I believe

 

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

I believe. . .

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Our pastor challenged us to write "I believe. .. " statements.  I could not get the Frankie Laine song (I Believe) out of my head, so I had to think of a "back door" to get to my beliefs.  My cousins are often quoting their mother who always said, "Everything will be all right, " and I thought maybe that was one way to get to my core beliefs.  What do I say all of the time?

There are two phrases I find myself repeating. One is, “Go while the gettin’ is good.” Thank goodness, Dave and I have always made quality travel experiences a priority since at this time, our health prevents us from traveling much.  Someone was surprised that I had already achieved 100 things on my “bucket list” but we travelled, skied, hiked, biked when we were young and healthy.  We might not have always lived in the largest house or driven the fanciest cars, but we chose to experience life to its fullest while we could. We loved to travel and hope to again some day.

My other frequently used phrase  is “ Life is too short for uncomfortable shoes.”  This probably began when I was in 8th grade.  I was always short, but suddenly I felt . . . .well, immature compared to my classmates.  So I went out and bought a pair of high heel shoes.  Yes, they were uncomfortable, but they made me look more mature.. . . or so I thought until I saw a reflection in a store window of myself walking.  I looked like a little girl clomping around in her mother’s high heels.  Then, I did the math.  I was 5’ tall and 3” heels made me 5’3” which was not exactly statuesque.  That was the last time I ever wore high heels.

I wore hush puppies, Dr. Scholl’s, Birkenstocks, Clarks and Merrills——insisting that there was more to life than fashionable and uncomfortable shoes.  I also took that credo to other aspects of my life.  I drive a VW Beetle which makes me smile and fits me just right. My kitchen island is shorter than counter tops so I can work comfortably. I seldom wear skirts or dresses which bind me at the waist.  I don’t watch television which makes me squirm with its language or violence.  I shut off all political diatribes on facebook by “hiding” them or blocking the original poster.  

But, lately I’ve noticed that I’ve started avoiding people and groups which make me uncomfortable, also. It probably began when I had to limit my social contact due to being immune suppressed. Also, I’ve had blood pressure issues for years.   I see a doctor regularly, but. . . .when I’m with pessimistic people, toxic people, or angry people, my blood pressure rises. Whether it’s their politics, their slant on Christianity,  or their values, I just haven’t be able to make room in my life for people who are binding and make me squirm.  If I have to limit my social contact, then I want it to be with healthy people in every aspect. So, I’ve expanded my “Life is too short for uncomfortable shoes” to “Life is too short to surround myself with people who make me uncomfortable.”  

Which bring me to my “I believe “statement. . . . I believe in freedom from things, people, places that bind me.  I believe in freedom to choose where I live, how I live, with whom I live.My DNA says that I descend from a slave in America, and now I wonder if my need for freedom and travel comes from something imbedded in my DNA. But, maybe by “choosing my social contacts” I am in truth restricting myself to just people who are like myself.  Maybe I need to break out of my “comfort zone” in order to be truly free of chains. Maybe, as my daughter suggested, those whom I see as negative or shallow, need encouragement to break their chains also.

Psalm 107:13-16 - Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.

Jaclyn Morgan

Joyful, Joyful

 

Monday, May 20, 2013

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee

 When asked to name a hymn that filled him with joy, Frank Calkins chose this hymn as did Sherry Naylor.  Sherry says," How can you listen to that uplifting music and sing those happy words and not be full of joy?  All hymns are joyful--they praise God.  Easter service is not right without the joyful words of "Jesus Christ is Risen Today!  Alleluia!"

 When we sang it a few weeks ago during worship at St. Mark Presbyterian, I, too, had decided this was one of my favorite hymns.  As an English and German teacher, this hymn is perfect.  The lyrics are beautiful poetry and the music is Beethoven's "Hymn to Joy".  It doesn't get any better than that.  If you don't want an English teacher's analysis of the poetry, stop here and just savor the lyrics.



