At the Ascension Jesus gave us, his followers, a great task— to go to all the world, proclaiming with our lives and words the Gospel to all people, everywhere.  At Pentecost, He empowered us with His own Spirit to accomplish this task.  At Pentecost, we get to act out with our everyday lives what the Holy Family embodied at Epiphany, the good news that the gift of Jesus is for all people.  All of the longing, doubt, grief, and the sins of the world we held up in the dark nights of Advent and Lent, all of the bright hope and relief that resurrected to life with the Risen Christ is channeled into this great movement of Spirit and Church at Pentecost.  The Holy Spirit is a great fire!

The movement of Pentecost is outward, the great current of Spirit moves us toward all people, in every nation, everywhere.  Some of us send, some of us go, and all of us move toward the peoples of all nations.  This is our one task, our one job until we are reunited with Christ— stay the course, friends of Jesus!
 
Grace and peace,
Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

Abba Father, our hearts mourn in the wake of this near-constant violence and injustice! Our hearts break as harassment and violence escalate, not just around the country, but in our own neighborhoods and communities. We are scared. We are angry. We are exhausted. We are overwhelmed. We are hurting. We are heartbroken.
 
How long, oh Lord, must your precious children suffer and die because our divisive political system does not bring us together in outrage and determination to make changes that address the deeper roots of this complex problem of violence, mental health and weapons reform? How long must the vulnerable suffer the fear of abuse and violence? How many more will die? Lord, have mercy!
 
We pray for those whose voices and stories have been dismissed or ignored. We pray for those who feel unseen or erased by society. We pray for those who are not seen as image-bearers of God. We pray for those who are afraid to leave their homes, take their children to school, go to work or to the store. We pray for those who have no words, only tears, for what their hearts hold.
 
Lord, our world is so broken! We know this is not Your plan for your creation. Our hearts ache as we remember the most recent victims – innocent elementary school children,   We pray for their families and loved ones who are today facing unimaginable futures without their beloved children. 
 
Lord, you are the God of all creation. You are our defender and protector. You are our healer and comforter. You are our hope and our strength. You are Immanuel and You are with us. We pray that we would experience Your resurrection power at work in our lives and in our communities. We pray that your peace would overcome all fears, your healing would overcome all brokenness, and your love would overcome all evil.
 
We pray for all of us - your sons and daughters of every ethnicity and culture - that we would honor you by honoring the image of you in ourselves and in others. We pray that you would free all of us from the sins of prejudice, hatred, and misused power. Bring us all to a place of repentance and transformation in You. Help us to love mercy, do justice and walk humbly with You. Help us to care for one another. Help us to truly love you with all our hearts, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

Grace and peace,
Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

Most of last week I kept a silent(ish) retreat. I didn’t go anywhere unnecessary, I was mostly at home, opting out of the extra noise. I kept the phone virtually silent, responding to a few texts with loved ones, no music or podcasts, no television or movies. I wanted space to think deeply, to listen to my inner self for awhile. But my brain didn’t cooperate. It kept churning up weird bits of media I’d previously digested - pop songs, advertisements, movie scenes - like some kind of mental off-gassing. I began to feel uneasy, imagining my neural pathways coated with the greasy streaks of junk food culture. I considered the disturbing question: what if at the end of my life all what flashes before my eyes is an 80’s soda commercial and a scene from an Avenger’s movie? I might laugh about that idea if I didn’t recognize the way my mind latches onto such things, if I didn’t know those things were designed to manipulate my attention and stay lodged in my consciousness.

For the rest of the day, I felt the weight of these questions. How much am I shaped by what I truly value - the sacredness of God’s earth and her creatures, my relationships with others - and how much am I shaped by the noise and expectations of a world that dismays me?

Silence, or at least less noise, is a good discipline for shedding the excess that can obscure what matters most. Even in the thick of our busy lives, we can create opportunities to pay attention, listen to our lives and re-orient to the Kingdom of God underneath all the noise and distractions.

