It’s the Easter season! We’re in the time in the church calendar marked off for celebration – after all, Jesus is risen and lives!
Mind, I’ve not felt very celebratory. Both Nicholas and I came down with covid on Easter Sunday, and I’ve only left the house a few times since. The virus left with me fatigue, although I’m gaining in strength each day and managed a gentle pilates workout yesterday. So although I’ve not celebrated much, I’ve been aware of this season set aside to give thanks, to wonder, to delight. Sometimes that’s how we have to celebrate – while acknowledging the pain we’re also in.
And how do we do so? With the presence of the risen Christ, of Jesus with us. I love this photo that Janet Nielson took, which I share with her permission. She was one of the pilgrims to Iona on the wonderful McCabe Pilgrimages trip at the beginning of April I got to lead. To me this photo reeks of the glory of God in our midst… it’s almost like I can see Jesus’ outline in the light.
How might you celebrate today? Through gritted teeth or not…
As we approach Holy Week next week, the culmination of the season of Lent, we can be gentle to ourselves, however we’re feeling, whether tired, weary, hopeful, or perhaps wishing that we’d kept more rigorously to the practices we chose at the start. Whatever has gone before us, know that God welcomes us to journey with Jesus in the here and now. God’s loving invitation to deepen our faith during this holy week stands.
One way to approach this week is to consider what Jesus experienced each day of his life that week. To help imagine what was happening at various moments, I invite you to download an outline of the events, which I’ve adapted from the NIV Application Commentary: Matthew by Michael J. Wilkins (Zondervan, 2004), pp. 709–10.
I also invite you to join me on Tuesday for a half-hour of prayer via zoom as I lead an engagement with Jesus’ journey via Coracle’s Space for God. More information here.
Lord Jesus Christ, as we enter into the events of this Holy Week, I come to you in humility, confessing my wrongdoing and receiving your forgiveness. May the events of this last week of your life be brought alive to me, that I might know you more intimately and be more grateful for your sacrifice, which gives me life. I join the crowds to shout out with joy, “Hosanna to the King of kings! Blessed are you who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
I loved co-leading a “Poetry and Prayer” retreat with Amy Scott Robinson recently at Launde Abbey, learning from Amy as she helped us to explore different forms of poetry. One of those is the biblical poetic form of the refrain, which is a wonderful way to express ourselves to God. And it’s easy to write one; I promise!
As Amy shared, what’s so wonderful about the poetry in the Psalms (ancient Hebrew poetry) is that it doesn’t depend on patterns and rhythms of words, but patterns and rhythms of ideas. It uses synonyms and antonyms, metaphors and refrains, all of which we can see in translation. Isn’t that amazing! We who aren’t able to read Hebrew don’t miss out.
A form of poetry in the Psalms is refrain—a repeated line or phrase that adds emphasis and rhythm in a poem or prayer:
Psalm 136 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
Here’s a refrain that I wrote while on the retreat with Amy (and thus I did it in a short space of time). I hope you see how the repeating of lines helps us to consider again the idea – maybe it helps us move more from the head to the heart?
From Job 1:21
The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
When sorrow strikes at the season’s end: A call to obey and relinquish… The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.
From a distance I see new gifts to welcome while bidding the familiar farewell. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
When I led this prayer exercise recently for Coracle’s Space for God (which happens regularly on a Tuesday), I was delighted with some of the refrains shared at the end of our time together. Here’s one from Jamie:
Identity
You are all fair, my love There is no spot in you.
