Veterans Day Yesterday

I spent yesterday with memories of friends who have served in the military or are still serving . . . and relatives who had served before I was born and the shadows of their experiences hung over them somehow, though in our family there was a pact never to talk about the Wars or their service.  And I was thinking about the movies and stories we grew up with as Baby Boomers.  They were all about what our parents and grandparents went through with World War I, the Depression, World War II, the Korean War.  As Baby Boomers we were deeply affected by the war in Southeast Asia . . the Cold War.  And our children's generation joined us in the first Gulf War . . . then former Yugoslavia, Afghaniatsn, and Iraq.

Ultimately honoring those who gave the "last full measure" is one thing.  But also concerning the living who return, no one comes back from war the same -- those who live sometimes give even more of themselves that those who have died, in a stange way.  I don't meant to take anything away from those who suffered and died, or their family and friends who mourn them still.  And those military members who were prisoners of war must be recognized and honored in a special way.

We need to work harder to replave violence and the threat of violence . . . and the hatred that leads to war with love and care . . . focusing on what we have in common . . . rejoicing in our differences and homoring nd respecting everyone. . . .forgiving and working toward reconciliation . . . asking for forgiveness and making reparations . . . being in true peace and fellowship with all those we share out planet with -- we have to work harder . . .bless those who persecute us and spitefully use us . . . share what we have and make love in action, justice, peace and mercy the focus of our thoughts and actions.

As a veteran I understand what every person in uniform may have to face,  Everyone I knew was a patriot an believed in all he or she gave up in order to serve.  The most important way of honoring veterans is being faithful to them -- taking care of family members left bereft.  Making sure that veterans benefits are fully funded and go beyond the minimum. 

We are not working hard enough to bring God's peace . . wholeness, equal opportunity, freedom from fear, freedom from want.  Beyond non-violence . . . caring and loving actively.

Love is not a feeling.  Love is a made up of decisions and carrying out those decisions actively day by day asn the God Who Is Love leads us.

Veterans Day is not really about nationalism.  The concern is for people who were willing to or did give up their lives for oters -- family and friends . . . and people they would never know.

We need to work harder so that the people we honor served longer and longer ado, and instead we celebrate the peace and prosperity that is the goal of God for life on earth for all people.

We need to work harder.



Kathleen Ware Harris  © 2013
kwharris777@gmail.com

A REPEAT  I CAME ACROSS TODAY

The Lord is My Light

December 7, 2005

"The LORD is my light and my salvation.

He is my God.

The LORD, He will reign forever and ever.

Amen.

And I will prepare Him my heart.

And I will prepare Him my heart.

The LORD is my light and my salvation.

He is my God.

The LORD!!"

The words and music of this praise song were the first thing I was conscious of as I woke up this morning.  I must have been dreaming about being at an Ultreya -- a monthly gathering for worship and fellowship of the Emmaus and Cursillo communities.  They are always joy-filled occasions.  Usually many musicians with guitars, keyboards and other instruments lead worship, and there is a lot of enthusiasm and beautiful harmonies.

The praise song triggered a memory of some slippers I saw at a department store the other day.  If you can believe it, they had little lights in the toes, and there were photos on the box that contained them.  The photos showed someone's slippered feet walking in the dark to the refrigerator.  The little lights on the toes of the slippers lit the way.  It gave the impression that there were little headlights coming out of tree trunk-like legs.  Immediately the Bible verse, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path," popped into my head."  

I think you can understand why.

There's this sermon written early in my time as a pastor that I have preached many times in different churches.  The theme is that we are to be lights in the world as Jesus instructed us.  In the sermon I talk about how many verses of the Bible involve light and darkness.  

And I relate the story of an elderly woman we encountered in Pushkin, Russia when I was there with mostly United Methodist folks from the U.S. Northeast to be volunteers in mission.  We were helping to remodel a nursing home in the summer of 2004.  Pushkin is the name the Soviets used for the Tsar's Village (Tsaskoye Celo), where the summer palaces of the tsars exist in resplendance, less than a day's journey by carriage from St. Petersburg.  

The elderly woman saw us walking back from the nursing home to the apartment building where we were staying so that we could wash up before returning to the nursing room dining hall to have supper. She asked us who we were in Russian.  Since I was the only one who spoke Russian and our Russian interpreters weren't with us, I told her we were from churches in America.  