Grace and Peace,

Anita Sorenson

Pastor for Spiritual Formation

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled,
and do not let them be afraid.
—John 14.27

I give you the quiet peace of this present moment:
without hurry, fear or need to be elsewhere,
but right here, right now, as you are, at rest.
I give you the strong peace of yourself:
the peace of forgiveness and my delight in who you are,
with no need to prove yourself or do better.
I give you the vibrant peace of oneness with all living things,
the peace of deep belonging,
and reconciliation with all people.
I give you the life-giving peace of my own spirit,
my love, trust and courage beating in your heart,
my presence in your soul.
I give you the joyous peace of trust—
trust in your life and its goodness,
trust in the Beloved and your belovedness.
I give you the renewing peace of healing,
of blessing hidden even in struggle and pain,
of trust that even in suffering all shall be well.
I give not as the world gives, from the outside,
but from within, by your being created,
and it cannot be taken away.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

Grace and peace,
Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

This Eastertide, on overload once again, I have chosen as my practice to notice and be grateful for the ways and times that Grace gets in and is enough for me to give thanks and bear the freight of the day. Certainly, the world is giving us too much to bear it seems, when war has broken our hearts with grim prognostications, the governmental systems are not only frayed but mired in standoffs, the environment has gone beyond groaning to wailing as it suffers, our institutions seem be coming apart at the seams, and the specter of COVID still looms over all. 

So, my attention has been pulled back to a favorite grounding text, in which the apostle Paul recounts his own misery, and then concludes that “God’s Grace is sufficient for me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9.) My intention this Eastertide is to look for, take note, savor and give thanks each day for the way that Grace has been sufficient. It has been more challenging than I imagined, not because the Grace is absent or hiding, but because my own perception, imagination and attentiveness are often underdeveloped. 
Grace has appeared:

• First roses have blossomed in my spring garden

• a mother hummingbird has reoccupied a nest tucked up under the eaves, and tends her eggs vigilantly

• my grandboy Teddy has vigorously moved into toddlerhood, with much joie de vivre

• my prayer for deep listening and patience to understand another’s point of view were delivered when I needed them

• my imagination was sparked as I filled bags of books for those who need them, while letting go of things which once gave me joy and I no longer need

My list could go on for ages. And I was reminded by so many Wise Ones of the ways that my faith continues to hold me in the arms of the Holy One of Grace, whose love never ceases, as I am taught how to love with Grace. Professor Kate Bowler brought me this reminder in her new book Good Enough with Jessica Richie; she quotes Thomas Merton here:

To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us–and he has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes the difference.

Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude

 
Grace and peace,
Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

Dry spells happen not just in the natural world but in our spiritual lives too. There is much we can do to prepare and the principles are surprisingly similar to those in the garden.

First we need to take notice of the signs that suggest a dry spell is on the way. “Unseasonably warm temperatures” or high stress and anxiety, and “lack of rain” or seasons of intensely draining activity, are my two best indicators that I need to take notice of. Its easy to ignore them and hope that the drain on our spiritual reserves will not deplete us, but that is as unlikely as the impact of drought on physical water supplies.

There are several ways to make ourselves less vulnerable to dry spells.

Store more water.
When drought hits every drop of water is precious. We need to store it so that is kept fresh and freely available. Jesus knew that. When he was driven out into the desert it was the “stored water” – his knowledge of the scriptures and the purposes of God – that sustained and strengthened him through what must have been a very dry and draining experience. And in the garden of Gethsemane, I am sure that his night in prayer was what gathered the reserves that would see him through the agonizing journey toward the cross.

Memorizing scriptures, sitting quietly in the presence of God for a few minutes each morning and drinking in the water of God’s Spirit, writing prayers and spending time reflecting on them are all practices that I find store water for me. What about you?

We need to conserve the water that is already in us.
Compost and mulch are a gardener’s best friend, but what are the equivalents in our spiritual lives? When we are dry and drained out it is often almost impossible to reach for the Bible or pray. Reading spiritual books seems to add to our dryness. So, what keeps the water of God flowing strongly within our hearts and souls during a dry spell? For me it is time spent out in the garden, and the reciting of prayers that others have written. Patrick’s Breastplate is an especially powerful prayer in this context. When I read it out loud it resonates through my body and lodges in my heart in a wonderful way. So grateful that I can rely on the words others when my well has run dry!

Grace and peace,
Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

The power of the Gospel lies in its beauty—a beauty that reflects the unwavering, relentless, and unconditional love of the Triune God. It is a Gospel of rescue and reconciliation, of invitation and inclusion. Everyone was made for the Beautiful Gospel!

Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, is at the center of the Gospel. He is the complete revelation of God, full of mystery and wonder. He has always existed beyond all time and space yet chose to enter our world to bring about the cosmic shift that began––and continues––to change everything.

This is the Gospel that Jesus proclaimed, lived and died for. By His resurrection, the restoration of all of creation began. It is a bigger and deeper Gospel than we have understood.

