she moves. In us and through us, with us and for us.

So the invitation lies before us: to re-frame our thinking of online church in order to embrace the gifts that are offered, to be excited by the possibilities opening before us, and to be creative enough to continue our shared sense of being the gathered worship family. Let’s honour the ways the Spirit of God is moving through our efforts as the church to BE the church in the world of today.

Definitive Spirit!

One of the benefits of working with ecumenical colleagues appears in the nuances that we bring with us. This week, I got to plan some liturgies with some amazing and inspiring folks of a variety of contexts, backgrounds, time zones, and denominations. A blessing!

One of the differences that came up among us was our language around the third ‘person’ of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit was referenced both as the Spirit and Spirit.

In the first, the definitive article intimates a formality, a position, an understanding of God: the Spirit is comparable to the Father and the Son.

My friend, however, eliminated the ‘the’. She calls the Spirit ‘Spirit’ as a name… she speaks of God, of Jesus, and of Spirit. This naming speaks of a personal connection, a friendliness.

In one of our prayerful discussions, she was invoking Spirit to come and dance among us; to inspire, to move, to play with us as we were doing our best to faithfully write prayers that would be appropriate to the setting.

It was a lovely time to consider the Spirit of God interacting with us, breathing new life to our bodies and new ideas into our minds. That she was hovering over us, floating on our laughter, buoyant by our happiness, embracing us (even over Zoom!)

It was a refreshing way to contemplate my interaction with the Spirit – and to seek ways to deepen my relationship with her: as friend and companion, in a close relational manner: where we call each other by name.

Come, Spirit, let’s continue the dance!

The Lord's Day

    In our calendar, our days of the week have drawn on some creative sources (planets and deities) for their interesting names: Hellenistic astrology for Sun Day and Moon Day; Norse gods Tiw, Odin, Thor and Frigg; ending with the Roman god Saturnus.

    So with these sources, where does the Lord’s Day come in?

    In scripture, the day dedicated to the Lord was a day dedicated to worship; this was how the weeks began – first pray, then work. The Early Church Fathers were clear that the Sabbath, the day of rest, was to be a distinct day from the day of worship – and so the week ended with rest.

    Pray, work, rest.

    As our society morphed this pattern over the centuries into the calendar, the industrial revolution combined rest and worship days into Sunday.

    In living memory we saw the politicisation of the Lord’s Day – even having the legal “Lord’s Day Act” from 1906 until 1985, which forbade Sunday shopping, horseracing, concerts, and movie-going. (Some extreme folks even forbade tobogganing on Sundays!) Yet even in those times, some acts of commerce still took place, as people needed food and fuel, for example, for necessity. Medical and police professionals still worked. Farmers still farmed. …

    And in today’s globalised society, the concept of having a day entirely off may seem unattainable.

    Yet: we are not required to change the whole of society, but we are able to change our own lives. We can choose to include a Lord’s Day in our calendars, and it does not need to be restricted to Sundays.

    We have the option to make every day, in fact, a Lord’s Day: when we bring the Lord into our days. When we consider the presence of the divine in our business meetings, and shopping trips, and recreational activities. When we engage in prayer, and work, and rest, as a regular rhythm that guides and directs us.

    So let’s re-instate the Lord’s Day in our hearts. Let’s renew our commitment to the rhythm of God in every aspect of our lives. Let’s remember, every morning, that “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!”