Pentecost Reflection: Breath of Love

Scripture from the book of Numbers 11:24-30

²⁴ So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. ²⁵ Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.

²⁶ Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” ²⁸ And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men,^[a] said, “My lord Moses, stop them!” ²⁹ But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!” ³⁰ And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

Have you ever read a passage from some place and for some reason, feel drawn to what was being said? You may not fully understand why you are being drawn to the words that are written, but you feel deep in your soul. This is what I discovered with this passage several days ago.

When I read this passage, I was reminded of a bible study session at my home church, Wake Forest Christian Church, in which we were watching one of Rob Bell’s Nooma videos called “Breath”. In the video, Bell shares that in the bible, the word LORD was translated from the original word in Hebrew, Yahweh. However, the ancient Hebrew people would not pronounce the word Yahweh because of how sacred God’s name is. So instead, they would state only the vowel sounds YHWH, which if pronounced would be “Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey”. And in the video, Bell makes the profound statement that has always stayed with me, “Is the name of God…the sound of breathing?”

I am reminded of that bible study when I read this scripture. We see that Moses taught the “words of the LORD”. I have to wonder though, if the name of God is indeed the sound of breathing, would Moses be simply teaching the people how to breathe? It’s an interesting question and even more interesting the fact that we know that the Hebrew word for Spirit (Ruach) is also the same word for Breath and Wind. And the passage states that God’s Spirit came from the clouds (which is made of wind), came to Moses and then from Moses came to the seventy elders that were gathered. And once the Spirit dwelled among the elders, the elders were able to prophesy.

What is the connection between God’s Spirit and the ability to prophesy? In my belief, God is the eternal source of love. And when we learn how to breathe fully and deeply, we are loving ourselves and when we honor and respect the breath that lives within another human being, we are loving them as well.

And while prophets have mistakenly gotten the reputation as powerful beings that can foretell the future, this could not be further from the truth. Prophets are regular people, just like you and me. But prophets are indeed special, because true prophets’ model what it means to love our neighbors by speaking and acting on behalf of God’s wishes for humanity.

When we prophesy, we are remembering the Spirit that dwells within our very breath and partnering with the Spirit of God as we pour our love for our world.

But to love is not easy. Love means speaking out against injustices that occur in our world. Love means caring for others when it is not easy to do so. Love is standing with the broken-hearted and not casting judgments but understanding what our neighbors are going through. Love is bridging gaps that have broken relationships and creating a new path for reconciliation when possible.

It honestly doesn’t surprise me that the 70 elders in the camp were only able to prophesy once. To love and pour out one’s love in God’s name is extremely draining and, in our world, rest is a gift that is not always given. But what’s extraordinary is that two other men from the camp, Eldad and Medad, felt the Spirit’s call and began to prophesy on their own. And while Joshua was not happy with this, Moses was pleased and encouraged it.

To me this represents an important lesson- if we are not called to prophesy (either because we don’t know how, we doubt ourselves, or we are drained and tired), we still have a part to play. We can encourage, support, and cheer on those who are still pouring our God’s love into the world.

Our world needs more prophets. Injustice threatens to consume our world and love is needed now more than ever to create change for our world. Change in which people no longer fear jogging or being killed by police. Change in which all people: Black, Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern, White, Gay, Trans, Bi, Straight, Women, Non-binary, Men, Older, Younger, those with common and uncommon functioning- are able to truly stand together as equal neighbors and create together a better world.

Today, on the day of Pentecost, this is my hope and prayer:

May we take a breath and know that we are breathing in God’s Holy Spirit and in that breath, may we be filled with the strength and courage to prophesy the love of God that needs to be breathed into our world. And if we are tired or having trouble breathing, may we support those who continue to do the hard work of love for our world. And in all things, May the Divine of your understanding grant you peace, wisdom, and understanding to help make our world a better place to live in.

Blessed be. Amen.

Celebrating in a New Way

When the word “Celebration” came up, I used to believe that it only meant a time of rejoicing about something good in the world or in one’s life. For example, many of us celebrate on holidays. Mothers Day being the most convenient example. Throughout Facebook, I see post after post of people celebrating how much they love their mothers and how thankful they are for all the amazing things their mothers have done for them. And I’m rejoicing right alongside them. I’m so thankful so many people have mothers who cared for them and raised them to be the people they are today.

