Greetings, Sisters, Brothers, and Friends of the community!
If any one out there is a little short of mosquitoes, I’d be happy to box a few million of them up and ship them out to you. Let me know!
(But I must learn to be patient, since I know that the first frost in September will usually bring an end to them. And that’s only about 3 months away…)
This past week I once again encountered a verse that has given me some trouble in the past. I think maybe I was led to it this time because I was ready for some additional learning. In Exodus 33 Moses was in the process of leading the Hebrews to the promised land, and he asked the Lord to show him God’s glory (v.18). God grants him this, but adds in verse 20, “But you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.” The Lord reiterates this in verse 23 when He adds, “…and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”
Now, why would a God who I have come to know as loving and compassionate, who is merciful and forgiving, strike me dead if I happened to see His face? At least, this is the question I had on my mind until yesterday when I slowed up a bit and carefully re-read this verse (with a little help from Gregory of Nyssa).
Keep in mind the context of this message: Moses was leading a large number of people on a journey from Egypt to Israel, and he was relying a great deal on the guidance of God. God knew what He was doing, but Moses was not completely sure. Moses had a sense of where he was going, but was quite uncertain how to get there, or how to manage all these people along the way. When we need to follow someone, isn’t it true that “you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen”?
If we are looking at the face of someone, we are not following them. We may be walking backward, telling them where to go, or getting in their way. If we truly are committed to following someone, we will not usually see their face. What God was telling Moses is that if you are looking at my face, then you are not following me, and you will lose your way. You will not be living the life I have intended for you, so in that sense, you are not alive in the way you should be. When God is leading you, don’t get in his face. That means you think you know better than Him, and you can’t really live that way. You may be physically alive, but you are spiritually dead.
Jesus, too, said, “Follow me.” Matthew 4:19, 8:22, 9:9, 16:24, 19:21 Mark 2:14, 8:34, 10:21 Luke 5:27, 9:23, 18:22 John 10:27, 12:26 (“Whoever serves me, must follow me.”)
When He is leading you, take the humble position of following, and stay out of His way.
We follow Him through our prayers, study and service to others, moment by moment.
Blessings to all!
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Guardian
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Are we really a 'dispersed' community?
Greetings, Sisters, Brothers and Friends of the Community!
The Community of the Gospel is described as a ‘dispersed’ community. I’ve been thinking about this over the last few days, and would like to make a few comments about it.
Webster’s dictionary defines ‘dispersed’ as: 1. To break up: scatter, 2. To vanish or cause to vanish: dispel, 3. To disseminate, as in knowledge.
The first two definitions can have some negative connotations, especially when we are talking about a group of people. The third definition, however, offers some interesting possibilities.
Let us collect some facts and lay them on the table:
· The Leader of the Community of the Gospel is Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
· Jesus is with us each and every moment of the day. We can meet him in prayer, study and service to others. He is in us through the Holy Spirit, and he is in others we meet.
Well, if each of us is in regular contact with our leader, then Webster’s definitions #1 and #2 don’t apply. We are not dispersed. We are united each and every moment of each and every day. Every time you offer a Daily Office or enter a lectio session, or serve another person, you are in very close contact with our Community. [It helps to use the plural ‘we’ and ‘our’ during our prayer sessions, instead of ‘I’ and ‘me’.] When we offer our Daily Offices and our service to others, we do it together, as one body in Christ. And, as children of God, our spiritual selves are always connected to each other. Physical objects can be separated by time and distance. Spiritual entities, like the real you and me, can not be separated – we are always united, always connected. This is the ‘glue’ that holds us together as a community.
So, spiritually (and that is what matters the most) we are in constant connection. We are spiritually cloistered. We are not broken up or scattered.
Physically, we make connections as a Community through:
· Telephone conversations
· E-mails
· Convocations
· Letters and cards
· Regional and local gatherings as we grow in number and more of us live closer to other members (this is happening already!)
