"Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts." ~ Zechariah 4:6 I would like to think that throughout our lives we can be prepared for whatever may come our way each day, but unfortunately, that is not always the case.
We experience unexpected and difficult circumstances. It is in these moments when we must search for the words to say, and how to act. Having the right words and actions in these moments are generally what we become known for. And if we want to exhibit our spiritual self in our daily life, these moments will also be how we are spiritually known to others. This morning as I struggle with some unexpected encounters that have left me frustrated, Jesus' words written in Matthew seem to be coming to mind. Jesus says, "When you are handed over, do not worry about how to speak or say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes, because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you." (Matthew 10:19-20) I am reminded that we are to simply trust when we encounter unexpected circumstances and difficult times, and that the Spirit of God will speak for us. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2019
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The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let the one who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let them come; and whoever wishes, let them take the free gift of the water of life. ~ Revelation 22: 17 Last evening I attended a gathering called the "Death Cafe." It is a movement that isn't new, it just seems to have a more welcoming name. It is when a group of people get together with a cake, some coffee in a comfortable setting like a coffee shop, and talk about death and dying.
As we began the evening by getting to know someone and then introducing them to the group, one question that people wanted to know the answer to was, "Why are you here?" A few of us were chaplains who work with those who are dying, or as one clearly defined, "I don't work with the dying. I work with the living." One man, however, was a historian. He said that he studies history, and that how our life ends at death is, "Like a book that you hope ends well." I think that his words resonated the most with me. What defines our death, is as much what describes how we lived our life. While our death is not something we know the hour or the time of, it is something, however, that we know to expect. I'd like to think that God is the God of the living. Among the many attributes of God, we know that God is goodness. God is the creator of all things. God is truth. God is love. God is life! I remember years ago after being at the bedside of an eight year old girl who died from cancer. As we were leaving the room, a family member looked at me and said, "Well, this was just part of God's plan." It was hard for me to hear these words, especially as the person stood next to the mother who just lost her only child to death. I couldn't help but share, "No, God is a God about life, who loves us through that last breath until our first breath in eternity." I have never been a believer that God plans for permanent death. Why else would God have sent Jesus so that all may have eternal life? Our God, who loves us from eternity to eternity, wants to give us life for eternity. One very important question of the evening was, "Why do you suppose we don't talk about death?" It was easy for me to share that the church has difficultly allowing for the discussion of death. I shared, "We talk of death once a year. On Good Friday, and even then we can't wait until Easter morning to get Jesus out of the grave. Or Lazarus. Or Jarius' daughter. We want them to be alive!" The other reason that stood out on why we don't talk about death, was because we fear death. Just as we know that there is birth, so it is that we understand that there will always be death. It is not something to fear. There is no cruel God awaiting our death - there is, however, a loving, always forgiving God, that is ready to welcome us into eternity. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2019 "I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." ~ I Corinthians 9: 23 "Will I be punished for not going to church?"
It was a serious question asked of me during a visit this week with one of my hospice patients. She then went on to share how she had attended a church for several years until she had a "falling out," with someone in the church, "so I just quit going." When I meet a patient for the first time as their hospice chaplain, I ask about their faith background and if they have a faith community that they belong to? This will often create the opportunity for the person to then share of their faith journey. I meet folks from many faith traditions in the work that I do, but even among the varied faiths, when there has been woundedness experienced by someone in a faith community, they often leave the community, or reject it. When we leave a faith community, or quit, it is hard for us to remain connected to that which brings us closer to our faith. For those of us who proclaim Christianity as our faith, being separated from a faith community also seems to make for distance between us and the living Christ. All too often I hear, "I am Christian, but I don't care for it's establishment." I know it can be a real struggle at times. The challenge when we have been harmed, have a "falling out," or leaving the church for some reason, within our journey we need to find a place to allow for forgiveness. This challenge is especially great because the Church seldom asks us for forgiveness, at least not officially. That's when I remember that the Church is not perfect. Like most things, it is a human organization that can fail at times to be the living Body of Christ. And as a human organization, sometimes it needs our forgiveness, while at the same time, the Church continues to offer us forgiveness as the living Christ. I shared with the woman that I think that God understands when we have been hurt. It is important for us to remember that any community that gathers together is made up of many different people, and even though they may all proclaim to be part of the body of Christ, each person has their own purpose. I always try to remind myself that the Church continues to be a work in progress, made up of people who, like myself, are also a work in progress, who all will one day know the complete love and forgiveness that Christ has to offer. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2019 At midnight the cry rang out: "Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!" ~ Matthew 25:6 It's just after midnight and I'm getting home from visiting a family who lost a loved one this evening. As I sat and listened to the family share of the person's illness, one thing that kept coming up were these words, "We just thought we would have more time."
