I was listening to a podcast the other day an interview with the Irish poet and peacemaker Padraig O Tuama. Yesterday I spoke about Henri Nouwen who encouraged us to set aside time for prayer and meditation. O Tuama spoke about his own way of centering each day… taking time apart… He phrased it so beautifully. He said:

“Neither I nor the poets I love found the keys to the kingdom of prayer and we cannot force God to stumble over us where we sit. But I know that it’s a good idea to sit anyway. So every morning I sit, I kneel, waiting, making friends with the habit of listening, hoping that I’m being listened to. There, I greet God in my own disorder. I say hello to my chaos, my unmade decisions, my unmade bed, my desire, and my trouble. I say hello to distraction…, I greet the day and I greet my beloved and bewildering Jesus. I recognize and greet my burdens, my luck, my controlled and uncontrollable story… I greet the things I think will happen and I say hello to everything I do not know about the day…. I greet God, and I greet the God who is more God than the God I greet. / Hello to you all, I say, as the sun rises above the chimneys of North Belfast. / Hello.”

Some of you, I imagine have developed habits of prayer and silence. For others of you, maybe the time of continued social distancing (or even as we emerge from social distancing) could be a perfect opportunity to begin to carve out even just a few minutes each day to sit in God’s presence and listen for God’s still small voice.

Let us pray. God of Grace, as we set apart even a few moments each day of quiet, we humbly ask you to meet us in that place. Give us ears to hear from you and hearts to respond. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Yesterday, I spoke about community. It’s something we’ve been missing these days, isn’t it? I was talking to an elderly friend this week who said, “Oh, I just miss human touch.”

Here we are, maybe just beginning to emerge from this historic time in history, where we are intentionally trying hard to keep our distance from other human beings… And we feel it. We miss it.

At least in part, this whole situation has raised our awareness of our human interdependence – how much we really need those social bonds… how much we need each other. I think we’ve all had – at least the fleeting thought – “If I get sick… If my family gets sick… who would help us? Who would bring us food?”

On another level, I’ve talked to lots of people who have been regularly connecting with old friends and family on Zoom or FaceTime. In my family, we’ve had these mini-family, cousin reunions on Facetime. It’s been a lot of fun reconnecting.

Over the last several weeks, I’ve heard several different people say, “You know, I’ve lived in the same house for years – and finally met my neighbors… We were outside walking… we were working in the yard….”

I do have to wonder if after all of this passes, will there will be a resurgence in community spirit? Will the hard edge of our political divisions soften – even a little? Will we value our relationships a little more? Will we remember, a little more often, that we are all in this together?

I certainly hope so. I know being in community is not always easy. It asks us to give up at least some measure of our rugged individualism. It asks us to allow for other’s differences. It asks us to contribute something. Yet, when we get it right, there is nothing more beautiful.

Let us pray: Again today, Loving God, we thank you for family and for community. We ask you to heal and restore this gift to us. We ask in Christ’s name. Amen.

Have you heard the story about the bride who was extremely nervous on her wedding day? She confided to the minister that she was not sure she could make it down the long aisle without shaking or crying. So the minister, a seasoned veteran of weddings, gave her a bit of advice: “When you begin your walk,” he said, “just remember this three-point formula: First, look straight down the aisle; second when you get about half-way look straight up at the altar; and third when you get near the front of the church, look straight at your groom. First, the aisle, then the altar, then him. I think this will help relieve your nervousness.”

The trembling bride agreed to try his advice. And it worked beautifully. She walked with a radiant glow on her face and poise and confidence in her step, with no sign of nervousness. However, there was one small problem. Imagine the surprise of the congregation as they heard her rhythmically repeating three words over and over as she performed her bridal walk: “Aisle, altar, him. Aisle, altar, him.”

“Aisle, altar, him!” Well, the truth is, most brides don’t have a lot of luck in altering their husband. But the good news of the Christian faith is that God can alter us! God can change us. God can redeem us. God can turn our lives around. As a matter of fact, the change God can bring in our hearts is so amazing that when Jesus talked about it and described it, he used dramatic language. He talked about “new birth” about “new life,” about “new beginnings,” about being born again.” He said, “Unless you are born again you cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) Friend of Dial Hope, this is the good news, the TA-DA! for today. Believe it and claim it!

Let us pray: God of love, How great Thou art! We thank you for the good news that we can grow and change; we can rise to higher plains of personal living; there is hope in the midst of our despair; there is joy in spite of sadness. Now fill us with the radiance of this day so that your love may stream in and through us, bringing light and life to a world that often walks in shadows and death. Through the risen Christ, we pray. Amen.

I remember reading that when poet Elizabeth Barrett-Browning was first married, her father disapproved so strongly that she had to elope. In fact, the couple moved to Italy where they lived out the rest of their lives. Even though her parents had disowned her, Elizabeth never gave up on the relationship. Almost weekly she wrote them letters. Not once did they reply. After 10 years, she received a large box in the mail. Inside, Elizabeth found all of her letters. Not even one had been opened!

That’s a story about what happens when forgiveness doesn’t happen. How sad!

Jesus taught us that forgiveness is central to life. It is central to our relationship with others. And, it is central to our relationship with God. When we forgive others, when we let go of our anger, bitterness, and resentment, we find true freedom.

Let us pray: Gracious God, you know the wrongs that have been done to us. You know the people who have hurt us and the wounds and burdens that we carry. Have mercy on us, O God. Help us to let go, to turn the past over to you. We want to be healthy and whole. So we pray that your forgiveness and grace would wash over us. And then, Gracious God, help us to forgive with the forgiveness we have received, that new beginnings may be ours through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus often taught using parables, and in his parables, he teaches us that God’s kingdom is like the slow growth of a mustard plant. It is like a seed that someone planted in the ground and it sprouts on its own. It begins small, inconspicuous and almost unnoticeable – but also unstoppable!

Sometime back, at Wednesday night dinner, we had a guest come from our local school district to talk to our church us about a mentoring program for children in our county who are homeless. Some of these children are literally living in cars – others living with someone other than mom or dad. But all of them are surviving well below the poverty line.

We learned about how, in these mentoring sessions, we would be listening to the children – and talking about things like sports and fashion. Our guest told us that at first, it can feel pointless. We might even wonder what difference this makes. And yet, all the results show that children who have these mentors – children who simply have an adult in their life who cares enough to show up – these children perform better in school. And they are much less likely to have disciplinary problems than those students without a mentor.

This just reminds me that a lot of times we don’t realize what kind of impact we are having on people. Small seeds can make a huge impact.

Mother Theresa offers us that brilliant glimpse of hope that lies in little things: “We can do no great things, only small things with great love. It’s not how much you do but how much love you put into doing it.”

I wonder what kind of seeds you are planting in your own life. I wonder what kind of seeds God is calling you to plant. Whatever they are, I pray that you would sow generously.

Let us pray: Loving God, today, help us to do one small act of kindness for others, and help us to do it with great love. Amen.