Pastor Annette's Blog
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"OF ALL THE THINGS GOD HAS SHOWN ME, I CAN SPEAK BUT A LITTLE WORD NOT MORE THAN A HONEYBEE CAN CARRY AWAY ON ITS FOOT FROM AN OVERFLOWING JAR."
~ MECHTHILD OF MAGDEBURG, 13TH CENTURY MYSTIC |
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It is the silence of the world that’s real. Our noise, our business, our purposes, and all our facetious statements about our purposes, our businesses and our noise; these are the illusions.” ~ T.Merton, No Man Is An Island May 24, 2022 Beloved: It was so good just to sit and listen. I heard a dozen different preachers,* some of them twice, along with good liturgy and music. And plenty of silence too, in and out of worship. I wore a mask nearly all the time, which has its own silencing effect and, like everyone I know, I’m tired. Tired enough that the opportunity not to talk was a blessing all its own. The great silence behind and below all facetious human noise is where God is, Merton says, and unless we go there, all we know and say of God is conjecture, hearsay at best. The almond tree puts forth her fruit in silence, he notes, and the silence of the sky remains when the plane has gone. The tranquility of the clouds will remain when the plane has fallen apart. Silence is one of my summer spiritual intentions. Not just a still voice but inner stillness too. A quieting of the heart and mind with the hope of tuning in to the trees and clouds. I’m thinking I’ll especially try to practice while I work the flowerbeds, where there are weeds as tall as toddlers. Silence save for the ripping sound as roots let go of earth. This room is mostly quiet now but for the snoring dogs and ticking clock. Far off I hear a squawky bird. If I can settle my brain I’m at risk of falling asleep. But this summer I’m choosing not to mind or judge myself, but rather let the silence lead. So if you see me sleeping in my flowerbed, not to worry, I’m fine. I’m right where the Lord would have me on a summer day. *Last week I attended the Festival of Homiletics in Denver Colorado. In case you are interested in who preached: https://festivalofhomiletics.com/.
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May 3, 2022
Beloved: All day I’ve been thinking about mothers: young mothers, poor mothers, pregnant mothers, overwhelmed, overworked, barely getting by mothers who love their kids as much as any mother anywhere. Mothers who want their kids to have enough of everything necessary and some of what makes childhood wonderful. Mothers who would love to not be afraid, to just enjoy their kids for a whole day without being terrified about the future. Somehow, that reminded me of the mama duck who nested in our flower bed two consecutive springs several years ago. The first year, her babies were born and one day just waddled off. The second year, she came back -- but things didn't go well at all. I wrote about it at the time. You can use the Archive list on the right-hand side of this page to find May 10, 2016. |
I write a Tuesday morning devotional to members and friends of UBC. It is also posted here.
Enjoy! Pastor Annette Copyright
Everything on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons license, which gives you permission to copy freely, provided that you attribute the work to me, that you use the work for non-commercial purposes, and that you do not produce derivative works. Archives
March 2025
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