Advent Reflections - November 30

Hope

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
those origins are from of old, from ancient times.”         Micah 5:2

Reflection

It's difficult to have patience in the fast food, microwavable, hyper-technological culture in which we life. Instant self-gratification has become a cultural norm for most of us. It's an unfortunate pre-conditioned attribute that we've allowed ourselves to agree with for most of our lives. There are not many aspects of life in which we welcome waiting. I suppose that's one of the negative side effects of instantaneous gratification. And perhaps that's why many of us wander through the landscape of life, seeming to have so little hope. Because the most essential aspect of having hope is also welcoming and embracing patience. Patience involves waiting, and waiting takes time. We wait. We hope. We wait longer. We lose patience. We wait even longer. We lose hope.  

We hope for a lot of things in the course of life's journey. We hope for our families to be healthy; physically, emotionally and spiritually. We hope for our children to grow up and find contentment, peace and personal fulfillment. We hope for that new job and wait for a positive response. We hope for political, social and economic change in an unstable world. We hope for financial security. We hope for the tumor to disappear and wait for a miracle. We hope for peace and wait for an end to war, violence and injustice. We hope. We wait. We hope for the things that we desire most. Hope is a passion that runs deep within all of us, manifests itself in inner-peace and carries us forward in times of trial. But hope is also a spiritual discipline, and discipline reveals the duality of our human nature.  

Despite the origins of hope, things don’t always happen according to when we would like them to. Sometimes the things that we hope for take more time than we're comfortable with. We hope. We wait. And we wait even longer. Sometimes the passage of time means that our hope dwindles. And sometimes it seems that hope is completely lost.  

Long ago, the people of Israel had hope. They hoped for a savior, long ago promised them through the prophets. For hundreds of years the Israelite people held on to the hope of a coming ruler that would emerge from the small and obscure town of Bethlehem, and remove injustice and oppression. Generation after generation recited the words of Micah 5:2 among families and communities and anticipated it's fulfillment. A long time would pass as they waited and God seemed to remain silent. Hope must have dwindled as each year passed. Hope. Time. Waiting. Patience. Silence. Hope.

In the classic film, The Shawshank Redemption, you may recall the letter that Andy wrote to encourage his friend Red. Still incardinated and losing hope, Red once warned Andy that "Hope is a dangerous thing, my friend. It can kill a man.". Andy, finally realizing the vital truth of hope, pens the words, "But remember, Red. Hope is a good thing. Maybe even the best of things. And good things never die."       

  As you spend this quiet time in communion with the divine source of all hope, allow the spirit to flow through you and let hope be renewed. Whatever you hope for in life, no matter what you long for, or how long you’ve waited, let it begin anew today. Let patience be refreshed and discouragement diminish. Let the the spiritual truths of Advent be a powerful reminder that the God, who dwells within all humanity, keeps his promises and we indeed have reason for hope. Hope is a good thing.   

Prayer

Most gracious source of hope, in you we live. In you we have faith. In you we have patience, and in you we hope. Renew our hope this day and enable us to rest in the hope that was fulfilled through Jesus Christ and his divine nature dwelling within us all this day; the divine coming into the world.

Amen. Shalom. Namaste. Haribol.  

Advent Reflections - December 1

Hope

“The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants,
until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,
the one whom all nations will honor.”
 
 Genesis 49:10 


Reflection

Journey. Life is full of journeys. Some require great distance and endurance, while others are quite short in duration; ending before we've realized that they've begun. Some journeys are meant to be taken alone; proceeding in isolation. And some are meant to be shared with others; in communal precession; in the company of other sojourners.

Today we begin a journey together. A journey based on beginnings, but also a journey manifested in hope fulfilled. As we read these ancient words from the book of Genesis, we see that from the very beginning of time, God was breathing the eternal seeds of hope into the world. This truth came to fruition in the story of Christmas, transcends time and encourages us today, thousands of years later. 

As we light the first candle of Advent, we are reminded that within our Christ nature, that resides in all humanity, hope stands as one of the true essentials of faith.

Unfortunately, hope is not always easy to cling to. The world is unstable and uncertain in 2024. The future is uncertain. We dwell in a world faced with a chaotic and failing political system, racial injustice, global terrorism, environmental destruction, national disunity or threats of world war. We seem to be consumed within a culture that is influenced by anything that inspires hope. When troubles and discouragements seem to multiply each day, it becomes easy to lose our way and draw inward, isolating ourselves from the world and each other. Hope can seem to be pointless and unrealistic. Some may say that hope is just an idealistic utopian fantasy in the world in which we live.  

