Holy Moments

Holy Moments

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!  I John 3:1

I have a friend whose name is Kathleen.  We actually call each other Gazelda, but that is a story for another day.  Kathleen and I shared several seminary classes together.  We later enjoyed attending conferences together.  We had this “thing” we did.  We lived in different states and had very different lives but this one thing we shared seemed to seal our friendship.  We named Holy Moments.  Sacramental Moments.  There were many and we never knew when we would share one.  A sacrament is when you experience the holy with your senses. 

Some sacramental moments we shared would include a magnificent western sunset, the soft colors of the eastern sunrise, making snow angels (never mind that we were grown women with children and jobs!), walking in Evanston in the dark while it was snowing, sitting on the rocks on the edge of Lake Michigan, seeing snow in the late spring in North Carolina, moving worship or special music were certainly holy moments…You get the drift.

Barbara Brown Taylor, from The Preaching Life writes, "The search for sacraments becomes a search for our connections to God and to one another, and there is no end to them. They may sometimes be difficult to recognize in all the cares and occupations of our lives, and they may sometimes reveal truths we would rather not see, but to deny their existence--to declare any part of our lives devoid of sacraments--is to deny the sovereignty of God."

You see, when God encounters us in our ordinary lives - right in the middle of a place we had never thought of as particularly ‘godly,’ then we have a choice: we can keep on going and ignore what has happened, or we can mark – even just within ourselves – that moment, that spot, as holy.

I recently discovered a sacramental moment that was made between our three year old grandson, Shep and his Granddaddy.  It was just an ordinary night of washing hands before dinner in the little powder room.  Shep was standing on his stool so he could reach the water and the soap (!). Granddaddy was supervising, and took the towel down and dried Shep’s hands.  Then we all shared dinner.  Where’s the sacrament?  We didn’t know it had happened until the next time that Shep was over for dinner and handwashing. 

Once again, Shep was getting ready for dinner.  Granddaddy was still on his way home.   Shep’s  Mama told him to wash his hands.  He replied, “But Granddaddy’s not here.”  Again Mama said, “Shep, wash your hands.”  And he said, “OK Mama, but I’m gonna wait for Granddaddy to dry them.”  The holy moment had been while Shep’s hands were being dried by his Granddaddy – tenderly, thoroughly, together, grandfather and grandson.  And he wanted to experience that again.

In all our busyness, we could have missed that Holy Moment.  They happen all around us.  All the time.  Look for them.  Name them.  They are the lavish love of God.  

An Old Fashioned Good Time

An Old Fashioned Good Time

I’m thanking you, God, from a full heart, I’m writing the book on your wonders. I’m whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy; I’m singing your song, High God. Psalm 9: 1,2

It’s the beginning of August. Let me check with you – have you played this summer? What does playing look like for you? Is it full of laughter? Why play? Well, it is often said that play is a child’s work; and I think that grown ups are just bigger versions of children. The experts tell us that play activities are essential to healthy development. This process influences the development of fine and gross motor skills, language, socialization, personal awareness, emotional well-being, creativity, problem solving and learning ability.

When Kelly and I went to Texas for his family reunion, we all played. All our children and their children came and we all played. Kelly’s mom played. People with the last name Shepard were everywhere! The children giggled and laughed and swam and fished and skied. They ran through the yard toward the lake. They made instant friends with family they never knew they had. At one point during that hot Saturday afternoon, Harper, who had just broken her leg two days before, came up to Martin, her Daddy and said, “Daddy, why have you never brought me here before? It’s the best place ever! I never want to go home. ” Sadie cried when we left. We all left with bellies that held too much good Texas cooking, the satisfaction of playing a billion games of train dominoes, memories galore and the glow that comes from sitting under the stars watching the children and grandchildren light the sky with fireworks.

 Play - to take part in an enjoyable activity, especially a game, simply for the sake of amusement.

 The day before we left, we were headed by “the old homeplace” and stopped at the Loving Community Center. Jessica and I got the play! Round and round.  Laughing and carrying on.  Jess and I first met at a reunion when she was 5ish and I was in my twenties. She is Kelly’s first cousin. We have always loved each other. The thing is she lives in Sacramento and we don’t get to play often. But this year, we played. A cherished memory. Joy! And we’ve vowed to continue playing. How about you?

I’m thanking you, God, from a full heart, I’m writing the book on your wonders. I’m whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy; I’m singing your song, High God. Psalm 9: 1,2