Created with intention and beauty I see the goodness of God in you You are all fair, my love
Washed clean and made new Clothed in Christ’s righteousness. There is no spot in you
You are all fair, my love There is no spot in you
And here is one by Jerry Herbert, who was one of my teachers some years ago (!) on the American Studies Program in Washington, DC:
Your Word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path
Your Word is a lamp to my feet A guide in the midst of confusion A help when all is chaos
And a light to my path A spectacle when all is obscure A knife to slice thru the darkness
Your Word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path
I’d love to invite you to write a refrain! Here’s how:
Take 2 lines of scripture (or a line in two parts)
State them
Separate them with your own lines of context and interpretation
Bring them together again
Suggestions for verses:
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105)
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you (Numbers 6:24-26)
The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1)
The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21)
The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit (Jonah 2:6)
I love personalizing Psalm 23, and last week led this exercise at Launde Abbey – with these sheep in the background! Here’s the rendition I penned, which you might resonate with?
The Lord is my rest giver, I embrace shalom. He makes me release my projects, he leads me to the restoring waters, he refreshes my soul and my body. He helps me clear my diary for my own good. Even though I trudge through the valley of overcommitment, I will not fret, for you are with me; your tools to say no, they help me. You prepare a feast before me with those whom I’ve disappointed. You shower me with your unfailing love; my heart overflows. Surely your gentle invitations will accompany me all the days of my life, and I’ll live with you forever.
How might you apply this beloved Psalm in your life today?
Join me on the shores of the island of Iona as we stop and notice God’s presence with us. In a four-minute video, I invite you to affirm the amazing truth that if we welcome Jesus in our lives, Christ is with us.
Books of 2024. In the last year, I read almost half as many books as I usually do. As I consider why, I can see that I was too overcommitted, and for relaxing I turned to stories via the animated screen rather than the book. My-one-word for the year was “reset,” but it seems I didn’t live into that word enough.
I continue to enjoy audiobooks, although I can’t seem to retain the content of deep non-fiction books through listening, so I tend to leave audiobooks for novels and memoirs. I especially appreciate memoirs narrated by the author, and books narrated by wonderful actors such as Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks (two by Ann Patchett, for instance).
This year I give you a memoir by a contemporary Christian writer, some deep but accessible theology, a modern classic novel, and two fun novels.
A Compelling Memoir
It Wasn’t Roaring, It Was Weeping by Lisa-Jo Baker
What a book! In this memoir Lisa-Jo weaves together her life on two continents – her native South African and her adopted United States – with depth, yearning, pain, learning and ultimately love. A central part of her story is the early death of her mother coupled with the way her father parented her. She’s unstinting in her descriptions of the pain of that relationship, but she also shares their redemptive journey, which will give hope to any reader who has suffered from painful parental relationships. There is hope of healing.
I loved how she wove in the various native languages into her prose, which shines with truth, beauty, and meaning. This book is a labor of love, with the craftsmanship evident in the writing. A deserving 5 stars.
Deep but Accessible Theology
A Crazy, Holy Grace The Healing Power of Pain and Memory by Frederick Buechner
I so so appreciated listening to this series of essays, some more powerful than others. The ones on grace and pain and suffering and God’s love I will listen to again while jotting down notes – this is my bane as a visual, not auditory, learner! I was captured by one of his stories about his eldest daughter suffering from an illness that nearly killed her, and how he receive an unexpected visit from a friend who flew more than eight hundred miles in the hopes of finding find him at home. Frederick was indeed home, and their time together was transformative. An example of embodied love. As Frederick reflected later, “I was moved to the very soles of my feet by that experience, and so was he…” It was “a blessed event, a holy event.”
A Modern Classic Novel
The Blessing by Nancy Mitford
A novel by Nancy Mitford that I hadn’t read before… I picked up a used copy at one of the Tattered Cover bookstores in Colorado (not THE one in Denver, but still, a fun experience) and it felt right to read it after we left Paris and landed in the south of France (as it’s set in both locales and in England).
It’s very Nancy Mitford, which is of course what I wanted, but that means it’s a product of its time and I wasn’t going to judge it on modern standards. Full of fun and quips and characters I was rooting for. A perfect holiday read.
