 "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard." ~ Psalm 19:1-3 There is something about breaking bread, lifting a cup in prayer, and the words reminding us that bread represented a body broken, and that a cup represented blood that would be poured out for many.
When God took on flesh in Jesus Christ, the Divine and the created, the eternal and the temporal became united. This unity now means that all who live now, shall live forever. Everything mortal now points to the immortal Creator. In and through Jesus all creation has become the means for the face of God to be revealed to us. What I have discovered is that all things are sacred because God has spoken all things into existence. There is a redeeming quality in all things and everyone because with each creative stroke of the master, it is done in love. We aren't just here. We are an intentional part of the masterpiece! Seas and winds, mountains and trees, sun, moon, and stars, and all the animals and people have become sacred windows offering us glimpses of God. The sky above declares the glory of God, and we are reflective of God's glory. Let it shine, let it shine! Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020  Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. Jesus called his followers to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way." They answered, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?" "How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied, "and a few small fish." He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. ~ Matthew 15: 30-37 Fishermen along the Texas City Dike remind me of the solitude that the Disciples must have known prior to being called by Jesus.
The men who spent their time mending nets, casting their nets for fish, and living side by side, must have thought at one time or another that the crowds were overwhelming. It's like having a bus load of strangers dropped off at your home to visit someone staying at your home, and then everyone looks at you at once and says, "We are hungry!" And then you realize you haven't any food in the freezer, and only a few left overs packed away in the refrigerator. You haven't gotten paid, and you certainly don't feel comfortable leaving your home to seek out food. A call goes out among all. "Look, I can't care for you all." Somehow it seems to be okay. A few fish and some bread is pulled from the cabinet, there is grace, and somehow everyone in the room partakes. People are complimenting you on the hospitality and when the plates return, there is so much food, that you have to get another roll of aluminum wrap out to package what's left. Your refrigerator is full and everyone is ready to nap on your floor because they are so satisfied from the meal. The abundance that each of us experiences when we spend time with God can be overwhelming. There surely were days when those Fishermen wished they could go back and pick up those empty nets and spend the day in solitude. The ability to adapt, and to reach out to others was something that Jesus saw in each of the Disciples. Just as there are qualities in each of us that exists that only become known when we leave our current existence and trust enough in God to follow. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020  The old Gosport Bridge near Gosport, Indiana. For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ~ 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 I've been feeling nostalgic the last few days, as a new group has been formed among several of us who grew up in and around Spencer, Indiana. As I approach my fortieth year since graduation, the memories of those days in Latin class, going to the Drive In and creating homecoming floats for parades, seem to come to life as other friends share their memories as well. I recognize that we are a living time capsule, ready to be opened, and to once again cast our eyes on what once was.
It makes me wonder about the times when those who walked with Jesus would gather around and "remember." In moments that were more than just breaking of bread and sips from a blessing cup, I can only imagine how they shared of moments when they were dirty from dusty roads, remembering that "one time" when Peter thought he could walk on water, and surely the afternoon when they saw Lazarus emerge from the tomb. Yes, I can only imagine what those conversations must have been like. I am drawn to remember nights when we would lay outside on the ground and stare at the sky, as fireflies would compete with stars that seemed to be so much brighter than they are today. How we would listen to the corn literally stretch, crack and grow, as it reached higher and higher. The distant sound of a calf who cried for its mother, and the occasional screech of an owl as it left the branches of the high pine tree branch. The gospel is meant to be like that for us. To breathe life, while bringing hope, peace, and unconditional love. For the times when we find ourselves feeling lonely, confronting impossible challenges, and when we hold one another. As we lift common words together to the One that is in heaven, "hallowed be Thy name..." I am driven by a faith that begins with the resurrected Jesus and fed by the memories and experiences of those who have lived a faithful life, filled with events that become memories of how their faith sustained and shaped each step. For us, these memories help us to understand how God can proclaim to be the great "I am," while always being present for each breath we encounter. I am grateful for those who have shared memories, how those days have shaped our understanding of the world, and how we are drawn to be community today. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020  "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven" ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1 Growing up in Indiana, I used to just love the fall. The hills and hollers would turn into a sea of red and orange. If you were to shuffle your feet while you walked, you could hear the sound of autumn as leaves crunched beneath your feet.
