I was reminded today in our reading
about the idea of being “present”. I regularly find myself distracted, thinking
about ten things other than the one thing on which I would like to be focused.
I also recall times when I have been intentionally present and the blessing those times have been to me. When my
daughter, Kate, was 13, she, my husband and I sang together in a community
choir. That Christmas we sang Messiah
in concert four times. At one of those concerts, I remember feeling overwhelmed
with blessing- the blessing of being together as a family singing to the glory
of God. I had no idea that during the next five months we would be dealing with
my husband’s illness and eventual death from cancer. The picture of us, singing
together as a family, remains in my heart.
In Ruth Haley Barton’s book, Sacred Rhythms, she offers a prayer- “Oh
God, give me more moments like this- moments when I am fully present to you and
to others in love. Moments when I am connected with what is purest and most authentic
within me and able to respond to your presence in that place. I want to live my
life in such a way that there is more of this!”
How
have you been blessed by being fully present?
3 comments:
A specific time that I was not "present" in worship was after my husband, Bobby, died. Even though I continued going to church, I would get home and realize that I could only remember bits and pieces of the service...and felt totally lost in space. It was like the lights were on, but nobody was home. After a few months, I decided to start taking notes during the sermon so I could reflect back and try to make sense out of my life being alone. Slowly, but surely, it was so amazing when Beth's message and challenges were exactly what I needed...feeling like God was speaking to only me. Even though I still take notes, it's not that I'm not "present,", but sometimes the words help me get through some tough days. I will be forever grateful to my church family and through their love, I know that God's presence is always with me.
Kathy - thank you so much for your posts here during this worship series! They are really wonderful reflections and connections.
Lynne - your sharing reminds me of what Jim Harnish wrote in the Companion Reader for this week:
"There are times when we affirm the faith we hold and there are times when we need the church to affirm the faith that holds us.
"There are times when we sing our own song of hope and praise, and there are times when we desperately need others to sing that song for us.
"There are times when we are present to receive the gift that others can give and there are times when our presence is the gift we give to others. "
Thankful for you both!
I can get distracted pretty easily in my everyday life, but working the Power Point has really forced me to be "present" during worship, which has been a great gift. A gift of allowing the Holy Spirit to really touch me in a variety of ways - through the sermon, the prayer time, through the music and singing. Just recently, the very first verse of a song drove me to tears, and there are a couple of songs that I just have to listen to others sing for me. I used to feel embarrassed when that would happen, but now I realize that there's something in those tears that brings me closer to God. And I'm so very thankful for that. In a different church, I may not feel the same way. There's something so very special about being able to share your feelings unashamedly with your church "family".
Post a Comment