Easter V 05/07/23

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The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

Fifth Sunday of Easter

 ... At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,There would be no dance, and there is only the dance...

T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

            Peace on each one who comes in need;

            Peace on each one who comes in joy. 

            Peace on each one who offers prayers;

            Peace on each one who offers song. 

            Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son,

            Peace of the Spirit, the Triune One.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen. The Lord is Risen indeed. Alleluia!  

Opening Prayer

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

The Gospel                                                                                                             John 14:1-14

Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.” 

Poem: “The Way It Is”                                                                  by William Stafford (1914-1993)

There's a thread you follow.  It goes amongthings that change.  But it doesn't change.People wonder about what you are pursuing.You have to explain about the thread.But it is hard for others to see.While you hold it you can't get lost.Tragedies happen; people get hurtor die; and you suffer and get old.Nothing you do can stop time's unfolding.You don't ever let go of the thread. 

Meditation

Jesus says a lot in today's Gospel passage, and his followers don't quite get it or him.  Ever literal, ever flawed, they want to know the destination instead of the path, and they insist on seeing the Father (again, the destination, perhaps) instead of following the Son (the path).  Jesus's poetic, visionary, yet still ambiguous statement, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life," provides enough direction, and enough freedom, for each of us to discern what it means to follow Jesus.William Stafford's lovely, simple poem gives us another metaphor: Jesus as the thread of life that anchors us and guides us throughout a lifetime of change, loss, and mystery.  Deceptive in its apparent fragility, this thread gives gentle yet firm guidance that doesn't call attention to itself for its own sake. Parker J. Palmer has referred to this as "the red thread they call Love, the thread you hold, and then hand along, saying to another, 'You'."

Questions for Reflection

• Do you have a favorite metaphor for Jesus?  Why is it your favorite?
• What is the thread that you hold to in tough times?
• In Greek Mythology, the three Fates spin, measure, and cut the thread of human life, determining our destiny.  Jesus-as-thread gives us much more autonomy and choice, and yet, as the poem notes, we cannot stop time's "unfolding."  How does a life with Jesus help you confront things you cannot control?

Here is Parker J. Palmer's poem "November 22," from which the "red thread" quote above comes.

Prayers

We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered todayWe bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayerWe bring to God a troubled situation in our worldWe bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trustWe bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affectionWe offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our livesWe name before God those who have died. Gracious God, you hear all our prayers: those we speak aloud, those we hold in our hearts, and those prayers for which we have no words. Hear the prayers of your people, and grant them as may be best for us, for the sake of your holy name. Amen.Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.Reflections this month offered by: Matt Bentley