It's interesting how different seasons promote different memories. Although I miss those moments, for me now as an adult, the thought of fall is quickly a reminder that winter will soon follow. Aging is a process that we all encounter. I was reminded several years ago that we are Ecclesiastical people. Our lives are marked by seasons, or chapters. Our ability to maneuver through seasons, or situations in our lives, mark both our successes and challenges. Years of education, jobs, and the journeys as we create relationships. Autumn also reminds me of the term, "golden years," when we begin to reflect on all of these things, and prepare to enter our next journey as we die. Choosing to end one chapter and beginning the next can be created in many things. What's difficult for many of us is when a chapter ends abruptly, leaving us feeling like a failure because it may not have ended as we had hoped. Sometimes those endings leave us filled with uncertainty as a new chapter begins, and the fear of failure, or unsure of how to begin again paralyzes us. For the trees of the forest, the leaves that sprout forth in spring helps to identify the type of tree. While the green color of summer may look like the rest of the summer, the onset of autumn reveals much more. So it is with our lives until touched by God, who then reveals to us who we can truly be. Even as the leaves are surrendered in the fall, and the onset of winter leaves the tree bare. There is always the spring that will once again cause the cycle to begin again. God is always like that. Even while we look at a chapter in our life ending, God has the next chapter ready to be written. To everything there is a season... Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020  He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. ~ Mark 4:39 Our eyes are on the sea as the impending storm is approaching. Vincent van Gogh in a series of letters shared of the sea. He wrote: "It is true there is an ebb and flow, but the sea remains the sea."
In our lives we are brought to places where we experience both highs and lows. Our spiritual life also encounters many shifts, while God remains the same. In many ways, God is the sea. I shared with our hospice team this morning as we finish preparations for the storm and the care of our patients, God is the sustainer of life, and God continues to call us back. Even during days of sadness, days of joy, days of uncertainty, moments of gratitude and through exhausting failures, we are being embraced by God's unwavering love. God is the sea, that when the storms of life overwhelm us, we must remember there is the ebb and flow of God that remains. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ~ John 14:3 This picture was taken when I was about 15 years old. I'm the kid looking down at the ground, standing next to one of our fields on our farm in Southern Indiana. My grandfather took this photo. Funny how some days just seem to stay in your memory.
Life on our farm never seemed to be "easy," although there was nothing like being able to spend time walking a fence-line after a storm, play under the falls from the stream down at the bottom of the hill, or to watch as our cattle were turned out for the first time in the spring. They would literally kick their hooves up as the green meadow greeted them. While I don't talk about it much, my stepfather was a pretty abusive man. I'm not sure if it was the pressure of raising five children in a blended family. Trying to take care of a farm, while driving fifty miles each day to work as a foreman in a factory. Being married to my mom who was an alcoholic. As an adult I have spent years of my life "processing," so much of what occured during those years, with a lot of grace and forgiveness. So much of the time I would think of living life beyond those fields, especially when an encounter with my stepfather had been exceptionally harsh. I remember praying... a lot. Sometimes the prayers were for understanding. Sometimes for God to change everything. Sometimes they were raised just simply to talk to someone I thought would listen. Funny how forty years later I look at this picture and see the green field in my mind and think of it as the quiet meadow that the Psalmist shares of in the 23rd Psalm. I think of how God takes places of uncertainty for us and provides a place of safety. Even in the eye of the storm, there can be peace. I'm not sure what it is about our human nature that draws us to look beyond. As I sit with patients as they are dying, so often I watch as they stare "beyond," and often times will "reach" for what I cannot see. Our spirit knows that we are created to live beyond. Jesus tells the disciples, "I go to prepare a place for you..." I'm grateful to know that beyond the field, God has a place for us all. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020  "What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. So it will be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable..." ~ I Corinthians 15: 36b, 37, 42 In my life I have spent hours sharing my faith while encouraging others to believe that death is a passage to new life as they live out their final days. I will admit, that while I try to remain positive during these conversations, in the back of my mind I wonder if I will be ready to make this journey myself?