Very excitedly she pulled out a piece of thick white string from beneath her sweater.  On the end of the string was a small Russian Orthodox cross she had around her neck.   started kissing it, praising God and saying that she knew we were Christians because we had light all around us.  It was just like when Jesus told those listening to him that when we are lights people will give glory to God for us.

And I was a fill-in spiritual director on an Emmaus weekend in Tidewater, VA, a few years ago.  The theme song was about taking your candle and lighting up your world.

"Carry your candle.

Run to the darkness.

Seek out the hopeless,

Confused and torn.

Hold out your candle

For all to see it.

Take your candle,

Go light your world."

And the darkness does not overcome the light that has come into the world, even Christ Jesus.

So how important is light?  It's essential. 

There's no life without light.  Even in the darkest places of the ocean depths, creatures often have their own kinds of light.  

Although there are creatures that exist in darkness, there chain of life includes food from sources that depend on light.
 

Jesus is the light of the world.  How much light do you need?  He will supply whatever amount you need.

Sometimes in Florida I got tired of the nearly perpetual sunshine and really appreciated a rainy or overcast day.  But our time in Alaska taught me the value of light in a way I couldn't appreciate at all during our life in Florida.

Most cultures have some kind of timeless traditions about the importance of the return of the light from the darkness of mid-winter.  I have a friend who grew up near the equator in Africa, though.  Hours of possible daylight don't fluctuate there.  And he said the strangest thing about being in the northern hemisphere was the variation of the length of daylight and darkness.

Some men who were prisoners of war in southeast Asia told of their time imprisoned, tortured, starved and isolated.  But one said that even in that deep darkness each found an inner light.  They were not alone.  God was with them, and even those who came there with no faith found that to be true.

In one psalm it is written, "the Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?"

And in another psalm it says of God, "even the darkness is not dark to you."

As children we are sometimes afraid of the dark, and our parents leave lights on in the closet -- or a nightlight in the room.  Whenever I am a guest in someone's house my friends are sure to leave a light on for me so that I can find my way to the bathroom if I need to head that way in the night.

We continue through this time of Advent meditating on the light that overcomes the darkness.  On the night Jesus was born the host of heaven appeared in the deep darkest part of the darkest night to announce to the shepherds that the true and only Light from which all other light comes had broken through.  

They proclaimed that the glory of God had come among us.  The angel proclaimed to them the best news of all.  God is with us and there is no darkness in Him.

Is there any darkness in your life today?  The Lord is your light.  

If you invite Him into your life and the dark places will be lit up.  He will be your light and your salvation -- your wholeness, your perfect peace in Him.  And then you, too, can be a light to the people in your world.  

Just as the beauty of candlelight being passed from one person to another in a Christmas Eve Candlelight service brightens the darkened sanctuary, your light passed on to others WILL light your world.  

Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

May you and yours receive the fullness of His light and life and love this Christmas season and always.

Blessings in His incomparable love -- Kathy



Kathleen Ware Harris  © 2013
kwharris777@gmail.com

Vines and Fruit

[Jesus said,] "I am the vine, you are the branches. 

Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, 

because apart from me you can do nothing. 

Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; 

 such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 

 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, 

ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 

 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit 

and become my disciples. 

 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; 

abide in my love. 

"If you keep my commandments, 

you will abide in my love, 

just as I have kept my Father's commandments 

and abide in his love. 

 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, 

and that your joy may be complete. 

"This is my commandment, 

that you love one another as I have loved you. 

 No one has greater love than this, 

to lay down one's life for one's friends. 

 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 

 [John 15:5-14]

Seeing this scripture passage brought back a lot of memories. The first sermon I preached in a church -- not a student sermon for a class -- was based on the above verse -- John 15:5-14.  I was blessed to have been asked to lead a Sunday evening worship service at Dumbarton United Methodist Church in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C.

Dumbarton United Methodist Church

Two of the illustrations I used in the sermon included that one of my main experiences with grape vines personally had to do with our Italian grandfather growing grapes in an arbor he built himself. The trellises formed something like a covered bridge in the middle of our grandparents' back yard.  As young children we were often attracted to the beautiful shade the mature, fully-leafed vines provided in the summer.  And we were often scolded for trying to climb the walls of the arbor since they were made of fragile wood just strong enough with the lattices to support the vines and the clusters of fruit.

