Stand, Look, Ask… and Walk

Last week we reflected on this passage by the prophet Jeremiah, “Stand at the crossroads and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies, and walk in it. And find rest for your souls.” (6:16)

So there is a call to reflection: stand, look and ask…. And then action: walk… and find.

Reflection. And, action. Because a deeper faith, an inner reserve, the peace and light that we crave and that the world craves… It’s not just handed to us, is it? It requires something of us…

What does it require of us?

It requires us to take the journey of faith…to walk the path. It requires us to ask the tough questions, engage in the spiritual practices, see what works and what doesn’t, to have a critical conversation with our traditions.

I know some of you practice meditation. I love the analogy used by Thich Nhat Hanh who makes the analogy: it’s like a glass of apple juice – real apple juice freshly squeezed with pulp in it. When you pour it, it’s all murky. But if you pour the glass and set it on the counter for 20 minutes, the pulp settles to the bottom and it becomes clear. And that’s what happens to your mind when you sit for 20 minutes. You get this clarity. You begin to see what’s going on inside…

Another way of looking at it might be like this: Imagine the surface of the ocean is all restless, with waves crashing, and then you slip down deep below the surface, where it’s still and peaceful…

But meditation is not for everyone. I know some of you journal. Others of you set aside time every day for prayer… For others, it is critical study of the scriptures. And maybe for others of you, it’s intentionally watching the twilight come over the river each evening. And for others of you, it’s more hands-on. It’s in the very midst of helping others, that God’s presence becomes real.

We are at a time when there is just incredible division in our culture. We are at a time when there is an immense need in our neighborhoods, our communities, in our families. There is so much need right here in this room. And sometimes it feels overwhelming. But I’m more and more aware that the one gift we all can offer if we are willing to go deeper, to walk the ancient paths, is the gift of our inner peace and wellbeing, the groundedness which is the well-spring of compassion and generosity and grace which the world so desperately needs.

Let us pray: Loving God, we know that we can’t give what we don’t first have. Help us to draw deep from the great wells of refreshment and healing that our tradition offers. Fill us with your light. Heal us and renew us that we might be channels of your peace. Amen.