What most of us don't realize is that our life isn't about one journey, but many. When we are born we make a passage from life in the womb to life in the family. When we go to school we make a passage from life in the family to life in the larger community. When we get married we make a passage from a life with many options to a life committed to one person. When we retire we make a passage from a life of clearly defined work to a life asking for new creativity and wisdom. Each of these passages is a death leading to new life. When we live these passages well, we are becoming more prepared for our final passage. I am grateful to have been blessed by folks who have blessed me in their final journey. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." ~ Philippians 4:13 Recognizing potential within ourselves is something that comes easy for some, while others seem to take a lifetime to discover.
One of the things I used to ask the youth I would encounter living on the street was, "Who told you this about yourself, and why did you believe it?" It works for both good things and bad. Let's say you go through life hearing each day that you do something poorly. After a period of time, you may actually begin to think that what you are hearing about yourself is true. Words that we hear about ourselves can be powerful. How we talk to others can also be powerful. I'm grateful that God doesn't always make sense. You know, I just love it when the "least expected" becomes the overwhelming answer to a situation. It is both unexpected and it's what miracle stories are all about. Listening to what others say about us only has power when we begin to believe it. Divine intervention has overwhelming consequences. Believing in our potential starts with a simple verse, "I can do all things..." Words of encouragement for one another begins with, "I believe you can..." Being the example is "Believing I can because God is speaking and I am listening..." Be the words that you speak! Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020  Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ~ Matthew 11:28 - 30 This morning I am making plans to meet with a family that I have known for a few years now as they place a loved one on hospice. I have been on several journeys with them, as I have served as both a chaplain and pastor for them. A few years ago I met the matriarch of the family when she was on hospice, who smiled each time I entered the home as she welcomed me. Her husband, one of the true heroes of WWII, who marched into Japan just days after the atomic bomb changed the world forever, would show me photos that he took, and share how "God walked with us."
I soon met their grandson, who would come and watch football games with his grandfather, and help to organize plants on the patio. The two were so much fun to watch, as they would root for opposing teams, and laugh at poorly delivered jokes. On Easter morning before going to the church I serve, I made the trip to Sugar Land to break bread with them and celebrate with the words, "He is Risen!" Within eighteen months, I would preside at the funeral for all three of these people. Funny how life is like that. Funny how my life just seems to be full of people in the final chapters of their life. While hospice is like that, it is also about helping others through these chapters. I know today when I enter the home of this family, the familiar, "Pastor Todd," will be the name they will call me. The name given to me by the matriarch who refused to call me, "Todd." I will once again be listening to how another final chapter is being written, and I will once again hold their hands as we pray. These are "normal" days for me. In many ways, I am reminding myself that Jesus was not afraid of, or overwhelmed by things like this. Instead, he invites us to bring it all before him. The words of Matthew seem to resonate within me as I think of the day before me... "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-30) These are the words that we can carry with us as we all remain in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020  Then Job replied to the Lord, "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.' " ~ Job 42:1 - 3 One thing we are learning about living in a pandemic, is that we are being reminded how unexpected events are molding and shaping our hearts.
Whether it is something that brings us joy, or even sorrow, there is something about each new day that we are encountering that changes us. We are all learning something about empathy. It is easier to empathize with someone when you realize the similar journey. If you have been wounded, or experienced the joy similar to what is being shared, then our ability to be present with one another somehow is also changed. Last year after my cousin, John, died while being cared for by the hospice that I serve, I suddenly discovered that with each new family that I was meeting, I could listen and understand what they were going through in a new way. Up until John's death, I was someone who cared for people who were on hospice, not completely understanding what the person was sharing and going through, until I made the journey with John. While it has brought me to a new place, I realize that I don't have to encounter everything that people have experienced in order to care. There are so many things present in the world today that cause us to move apart from one another. The world's fast-paced, 8 second sound bytes, leave us with the simple, "I'm fine," and walk away when we are asked how we are doing. Imagine the answers to the same question, "How are you really doing?" if the person being asked really knew that you cared, and that you would stop to listen? The unexpected cannot happen and change us unless we are willing to allow for it to happen. Could you imagine if God were to listen to our needs the way that we listen to the needs of others? Could you imagine our relationship with God if God only gave us 8 seconds to share what we are feeling, experiencing, or needing? It serves as a reminder that we need to make our ability to create intimate relationships with one another something that we intentionally do. In many ways, our lives become an empty existence. Experiencing the unexpected requires a willingness to not be in control. It requires trust, surrender, and a willingness to allow God to guide us, even in the midst of the days were are living in now. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020  A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ~ Psalm 23:1 - 6 Years ago John Gorka wrote these words, "Life is full of disappointment, and I am full of life."
