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

Dad

It's another Father's Day, so in honor of my dad, Bill Kampe, I'm re-posting this blog (as I seem to do every year), that I wrote many years ago. Happy Father's Day, Dad. I miss you. More now than ever. I could really use your advice and wisdom, because the world and life are crazy right now.


My dad died about 15 years ago. That’s something that I never thought I would have to say, let alone write in a blog. “My dad died.” You always look at your parents as being somewhat immortal; especially dads. But in the natural order of this physical life, they die. And I suppose that a small part of us was created to expect it. It's natural to lose your parents one day, but it doesn’t make it any easier on the soul that breaks, and carry's the crack in it for the rest of our lives. 

Each time I talk about my dad, and get to the point of discussing his death, I feel my eyes water up and my voice cracks just a bit; even today. It’s funny, but I miss him more as the years go by. Some thought will pop into my mind, some issue that I want to share with him, or something will happen where I could really use his advice. It’s funny, but sometimes I have to remind myself that he’s not there.

When he was in grade school, my now 17 year old son was experimenting with his electronic set and asking questions that were a little out of my field of knowledge. My dad was an outstanding electrical engineer and I began to tell my son about how this was the kind of stuff that Paw Paw did for a living. He didn't realize it at the time, but dad would have loved teaching him how it all worked and the fact that his grandson was showing some aptitude in this area would have filled him with so much pride. More than likely, my son Lucas will be an engineer. He'll be majoring in engineering in the Fall. How I wish that my dad could see that.

But my dad was so much more than that, and this is how he connected with both of his grandsons. He was also an deeply introspective thinker, a poet, a philosopher, and he loved this first grandson, my 24 year old, more than life itself. I sometime meditate on the deep philosophical conversations that they would have had, and the advice on love and living life to it's fullest that he would have passed on. I can only hope to pass on that same wisdom as gracefully and lovingly as my dad did with me.     

It’s funny, but I can still hear my Dad’s voice, as clear as if I had just talked with him a few days ago. When I’m away from my boys, and others that I love deeply, I sometimes forget their voices, but I remember my dad’s voice. I remember the deep tone it had and the calm and methodical way he spoke, as he stroked his beard. When he was excited or passionate about something, he would get more animated and stutter a little. That’s how you could tell that he was really engaged and interested in the conversation. But when he was distraught, concerned, or even angry, especially with his rebellious son, he always remained calm, listened and found a way to solve the problem.

I remember my dad coming home from work late in the day. He would open the door quickly and come through with a big stride. He always had the paper in his hand and would lightly hit me with it. “Hey, guy!”, he would say with a big smile, and would go in the kitchen to say hi to Mom. That “dad smell” would waft passed me as he went by, and I felt comfortable. I felt safe. Dad was home.

I’ve learned that being a dad is much more difficult than being a son. My dad once shared with me that I would never feel the same security that I did when I was a boy living at home, once I had my own family. And he was right, to an extent. I’m the one who carries the burdens and fights the monsters of the soul that used to live under the bed. I’m the one that is responsible for creating the safe structure of home and peace that my boys can rest in. As a divorced dad, that is often quite a challenge, but I do the best I can.

But like I said, my dad was only right to an extent. I believe that even though I have the enormous responsibility of being a father, the burden is not 100% on my shoulders. I'm simply a spiritual steward of these amazing gifts that God has given me. God still calls the plays; we just carry the ball. And I do feel some shades of that security that I once felt as a child from time to time. When I feel close to God and the presence of spirit is evident, flowing around me, I feel safe. When I come to him as a little child, and rest in his arms, I feel peace. And as I comfort my boys and do my best to create the peaceful structure that they deserve, I feel God doing the same for me. He’s my Father. He’s Dad. (John 20:17)

My dad believed in God, but I don’t know if he felt the same security of which I’ve learned to depend. I think that he carried a lot of burdens that he didn’t realize were not his to carry. Burdens that I carry myself. My grandfather, his dad, died when my Dad was only 9 years old. He had to learn how to be a dad with only a small point of reference. He had to learn to depend on himself for much of his life and that made him his soul just a but harder. He grew up without a father and I often wonder how much different his life would have been had his dad lived a longer life. And for that matter, what would my life be like today?

Either way, dad did his very best at raising two boys, and he did a damn good job; maybe better than me. I told him that a few years before he died. I simply told him that I know that he did his best, that being a dad is difficult,that I loved and appreciated him..He said that that was one of those things you wait your entire parenting life to hear. I hope to hear that someday, and I hope that my boys will grow up feeling just a little more security than I did. Not security from me, but from God, who wants them to have a peace that transcends all of their understanding. (Philippians 4:7) I want them to feel that security of knowing that everything is OK. It’s taken care of. Dad’s home.

Do Over!

Growing up in the late 70s and early 80s, I was lucky enough to experience the advent of youth soccer. It was just beginning to gain popularity in American suburbia and I jumped in feet first. In fact, I think my Mom still considers herself to officially be first "soccer mom". As Saturdays became Game Day, I absolutely fell in love with the burgeoning sport and became obsessed with every detail of the game. I practiced daily in my backyard, creating targets on the fence, often having to repair broken pickets with my own money. I would draw soccer fields on loose leaf paper, and create plays with toy soldiers, positioning them in just the right places for the perfect shot at the goal. I think that I even slept with my soccer ball from time to time. 

