Wednesday, October 11, 2023

HOLY LAND


Dear All of Us,

Some folks from our church 

are all signed up for 

a pilgrimage to the 

      Holy Land.

Not gonna happen!

      Not safe.

      Not a land all that holy, either.

Seething hatreds.

Mass murder and mutilation.

Lots of religious shrines and sights.

Hard to see God, though.

God missing in the action 

across the land fouled evil.

An Unsafe Unholy Land.


      Holy Land Pilgrimage

           A Rethink

           A Redirection

As pilgrims we stop running off 

to where Jesus was.

Rather and better, 

we dig in, hunker down 

lifting up 

     people and places 

in lands where Jesus needs to be.

That's just about everywhere.

The worldwide lay of the land

right now is an unholy landmine.

"Peace, peace, 

but there is no peace."

Rather, things are falling to pieces:

governments and politics,

environmental integrity and viability,

ethnic and racial relations,

vapid, dumbing, soul dulling 

sports and entertainment,

divisive, shallow religiosity,

shell game economics,

compulsive consumerism,

dictators at the door,

some already inside,

social systems rigged

by the few for the few.


We need to face all this.

We need not freeze in fear 

at the facing.

We need to do something 

about it, and we can.

We can go on a 

     Pilgrimage of Place

the place right where we are.

We can band together as

     Pilgrams in Place

living our land into a

      Holy Land.


It's crucial that we not go it alone.

We'll get lost in fatigue and failure.

We need to be together.

We need to be church.


 The root word and reality 

         for church is

            Ecclesia 

       "The Gathered"

Paul reminds us we are integral 

          to each other

       The Body of Christ.

 Jesus draws us together in

         The Kingdom

        and has us pray

     "Thy Kingdom come 

      on earth (the land)

      as it is in heaven.

  Beautiful expressions of

        "The Gathered"


If we are blessed with 

a for real church

where we are, 

together we really 

     "get go" 

   Gospel Live.

If where we are, 

what claims to be 

and fails to be 

    for real

    Church,

we prayerfully 

band together 

as small home churches.

Either way we live

the Good News

vigorously and fully 

in all we think, do and say.

   Pilgrimage Of Place


Now here comes

the game changer.

We put flesh 

on the bones 

of concept.

We discern as church. 

We get practical. 

We cull 

   The Sermon on the Mount

      and let it live us real 

          in our land

We don't "spiritualize" it.

We don't water it down to 

a comfortable, non-demanding 

collection of pious platitudes.


So, for an example or more:

 

"For where your treasure is,

   there your heart will be also"

   

   At the heart of things, 

   what do we really treasure,

   personally and as a church:

   reputation, comfort, 

   supposed security,

   a hefty portfolio, control,

                 or  

   a simple and sufficient lifestyle,

   the wellbeing of the 

   not at all well off in our land,

   deep, divine intimacy,

   doing what we can for 

   at risk children and 

   ignored elderly,

   using our talents and privilege

   to lift the social, spiritual 

   and cultural level 

   where we land in life,

   at home, at work, around town?

This is grist for the mill of 

personal and communal 

discernment and action.


As we let God piece  together

the things going to pieces 

in our land, we

         Pray Live

The Prayer of St. Francis.

Again and always, 

what does it practically mean 

right here, right now

to live it live in our land?


     THE PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS

     A PILGRIMAGE OF PLACE


Lord, make me an instrument 

of your peace:

Where there is hatred,

let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

Oh divine Master, grant that 

I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning 

that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying 

that we are born 

to eternal life.


So true, 

and it will be so,

living our land holy.

      ******


Greetings and Welcome

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Great to be on

  Pilgrimage

   together

helping ours be a 

  HOLY LAND


  Love to all,

  John Frank

    ******