Good Morning All,
The past few weeks have been a mixture of excitement, joy and sorrow. In addition to the attention paid to the ongoing needs of our church family and all the excitement of the recent changes in worship and programming around here, there didn’t seem to be enough time to share my reflections with you in the weekly Musings. During one those weeks I longed so to share with you the pain and the joy that filled the hospital waiting room outside the ICU when Johanna Martinez physically and spiritually could no longer hold on to receive a yet to be donated liver.
Johanna, you may recall, was the 24 year old niece of a Covenant member, Nora Martinez, who had moved back to Puerto Rico a few years ago. The family had recently returned to the area to enter the hospital to wait for Johanna’s second liver transplant. I was so proud of Covenant and the generosity and compassion that was shared as we helped the family settle in to what was thought to be their permanent relocation.
For 2 weeks, the family was filled with great hope for a successful transplant. But after a while, it became more evident that there was great cause for concern as Johanna grew weaker awaiting the donor liver. Her very life depended on it. When I arrived at the hospital, soon after knowing that Johanna was in grave danger, I realized that I needed to find ways to share the ministry of presence…simply being with people in times of crisis and pain. The ministry of presence allows one to be there and to communicate love and support, often times without having to say a word.
And in this case, it meant more to me than ever before, because of the language barrier between those of us, i.e. me, who speak very little Spanish and those who spoke very little English. And all the while, I was silently kicking myself for not yet taking time to learn conversational Spanish, at least beyond a few words of greeting. But God always makes a way out of no way. God plowed through that barrier and continued to surround me and others with very loving and supportive bi-lingual people.
The prayers, the singing, the tears, the touching, the smoothing back of her hair…all gentle ways of showing love, of letting go, of attempting to say goodbye to a daughter, a wife, a mother of 2 year old Keysha, a niece and a good friend…trusting and believing with all our hearts in the promise of sharing in Christ’s resurrection; the promise that God is there to receive each one of us back into life everlasting; life filled with joy in ways we cannot begin to imagine.
As the time grew nearer for Johanna to breathe her last earthly breath and be filled with the breath of God, a sense of peace; a sense of well-being…a sense that “all is well…” filled the room. There was nothing else left for loving hands to do than to release her into God’s presence.
As I prepared to leave the family, I so desperately wanted to speak a word of hope; a word of comfort to Johanna’s parents, who knew so little English. I asked one of the family friends to go with me into the hallway and teach me how to say…”Thanks be to God; your hope is in Christ; may God bless you and keep you...” In a few moments, I composed myself and approached the parents. With hands clasped, our eyes met and I was able to speak through their tears, as we hugged one another and said goodbye. God truly blessed that grace-filled moment and they understood one humble pastor’s bumbling attempt to share the feelings of her heart amid all their pain…God is so good…
Blessings, Joanne
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Telling the story
Good Morning All,
“Once upon a time…and they lived happily ever after…” That’s the way we like our stories…but of course we know that when reality sets in, there’s a whole lot that happens in between these two phrases. But no doubt, everyone loves a good story. Stories not only take us to other times and places; they offer us a change of venue from the routines of daily living. Stories can make us laugh until tears stream down our faces; or they can bring a lump to our throats or cause us to sob uncontrollably.
Throughout my ministry, I have come to really appreciate the power of story…how it transforms our lives in the telling. This is why Jesus chose story/parable to teach his closest followers as well as his sworn enemies. What a story-teller extraordinaire as he used examples with which his hearers could relate. Tapping in on the agrarian society in which he and the people lived, he used farmers and crops; seeds and wheat; coins and relationships of family members; actions of the rulers and leaders of the religious community to make his point. When you relate to those about you—their daily lives; their livelihood; families and religious experiences; the chances are greater that the hearers will understand your teaching. Sermon illustrations do this too as preachers find ways to bring people into the stories of scripture to teach others about God and how God wants us to live.
I believe that everyone has a story…we may not think our story is anything all that great; but in reality all stories are important and informative and play a role in teaching others around us. Our life story is continuous, moving from one day, one year, one decade, throughout one’s entire lifetime; from birth to death and beyond. I also believe that each one of us has a faith story—of our ongoing spiritual journey that lies at the heart, the core, of our life’s story.