However, I realized today that I am not only celebrating Mother’s Day in thanksgiving for other mothers. I am also celebrating in honor of my mother. But my celebration isn’t 100% joyful or rejoicing. Most of my celebration comes with grief.

I am saddened that I am not able to be physically with my mother both today and the rest of my life. I am saddened that on the many tough days I’ve been experiencing, I’m not able to call my mother on the phone and seek her counsel or hear her tell me things are going to be okay. Today, I am hurt and I am sad.

And yet…I celebrate Mother’s Day.

And I know I am not alone. Mother’s Day is a very complicated holiday. There are many children who have lost their mothers like me. 

But there are also women who have lost children. 

Women who want to conceive but are unable to. 

People who were abandoned by their mothers. 

Women who had no choice but to give their children up. 

People who were abused by their mothers. 

Women who choose not to have children but are critiqued for their choices. 

And now with COVID-19, there are those who grieve not being able to be at their mother’s beside in the hospitals.

Mother’s Day is a day of rejoicing and thanksgiving, but it is also a day of lament, sadness, anger, and even pain.

It’s this reason that I choose no longer to define celebration as a way of expressing rejoice. I see celebration as a time of expression. Expressing the emotions that need to be shared.

You can celebrate by lighting a candle and crying from your pain. You can celebrate by writing a letter of the anger you feel. You can celebrate by remembering good times and not so good times. You can do all of these things or none of these things. The choice is up to you in how you celebrate the multitude of emotions that Mother’s Day and any holiday may have in store for you.

Today, I will cry from my losses. I will give thanks for the women who have been like mothers to me in my life. And I will remember all the memories I did have with my mom and lament possible memories that were lost after she died.

My hope for you is that you take some time today to celebrate anyway you need to. I hope you are able to express your emotions, no matter what they are, and find someone who cares for you enough to never judge you for the emotions you express.

May your Spirit be blessed today and the days ahead,

Blessed Be and Amen.

Devotional- Positive Energy

When was the last time you had a positive thought about anything? And how did that positive thought make you feel? 

I feel this pandemic that our world is suffering through has robbed us of many things, including but not limited to positivity. I mean, how can one be positive when people are getting sick and we are forced to isolate from those we love and care for. Its much easier to be negative and upset about the way things are going on in our world.

I found myself in a state of sadness for several days and I started to believe that things were never going to alright again. The negative thoughts made me feel less energized to do anything and I just sat around in my off time feeling miserable. But one day, I decided to walk out on my back porch; the weather was enjoyable, and it was a change of scenery. Its hard to describe how beautiful the sun shined above the sky and made everything in the world seem so much better than what I was feeling. I began to think positively, about just how beautiful the world really was and I started to remember what good things people were doing despite the pandemic. I was beginning to think positively and as a result, I was feeling much better.

There are going to be days when all the negativity of the world around us is going to drain our energy and make us feel miserable. And it’s okay to feel this way. It’s only natural. 

But my hope and prayer is that you don’t let the negativity control your whole life. That you are able to find some positives in the world that will uplift your spirit and give you hope that all will be well again. Its surprising just how many positive things, big and small, that may be surrounding us every day. All we need to do is take a moment and look for them. 

So I ask you again, when was the last time you thought about something positive? And when do you think is it time to begin to think positively again?

May you take some time today to reflect upon these questions. May you not be consumed by negativity but give power to the positive energy that is all around us all the time. And may light and love fill your spirits and grant you hope that one day, all will be well again.

Good Friday Reflections- Are We Forsaken?

Passage from the Book of Psalms: 22: 1-5

            My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.

These are difficult times. In just the past month, it feels like the world has shifted and changed so much. People dying of an unknown disease. Businesses are shutting down and people are told to stay at home, isolated from their loved ones. People are being laid off and forced into unemployment. New protocols are being invited every day in the healthcare field to protect our patients and staff. There seems to be so much uncertainty and fear in the air and the one question that I keep wondering is…when will all this be over? And to disappointment, all the experts and leaders do not know when these trials will conclude.