According to Robert J. Morgan in Then Sings My Soul, 

In 1907, Henry van Dyke was invited to preach at Williams College in Massachusetts.  At breakfast one morning, he handed the college president a piece of paper saying, "Here is a hymn for you.  Your mountains (the Berkshires) were my inspiration.  It must be sung to the music of Beethoven's 'Hymn of joy'"

Beautiful metaphors and similes create pictures that help us understand God's Grace:  Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee. . .Melt the clouds of sin and sadness. . .Fill us with the light of day.

Alliteration takes us to peaceful places:  Field and Forest, vale and mountain, Flowery meadow, flashing sea, Chanting bird and flowing fountain, Call us to rejoice in Thee.

Repetition makes us focus:  Thou art giving and forgiving, Ever blessing, ever blest.

Rhyming is also there for poetry purists:
Ever singing, march we onward, 
Victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us sunward
In the triumph song of life.

The Ties that Bind

 

Monday, July 8, 2013

Blessed Be the Tie that Binds

 Phil Keim said "Blessed Be the Tie that Binds"  was his mother's favorite hymn and has become one of his favorites, too.  For me, I am taken back 50 years to a play in high school:  Our Town.  I had never sung the hymn until this play. (Yes, I am in the photo above) Singing it three times nightly, it became a favorite of mine, too.

1 Blest be the tie that binds
our hearts in Christian love;
the fellowship of kindred minds
is like to that above. 

 

2 Before our Father's throne
we pour our ardent prayers;
our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,
our comforts and our cares.

Although most people think of the ties as being Christian ties that bind us together, for Thornton Wilder, the author of Our Town, to have it sung three times during the play, it meant something else to him.  The first time it was sung was when Emily and George met at church in the choir.

3 We share our mutual woes,
our mutual burdens bear,
and often for each other flows
the sympathizing tear. 

 

4 When we are called to part,
it gives us inward pain;
but we shall still be joined in heart,
and hope to meet again. 

 

5 This glorious hope revives
our courage by the way;
while each in expectation lives
and waits to see the day.

The second time it was sung was on their wedding day.  So, "the ties" here were marital ties for a couple beginning their lives together with "mutual woes" "but we shall still be joined in heart."

6 From sorrow, toil, and pain,
and sin, we shall be free;
and perfect love and friendship reign
through all eternity. 

The third time it is sung is after Emily's death.  "The ties" are this time the ones that join the living and the dead.  Emily is seen below in her wedding dress in the cemetery with other townsfolk.  She ponders her life.  With the hymn again being sung at her funeral, the emphasis is on death being a part of life---it is another stage often misunderstood by the living. "We shall be free; and perfect love and friendship reign through all eternity."

Betrayal

 

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Betrayal

The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

47 While Jesus was yet speaking, a crowd came. And he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. 48 But Jesus said to him, “Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

49 When those who were around Him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.

51 But Jesus said, “This is enough!” And He touched his ear and healed him.

52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, and captains of the temple guard, and the elders who had come for Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as against a rebel? 53 Daily, while I was with you in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness!”

Luke 22: 55-62

Betrayal. . . . while I don't recall many incidents of being betrayed, that feeling of having betrayed someone has never gone away---the guilt and the knowledge that I had hurt someone.  I don't think I've intentionally betrayed someone. . . .usually it's a betrayal of not acting. . .of staying in the shadows and watching injustice being done to someone undeserving just like some of the disciples at Jesus's arrest.

But sometimes, the betrayal has been more like Judas-- so focused on a goal that I didn't realize the consequences of my actions: that I had trampled on someone to reach my goal.  Those times are the most gut wrenching.  When Jesus said, "Judas, do you betray the son of Man with a kiss."  I can imagine Judas's eyes getting wider, getting focused with what he had done.  Suddenly he was seeing clearly what the priests had intended to do all along once Jesus was identified. He could clearly see that he had sparked the fire which was going to set the world ablaze.

...And, then when he  saw what the outcome could be, panic set in with that punch in the stomach feeling. . . . 

But, is it any more of a betrayal than those who stood by and didn't defend  Jesus?  Those who stood in the shadows, watched and remained silent as Jesus was arrested. Betrayal is betrayal---whether it's from standing by and watching or from identifying Jesus with a kiss.  And, don't we betray Jesus every time we stand by or let our pursuit of our goals hurt another.

