Hope or An Advent Prayer.

You had it when you formed us from dust.
Abraham had it when you promised him children in old age.
Moses had it when he led your people out of captivity.
Israel had it in the height of captivity; when the world as they knew it seemed to end.
Mary had it when visited by the messenger of the LORD.
The poor shepherd had it when the heavenly hosts sang to them.
The wisest in the world had it when they went looking for you.
The disciples had it when they left everything to follow you.
The blind, sick, and lame had it when they cried out to you for healing.
The prostitutes, thieves, enemy soldiers, and tax collectors had it when they came to you for mercy.
The martyrs had it in the face of certain death.
Your followers throughout the ages have demonstrated it in their faithfulness to You and your Kingdom.
You have it in your people, the holy assembly called the church, to be a faithful image of you in the world.

Hope begins and ends with you.

May we, your people, continue to hope in your ability to create something beautiful out of the minuscule and insignificant.
May we hope in the face of the impossible.
May we hope in the midst of captivity.
May we hope in times and circumstance that appear to have no good outcomes.
May we hope in the miraculous.
May we hope in heavenly surprises.
May we hope in fulfillment of promises.
May we hope in the journey.
May we hope in your willingness and ability to heal.
May we continue to hope for mercy in our constant failings.
May we hope in the face of death.
May we continue to embody your promises as a witness to your everlasting faithfulness.

Amen.

Grace and Peace.

The Auger or Why Ask "Why"?

I think "Why?" is the auger of the lexical/grammatical world. It is one of those words, when paired with the ever-important question mark, that begs to drill down deep. People, including (especially?!?!) children, use it when they want or need to go below the surface of things. Sometimes it is spoken out loud and sometimes it is the quiet, inner engine that drives us to the subterranean depths of our everyday experiences. Some people are afraid to use it and others don't know when to stop using it. It has led some people to amazing new worlds, while others continue to dig endlessly in despair.

I wonder, sometimes, if it is encoded in our DNA (insert your joke about "why" chromosomes here). As soon as children come into the world, they begin collecting information about their existence. As they become mobile, they embody the "why?" as they stick things in their mouths, tear stuff up, and basically get into everything. Once they learn language, "Why?" comes shortly after the "momma", "dada", and "mine". "Why?" remains pretty prevalent until parents finally shut it down with "Quit asking "why?"! It is because I said so, that's why!" It only slightly deters children until they are teens, and then it re-emerges until it is quieted once again by threatened or exhausted parents, teachers, and religious leaders. Some survive, but others put away that ever-so-important tool and settle for life as it is handed to them.

I rediscovered "Why?" when I was in seminary. I was allowed/encouraged to use it. I was able to dig below the surface of so many things that I was once told or led to believe were off limits. I read things that I was told were unprofitable. I experimented with things that I was told belonged to other faith traditions that were "dead" or less spiritual than the one to which I belonged. I experienced pain and suffering in a new ways that required "why?" to get beyond the nice answers that good church folk generally give to aid and comfort the one in pain. "Why?" was my friend once again.

Post seminary, I tried to teach others to use it. I have since learned that not everyone wants to dig below the surface. Some because "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Others because it is just too painful or risky to go too far below the surface. Still others simply out of fear of what they will find...or not find. Asking "Why?" has a way of taking simple things and making them incredibly complex, which may be another reason why people don't like using it. While I can understand and respect that much better now, I couldn't then...Why? The reasons are too numerous to count.

One of the most natural places that almost all people do use "Why?" is in times of suffering or tragedy. Recently, I have been in close proximity to a lot of that: friends losing wives and children, relatives with cancers and inoperable tumors, good people losing jobs and visited by all kinds of undue hardships (mostly as a residual effect of greed in the upper echelons of our economic system...but that's another note at another time). "Why?" is one of those words that emerges from a deep place within us, much like a groan or whimper when we get hit unexpectedly. It is an honest and primal response that seeks to be answered. We turn to family, friends, and religious leaders for answers. We call upon God. Much like an auger drilling deep, the answer to the "Why?" that emerges in these times requires time. There are no simple answers, and sometimes the answer is at the surface (yes, God is in control...), but runs deep and takes time to get there (...but why did it have to happen to me?).

In time, you may find an answer...or you may find that that there just isn't an answer beyond "because." I have found, though, that "why?" has enlarged my world and engulfed me in the wonderful mystery of life. My faith has become more solidified, simply because it is just that: faith. I do not have all the answers (I think to have them would make me a god...or at least god-like), but find myself more enthralled by the possibilities that "Why?" uncovers. Maybe that is why "why?" is so important to me; not for the answers it finds, but the numerous possibilities and hope that can emerge just by asking.

Grace and Peace.