But despite the official games, cool uniforms and cheers of the crowd, I always loved playing neighborhood soccer best of all. There was just something about playing soccer with my buddies and the freedom that came with starting up a game whenever we wanted. No rules, no uniforms, no rain-outs and no refs. We seemed to play a little harder, get a lot more sweaty and dirty, sometimes even a little blood. But most of all, we seemed to have had a lot more fun, imaging that we were professional all-stars, following in the footsteps of Hugo Sanchez, Diego Maradona, Socrates and of course, legendary soccer deity, Pelé.      

But despite our love of the game, our soccer heroes, and the passion we had for playing, the one thing that I remember most was the amount of grace we allowed each other in our makeshift games. And we granted that grace with the ever popular "do over". A team mate would misplace a pass and someone would shout, "Do over!" The ball would accidentally go out of bounds because of wind, "Do over!" Your friend slipped while attempting to pass to your wing man, and you insisted, "Do over!" It was an intricate aspect of our games, and one of the only rules we held ourselves too with utter reverence. Not because we encouraged sloppy playing or didn't take our games serious, but simply because we all knew that at some point everyone was going to need a "do over" at some point. We all needed "do overs", and truth be told, they helped us grow and play better when we re-joined our official teams.  

As we face the early days off 2021, I assume that I'm not alone in my recollection and contemplation of the "do overs". 2020 was a historic year, filled with darkness, countless challenges, fear, chaos, injustice, hatred, disunity, pain and loss that our country has ever seen. It was a year filled with misplaced passes, countless fouls, yellow and red cards, mistimed shots at the goal and continuing to play the game when we were all aware that we were completely out of bounds. It was a year in which all of us desperately need, and deserve a "do over". 

It's part of our human nature to reflect over the last year and take inventory of our lives. One New Year's Eve and day, I found myself meditating and physically listing my intentions of the various things that I wanted to change in my life. Many things went through my mind, but the predominate thought was that I want to be a better spiritual influence for others in my life. I want to feel like I'm doing more than just going through the motions. I want to connect with people on a deeper spiritual level. I'm not exactly sure what that might mean or how it will manifest itself. Perhaps it will be being more bold in sharing spiritual insights. Maybe it will just be the sharing of the amazing things that the Divine is doing in my life. It could be that I just need to listen to others a little more. Most importantly, it may mean that I need to reflect more inwardly, connect more spiritually with my inner-self, and continue with the discipline of removing the masks of the false-self. Whatever it might be, I'm calling a "do over".

Perhaps you may not feel like you need a "do over" in these areas of your life. Despite the challenges and difficulties of 2020, you may feel as if all the pieces have fallen into place perfectly. But let me just ask you to join me in one commitment to the New Year. If you're a parent, grandparent, a teacher, life coach, counselor, a spiritual leader of any kind, or perhaps all of the above, you spend a great amount of our time with people. And this gives you a significant opportunity because there are probably many people in your lives that don't reflect too deeply on the past year. Sure, all of us have memories that we recall to mind. We share stories and discuss particular aspects of the year that stand out more than others. But how many of us deeply reflect on the past 365 days of our lives as we usher in a annual cycle? 

So, let us ask ourselves a few vital and sacred questions. What has 2020 looked like for the people in our lives that we love and influence the most? What are the obstacles they have they faced? What victories have they been a part of? Where do they find themselves on their spiritual path, and are there any particular milestones that mark their journey? 

Let us give some time to contemplate these questions. Let us ask these questions of ourselves. Let us spend some time with the Divine power in our lives and reflect. Ask yourself, "How am I connecting with my divine nature, and helping others do the same?" And if you see some things that you might have been able to do a little better with others in your life , then I officially make the call!

"Do over!!"

Advent Reflections: December 17

Joy 

“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 Luke 2:9-12

Reflection

Fear of the unknown is a very common emotion these days. As our world continues to change, unknown factors of life increase as well. Our lives are filled with many uncertainties, all of which contain a litany of various unfamiliar aspects and results. When faced with the unfamiliar, many of us find ourselves reacting with every emotion from uneasiness to shear panic. Basically, most us just don’t like to face the unknown.

But with every unknown situation, there is the opportunity for joy to transcend our fears. Unfortunately, fear is one of the greatest factors that hold most of us back from accomplishing extraordinary things. Think about this for a moment. Is it not usually true that when we take a critical step of faith, trusting God even while consumed with fear, that the overwhelming joy we experience overshadows previous fears? Is it not usually worth the risk?  

As the Angel of the Lord appeared to the Shepherds, and the manifestation of the glory of God surrounded them, they were afraid. Who wouldn't be? In the presence of the unknown, fear overshadowed the joy that the Divine was about to proclaim. By the angel’s words, “Do not be afraid”, the Good News of Christ was proclaimed, and the unknown became known. Fear became joy. Truth transcended uncertainty.          

                      

Prayer

God, we face many uncertainties in this world and confess that the unknown causes great fear. But in your declaration of truth, through Christ, all fears are transcended to joy. Allow the essential truth that was declared to the shepherds to be the same joy that finds us today. 

Amen