I will admit, I have had several disappointments in my life over the last year. Some have included work, relationships with others, and my own personal need for change. One thing is for certain, disappointments are inevitable. Through each up, there seems to be a down. Through each hope, there is the feeling of hopelessness. In chaos, there is still the underlying of peace. From excitement to depression. Joy to sorrow. For some, it doesn't take much to move from one feeling to the next. The older I get, the more I realize that I really don't have control over these changes. It seems that they happen TO us, rather than being created BY us. I think what is becoming more important is to realize that these circumstances are part of our emotional life, but are not the same as our spiritual life. Often when I meet patient families for the first time I remind them that while their loved-one's body and mind seem to be struggling with what is happening, the person's spirit is still alive and well. A reminder that we are made up of mind, body and soul. Our spiritual life is the life of the Spirit of God within us. We we do encounter disappointments, we feel our emotions shift and we must connect our own spirit with the Spirit of God and remind ourselves that what we feel is not who we are. We are and remain, God's beloved children. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020  For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us -- and we ought to lay down our lives for one another." ~ 1 John 3: 11,16 About a month ago I spent time with a family who was very unique. They were joined together by a heart. The heart of a son who had been killed in a car wreck. His heart had been donated to a woman who desperately needed the heart to live. The donation brought the opportunity for the woman to live a very full life for seventeen years.
In that time, the woman had married and had two children. The woman had also met and became friends with the heart donor's family. In fact, her first child, a son, was named after man whose heart she now lived with daily. About a year ago the woman learned that she had a rare form of cancer, and that there was really no treatment. Realizing this, she decided to live out her life to the fullest. Along with her on this journey was the mother of the man whose heart she now had. As we sat and talked, with both her mom and the donor's mom present, I listened to a beautiful story of hope and of perseverance, but mostly a story about love. "I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful daughter," the donor's mother shared, holding the hand of the woman. "I can still feel my son with each beat of his heart, but I have to admit, this journey, this sickness, has been like losing him all over again. Only this time, there is so much more going on. There are children to think about, a husband, and another mother and father who are losing a daughter." Our understanding of laying our life down for others comes to us in many ways. Many may begin to think of words such as "surrender" or "acceptance" when it comes to laying our life down for others. It really is about wholly being available to others, but mostly being available to God. "I would have never have thought my life would be so fully blessed on the night that we lost our son, but it was. We realized that his life was meant for a greater purpose after the car wreck. It was meant to be a way for others to have a better life." So often when we think of laying down our life for others we think of what will be lost. To these women, they completely understood what had been gained. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020  Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Those who come to me will never go hungry, and those who believe in me will never be thirsty." ~ John 6: 35 Have you ever gotten into an argument with someone concerning a story in the Bible? Well, I have. I will be the first to admit, the older I get, the less I like conflict, especially when it comes to things in the Bible. Frankly, sometimes I wish that I had been present with Jesus, walking along dusty roads, and asked him directly about different things.
