Gorman Poem at Inauguration

Have you seen this?  Please watch.

God's Brushstrokes: Science

My college education - both undergraduate and graduate - is in the field of biology.  I worked 20 years in medical research before moving to my current position with The Foundation.  I am a scientist, and I am a person of faith.  I've never found that to be a contradiction.

For me, if God is the painter, then science is the study of the paint strokes.  A person can be an atheist and study science, but I don't think a person can  declare faith in God but reject science.  To do so would be to replace God's handiwork with one's own "story" of how God works in the world.  It is a rejection of the opportunity to move closer to the work of God. 

When I worked in the lab, I was always in awe of the idea of that I was adding reagents and enzymes to a small tube and the result was that DNA was snipped and proteins were captured (not in the same tube).  It was amazing to me.  The intricacies of how the DNA and the cell and the tissue and the organ and the body worked was and still is an amazing reflection of the creativity of God, and that is only enhanced by knowing the a tiny twisted ladder of nucleotides controlled it all.

For me, when I read the two creation stories in Genesis, I don't care how many days it took in the story for God to create the world.  In fact, it is not the purpose of the story to tell the how.  The purpose of the story is to explain THAT God created the world, THAT God created humankind, THAT God created you and me, out of a wonderful and boundless imagination, stamped with God's own reflection, even amid our diversity.  Evolution?  For me it is a wondrous brushstroke in the painting.

I heard the other day that we don't "believe" in science.  That's true.  Science is the study of fact.  What is it? How does it work? How does it relate to something else? Fact.  My belief is in God, and that is strengthen by the knowledge of the facts. Science doesn't lead me to reject God; science brings me closer to God.

Please remember, as we move closer to the reality and the hope of a world vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19, that we need science in order to  love our neighbors best.  Please be open to seeing God's brushstrokes in the work and advice of scientists as they tell us the facts.

 

Logos: Psalm 62:5-12 - As the Storm Rages

Inspired by Psalm 65:5-12

As the Storm Rages

As the storm rages around me

I try to wait in silence,

My soul waits in silence

for the Lord.

In this silence

as the storm screams,

I find my hope.

As the hopelessness around me

presses in on me,

I find my hope in God.

God and only God

is solid.  

Foundation.

Salvation.

God is my fortress.

In this safety, I will not be shaken

In this quiet, as I sit in silence,

I wait for God.

I find God.

I find hope.

I find refuge.

What we value,

riches, power, selfishness,

are but a breath,

fleeting.

Do not put confidence in them.

Do not fill your heart with them.

Listen.

God has spoken, and God speaks.

Remember.

The power belongs to God.

Steadfast love flows from God.

And this is the grace God gives to us.

 

Perspectives: Advent at Home

 

This was our advent candle at home last month.  I missed Advent in Church, but we can worship anywhere, can't we?  That said, I miss the community of worship.

Fear and Power

 

I'm reading (by ear, via audiobook as I drive) the Harry Potter books.  This is part of what I read this morning:

“Voldemort himself created his worst enemy, just as tyrants everywhere do! Have you any idea how much tyrants fear the people they oppress? All of them realize that, one day, amongst their many victims, there is sure to be one who rises against them and strikes back!”  ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

For those who haven't read the book, Voldemort is a dark wizard, who does cruel and evil acts, and who craves power.  Harry is his enemy, and Harry's greatest power is that he is able to love others.

Think for a moment about tyrants.  A quick google search reveals that the defining characteristic of tyrants is that they are cruel and oppressive leaders.  How does it change the dynamic to consider that they act out of fear?  If you think about tyrants you have seen or may know - it might be the bully down the street, the dictator in another country, the boss whose actions do nothing to support those he supervises, or (dare I say) the president in the Oval Office (or wherever he is right now) - how does it change your perception of them to see their motivation for their evil acts as fear.

Fear of what? Fear of losing power.  Fear of consequences. Fear of humiliation. Fear of being exposed as being not what they claim to be.  Fear.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

you whom I took from the ends of the earth,

    and called from its farthest corners,

saying to you, “You are my servant,

    I have chosen you and not cast you off”;

10 do not fear, for I am with you,

    do not be afraid, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

    I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:9-10)

I only list three of the many exhortations in the Bible to not be afraid.  God is with us.  Our greatest power is our ability to love. 

Logos: 1 Corinthians 6:12

•  I have freedom of speech - I can say what I want and you can't stop me.
• Why should I worry about political correctness? Why do I have to be so concerned about what might hurt someone else?  You should have a thicker skin - I can say what I want.
• There is no law against that.  I can do it if I want to.

Living in this country, we do have freedom.  People have fought and died so that you and I can say what we think, worship as we feel called, and live a life of freedom within the laws of society. 

Christ has died to give us freedom, too.  Freedom from our sin, from our  hate, from our pain.  Christ has freed us so that we can love others.

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth:  "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are beneficial. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything.  (1 Corinthians 6:12).

