Daily Advent Reflection: Dec 6

Today's reflection comes on a Saturday, the weekly day of rest and reflection our Jewish sisters and brothers honor as commanded by God. The following was spoken by Rabbi Arthur Waskow and can be read in its entirety here.

In the following excerpt, Rabbi Waskow is telling about the two names that God reveals to Moshe (Moses) through a burning bush...

"The first one is Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh. "I will be who I will be." I am not stuck in who I was, or who I am. I am becoming. Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh. A great spiral of transformation, in which we draw again and again on what has gone before us, ancient and just 25 years ago. We draw on what has come before us in order to move forward deeply on the great spiral. Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh. With such a God, we, too, can become.

And the second name that God reveals: God calls Moshe aside, intimately, and whispers, "Let me tell you my nickname. What is my nickname? Yud Hey Vov Hey." No vowels. Not Jehova or Yahweh. Certainly not Adonai, Lord. These are strange letters. Not quite consonants, not quite vowels. Yud Hey Vov Hey. In English, Y-H-W-H. This is the name we have been taught not to pronounce.

So, on a day that honors rebels, I invite you -- l don't command you -- I invite you, if you are willing, quietly, to try, simply, to pronounce it. Y-H- W-H, with no vowels. Y-H-W-H. With no vowels. For me, it comes out [DEEP EXHALE] just breathing. The most intimate name of God, just breathing. What we breathe out, the trees breathe in. What the trees breathe out, we breathe in. We breathe each other into life. We gather together to breathe words with each other, to join the Breath of Life. And the Breath of Life breathes out, as well as in. The Breath of Life inspires, and the Breath of Life expires."

© Rabbi Arthur Waskow [Permission is given to reproduce for personal use, provided the entire text is kept intact, including this notice. Other uses require the permission of the author.] Rabbi Arthur Waskow founded and directs the Shalom Center and is the author of Godwrestling, and other works of Jewish renewal.


This 2006 video is of Rabbi Waskow calling for peace. May we be provoked to wake up, take a deep breath and join the Breath of Life in becoming peace ...

Daily Advent Reflection: Dec 5

Today's reflection comes from The Song of Simeon and the Book of Common Prayer order for compline, which is an ancient night-time prayer. It can be read alone at any time, or try reading it with your dear ones at night before sleeping.


Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping; that awake
we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.

Lord, you now have set your servant free
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel.
Glory to God, and to the Christ, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

All repeat the Antiphon

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping; that awake
we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.

Daily Advent Reflection: Dec 4

In the spirit of keeping awake, and in light of yesterday's division in the Episcopal church, receive this blessing today from Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson.

Advent Reflection: Dec. 3

"Darius and the Clouds"
from The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

"You can never have too much sky. You can fall asleep and wake up drunk on sky, and sky can keep you safe when you are sad. Here there is too much sadness and not enough sky. Butterflies too are few and so are flowers and most things that are beautiful. Still, we take what we can get and make the best of it.

Darius, who doesn't like school, who is sometimes stupid and mostly a fool, said something wise today, though most days he says nothing. Darius, who chases girls with firecrackers or a stick that touched a rat and thinks he's tough, today pointed up because the world was full of clouds, the kind like pillows.

You all see that cloud, that fat one there? Darius said. See that? Where? That one next to the one that look like popcorn. That one there. See that. That's God, Darius said. God? somebody little asked. God, he said, and made it simple."

Gift Making Party & Workshop This Sunday

Our second gift-making party is Sunday, Dec. 7. at 4 pm at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.

You can bring your own project and hang out or jump into the big pile of supplies and idea books on hand.

This week we'll have a sewing machine set up (thanks to Alana who fixed it!), a bucket of paper mache goo ready to go, and a color printer and computer for making t-shirt transfers (we have a few transfer sheets to share), along with an iron and ironing board.

At 5:30 we'll serve some homemade soup. Supper is a suggested donation of $5 or pay-what-you-can to help cover the cost of the seasonal, mostly local food.

Here are some scenes from last weeks gift making party.

Daily Advent Reflection: Dec. 2

Keeping Awake

Let me respectfully remind you:
life and death are of extreme importance.

Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is easily lost.
Each of us should strive to awaken, awaken, awaken.
Take heed, do not squander your life.

—Buddhist Gatha

God we do not want to squander our lives. Help us to wake up. And to be ready to welcome you with open arms where ever you show up this week.

One way to awaken is through meditation. The website from the younger folks involved in the World Community for Christian Mediation is a good place to start...

thespiritualsolution.com

And here's a bit more on breathing from Tom Harpur, who wrote the book, Prayer: The Hidden Fire. (Kelowna, BC: Northstone Publishing, 1998)...

"Catch your breath and it will free you. Breathing properly is perhaps the most basic factor in meditation. You can base an entire period of meditation just on your breathing. In fact, some styles of meditation center their entire approach on breathing alone. The breathing pattern of most of us is too rapid and shallow. Anytime you find yourself struggling with meditation, check your breathing. Slow down the pace, breathe deeply, and relax.

Simple Breathing Meditation Exercise

1. Sit quietly in an upright position ...
   Close your eyes ...
   Become aware of this body-self that is you ...
   Focus on your breath ...
   Notice the pattern of your breathing ...
   as it moves in ... as it moves out...
   Notice how fast you are breathing ...
   Notice whether you are breathing deeply
   or with shallow breaths ...
   Notice where your body moves when you breathe ...
   Is the movement in your chest...
   or in your belly? ...
2. Watch your breathing for a moment ...
   You may find that just attending to your breath
   will allow you to relax ...
   As you focus and breathe ...
   let your breaths become slower ...
   and deeper ...
   Let your body relax ...
   and move to a sense of peace ...
   
3. Notice where your body is sore or tense ...
   Imagine the breath moving to that place
   and gently massaging the tightened knots
   of tension ... or fear ... or anger ...
   Simply allow the breath to open up your body ...
   so that your life energy can flow freely...
   As you do so, you are preparing yourself for prayer ...
4. As you focus on your breathing ...
   you may notice thoughts coming and going ...
   Just notice the thoughts ...
   then let them go ...
   You may want to imagine them as clouds
   floating across the horizon ...
   or as leaves on a stream being carried away ...
   Just as your lungs generate breath ...
   your mind generates thoughts ...
   As thoughts arise ...
   gently return your focus to your breath ...
   Notice the space that opens inside you as you relax ...
   as you gradually come into your sacred centre ...

This reflection by Tom Harpur on breathing was found at stillpresence.com. It offers a good written introduction to Christian meditation and centering prayer from some of the leading teachers on the subject, including John Main (his teachings started the World Community for Christian Meditation) and Cynthia Bourgeault, an Episcopal priest, hermit, writer, and teacher of the contemplative path.

Daily Advent Reflection: Dec. 1

Monday, December 1st
World AIDS Day, 20th Anniversary
Tucson event: Massive community gathering of music, stories, and art at Club Congress tonight, 4pm-8pm

Keeping in this week's theme of staying awake...

"History will judge us on how we respond to the AIDS emergency in Africa… whether we stood around with watering cans and watched while a whole continent burst into flame… or not."

—Bono

I'm not sure buying a red shirt/ipod/bag/cup of coffee is enough.

The theme for World AIDS day this year is leadership. To find out how you can make a conscious choice to fight AIDS go to:

http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/