Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 58: 7-10
   
2. Psalms 112: 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
   
3. 1 Corinthians 2: 1-5
   
4. Matthew 5: 13-16
   

• Anonymous vindication
  
• Vindication is proof that someone or some cause is right, justified.  But vindication doesn't need an audience.  In fact, I suspect that the vindication that God grants His own often goes unnoticed by most folks.  Which can only make you wonder whether such vindication is really worth it.
• How do you help those who are less fortunate than you are?
• Does that ministry need to be without pay to be meaningful?
• Does it have to be totally unappreciated to be meaningful?
• What do you get out of that ministry?
• How do you know that's where you belong?
  

• Enduring justice
  
• Each of us has an expiration date.  Thankfully, most of us have no idea when that is, but it's there none the less.  My own father once told me that he felt like a failure because he felt that he was not leaving a legacy to his children.
  
• Once you're gone, what of your life would you want to endure?
• What or how much of that legacy are you contributing to today?
• Most of us are probably going to die in our sleep.  But just suppose that you could choose what you were doing at the moment that death takes you.  What would that be?
  

• Demonstrating God's power
  
• Power in our world is a very distorted quantity.  When asked what makes a person powerful, most will respond with things like wealth, prestige, charisma, lofty position.  None of those is wrong in its proper place.
• Who are some people that you know of whose lives show the power of God?
• What sort of power is that?  How is it manifest?
• Do they inspire you?
• In what way?
  

• Being salt and light, together
  
• Reaching out to others is the best way for us to become more vital, more spirit-led, more alive.  Yet it's often difficult to find room for that in our lives.  As a community, we are always looking for new ways to get more people involved.  How can we get involved in more people?
  
• What are some ways that we, as a community might reach out to more folks in need?
• What are some ways that we, as a community might reach out to a broader set of needs?
• Where do we start?
• How do we know if we are doing the right things?
• How do we know if we are doing the things right?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
  

1. Am I content to minister for the sake of those that I minister to alone?
2. What legacy am I building in my life today, this week, this year?
   
3. Where is God looking to show His power through my life?
   
4. How can my life be a source of joy to others?
   

Listening into Listening

Welcome, have a seat please.
Let's just close our eyes together, become aware of our breath.
Give our bodies permission to relax for a little while.
Breathe in through the nose, and gently out through the mouth.
We're in no hurry here.  And just know that God is as near as your breath.

I'm afraid that I'm losing my mind.
Ever since my beloved died,
Nothing makes sense anymore.
I feel like a pocket watch that looks perfect on the outside,
But the mainspring is broken.

You sound surprised by that.

I feel so helpless.  Nothing seems to work anymore.
I get up in the morning,
And it takes me moments to remember that they are gone.
It all still feels so unreal.
I think I'm losing my mind!

What did you think was going to happen, when you lost your beloved?

I gave up on trying to figure out why they left.
I gave up on trying to figure out why God would take them.
But, but, I would think that God would be more comfort now, when I really, really need Him.
I've served Him all my life,
My beloved and I have served Him as long as we've been married.

You feel that God is not holding up His end of a bargain?

I'm angry,
I feel betrayed by the one  that I counted on most.
The one in all the Universe that I thought would be there ...
He's gone.
I pray and pray, and nothing happens.  I'm so ashamed.

What makes you think that God has abandoned you?

 Why wouldn't He?
You should hear me scream aloud when I pray.
If I could, I'd leave me too.
No adoration, no worship, no thanks.
Just anger, frustration, fatigue, complaints.

How do you think that God feels about all of this?

What?
I have to imagine that He's sad too.
I know that he loved, and loves my beloved,
Maybe even more than I do.
I have to believe that He grieves for my grieving.

Can you imagine God, here, now, sitting next to you, holding your hand?
Can you take some time daily to sit with Jesus?
Call it meditation, call it prayer, call it whatever you like.
You can still be angry, frustrated, and fatigued.
But you are not alone.

Shalom!