Christ has freed us so that we can consider the impact of what we say on the lives of others.  Christ has freed us to that we can show others love instead of hate in what we do.  Christ has freed us so that our first thought is not "it is legal so I'll do it" but instead, "it isn't loving, so I won't do it."

Christ has freed us to live.

Perspectives: Begin

 

Truth Be Told

In November and December, I was part of a series of meetings with the district laity.  Our Conference Lay Leader, Kristi Wilkerson, used this song as a core to her talk  with each district.  The lyrics of the first part of the song are:

Lie number one you're supposed to have it all together
And when they ask how you're doing
Just smile and tell them, "Never better"

Lie number 2 everybody's life is perfect except yours
So keep your messes and your wounds
And your secrets safe with you behind closed doors
Truth be told

The truth is rarely told, now
I say I'm fine, yeah I'm fine oh I'm fine, hey I'm fine but I'm not
I'm broken

When we reach the "I'm broken" line, the truth of the song reaches my emotions.  Lest you worry, I don't think I'm broken any more than anyone else is - but I do think all of us are at least a little bit broken.  We have sinned.  Our hearts are a little bit broken (or a lot broken).  We grieve, we hurt, we long for a different set of circumstances (especially right now).  To admit to any of this is to be vulnerable, and I think we all try to avoid that.  So I'm fine.

But with God, when we are brave enough, we can share it all.  When we are fine.  When we are joyful. And when we are broken.  I encourage you, as I encourage myself, be brave enough so that when the truth is told to God, it is truth.

Logos: Genesis 1:1-5

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.  -Genesis 1:1-5

God’s presence.  Light.  Creation. Imagination. Hope.

The beginning of Genesis is the story that claims for us God’s hand in all creation. Something as basic as the light and the dark, the day and the night, exist as they do because God set the world in motion. 

Someone said to me a few days ago that she didn’t see anything good in 2020.  I don’t feel that way.  Believe me, I am anxious for us to reach the end of this pandemic. I can’t wait to gather with other people, to eat out or go to the mo vies without worrying about sickness and death.  However, look around. See the hope. See what has been done medically to develop treatment and vaccines.  See the healthcare workers battling to save people’s lives. See the light in the darkness.

it works this way because God has set the world in motion. Deep down, most of us know how to love each other, to battle away selfishness and hate.  To care for each other.

I see light at the end of the tunnel, but I also see light in the tunnel. God is here in the hands and feet of those around us, and in your own.    

Perspectives: Leaning

I took this picture because the tree seemed to be leaning over to shade the path.  Do we lean into providing cover for other people?

Wandering Wise Men

In our office are three wise men who wander the hallway from the time we start Christmas decorations until Epiphany.  I've posted about them before. They were a gift from Rev. Monty Brown when he retired from active service as a minister.  When he had them, they wandered the hallway at St. Marks until Epiphany, when they gathered around the Christmas tree outside his office. 

Their path through our hallway is sometimes arduous.  Sometimes they go off the path and get lost in someone's office for the day.  The day before we left for the Christmas holiday, they ended up on a conference room table (gathered there to prevent the cleaning staff from bumping them with a vacuum cleaner).

I like the wise men.  They teach me something every year.

1. Discipleship requires patience.  They don't end up at the tree right away.  It takes weeks for their travel. And it's not very far.
2. Discipleship doesn't always follow a straight path.  Sometimes there are interruptions or mistakes, but we keep moving anyway.
3. Discipleship isn't without danger.  One of the wise men looses his head (literally) every time he moves.  Poor thing. 
4. Discipleship can begin as a gift from someone else.  Who can you help on the way today with your gift of love and grace?

When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.  Matthew 2:9-10

 

To Protect

 I was on an elevator the other day, and it stopped on a floor to pick up a passenger.  The man asked if he could ride, and I said yes, but he wasn't wearing a mask.  He stepped on; I stepped off, and the elevator went up without me. 

When I ride an elevator, I am not alone.  With me is my husband, and my mother, and my boys, and the people with whom I work - all of those who are in my bubble.  What I do can impact them.  I try not to be rude, but I do get frustrated with those who choose not to wear a mask or keep their distance.  I don't want to get sick, but I really don't want those I mentioned to get sick because of something I did or didn't do that failed to protect them from me. 

Who do you love? Who do you want to protect? Can you allow that love to be your motivation for wearing the mask and following the guidelines given to us by scientists?   Masks help.  Distance helps.  Hand-washing helps (I hope you were already doing that!).  If they help, then I will do them, without excuse and without (much) complaint.  To protect them.

Poetry 2020

 Each year, I create a post that links to the poetry I wrote during the year.  This is a housekeeping post that can be ignored.  I have it to link from the sidebar.

• I waited (Psalm 40)
• Stop. Just Stop (1 Corinthians 1:10-11)
• We are Sunday People
• Advent Matters
• Silent Song (Psalm 89:1-2)

Words from my Office

 Wishing you all of God's blessings in the new year.