One thing about life and death is that within the scope of our life and life eternal, God provides for the complete fullness of life. God told Moses that God's name is "I am." Two words that mean that God is always. No past or future time proclaimed. Just always. Jesus came to us in the fulfillment of scripture, but also, at a time that was perfect for God. One day we know that Jesus will once again return to create the fullness of God's promises. So often we "hope for" more time, because like this family, death came unexpectedly. They were at a loss for words, but yet, the life of the one they loved had come to a completion. A chapter had been written, and a final season had arrived. We hope that tomorrow, next week, next month or next year the real things will happen. But sometimes we experience the fullness of time. That is when it seems that time stands still, that past, present, and future become one; that everything is present where we are; and that God, we, and all that is have come together in total unity. I would like to think that is when we experience God's time. In the first chapter of Ephesians we understand that in the fullness of time God will "bring everything together under Christ, as head, everything in the heavens and the earth." For this family this evening, they received a glimpse of what that togetherness looks like. It is in the fullness of time that we meet God. It will be at the hour of our own death that we shall behold our own fullness with God. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2019 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." ~ Joshua 1: 9b Years ago I traveled home to Southern Indiana where I grew up to see if I might find my "inner child," somewhere among the hills and hollers near the Morgan Monroe State Forest where I spent a large part of my childhood. It's funny how I could remember many of the country roads, and even where log trails either existed or once were. I couldn't seem to find what I was looking for.
I had discovered that over the years I had aged, and many of the dreams that I had as a youth had grown old like many of the trees that now provided shade for me as I walked. After getting permission from the current owners of our old farm, I managed to climb the hillside to where the "pond" was located. It was overgrown with cat tails along the edge where as children we would spend many a summer day swimming and floating on inner tubes. I sat on the water's edge, realizing the view, like myself, had changed. I can't say that I was sad that the view had changed so much, I guess I was hoping to get a glimpse of what I had journeyed to find, appearing just beyond the next hill. As I made my way back down the hill, I noticed an old school bell on a tall pole with a rope. I learned that the family that lived there now used it to call their children in at night. The sound would echo down through the holler. I wondered if I rang the bell what might appear? I thanked the family, and went on my way. The creek that we referred to as the "crick," still managed to make it's way through the holler, and I managed to discover one more memory of playing in the sun, arranging rocks, and attempting to control the flow, only to realize that I really could not change it's path. I had become the creek, traveling a path that was my own, and I was making my way home. Going home is literally a lifelong journey. The home of my childhood was but a chapter. I suppose there will always be parts of ourselves that wander off our path, sometimes going to places where we do not belong, or even worse, getting lost. I have learned that finding our way home is about more than having a map. It's about not becoming discouraged, and realizing that Jesus walks with us and speaks to us on the road. Like the two travelers on their way to Emmaus, they did not recognize Jesus walking with them until later in the day when they stopped and broke bread with him. Jesus walks with us and speaks to us on our path each day. When we allow ourselves to listen carefully, we may discover that we are already home while on our journey. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2019 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings. ~ Psalm 36: 7 One of the things that happens so soon after Christmas is that Jesus grows up. Because we don't have the snapshots of birthdays, or stories of what Jesus was like as a toddler, we quickly find him to be twelve years old in the temple, and then before you know it, Mary is convincing guests at a wedding to "Do as he asks," as water is turned into wine.