Dear God, open our eyes to the many times we have betrayed Jesus and his teachings with our actions and our inactions.   Open our eyes to injustice, suffering, hunger, strife before it's too late.  Open our eyes when we unintentionally hurt someone on our way to fulfilling a dream.  Open our eyes to the consequences of our actions.  Help us to step out of the shadows and into the light on His path:  being faithful to Jesus's teachings and not betraying Him.  

From Maundy Thursday Worship Service 2017 by J. Morgan

Controversial Hymn

 

Monday, August 19, 2013

Controversial Hymn

While looking for another article on line, I ran across this news item about a hymn that was supposed to be in our new hymnal.  Click here if you want to read the entire article.

Basically, the hymnal committee, according to the article wanted to change one phrase: "The original lyrics say that “on that cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied.” The Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song wanted to substitute the words, “the love of God was magnified.”

This reminded me of a time in our Level Green Presbyterian Church when we never sang any hymns that were "too bloodly" or violent.  I had never paid much attention to lyrics until then.  Actually one of my favorite hymns as a child was "Onward Christian Soldier"---I especially loved the "marching into war" because our hymn leaders let us march.

So, at first when I read about this hymn I thought it was "the wrath of God" that the committee objected to, but, no, it was the word "satisfied".  First, that word implies contentment or satisfaction which I don't associate with God very often.  Second, I just like the imagery of "the love of God" over "the wrath of God."  John 3: 16 tells us: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."  That just doesn't sound like a wrathful God being satisfied that his son died on the cross.  Third, I don't even know what that means:  Jesus died on the cross and God was happy?



In the article, Scott Sauls tried to explain what "satisfied" meant:

But the Rev. Scott Sauls, pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, disagrees. He said the word “satisfied” means that Jesus paid the whole price for sins. 

“There’s no more work to be done,” said Sauls, whose congregation is part of the more conservative Presbyterian Church in America. “It is finished.”

Click here  for more on Rev. Scott Sauls who actually was once my daughter's pastor here in St. Louis.  Click here for the official Presbyterian statement. So, do you agree with Rev. Sauls on the meaning of "satisfied" or the Presbyterian Committee which omitted the hymn because that phrase would be mis-interpreted?

Mister Rogers

 

Friday, January 31, 2014

Mister Rogers

1977 Premium from PBS

When I was pregnant with my first child, I started watching "Sesame Street", a fairly new show on PBS.  As a high school teacher, I loved the wit and the pace.  While visiting a friend who was a new mother, I saw "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" and turned my nose up---so boring, so ordinary---none of the snap of "Sesame Street".

My friend assured me that it grew on her, and her son obviously loved it.  Shortly after that we moved to Pittsburgh, PA where Fred Rogers lived and filmed his show.  My daughter watched the show and it  started to grow on me:  I started listening to what Mr. Rogers said, the messages he was sending to our children.

Recently on Facebook, I've seen several references to Mister Rogers.

From Mashable:  "10 Mister Rogers Quotes to Remember on Bad Days". 

From Mental Floss:  "20 Gentle Quotations from Mister Rogers"

11. ON LOVE

"Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now."

Forty years later, I value "Mister Roger's Neighborhood" (and now "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood") more each day.  Click here for a previous post on Fred Rogers. What was "boring" is now calming.  What was "ordinary" is now comfortable.  With endorsements from Buzzfeed, Mashable and Mental Floss, Mister Rogers is epic, boss, awesome.

Quiet My Soul

 

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Quiet My Soul

Morning Psalm 42

1   As a deer longs for flowing streams,
          so my soul longs for you, O God.
2   My soul thirsts for God,
          for the living God.
     When shall I come and behold
          the face of God?
3   My tears have been my food
          day and night,
     while people say to me continually,
          “Where is your God?”

11  Why are you cast down, O my soul,
          and why are you disquieted within me?
     Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
          my help and my God.