While I lived through the, "WWJD...What would Jesus do?" fad, and rebelled by confusing the issue with sharing that we should actually ask, "What would Mary do?" since Mary was fully human and Jesus was also Divine, I must admit, lately I have found myself asking, "What would Jesus say?" I still hold to my Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) reminder that, "Where Scripture speaks, we should speak, and where it is silent, we should remain silent." I know people who swear by the "red-letter," versions of scripture that leave me wondering, "Who the heck had a red pen in those days?" I am grateful for the long discussions that we would have in both my Hebrew and Greek classes in seminary that often would leave us questioning scripture more, than truly providing answers. Nowadays, most of these arguments seem to live on social media. That's the place where I had my last "Biblical showdown." I will admit, I just reached a point where I erased all my comments, left the conversation, and figured that my time could be spent on something more productive. Like world peace. The discussion didn't end there. The next thing that I received was a text from the person asking if I had deleted my comments (which I did), and then the person wanted to know if I wanted to "talk further," to which I said, "No, not at the moment." I really needed time to think about what the person had shared, why he shared it, and how I could sit "at the table" with my Biblical enemy as the Psalmist declares we will one day. Don't get me wrong. I love it when the children of God find themselves at odds with scripture. It actually provides for moments where growth can happen. Unfortunately when our brother or sister is dead-set on how a particular scripture is to be interpreted, without room for the Spirit of God to speak to the current situation, then I am left feeling like I don't want to do anything but walk away. I want to ask, "What would Jesus say?" When I see the Amazon burning. The death of an iceberg. A child sitting in a cage. A man calling out, "I can't breathe." A woman knocked to the ground because she doesn't see the need to wear a mask in public. A father picking up a child from school with a gun strapped to his leg where a school shooting has just occurred. When fingers of judgement point, and people are persecuted. When we fail to see the image of God in the face of the stranger. On and on, I want to ask, "What would Jesus say?" The calming factor in all of this is the reality that Jesus is actually closer to us now than he was to his own friends when he walked the dusty roads. Today he is present in an intimate way. He resides within. His words exist among us, even when we disagree. But through the ages he calls and reminds us to respect one another. To allow for us to pull the timber from our own eyes, before noting the splinter in others. To sit in the presence of those we don't care for, and break bread. But most of all, to challenge us to love one another, even when we disagree. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020  "Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me." ~ Psalm 69:15, 16 If you ask God for something, you have to make room to receive it.
I know that there have been times when I have found myself praying for something, and then realized that in order for the answer to appear, there was something about me that was going to have to change. There was a dear friend of mine years ago who shared that she just felt like her prayers were going, "No where." She shared that she spent hours praying that God would hear her prayers and provide the answer. I remember laughing, although she was very serious, when she said, "I don't think that my words are going any farther than the room that I am in." My response? "Then step outside of the room." So much of the time we get caught in patterns that are unhealthy, and situations that seem to replay over and over. Sometimes the things that we are asking for in prayer simply are waiting for us to make room in our life for the blessing to appear. We often forget that our relationship with God is to be two-sided. In that relationship we need to create places that keep time and space open for God. For example, we cannot add one more thing to a calendar that is already filled with activities. Something has to be moved or changed in order to allow for the activity to happen. The same goes for the things we are praying for! Mohandas Gandhi reminds us to, "Be the change that we want to see in the world." What are you changing in your life to allow for God to answer the prayers that you are lifting? Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020  The Lord is my shepherd and I shall not want... ~ Psalm 23:1 A few years ago I found myself walking through the words of the 23rd Psalm and was moved to reflect and write the following.
The 23rd Psalm for Today The Lord is my Shepherd...I am a wanderer among those in the world, both stranger and friend. I need guidance to keep me from harm. I shall not want... because I receive exactly not what I want, but what I need. Sometimes I don't understand how this works, but often in time I discover that it really "was" best for me. While providing green pastures... with blades of grass so soft, I find myself staring at clouds and feel the sun on my face as I lay on the hillside. There is water that is still... I stare into it, and realize the image that I see is mine, but also belongs to the One who created me. My soul is restored... I am reminded that You love me, and that You care for me completely. I am provided a pathway to walk, that is both safe and protected... when there are so many crossroads and turns I could take, I know with Your guidance, I can never be lost. And though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death... I am reminded that Your light casts a shadow so that I can still find my way. I will fear no evil... because I know that Your love for me will save me, even when I forget that You are there. For You are with me... Always! In every breath. In every beat of my heart. In every thought! Your rod and staff comfort me... I am protected by Your presence, and anyone or anything that might try to hurt me, You quickly stand between me and any harm. You anoint my head with oil... marking me so that others may know that I am Yours. My cup runneth over... with so many blessings in my life that I cannot even begin to understand how amazing my life is! Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me... and remain so close that I can sense their steps right with mine, and often overtake me. And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever... wherever I may be, wherever I may go, I am never homeless. Your Kingdom is here, and I am one of its citizens! Thanks be to God forever! Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2020 |
AuthorRev. G. Todd Williams is the author of the book, "Remember Me When..." and is a former hospice chaplain and pastor. Archives
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