Easter VII 05/21/23

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The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

Seventh Sunday of Easter:

Sunday after the Ascension

 ... 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 17:1-11

Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

Poem: “Think Not All is Over”                                         by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896)

Think not, when the wailing winds of autumnDrive the shivering leaflets from the tree, —Think not all is over: spring returneth,Buds and leaves and blossoms thou shalt see.Think not, when the earth lies cold and sealed,And the weary birds above her mourn, —Think not all is over: God still liveth,Songs and sunshine shall again return.Think not, when thy heart is waste and dreary,When they cherished hopes lie chill and sere, —Think not all is over: God still loveth,He will wipe away thy every tear.Weeping for a night alone endureth,God at last shall bring a morning hour;In the frozen buds of every winterSleep the blossoms of a future flower. 

Meditation

This Sunday is an "in between" day: liturgically, Jesus has already ascended, but Pentecost is still on the horizon.Though today's Gospel reading doesn't quite capture this limbo status, we can certainly imagine it: the disciples puzzled about Jesus's promise to send another Comforter, but also viscerally aware of something holy within them; the genuine sadness at saying goodbye to their friend and their God, tempered somewhat by the hope of continuity.Perhaps we, too, feel those same things.  Harriet Beecher Stowe's poem beautifully captures the way that the seasons reflect change, and how that very change is sanctified as holy.We can see right now the blessings of spring: flower buds, a healthy dose of rain, temperate weather.God's promise is that even in darker times, even in a more winterlike spiritual landscape, the presence of Love, of hope, of renewal, is real.

Questions for Reflection

When have you felt a sense of the "in between" times?  When have you felt a yearning anticipation for what's to come?In those moments, what has fed your spirit?Take a few pictures of the beauty of spring that surrounds you.  What did you choose to capture?How do you nourish hope in your life?  Is it intentional discipline? A prayer? An image? 

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