And now we wait.  The last chemo was June 28 and we should be celebrating.  We wait for another PET scan to show us if my husband still has cancer.  He is feeling better, looks good, and I am hopeful that he will soon be strong again, but I can’t shake the “disquiet” in my soul.

We are grateful for a good life, caring children and loving grandchildren.  We are “comfortable” and not in need of anything, but. . . a clean scan.  Even with a clean scan, will I be worry-free?  Probably not—I will be waiting for the next scan—waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I feel battered like a ship in a storm.  The storm has moved on, but I feel damaged as I head into the port.  Will I be strong enough to withstand another storm?  What I need is peace and only I can find that, with God’s help. 

God, please give me strength and peace to navigate the troubled waters of life.  Make me strong enough to weather the next storm.  Quiet my soul.  You are bigger than the storms in my life.  Thank you for the gift of writing which helps me heal.  Thank you for our friends, family and church who are the lifeboats.  In Your name I pray. Amen.

JaclynMorgan

Photo by Torsten Dederichs on Unsplash

Becoming a Holy People

 

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Becoming a Holy People

Our Presbyterian Women's Bible Study this year is An Abiding Hope.  Last month's lesson was on 

"Becoming a Holy People".

Exodus 19: 3-6  Matthew 22: 34-40

The "key idea" was "In the covenant relationship, God offers us abundant blessings.  We honor this covenant through the choices we make each day."  The study concluded with a story about a Jewish gentleman who was questioned about his kosher eating habits. "I am free to eat anything.  I choose to eat only that which declares my loyalty to God."



We discussed what we do or have which declares our loyalty to God.   One person suggested wearing a cross is a daily reminder.  Another said she listens to Chuck Swindoll on the radio each morning on her way to work which is a great way to start her day.

Several responded that reading  a daily devotional like the Upper Room, prepares them for the day.  My mother and sister used to read the Upper Room together at the same time each morning in Dallas and St. Louis.  They didn't Skype and didn't use the phone.  It was just something they did in their own homes across the miles which brought them closer to each other and to God.

 I have a towel that hangs in my laundry room which I see every day as I go in and out the door to remind me that I am God's servant.  This was given to me many years ago when I became an elder at St. Mark as a reminder to serve.  Although I am no longer on session, it was a covenant that I still take seriously.

My daughter has another idea that I love.  She takes a photo on Instagram of three things each day that she is thankful for. #ldwthankful2014.  With that hashtag (#), she can see all of the photos she has posted for the entire year. Read her explanation---Click here.  By the end of the year, she will have 1000 things she is thankful for.

What do you do every day or during Lent to remind you of your covenant with God?

Holy God, we thank you for the amazing grace that makes us treasured in your eyes.  Help us to continue to grow into the people you would have us be---a covenant community dedicated to you and you alone.  Kindle such love in our hearts that all our choices may declare our devotion to you, especially as we reach out to those around us who have come to our area out of necessity and perhaps unwillingly.  May they discover your love and care through all who seek to help them.  In Christ's name, Amen.

Thin Places

 

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Thin Places

A few days ago, V. Sherman posted on Facebook "Just about to load the car to go to the sand dunes at a place that I think of as a 'thin place'. "  

She also included a link to an article about "thin places" from the New York times (Click here).  The first time I had heard of "thin places" was when Kim Skilling gave a series at St. Mark Presbyterian's Midweek on Celtic influences on Christianity called " Beneath the Celtic Cross of Jesus" where she talked of Iona (one of the "thin places" mentioned in the article).   I always thought there was maybe a list of "thin places"---it never occurred to me that they could be personal and maybe not be places recognized by the spiritual community as being "thin".  Reading the article and V's comment about the sand dunes, it didn't take me long to realize where my "thin place" is.

I had just said last weekend, I must visit Shaw's Garden (Missouri Botanical Garden) several times a year to feel restored.  When friends post on Facebook that they are there, I feel a tugging in my heart.  I always thought it was because I grew up near there:  it was where my family including grandparents went every Sunday after church.  Even when we moved to North County, I found myself drawn there.  Just this year, I posted on Facebook a photo of nothing special at the Garden, but commented, "I am in Heaven."  I even told my daughter, "If your dad and I renew our vows at 50 years, this is where I want the ceremony."  

