WATCHWORD:
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:8-14
Meditation:
Safe, Part 2
(Based, in part, on the essay, Safe, I published six years ago)
Fantasy #1 – You stand at the open hatch of the of the Cirrus SR20. You had packed your own parachute, under the watchful eye of your instructor, and you are ready for your first solo jump. You are confident that you are ready, but your mouth is dry and your heart is beating loud enough to be heard over the roar of the engines. The wind buffets you, there on the threshold, looking down at farmlands nearly 14,000 feet below.
You wait for the tap on your shoulder, then, without another thought, launch yourself out into the void. You follow instructions, and throw your arms and legs out, spread Eagle, to slow your descent, you let out a cry of joy and excitement; “You’re doing it!”
For perhaps 40 seconds you freefall, with the breathtaking view below, the air rushing by, you enjoy the ride, then your focus shifts to the altimeter, waiting for that magic number of 4,500 feet to click, when you must deploy your chute.
Okay, it’s time. You reach for the ring that would release the pilot chute. The ring comes off in your hand! Your decent continues, but the first edges of anxiety sneak in. A panic thought, dear God, what do I do? Then, you hear the words of your instructor, or God himself, telling you to deploy the safety release of your pilot chute. You find that release, and just above your head you hear a snap, the little chute pops and inflates, spilling out your parachute, and in a moment, you are jerked upright and your descent slows, as does your heart rate, and you start to glide with the wind! Safe! Thank you, Lord.
Fantasy #2 — Perhaps, in fun, you take the grandkids on the highest, steepest, the most thrilling roller coasters in the world. Your kids are excited about that, but you’re not sure. But you walk up, hand tickets over, you’re seated and belted in. The kids are now more excited because we are in that first car, but again you’re not so sure. You put on a good face and as the car ascends the steep start, excitement builds and then as it reaches the top of that hill, and teeters at the crest before slowly tipping down, and you stare down the tracks, far below. Your heart is suddenly beating frantically as your car hurdles straight down. You reach across to hold the kids in place, and you hear their screams of joy, mixing with your own screams of terror! The car bottoms out smoothly and starts a new climb, as you once again say a little prayer. You turn to your kids with a brave, false smile. They tell you that was so much fun, but you are not so sure.
We all have these moments during the course of our lives when maybe we are in vulnerable positions. We don’t know what’s next and we worry and we fret. In time, we turn to our Higher Power, and symbolically, we pull the release for our pilot chute: “God, I need help for me!” and His grace, in our faith, responds.
When we lose our way
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace
To a place where we’ll be safe.
I share an experience with many of you: being whisked to the hospital with medical issues. For me, once in Belgium and twice in these parts. Each time, I was frantically pulling the release on that pilot chute of mine, “Our Father, which art in Heaven…” Come to think of it, it doesn’t take a medical issue to bring us to that point, for each one of us to call upon that Higher Power watching over us. Times when we are uncertain, confused, disappointed, angry, lost. Our cry goes out and our Pilot answers.
The foundation of our faith is that Jesus is there, within the Holy Spirit that resides in our being. It is right and fitting that when uncertainty grips us, we would call on Him, knowing that He is true.
Let this be our prayer, Just like every child.
Guide us with your grace,
Give us faith so we’ll be safe.
Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Good news. Yesterday, Larry Jamerson transferred wife Nancy to Lutheran Hospital Rehab Center in Fort Wayne. Progress being made, working to get her home. Prayers for all the Jameson’s.
Sorry for the early delivery yesterday morning, will not happen again, I promise. Usually I try to send between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.
Another Irish smile – Old aunt Mary Malone says, “If you want someone to listen to you, start the conversation with, I shouldn’t be telling you this, but…”
Morning Prayer:
From the Holy Catechism — I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