Two Fun Novels
Tom Lake by Ann Patchell
Oh I enjoyed listening to this novel, narrated by Meryl Streep. She brought such life and joy to the story. Having holidayed in Michigan in recent years, I enjoyed picturing the cherry trees and the family who was harvesting them during the pandemic, forced together in a time of social distancing.
The story is a looking back by the mother as she recalls her acting career and what brought her to Michigan and the life of a cherry farmer. Her love for her husband and their three grown daughters is evident. Fully enjoyable. I didn’t want it to end.
The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose
I was excited for this follow up to her first novel with Molly the Maid, who loves working at the posh hotel after her grandmother died, and who solved a mystery killing. This one was another light mystery that she solved in her inimitable way. Fully enjoyable listen.
Please read and buy my books! And if you do, please write a review on Goodreads or Amazon or some other online source. And please support your books-and mortar bookstore. They are havens of fabulousness that won’t survive if we only buy online.
Jesus, the true light, shines into the world as he is born a baby and is God with us, Emmanuel. I invite you to enjoy two short videos I made during the Advent retreats I led at glorious settings, Waverley Abbey, the lovely house and the historic ruins of the Cistercian monastery, and Mulberry House in High Ongar, Essex.
A nighttime blessing and considering of the wonders of Jesus, for whom we wait in Advent:
“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world…” (John 1:9, NIV)
During Advent, this time of darkness in the northern hemisphere, we wait for the True Light who vanquishes the darkness. We embrace the gift of God who came to earth as a baby, who lived among us, who died and rose again, living with us now through his Spirit.
As you ponder the Light of Christ, I offer a poem that I’d forgotten, which someone brought to my attention last week, one I penned some years ago based on Isaiah 9:2, focusing on the True Light:
If you can set aside some time for a retreat this Advent, I know God will bless your time with him!
One way is for anyone who has an internet connection and just under two hours – join my Advent retreat sessions via YouTube and a downloadable journal. Just £15.
OrI have two in-person opportunities for an Advent retreat day:
Join me for an Advent reflection to refocus on Christ from the comfort of your home or in person at the atmospheric Waverley Abbey or beautiful Mulberry House. Through three sessions, using words and pictures, we will look at Jesus from the start, Jesus in the darkness and Jesus with us. We’ll enjoy time together as a group, and you’ll have space for your own prayer and reflection.
Waverley Abbey, Farnham, Surrey, on 14 December. Find out more and book your place. You’ll have time to explore the ruins and enjoy a the wonderful house, decked out for Christmas.
Mulberry House, High Ongar, Essex, on 16 December. Crazily wonderful price of £25 with a 2-course lunch (their food is hotel standard and REALLY nice). Find out more and book a place.
Enjoy the mist and ruins of Waverley Abbey in this Advent-themed video:
Plan now for a refreshing encounter with Jesus during Advent!
“I was able to lose myself in my time with Jesus.”
“You helped me encounter God in a new way.”
“I’m very visual, and am learning that the Spirit really speaks to me through beautiful art… Leo’s lovely paintings really blessed me. The journal was beautifully presented.”
Advent can be an intense time of the year – the hustle and bustle of preparing for Christmas can overtake our intentions to prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of Jesus. But however busy we are, we can trust that God is with us. He is Emmanuel – the One who always with us.
Join me for an Advent reflection to refocus on Christ from the comfort of your home or in person at the atmospheric Waverley Abbey. Through three sessions, using words and pictures, we will look at Jesus from the start, Jesus in the darkness and Jesus with us. We’ll enjoy time together as a group, and you’ll have space for your own prayer and reflection.
Together, let’s cut through the frenetic pace of the season and make space for Jesus this Advent.
Please note that I will be sharing much of the same content as for the Advent 2023 retreat.
Take a few minutes to hear about friendship with Jesus and the difference it makes (my book Transforming Love) and God-encountering, time-tested ways to pray (my book 7 Ways to Pray). Elliott and I chat at the Christian Resources Together gathering in September 2024, where I gave a keynote address and the closing devotional.