Our Community stretches from coast to coast! We are not broken up or scattered; we are not invisible or dispelled. But we do carry and disseminate the message of Christ’s love and compassion to others we interact with, wherever we are. We use our individual and unique talents to serve others from New York to California. I would say that we are definitely dispersed, but mostly in the sense of Webster’s #3 definition, not #1 or #2.
Please reflect on this during the coming week, and share what you will of your thoughts.
Daniel-Joseph
The Community of the Gospel is described as a ‘dispersed’ community. I’ve been thinking about this over the last few days, and would like to make a few comments about it.
Webster’s dictionary defines ‘dispersed’ as: 1. To break up: scatter, 2. To vanish or cause to vanish: dispel, 3. To disseminate, as in knowledge.
The first two definitions can have some negative connotations, especially when we are talking about a group of people. The third definition, however, offers some interesting possibilities.
Let us collect some facts and lay them on the table:
· The Leader of the Community of the Gospel is Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
· Jesus is with us each and every moment of the day. We can meet him in prayer, study and service to others. He is in us through the Holy Spirit, and he is in others we meet.
Well, if each of us is in regular contact with our leader, then Webster’s definitions #1 and #2 don’t apply. We are not dispersed. We are united each and every moment of each and every day. Every time you offer a Daily Office or enter a lectio session, or serve another person, you are in very close contact with our Community. [It helps to use the plural ‘we’ and ‘our’ during our prayer sessions, instead of ‘I’ and ‘me’.] When we offer our Daily Offices and our service to others, we do it together, as one body in Christ. And, as children of God, our spiritual selves are always connected to each other. Physical objects can be separated by time and distance. Spiritual entities, like the real you and me, can not be separated – we are always united, always connected. This is the ‘glue’ that holds us together as a community.
So, spiritually (and that is what matters the most) we are in constant connection. We are spiritually cloistered. We are not broken up or scattered.
Physically, we make connections as a Community through:
· Telephone conversations
· E-mails
· Convocations
· Letters and cards
· Regional and local gatherings as we grow in number and more of us live closer to other members (this is happening already!)
Our Community stretches from coast to coast! We are not broken up or scattered; we are not invisible or dispelled. But we do carry and disseminate the message of Christ’s love and compassion to others we interact with, wherever we are. We use our individual and unique talents to serve others from New York to California. I would say that we are definitely dispersed, but mostly in the sense of Webster’s #3 definition, not #1 or #2.
Please reflect on this during the coming week, and share what you will of your thoughts.
Daniel-Joseph
Monday, June 16, 2008
The Basics
Greetings, Sisters, Brothers and Friends of the Community!
The lectionary series for this past Sunday provided us with a good review of the BASICS. Here are the readings (in roughly historical order):
Exodus 19:2-8
Psalm 100
Matthew 9:35-10:8
Romans 5:1-8
And here are the Basics:
1. GOD IS LOVE AND HE LOVES US
Ps. 100:3 – We are His people, the sheep of His pasture
Ps. 100:5 – God is good and His steadfast love endures forever
Romans 5:5 God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
2. GOD INVITES US TO BE WITH HIM
Exodus 19:3 God called Moses from the mountain
Exodus 19:4 God bore His people on eagles’ wings and brought them to Himself
Psalm 100:2 Worship the Lord, come into His presence with singing
Psalm 100:4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving; enter His courts with praise
Matthew 10:5 Jesus sent his disciples to the lost sheep
3. GOD OPENS THE WAY FOR US TO BE WITH HIM
Romans 5:2 We have gained access to grace through Christ.
Romans 5:8 Christ died for us.
The rest, with the prompting of the Holy Spirit, is up to us. The kingdom of heaven has come near! (Matt. 10:7) Ponder His invitation this week. Go to meet Him in your heart through your prayers, study and service to others! Thank you for what you do and who you are!