By coincidence (God-incidence) Krista's kindergarten teacher had grown up in the house. Her father had built it. The house sat close to the street on a huge lot that was 90' by 180' and was about 30 years old. In the front and back yards there were beautiful mature oak, elm and maple trees. Lilac, bride's wreath and snowball bushes delightfully decorated what we came to call "Brown Park."

Three quarters of the way toward the left-hand corner of our "park" was a small garden with some grape vines draped over a small frame.  The first fall we were there we harvested a two-quart bowl of delicious Concord grapes.

Not long after we enjoyed the delicious treat, we became acquainted with some Soviet professors who were taking part in the International Relations Exchange Program (IREX). I have written about meeting them previously.

The Radio Physics Professor from Kharkov in Ukraine had grown up on a collective farm where his father was a vine-dresser. When the exchange professors came over to our house early one Friday evening in October, we gave them the "Nickel Tour" of the house and back yard.  When he saw the grape vines, the Radio Physics Professor, Anatoly, told me that they needed to be cut back so that they would bear more fruit the following year. I was very suspicious of his advice, (he was, after all, a Communist -- *wry smile*). But Anatoly talked me into getting him some shears and he ruthlessly cut back the vine branches so that it seemed like he had killed them all.

Just imagine my surprise the following September when we ended up with almost four two-quart bowls of the juicy fruit.

All this reminded me that there are so many ways that many of us are removed from the era and context of the parables Jesus used to describe The Kingdom of Heaven and share the Good News of God's Love. The illustrations He used were very clear to the people Jesus spoke to, healed and encouraged.  However often we are far removed in time and culture from the background of Jesus' teachings. Never fear, though. If we have willing hearts, the Holy Spirit can lead us in study and illuminate our understanding of scripture so that the precious seeds of knowledge that lead to faith can find fertile ground.

With the warmth of the sun and the Holy water of God's grace, those seeds can sprout and grow in our hearts. And as Jesus says the branches of the vines can bear fruit when tended by the vine-dresser.

I will flesh out the rest of the homily sometime, but you get the idea, don't you?  

The one post script I will add is to remind you that neither pruning nor being bound to another branch are necessarily very comfortable. (Especially the pruning has never been my favorite part.) We need to be able to look back on our lives to see that everything we have gone through is worth a great deal. Perhaps we won't completely understand until we have the perspective of eternity. We have, after all been promised that in 1 Corinthians 13:9-10,12 -- "For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears." "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."

Alleluia! Amen.

With You in Spirit

During the last few days I have reflected on how strange it has been not to have heard Mom's voice on the phone wishing me "Happy Birthday!" More than that I have been so grateful to God that we have had both our parents, knowing that so many other family members and friends have already lost one or both of their parents, some sadly quite a long time ago.

Never have the words "with you in Spirit" meant so much.

And what a time to be treasured it was that in the two and a half months last fall before Mom passed away . . . when George, Jennifer, Michael and I -- and some of our kids and some of our grand kids physically (and all of them in Spirit) -- were able to be with Mom and Dad . . . and with each other.

Each type of situation that is filled with strong emotions seems to open a channel to similar times of our lives when the same emotions reigned. Somehow re-visiting those past events in memory through the lens of feeling helps to put my life in a new perspective.

It seems almost like there is a large beautiful table in a lovely room with high ceilings and large leaden-glass windows looking out on a garden. And on the table are beautiful China figurines, each one depicting a scene from my life, or an achievement. Or a milestone.

There's one with a long-haired young woman holding a tiny infant wrapped up in a beautifully crocheted baby blanket, the mother smiling tenderly and looking attentively into her darling' up-turned face.

And there's one with three kids and a dog out on a lake with a red and white row boat, laughing and splashing each other with the oars and their hands.

The one in the middle to the left is of a teenager in civvies saluting his mom as she is about to get into the car after dropping him off at the US Marine Recruiting Station.

The figurines of all the weddings are there, too.

And of the memorial services, but not so much those of the passings, at least they are not as big as those depicting loving memories.

Strangely enough there are no figurines depicting hard hearts or pain, none for anger or arguments, none for misunderstandings or betrayals.

Those parts of our lives are too difficult to forget sometimes, and there should be ways to let them go and only remember the positive and loving acts, the joy-filled times.