Throughout all the moments of Jesus, we do, however, discover that he is blessed. When Jesus is baptized in the Jordan, a voice from above announces, "You are my Son, the Beloved; my blessing rests on you." It seems that with these words, the blessing is spoken into life. From this point forward, whether he was being blamed or praised for something, he held tight to this blessing. As Jesus shares, he came not into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world. To bless those that live, and to provide that blessing to each of us. Sometimes in all the noise of this world, we forget that this blessing has been spoken over us as well. Jesus came not to just open our hearts, but also our ears to God's voice. To the words, "You are my beloved daughter, or son, and my blessing is upon you." When we can hear the voice of God, trust in it, and always remember it, especially when we struggle, we can live our lives as God's blessed children. It always opens our lives to find that blessing in others. You are God's child. Live in that blessing. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2019 "Your kingdom come..." ~ Matthew 6:10a "Patience for me is learning how to live within God's timing."
I just looked at the woman I was visiting and realized that this was the best description for patience that I had ever heard. "I've had a lot of time to think about this." The woman has lived the last three years in bed due to a stroke that changed her life completely, and now she was dying. "Now I'm just patiently waiting for God to call me home." When we find ourselves seeking to be more aware of God's timing, or at least the ability to be comfortable in that timing, we suddenly realize the importance of patience. For many, patience is a discipline that is difficult to master. It is not the waiting until something happens over which we have no control; the setting of the sun, an end to a conflict, or the waves finding their way to the shore. Patience is also not about waiting on someone else to make the first move. I have discovered that patience is being involved in every moment of our life. To not wait. To be not just aware of the here and now, but to be present in every breath that we take, and to be available in those moments. Impatience, for me, is when I can't seem to live in that moment, and that by some miracle, behave as if life will simply be lived tomorrow, later, or in some other place. Being patient is trusting that what we seek is already present, and that either we must pray to have our eyes open, or God is simply waiting for us to realize the blessing. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2019 "We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited."
~ 2 Corinthians 6:3 In chaplaincy, we often would refer to our role as a "non-anxious presence" when it came to being on the journey with those around us. It's really a blessing to be present with someone, even when the moment is one filled with unknowns, while remaining calm, letting the person know that you will remain no matter what. Similarly, it is important for each of us to be a "nonjudgmental presence" for those who have experienced woundedness, or who are different than us. Each of us have been reconciled with God, and because of Christ, each of us are instruments of reconciliation. Essential to the work of reconciliation is a nonjudgmental presence. We are not sent into the world to judge, to condemn, to evaluate, to classify, or to label. When we walk around as if we have to make up our mind about people and tell them what is wrong with them and how they should change, we will only create more division. Jesus says it clearly: "Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge; ... do not condemn; ... forgive" (Luke 6:36-37). In a world that constantly requires us to make decisions about others, being a nonjudgmental presence can seem like a daunting task. Being a nonjudgmental presence is truly a blessing to others who long for reconciliation with God and others. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2019 "Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me."
~ John 15:4 Over the years, I have learned that there is a difference between being successful and being fruitful. Success is something that seems to be centered on control and respect. It is about creating something and steering it in a direction or course that you plan, until it becomes something of worth. Success can bring about many things, including notoriety and fame. Fruitfulness, however, comes from a different place. Years ago I met a young man who was living on the streets of Houston. He had left his home when he was only 15 and by the time he was nineteen when I met him, he had already experienced a lifetime. For nearly a year a group of us from our church worked hard to nurture and get him the resources he needed to move from the streets into a life where he might do more than just "survive." A place where he might be "fruitful." What we discovered is that when he began to share of his brokenness, he began to grow stronger. It was in his vulnerability, a new and safe intimacy was created, and his wounds were suddenly seen as not scars, but strengths. Intimacy is fruitfulness that is born out of reaching out and touching one another's wounds. Three years after meeting him, a group of us celebrated his successful completion of a program that allowed him to work with other youth who were experiencing what he had gone through. His woundedness became fruitfulness. Being successful is great in the eyes of the world, but what brings us true joy is not successfulness, but fruitfulness. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2019 "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
~ Psalm 90:12 I'm always amazed how nature seems to find balance in this world. If there is something we can all learn from nature, it would be to be more aware of our purpose and how God's presence effects that purpose. In the spring as trees begin to awaken from winter, leaves begin to burst forth. They soon become a canopy, offering shade, as well as, provide oxygen. They weather storms, and rustle in the wind until fall colors appear, and they swirl to the forest floor. Or, as in the case of this leaf, adrift upon the water and fully relying on the current to take it to the shore. Our reliance on God provides us with not just a purpose, but helps us in all stages of our life. Life and death are connected by vulnerability. It is in that space, or the seasons of our life, that we discover our purpose. Even the leaf washed up on the shore has completed a journey. Each day we live allows for our purpose in life to be known. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2019 "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ..." ~ 2 Corinthians 2: 14, 15a For many of us, today was the first day back to work in the new year. This morning as I made my way into the city, I noticed that traffic seemed to be returning to more what I am used to experiencing, and I sensed that many, like myself, could have handled a few more minutes in bed!