Blessings,
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Guardian
The lectionary series for this past Sunday provided us with a good review of the BASICS. Here are the readings (in roughly historical order):
Exodus 19:2-8
Psalm 100
Matthew 9:35-10:8
Romans 5:1-8
And here are the Basics:
1. GOD IS LOVE AND HE LOVES US
Ps. 100:3 – We are His people, the sheep of His pasture
Ps. 100:5 – God is good and His steadfast love endures forever
Romans 5:5 God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
2. GOD INVITES US TO BE WITH HIM
Exodus 19:3 God called Moses from the mountain
Exodus 19:4 God bore His people on eagles’ wings and brought them to Himself
Psalm 100:2 Worship the Lord, come into His presence with singing
Psalm 100:4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving; enter His courts with praise
Matthew 10:5 Jesus sent his disciples to the lost sheep
3. GOD OPENS THE WAY FOR US TO BE WITH HIM
Romans 5:2 We have gained access to grace through Christ.
Romans 5:8 Christ died for us.
The rest, with the prompting of the Holy Spirit, is up to us. The kingdom of heaven has come near! (Matt. 10:7) Ponder His invitation this week. Go to meet Him in your heart through your prayers, study and service to others! Thank you for what you do and who you are!
Blessings,
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Guardian
Monday, June 9, 2008
Earth Stuff vs. Heart Stuff
Greetings, Sisters, Brothers, and Friends!
I pray this note finds you all well and at peace.
There were two strong themes that wove their way through the lectionary series for today (June 8th - Hosea 5:15-6:6 Psalm 50:7-15 Romans 4:13-18 and Matthew 9:9-13). Both themes are great reminders for us about the nature of Our Father. One theme is that He is ever-present. Hosea tells us that His appearance is as sure as the dawn; Psalms exclaims that He is near enough to respond to our call for help; and Matthew demonstrates His strong desire to be with those in need as manifested in the actions of Christ as he mingled with “tax collectors and sinners.”. He is near, and He is for you.
The other theme stresses what He is looking for from us. It certainly isn’t material or animal sacrifices, since, as He says in Psalms, “I already own everything physical – what can you give me of that?”
What He is looking for from us is what He can’t force on us – acts of love, acts of mercy, acts of thanksgiving, acts of faith. “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice; the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Gee, and I was all ready for Him after my last Bar-B-Que attempt on Saturday.)
We can respond to His desires through our prayer, study and service. This is what He is looking for, and this is why what we do is so important.
We can’t give Him things of the earth as they are already His, but we can give Him the things of our heart.
Moment by moment, keep alert for ways to offer Him your love, your thanksgiving, your faith, and your mercy.
Bless you for the work that you do!
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
I pray this note finds you all well and at peace.
There were two strong themes that wove their way through the lectionary series for today (June 8th - Hosea 5:15-6:6 Psalm 50:7-15 Romans 4:13-18 and Matthew 9:9-13). Both themes are great reminders for us about the nature of Our Father. One theme is that He is ever-present. Hosea tells us that His appearance is as sure as the dawn; Psalms exclaims that He is near enough to respond to our call for help; and Matthew demonstrates His strong desire to be with those in need as manifested in the actions of Christ as he mingled with “tax collectors and sinners.”. He is near, and He is for you.
The other theme stresses what He is looking for from us. It certainly isn’t material or animal sacrifices, since, as He says in Psalms, “I already own everything physical – what can you give me of that?”
What He is looking for from us is what He can’t force on us – acts of love, acts of mercy, acts of thanksgiving, acts of faith. “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice; the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Gee, and I was all ready for Him after my last Bar-B-Que attempt on Saturday.)
We can respond to His desires through our prayer, study and service. This is what He is looking for, and this is why what we do is so important.
We can’t give Him things of the earth as they are already His, but we can give Him the things of our heart.
Moment by moment, keep alert for ways to offer Him your love, your thanksgiving, your faith, and your mercy.
Bless you for the work that you do!
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
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