Don't you think so, too?

I keep remembering snatches of beautiful words written by our cousin Michael during the three years he fought against the brain tumor that took him away from us much too soon. One passage was concerning forgiveness when he asked everyone he loved to make peace with him if they still held anything against him. And he asked for forgiveness and released anyone who may have felt hurt by him -- or who he may have wronged.

Through his letters and through those I wrote back to him, I felt like I was able in a way to travel with him on that final journey in a very remote way, but close in Spirit. (There that is again . . .)

It ended up being from a dgreat geographical distance since I went to Kazakhstan about a week after I found out about the brain tumor, and at that time had been told that Michael might only have about three months to live.

Now that I have written the above, I am reminded of other passings. Certainly the first relatives who passed when we were children, and then cousins and friends who went on before us when they were much too young and we weren't in any way prepared. In addition as the years went by and I got back in touch with friends from childhood and from other eras of my life, hearing of the passing of parents and siblings, and even sadder in some cases, of children.

Now I may becoming mauldlin, and if so, please excuse me. I don't mean to emphasized the grief, but to be grateful for the love and shared experiences, for the jokes and laughter, for the games and slumber parties and road trips, for the movies and lunches and dinners . . and breakfasts.

So, as I wrote that, the image of one last memory for tonight flickered across my mind. I will indulge myself by relating it to you.

In the spring of our last year in high school the time-honored "Senior Ditch Day" was scheduled by the usual suspects. It was organized in such a way that each student who had a car or could use a parent's vehicle went around to pick up as many fellow students who lived nearby when it was still several hours before dawn. The organizers planned well, and when the Ditchers sleepily disembarked from the crowded automobiles, they found they had arrived at a beach on Lake Michigan where there were already bonfires and pinic blankets replete with a breakfast feast.

Many of us were very close friends and the Spirit of our class included an easy comradery and some tight-knitted relationships.

We kept each other warm with more than jackets and blankets as we watched a lovely sunrise out of the Great Lake with the sounds and smells of wood burning and popping, the brightness of the flames fading as the dawn yielded to the power of the sun's light.

It seemed like we were already missing one another despite how anxious we were to get the school year over and charge off to our summer jobs and then on to college for most of us, onto whatever else we would find on the way to adulthood for the rest of us. For all of us, really.

And a few days ago I was looking through photos of children and grandchildren of those friends from high school. Our Fortieth Reunion almost tewo and a half years ago and the benefits of social media like FB has allowed us to share so much.

I thought about the stories I know now about so many of us. I wonder if we could even have imagined so much of how our lives have been -- or what the world has been like if we could have tried to tell one another what we thought it all would be during that dawn picnic so long ago in the early spring of 1970.

Sometimes I think, "My goodness! Did all that really happen?"

All that and more. Because we do "choose to forget," as the lyrics of the song "Memories" from the movie "The Way We Were" reminds us.

The very gifted writer, playwright and philosopher -- and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, in commenting about the relationship of the Divine -- the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to the Jewish People has written that he believes that the Lord loves stories.

If so, that must be where we get it.

The only thing is, though, that the stories are not so well loved as the people in them.

I believe that the cruelty and the terrible ways that human beings can treat one another, animals, and creation itself must tear G-d's heart out in so many ways.

But I also believe that G-d Who is Love must weep with joy at times when we show love in sacrificial or otherwise amazing ways.

I think the extent of the violence and hatred as well as the extent of the loving and faithful acts might even sometimes be shocking and surprising to our Creator. (Never mind the omniscient characteristic for a few minutes.)

It may be something to think about, anyway.

What would it mean to you to truly believe that the Loving Creator of the Universe not only knows your story, but cares a great deal about everything you have done, everything that has been done to you, and everything that has happened, is happening and will happen to you? And what would it mean if you believed that G-d has wonderful plans for you and intends to use everything for good in your life? And what would it mean to you to believe that the Lord of All wants you to allow Him to love you and take care of you and everyone you love?

If you don't know the answers to those questions, would you like to know?

There is a Way, and His Name is Jesus.

Really.

Truly.

Absolutely.

Won't you open your heart and take a chance?

I pray you will, and will be glad to help you in any way I am able to do that.


Kathleen Ware Harris  © 2013
kwharris777@gmail.com