The Gospel tradition is long and wide; forming the church into a rich mosaic. Come because you hunger to know more of Jesus Christ. The gospel is a story — the story of  Israel culminating in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The gospel is not a formula or a set of spiritual laws or an explanation of how to go to heaven or a particular politics.
 
It’s a story.
 
When we reduce the gospel to tidy explanations or cartoon tracts or narrow religious dogma or political activism or self-improvement techniques or wellness practices or anything other than the story that crescendos with Easter, we strip it of its power to fascinate and illuminate.
 
Come because you long to be with others who are on a similar journey. Come because you long to experience the wonder of sacred space and intimacy with Jesus.

Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

The Holy Sepulchre 
 
The exotic waft of incense
The chill of cold marble
A thousand lamps shining on gilded crucifixes
Pious pilgrims performing prostrations
Bored tourists in idle conversations
Beeswax candles and cellphone cameras
Priests wearing habits
Pilgrims toting backpacks
Cueing worshipers and churlish monks
Lonely planet boys and girls
Climbing up to Golgotha
Stooping down into an empty tomb
Is this where death was undone?
It may be, but there is no proof
It feels more like an arcane shrine
Curated by competing religious orders
Than where an angel rolled back the stone
And yet…
I come back year after year
More at home each time
And though I understand why many might be
I am not disappointed
And after all, what did the angel say?—
He is risen! He is not here
HE IS NOT HERE
And what did the apostle say?—
He ascended to fill all things
TO FILL ALL THINGS
Where is the empty tomb?
It’s right here—
In a world where death is but a door
Leading to the One who went before
To prepare a place for us
In the Father’s house of love
Morning has broken
 
Brian Zahnd

 
Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

Palm Sunday 

Now to the gate of my Jerusalem,
The seething holy city of my heart,
The saviour comes. But will I welcome him?
Oh crowds of easy feelings make a start;
They raise their hands, get caught up in the singing,
And think the battle won. Too soon they’ll find
The challenge, the reversal he is bringing
Changes their tune. I know what lies behind
The surface flourish that so quickly fades;
Self-interest, and fearful guardedness,
The hardness of the heart, its barricades,
And at the core, the dreadful emptiness
Of a perverted temple. Jesus come
Break my resistance and make me your home.

                Malcolm Guite
 
Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation

In the last year I’ve wanted to get to know Jesus more deeply by focusing on the many trials he experienced at the end of his life. So, I began applying a variation of the Examen—a reflective devotional exercise described in St. Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises—to the Stations of the Cross. I make it a 15-day exercise (I always add the Resurrection to the 14 Stations), focusing on just one Station a day, Monday through Friday. This adds up to a three-week exercise, and it has helped me not only to decompress at the end of the day, but to engage in my relationship with Jesus in new ways. Oh, and to make sure I remember to do this exercise, I set an alarm on my phone as a reminder!

I invite you to do the same. You can approach this reflection at any time in your day, before or after work or dropping off the kids, wherever you are in your life’s journey. Here are five simple steps, derived from the Examen, to help you unlock the Stations of the Cross in a practical, contemplative, and reflective way.

Step 1: Choose a Station. Let’s say we’re focusing on Jesus taking up his Cross. You can read a passage from the Bible that correlates to that scene or simply picture an image in your mind. Then take a few deep breaths and ask God to help you quiet your head and open your heart. Often, we only try to focus on getting rid of all the mental chatter inside of us, but it’s also important to place our attention on the waves of emotions and feelings inside us. Something in you might resist focusing—you may feel tired, nervous, or angry, but that’s okay. Allow yourself to find a level of openness that is true to you.

Step 2: Remind yourself that God is all around you. He’s inside you and outside you and his heart beats in yours. Try to feel that reality as best as you can. Then take the picture of Jesus carrying his Cross and imagine placing the image inside you. Let it take root in you.

Step 3: Ask the Holy Spirit to rise up inside you and give you the wisdom to acknowledge God in your life. Ask the Spirit to help you meditate on the scene inside you. How do you think Jesus felt when this was happening? What was he thinking? What is your cross to bear? How heavy is it? How does it affect your relationship with God?

Step 4: Review your day. Where did your cross feel the heaviest today? Where did you encounter the cross on the shoulders of others at work, on the news, or in the streets? Where is God in these encounters? Ask God to make you more aware and compassionate of others and yourself.

Step 5: Give thanks to God for the opportunity to know Jesus better and ask God to help you to become more aware of the crosses that everyone carries in life.
 
Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation