God as mystery, as truth, as experience within, between and beyond – daily and pervasive presence embedded in the core of our being and made known through all we think, say and do. We pause and pray, centering in focused determination…and with our minds distracted all over the place. We let go, we relax, breath deeply, doze and meditate on life and love and cares. In this frozen, shrouded landscape, we too, are hidden elusively, covered by pretensions, masks and fears. We present and expose the cadences of our lives, that they match the eternal drumbeat and rhythm of the universe as it reverberates resoundingly across time, ages, traditions and worlds.

We celebrate the varied understandings, questions and assurances of faith. We affirm what is meaningful to us as individuals and respect what is meaningful to others as we travel together seeking and experiencing purpose, hope and comfort. We open ourselves to the possibility of believing what cannot be seen or verified; we accept that faith may be what we simply believe in; we contrast what may be believed as compared to what is beloved, that is, what we give ourselves to and what wakes us up from morning to morning; and, we resist the seductive and age-old trend to turn our biases or opinions into creeds that confine, limit and forge boundaries between people and traditions.

May we be as vessels, human radio tuners, receiving divine wisdom and then radiating what is faithful and life-giving. Might we simply listen and trust that the presence, life-force and benevolence of the universe, the God in all interpretations is active and is working toward the best for all humanity and all creation.

We recognize our connection to all people at this time, not just those we know, care for and love. We remember all Israelies, all Palestinians, all soldiers, all government leaders of the world; We extend wisdom, discernment and love to them, that they would seek what is right, peaceful and fair for all. We remember those homeless or precariously housed – the uncertain ones about how the next meal or utility bill will be paid. To them we seek out and offer collaborative response and resolution. To all others in our minds and hearts, we melt into compassion and unconditional love.

We dwell in what is lovely and calm; we struggle with what is bloody, awful and achy. In these leaner days, may we reside in faithful humanity, that which desires faith not as possessed, guarded or defended, but rather a faith as underlying assurance that points to and celebrates a love-infused creation and purposes understood through every pain and pleasure. Whether simple or complicated, we affirm faith in all its varied understandings and allow these understandings to expand us, ground us, free and assist us in an ever-growing humanity. Amen.

 

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