A friend and I were laughing at diamond commercials the other day. The ones we heard make it sound like love=diamonds and the only way you can tell if someone loves you is by the size of diamond they buy you. According to commercials, a person's capacity for love in general can also be gauged by the type of car they drive, clothes they wear, gadgets they own and cool people they happen to know. We came to the conclusion that we must be the least loving, least capable of loving people on the planet!
But, when I really examine what it looks like to love people - deep meaningful relationships, time to spend, freedom to be honest and open, generous, etc. I wonder if I am any closer to showing my love in these ways than I am in the ways the diamond commercial suggests.
Last Sunday, in our worship gathering, we engaged Allen Pearson's exhibit "Creation Sings," to help us put aside the thoughts of the everyday world and begin to notice the complex universe of plants, birds, and people all in varying states of activity all around us.
"Careful observation and thoughtful contemplation of nature soon teaches us how little we know and understand about life and the world. This in itself engenders the humility that is necessary in order to experience the divine.
This quality of humility is really the summit of the mountain that Abraham was traveling towards all his life. " Who shall go up the mountain of Yahweh and who will stand in the place of His holiness? The person with clean hands and a pure heart..." (Psalm 24:3-4
This idea of humility struck me deeply. It does take humility to stop, slow down and really notice the world around me. How much more so, to notice God.
"To experience the presence of God in nature (and indeed anywhere), one must be willing to detach oneself from the pull of worldy ego-interest so as to become open to higher levels of awareness."
The importance of making time for spiritual growth, intentional time, can not be undervalued. We are working to provide a variety of opportunities of for such growth and reflection. Hopefully this will result in the "fruits" of a life lived in love - what Christians would say is a "life lived in Christ." I hope you will pray for us as we develop these opportunities and walk together as a
community.
(Quotes from Azamra: Torah for our time)
Lisa Hawkins
Artistic Director/Pastor
Convergence: A Creative Community of Faith
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