It was hard for me to focus, and I realized that I hadn't spent much time reflecting before I began my day. It suddenly occurred to me, "Where was Jesus in my journey today?" As soon as I asked the question, the spiritual self that I know seemed to echo, "I am here!" We are the living Christ in the world today. Even in a new year, a new chapter just waiting to be explored, we carry the same Christ within and are part of a greater body of believers as well. Our common faith in Jesus of Nazareth remains the same. It is taking note of Jesus' presence in our life that suddenly gives Jesus real presence in the world. We can suddenly begin to see his body, and see what real presence is. Jesus is more than the body and blood that sits on the altar of our worship spaces. Jesus is also embodied in us, and remains the living Christ in the world today. Be the living Christ. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c ) 2019 Helen Keller wrote, "When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” At the end of the year, it is easy to once again find yourself reflecting upon disappointments, or considered failures from the past twelve months. This is often what prompts New Year's resolutions. To try to change something, or make something new, because you feel that if you make this change, somehow, your life will change and things will become better. Striking out, to try to make things better, or perhaps, to change a current trend in your life, is often difficult. Not just because it may be something completely foreign to you, but because the powers which bring about doubt or worry can be overwhelmingly strong. Often in these times the presence of God seems to be barely noticeable. I wish that I could say that I was always strong in my convictions, or that my belief that I can actually do something be an overwhelming push to make me do what I do. However, on the contrary. It's often the realization that God is present, and that God will never lead me where I cannot find the means, the gifts, or be surrounded by people who are willing to share in the conviction so that when I do begin to fall away, or loose sight of who I am, or what God would require of me, only then can I truly move beyond, and, and Gandhi would reflect, "Be the change that you wish to see." If we are faithful to what God is calling us to do, a new hunger will make itself known. This new hunger is the first sign of God's presence. When we remain attentive to this divine presence, we will discover that all things are being made new, and that will make a difference.... Happy New Year and Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2019 A Poem to the New Year I watched as the old hands of time made their way to midnight, and like two hands folded in prayer lifted high, I said good bye to one year and welcomed the next. I can't say that I felt any remorse as Auld Lang Syne often makes me feel. Somehow above the sounds of rockets exploding, people cheering and laughing, a somber reminder that peace on earth still has a long way to go. I couldn't help but remember the challenges this last year had brought, as well as the hopes and dreams crushed, but somewhere, under leaves that withered and left only a memory, a new leaf emerges, as a new generation does. I suppose I'm still a romantic, filled with hope as those who wish upon stars and cross their hearts. Until the new year proves itself, I might actually hold my breath and pray I don't find myself gasping following some act. Like so many others on this journey, I will raise to heaven, with both heart and lips, one more request. "May God bless all humanity, both living and the dead." For on this day I am but one among nations and city blocks, to proclaim, "May I be healthy and strong. Be surrounded by those I love. May strangers find hospitality, and may I be given the mind to discern Godly answers, when given the choice to answer or be silent." "Teach me to be transparent, even when it seems overwhelmingly vulnerable." "God of this new year, please, may YOU be, present to us always, even when we close our eyes." And with that, I watched as the hands of time, slowly slipped away from one another. In my heart it was clear, I am the one who must now be the vessel that will initiate all these things. |
AuthorRev. G. Todd Williams is the author of the book, "Remember Me When..." and is a former hospice chaplain and pastor. Archives
February 2024
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