When Spirit Great and Human Heart Converge

Today is Holy Thursday. It is the day that we gather in the Christian community to recall the Passover meal that Jesus had with his friends and to go with Jesus to the garden. Jesus’ time in the garden was not something new for him. Countless times throughout his ministry he stepped away from the daily routines to spend time in the presence of Divine , to gain strength for the journey and to renew his spirit. When he accepted his call on the day of his baptism he moved out into the desert. There, he spent time in meditation and discernment as he sought clarification for the journey. He opened his mind and soul to receive what divine had to offer and then he returned to touch the world with love.

During his ministry when he was feeling the need to be reconnected, he went to the mountain, or to the garden, or out on a boat to open the lines of communication and receive the power of divine. Sometimes he went alone and at other times he took with him some of his friends. He encouraged his followers to do the same. When they asked him to teach them to pray he gave them the words that we use to this day, known to us as “The Lord’s Prayer”.

Journey from life to death to life

Prayer is essential for our spiritual well-being. Without it we are like batteries that have been drained of power. We must be reconnected and recharged in order to continue. Some years ago I had the privilege of being invited on a journey from life to death to life beyond death with my friend Bob.

I remember one conversation we had as he neared the completion of his time in this realm. Sitting in his sunroom he began to talk about the blessings he had received as a result of his illness. One of those blessings was what he came to understand about prayer and the place that it had taken in his life. He described a very personal friendship with a power he knew to be divine. He talked about this connection that did not take away his cancer but that gave him hope, strength, insight and joy.

When Spirit Great and Human Heart Converge

Sometime after that conversation I sat in my living room, with pen in hand and the pages blank before me. What I heard him say that day in the sun room came to life and I wrote these words:

In the quiet of the evening, standing on the rocky shore
In the forest, lush and green, sitting on a fallen tree
In the kitchen, coffee brewing, veggies steaming on the stove
Wherever you might be, God is there.

In the midst of the ordinary, mundane walk of life
Regardless of the time of day or the hour of the night
If you are happy and content or in a flurry of distress
Wherever you might be, God is there.

Sometimes words need not be uttered, a moment of quiet meditation
Bathed in the beauty of the sacred, your being washed in peace
Body, mind and spirit open to possibilities, holy presence all around
God can enter in, bringing insight, wisdom, light.

Sometimes connected in a circle, hands held, thoughts whispered
Energy and faith combine creating space for conversation
A flow of ideas, questions, fears – from gathered souls to divine spirit
God can enter in, bringing insight, wisdom, light.

There is no special way. No right path to follow
When spirit great and human heart converge beyond the borders
There is power. There is light. No limit on life or love
In that space the veil is lifted. You and God are one.

As you move through this day and prepare for the journey from crucifixion to resurrection may you find a moment to go into the garden. Open yourself to Spirit as it weaves in and through you and may divine presence flood your soul. May you find strength, courage, wisdom and light.

Blessings
Valerie

© 2018 Rev. Valerie Peyton Kingsbury. All rights reserved.