Many of us have had or are still blessed to have, people who have taken the time to share their life story and or the stories of their faith journey with us. And we are grateful. And I believe that you and I have the responsibility… No, we have the joy, of sharing our faith story with others. Lately, I’ve been privileged to hear the faith journeys of a variety of folks, the young and not so young; people who have grown up in the church—some who were able to grasp faith stories along the way while others did not. There are also those who did not grow up in the church, who are, as youth or adults, attempting to find their way into a relationship with God or to grow more deeply in their relationship.
We may be at different places and signposts along our life and faith journeys, but we’re here for the same reason--we are all seekers of the Way—in fact the early Christians were actually called, Followers of the Way! We are always seeking answers to our faith questions. Some of us have moved beyond some of the basic questions, “Is there a God?” or even, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” But there are other questions we carry with us, brooding and contemplating, seeking God’s guidance for our personal needs and desires; moral and ethical dilemmas or simply struggling with the “hot topics” of this day and time. We could live as long as Methuselah and still continue to ask, “So, where is God in all of this?”
How blessed we are here at Covenant, to be a place where we are not only invited to ask the important questions of life and faith, and to share our faith stories with others; but we are encouraged to do so. May your journey lead you to Covenant’s front porch among other seekers here in this Spirit-filled setting. Come on over and sit a spell…I’ll put some water on for tea... “Once upon a time...” Blessings, Joanne
“Once upon a time…and they lived happily ever after…” That’s the way we like our stories…but of course we know that when reality sets in, there’s a whole lot that happens in between these two phrases. But no doubt, everyone loves a good story. Stories not only take us to other times and places; they offer us a change of venue from the routines of daily living. Stories can make us laugh until tears stream down our faces; or they can bring a lump to our throats or cause us to sob uncontrollably.
Throughout my ministry, I have come to really appreciate the power of story…how it transforms our lives in the telling. This is why Jesus chose story/parable to teach his closest followers as well as his sworn enemies. What a story-teller extraordinaire as he used examples with which his hearers could relate. Tapping in on the agrarian society in which he and the people lived, he used farmers and crops; seeds and wheat; coins and relationships of family members; actions of the rulers and leaders of the religious community to make his point. When you relate to those about you—their daily lives; their livelihood; families and religious experiences; the chances are greater that the hearers will understand your teaching. Sermon illustrations do this too as preachers find ways to bring people into the stories of scripture to teach others about God and how God wants us to live.
I believe that everyone has a story…we may not think our story is anything all that great; but in reality all stories are important and informative and play a role in teaching others around us. Our life story is continuous, moving from one day, one year, one decade, throughout one’s entire lifetime; from birth to death and beyond. I also believe that each one of us has a faith story—of our ongoing spiritual journey that lies at the heart, the core, of our life’s story.
Many of us have had or are still blessed to have, people who have taken the time to share their life story and or the stories of their faith journey with us. And we are grateful. And I believe that you and I have the responsibility… No, we have the joy, of sharing our faith story with others. Lately, I’ve been privileged to hear the faith journeys of a variety of folks, the young and not so young; people who have grown up in the church—some who were able to grasp faith stories along the way while others did not. There are also those who did not grow up in the church, who are, as youth or adults, attempting to find their way into a relationship with God or to grow more deeply in their relationship.
We may be at different places and signposts along our life and faith journeys, but we’re here for the same reason--we are all seekers of the Way—in fact the early Christians were actually called, Followers of the Way! We are always seeking answers to our faith questions. Some of us have moved beyond some of the basic questions, “Is there a God?” or even, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” But there are other questions we carry with us, brooding and contemplating, seeking God’s guidance for our personal needs and desires; moral and ethical dilemmas or simply struggling with the “hot topics” of this day and time. We could live as long as Methuselah and still continue to ask, “So, where is God in all of this?”
How blessed we are here at Covenant, to be a place where we are not only invited to ask the important questions of life and faith, and to share our faith stories with others; but we are encouraged to do so. May your journey lead you to Covenant’s front porch among other seekers here in this Spirit-filled setting. Come on over and sit a spell…I’ll put some water on for tea... “Once upon a time...” Blessings, Joanne
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