It’s terrifying being in difficult times and not sure when those difficulties will end. In many ways, this is how Jesus’ disciples and family felt as they watched their teacher and savior, hung up on the Cross to die. We now are blessed to know that Jesus would be victorious over death but let’s imagine how those disciples must have felt, sitting either at the foot of the Cross or across the field, seeing the person they love and cherish die. All their hard work they done, all the amazing acts of ministry they did across the country, was about to be over. And imagine how you might feel, hearing your teacher, the person you love dearly, utter the words, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

If I heard my savior say those words, I too would wonder, “Are we forsaken? Has God forsaken us?”

During times of stress, grief, anxiety, and fear can make a person wonder if they feel forsaken by those they love. Be it from God or from their human loved ones. I know in my past, I have felt that forsaken feeling of isolation. And it’s even easy to feel forsaken when we are called to “self-isolate” from others. Being physically separated from our physical communities.

There is no shame in uttering the words, “why have you forsaken me?” For we see Jesus himself say those very words before he drew his last breath.

However, it is important to know that Jesus was not just sharing his own grief and pain upon the Cross. He was also trusting in God’s presence during his torment.

Jesus as a devout Jewish man who studied all the psalms like all the other Jewish children of his time. As such, he would be very familiar with the 22^nd Psalm, in which the Psalmist laments her torment and feelings of being forsaken. The psalmist shares all her grief and pains that she has endured, much like Jesus is doing on the Cross. But then the Psalmist starts to make a shift in her lament. She then states God will deliver her and is with her.

Despite all the Psalmist has been through, the Psalmist is going to be okay because God is with her. God is with us. Jesus, as he is dying on the Cross, is saying the exact same thing. 

God is with us in these times of uncertainty. 

God is with us in these moments of anxiety, fear, and unbearable stress.

God is with us always. And through God's presence, we will be restored.

So as we contemplate Jesus' last moments on the Cross, may we remember that Jesus as he spoke the 22nd psalm was lamenting his pain yet also trusting in God's presence to restore him in the days ahead. 

May we hold on to hope that God's presence will never forsake us and through God, we will be restored in the days ahead.

Blessings be upon you all. 

Why I Celebrate Ash Wednesday

Today, Christians everywhere were once again receiving the mark of the cross on their forehead, a sign that they were born from the dust and to dust they one day will return. While originally a Catholic ritual that marked the beginning of the Lent season till Good Friday and Easter, many Protestant denominations have adopted and adapted Ash Wednesday as well.

I too received my ashes and offered the mark of the cross for the hospital staff today. One person, not completely aware of what Ash Wednesday is, asked me personally, "Why do you celebrate Ash Wednesday?"

As with any great and deep question, I took a moment to ponder what was asked of me and I now share that same question for you (if you celebrate Ash Wednesday of course).

Why do you celebrate Ash Wednesday? Why do you offer your forehead to be marked with ash in the sign of the cross? 

I feel often times that holiday celebrations, be it religious or institutional holidays, involve or include some sort of gift or reward. Even today, a staff member asked me, "What do I get out of this?"when I offered her ashes.

For Christmas, we give and receive gifts from family and friends. For Easter, we remember God's Son victory over death while also eating Easter egg candy and chocolates.

But today, the gift that is given is a symbol, covered in ash and placed on our forehead. A symbol of God's closeness even when we, humanity, are far away. Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent reminds us that we are not perfect and make mistakes, but we are still loved and can always grow. This holiday reminds us that we are not alone on our spiritual lives, but God is wanting to take a closer walk with us, if we invite God in.

This is why I celebrate Ash Wednesday. Because I am not perfect. I make mistakes. And I often try to do things without God. Yes, even Ministers do God's work while sometimes forgetting to bring God with us! So I need this reminder in my life. I need the Cross on my forehead to remember that I live with the Spirit of God, not just from the Spirit of God.

The mark upon my forehead is not just a convenient spot either. The forehead is the place in our bodies that we store all our thoughts and insights. However, our thoughts can often go all over the place and without focus, can wander into the wilderness. By placing the ashes on our foreheads, we are centering our wandering thoughts to remember that God is still here with us. God is journeying with us and we are not alone.

This is why I celebrate Ash Wednesday and will continue to celebrate it for the rest of my life.

So as we continue to celebrate Ash Wednesday and begin this season of Lent together, may you remember that God lives within you, as close as your very breath. May you invite the Divine of your understanding into your spiritual journey, knowing you don't have to be perfect in order for God to be with you. Just loved for who you are, a beautiful and fearfully made child of God.

May you each be blessed today and the days to come.

Blessed be.