I am very fortunate that my "thin place" is close and not several hundred miles away like V's is. Where is your "thin place", where you feel Heaven is close to earth, where you feel your soul soaring, where you feel complete, restored, alive?

Jesus Drives Out Impure Spirit

 

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit

Luke 4:31-37 New International Version (NIV) 

Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit 

31 Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. 32 They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority. 

33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34 “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 

35 “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. 

36 All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!” 37 And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area. 

My husband has cancer.  To see the PET scan showing the mass in the middle of his chest and the other places it had spread was a frightening experience.  A PET scan looks a little like an X-ray excepting where there is cancer.  If cancer is present, it lights up with an almost blinding light---it’s as if some alien creature has somehow managed to be introduced into his body and is replicating. 

There was never any discussion between us on what needed to be done.  Dave just said, “Get it out of there—start chemo as soon as possible.”  There is comfort in the words, “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.”  

Dave is now half-way through the chemo process.  Chemo is a very mixed blessing.  It is part demon and part miracle.  While it is certainly doing the job of ridding him of cancer, his body is being thrown down in the process.  It remains to be seen if cancer will “come out without injuring him”. 

He has been fortunate that he hasn’t been nauseous yet.  Nor has he had trouble sleeping with night sweats. The hair loss is annoying but tolerable.  Mostly he has been affected by extreme fatigue accompanied by intestinal issues.   

It's Spring now and we are mentally ready to get out to the Botanical Garden, travel to our daughters’ homes, but I’m reminded of Jesus’ words, “’Be quiet,’ Jesus said sternly.” Let the miracles of chemo work---don’t rush it. His body is weak.  Be quiet.   Let the healing happen.

Dear God, We need to remember whatever we are struggling with, we have Jesus by our side to help us. Please give us patience, strength and faith as we fight our battles. When we become impatient with the pace of change, remind us to "Be Quiet" and let God help.  Amen

PET scan images are from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PET-CT

Jaclyn Morgan

Finding Jesus

 

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Where do you find Jesus? Or does Jesus find you?

Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis

On Facebook a few weeks ago, J. Boyd asked, " Where do you look for Jesus, and where do you find him? Any surprises? (I.e. when or where do you look for him and NOT find him? When do you encounter him when you least expect it?) Your thoughts are welcome..."

I thought awhile before I responded to her question---where was a place that most people wouldn't think of?  "Cemeteries" are my place of peace and comfort.

Visiting cemeteries and "decorating the graves" has always been a family tradition.  Even on vacations, my parents would visit historic cemeteries, reading the stones, finding inspiration, history, art and sometimes humor. Click here for some of my favorite cemeteries.  Of course, there was sadness, whether we knew the individuals or not.  But we would always say silent prayers for the families and the individual that they found peace.

When I was in college, living in dormitories was sometimes overwhelming. I would often walk to a nearby cemetery overlooking the Mississippi River.  There I found the peace and calmness that I couldn't find in the chaos of communal living.  There I could find comfort---as if God was wrapping His arms around me.  There I could sort out my thoughts and think clearly.  

Last weekend, Pastor Gary gave a sermon called "The Impossible Possibility".  He said, don't try to find God---He finds us.  But that doesn't always mean we are aware that he has found us.  That moment when we know God is with us, is an epiphany.  Sometimes the pace and demands of life keep us from feeling God's presence.  We often need places where we can meditate, block out the noise and confusion to hear the voice of God.  Kim Skilling introduced me to the term "Thin Places" which is what cemeteries are for me.  According to Celtic Tradition, "Thin Places" are where Heaven and Earth are only three feet apart, but they are far more than that. For more on "thin places", click here,  Another view of what they are and are not click here.

Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis

Where have you had an epiphany?  Where is a "thin place" for you?  Do you think we should look for Jesus, or does He find us?  Or, back to Jill's questions, "Is there a place where you did not find Him?  When do you encounter Him when you least expect it?" 

Psalm 139:7-10 New International Version (NIV)

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.