 

But the season of Advent is about hope. Hope in a God that joined humanity and lived among us. Walked the same paths and breathed the same air. Lived with the pain, fears and discouragements of life. And that same God dwells within us today. In the sometimes overwhelming reality of existence, and in the most minuscule and seemingly insignificant details of our daily lives. 

Advent is about the same hope that the people of Israel had over 2000 years ago. A hope in a God that “all nations will honor”, bringing peace, justice, universal harmony and unity to the world.

 As we begin this journey of Advent together, let us focus our minds and spirits on this hope filled truth: the Divine came into the world to live among us. And despite the chaos and turmoil that surround us today, his nature chooses to remain within us all. 
Emmanuel, God with us....  

Prayer

God of the universe and all that exists, as we begin this journey of Advent together, let our hearts be renewed with hope; the same hope that the world has had since the beginning of time, and the same hope that we have today. In the silence of this moment, calm our hearts and minds. Enable us to hold onto hope during this Advent Season, trusting in the Spirit that dwells among us all. 

Amen  

Thanksgiving and Contentment

"give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread." Proverbs 30:8  

Quite a counter-cultural statement, isn't it? It doesn't sound very aspiring. It doesn't paint a picture of someone climbing the proverbial ladder of success, and it doesn't exactly seem like someone who thinks they will become financially blessed by God because they have faith stronger than the next person. It doesn't sound like someone who has read the latest Christian self-help book. And it doesn't exactly sound very American, or very "Christian" for that matter.     

Contentment is a bad word during this time of year. I mean, isn't that the antithesis of what holiday is all about? Does it represent what the real motive in the act of giving? For many, the holiday season is not really about what "they" want, but rather about what "we" can get. Let's face it. That's the essential motive of all Christmas advertising. Companies rely on the restless discontented spirit of Americans and hone in on that one question that many of us ask ourselves, "What do I WANT?", 

Every year, it seems earlier and earlier that the stores begin packing the aisles with festive Christmas advertising, displays and Christmas themed products, which produces a mindset of over-consumption. Each and every year it begin well before Thanksgiving, which causes me to often wonder if we're gradually moving toward one single collective "Winter Holiday Season”, rather than two individual celebrations. Thanksgiving is basically rolled over by the Christmas steam engine. Kids find it boring and stores see it to be just an unprofitable holiday that is more obligatory rather than intentional. Just a low profit celebration stuck between the big money profits of Halloween and Christmas. A Speed bump.

When I was in college, my parents gave me an inspirational picture for Christmas that I eventually hung in my first office. The peaceful image was of a golden sunset silhouetted by a man in a kayak rowing across a calm glassy lake. Beneath the picture was the title Contentment, followed by a small caption that read, “When you can look at the past with pride and the future with hope, you can live comfortably with today”. It wasn't until many years later that I realized how true and essential these words really are.

In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul writes, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. - Philippians 4:11-13 

To quote the words of the Dali Lama, "If one's life is simple, contentment has come. Simplicity is extremely important to happiness. Having a few desires, feeling satisfied with what you have, is very vital: felling satisfied with just enough food, and shelter to protect yourself from the elements. And finally, there is an intense delight in abandoning faulty states of mind and in cultivating helpful ones in meditation."    

From these essential words of universal truth, we begin to realize that contentment is now. We have no real control over the past or the future. The only period of time that we can physically and spiritually live within is the present moment, and our present situations in life can only be made peaceful through a complete centered focus on the true inner-self, not on possessions. And does this not seem to be the essence of what being thankful is all about? It's no wonder that advertisers don't want our focus to be on thanksgiving and gratefulness. We just might grasp the essential meaning being grateful and not spend as much because we realize that we are truly content with what we already possess, not what we acquire.

As we celebrate this day of Thanksgiving, may we commit ourselves to actually being thankful; not just in the utterance of the word, in conversation or prayer, but in the  honest and spiritual act of giving thanks. Let us put our Christmas plans on pause. Take a break. In light of the recent challenges that we've faced in 2020; physically, financially and politically, it's not difficult to realize that we have much more to be thankful for than we may realize. If you have life, have a roof over your head and a tribe of family and friends surrounding you this day, you have more than you need be content. And if circumstances beyond your control have left you alone today, get in touch with me. You have a place around my collective table.

Celebrate Thanksgiving. Take some time to meditate on what it means to be thankful. Let us remember that contentment doesn't lie in the endless accumulation of possessions. Contentment lies in being infinitely thankful for what we have been given each and every day; whether good or bad. Contentment is living life within the now. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Contentment is real-time. Time is an illusion. Contentment is a continuous thankful spirit for each moment. Breathing in and out and focusing on the precious gift of life. Now. Contentment. Freedom. 

"Just become totally content and happy from within. Then you will get all you want." Shri Shri Ravi Shankar