Yesterday, and all weekend I was without internet access so I wasn't able to add to my blog all weekend. I have thought and prayed about what to say about the conclusion of Lambeth and its outcome. I have been praying daily for my brothers and sisters while they were there. Some days it was harder than others, since I had been excluded from attendance at the last minute on a technicality. But I am one of them, no matter where I am, and have been faithful to pray and consider their work as they gathered. It was hard for lots of folks to be there, and for lots of folks not to be there. The reasons for pain and dislocation were as complicated as the people involved. And yet, with all the challenges, folks came together, prayed together, ate together and were changed by what they encountered along the way.
Yesterday, was cool and beautiful, so we took a long bike ride, meandering by familiar places, stopping for a sip of water and closer observations, as needed. After an hour or so, we came upon a small heard of pigs, sheltered in a acre plus fenced area, right in the middle of town. We watched them play and eat and frolic around. I was reminded that someone had said to me that the chances of the Anglican Communion remaining intact was as likely as "when pigs fly". But yesterday, as I watched, they ran and flew through the air. OK, so not high off the ground, but they were airborne for split seconds. I realized, in those moments, that often we want miraculous resolutions, huge battles and huge wins and we fail to see the minor miracles going on around us. Minor miracles that affect real and lasting change. Yesterday I found out that pigs fly, if but for a second at a time. And we humans, are capable of soaring, if but for a few seconds at an interval also. We are able to glimpse each other as God sees us, without the chains and bindings of our fears and self-loathing. We have moments when we know that God is completely in charge and we can float on that buoyant knowledge, if but for a moment. We are capable of beautiful, tender moments (even if we are bishops) and the outcome of these moments do last a life time and change the known world.
May we each today have the courage to soar. May we take flight with the joy of God in our hearts. May we treasure the very little moments when the weight of the world is lifted and God is completely in charge and we are lifted up. May we have the patience to wait for take off. May we have the vision to acknowledge these small miracles in our lives. May those who are traveling this day know God's mercy and protection. And may we all rejoice in the momentary glimpses of life eternal in the presence of our loving Creator.
Final Prayer for Lambeth
Wondrous and Loving Creator,
the whole of your creation wakes and waits, groaning for completion in you. We have been broken open, time after time, and you have restored and refreshed us. Give us a glimpse of your freedom this day. Give us as foretaste of your justice. Make us all, those who travel and those who stand and wait for travelers, open to your loving capacities. Transform us into beings of light and love this day. Make us sing with your joy. Make us instruments of your praise, vessels of your endless abundance and carriers of your infectious and redeeming love. Breath your love into all of your creation this day, so that the world might know your loving presence in every moment. Through Christ who has made us one family around this world, Amen.
4 comments:
Why were you excluded?
Dear Fr. Peter,
I was excluded because I do not have a full time, fully paid position. I had an invitation and the women bishops raised the complete cost of my attendance. I am not retired or resigned. It was a new rule put into place very recently.
Blessings,
Carol
A beautiful observation! It can be so hard to see God revealed in those small things, but I know God is there. We are surrounded by so very many small miracles, and there are so many that we never see.
I was wondering last week about Sunday's gospel, the feeding of the multitudes. It reminded me of the Stone Soup story, and I began to wonder whether perhaps this miracle was less about the mastery Jesus had over the physical world and more of a Stone Soup miracle. I thought perhaps many of these people really had brought food, but hadn't wanted to share it. Then the disciples walked through the crowd gathering food to share, and the people began to share food that they had denied having.
And with these thoughts, I began to think that perhaps this was no less a miracle than the physical mastery we knew Jesus to have. A Stone Soup miracle works on the hearts of the people there. We humans don't share the physical mastery of God, but we can sometimes work on the hearts of those around us. But changing hearts is a tough thing to do, so I would call that a miracle, especially in feeding so many people and having twelve baskets of leftovers.
I guess that is off topic, but I think these "minor" miracles of change in the heart take place all around us, all the time, and we so often fail to see them.
Peace and blessings,
warriormare
(of Old Donation in SoVa)
Dear WarriorMare,
Great to hear from you and thanks for your kind words of encouragement. We all need help seeing the blessings but I know they are there!
Blessings,
Carol
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