Juncture One

That moment of acknowledgement: we are one with others on the journey of living into the divine.

[junctureone]

Prayer for Dawning

One of All Nurture, present hope. Care and surprise with a peace   that with god-energy overflows. Bless with direction   that each morning shine -   renewed by Love. Amen.

[junctureone]

Prayer for Desert-days.

Prayer for Desert-days (informed by Psalm 112)

One of Nurture. Travelers' Guide. Help us tap into empowering Wisdom and eternal Hope. Enrich our minds, warm our hearts, strengthen of souls.

   From the beginning, evolving creation has stood in awe, having experienced your presence. Generations survived and flourished because of your being - being for us, cosmos-willed-alive. Story upon story of mutual love have been accompanied by promise. In right relationship with you and other, born of humility and grounded in all beings' dignity, delivers a vision of peace that continues to be the faithful dream into which we grow.

    When the darkest, or perhaps, deepest moments of our humanity we have felt solitude and heat of the desert, in retrospect, your presence was shade and direction. Do this again and again, while reminding us that you take no prescribed form. And, as you have been with us, let us be with others, per-forming grace.

​     Teach us to nurture. Direct us in guiding. May we be wise in becoming.  Amen.

R. Christian Seaver. St Paul, MN. 

[queenmariekay]

this makes me so happy

[junctureone]

Very creative. 

[its-mademoiselle-love]

[junctureone]

Last evening I was jelling-out on Periscope. Two different ‘scopers dropped political comments, each one starting with “I HATE _____” and “Well. I HATE ____”  Both were referring to presidential candidates. The host of the Periscope did not respond to the comments for a bit, then added: “I think we can be more kind to everyone.” Yes... Just using the word “HATE” and referring to another person (however nutty they may be, etc) is not a helpful and just poor more energy into a culture that has difficulty with respecting one another as human beings. 

[junctureone]

One of my favorite contemporary poets. Most of Mary Oliver’s pieces provides multiple points of departure for personal reflection on life and faith.

[wnyc]

Climate change is affecting the lives of the farmers and ranchers we all rely on for food. American agriculture as know it is due to change in a profound way.

[junctureone]

In particular, churches are institutions that practice the short-coming of welcoming all without really thinking through what the implications are, and what they are saying about themselves, or rather, what the truth about themselves that they are missing.

[junctureone]

How many people will let-go of something that offers security (even if it is unhealthy) during Lent? We don’t have anything to prove to anyone around us. We don’t have to do something spectacular. Humility might just be an OK rule in our lives.  Check out my new Lenten Reflection via the link embedded in the graphic.

[junctureone]

[junctureone]

Prayer for Peace, Peacemaking

Prayer for Peace, Peacemaking ​by R. Christian Seaver

​Gracious God, that our troubled world might allow itself to be embraced by your current love and good rule, we pray. In moments when the sounds of unhealthy tension are distant, may we fall into periods of reflection, when we seek wise counsel on the nature of life-giving and life-affirming relationships. May we discern your will and increase our capacity to honor one another's sacredness and the gift of being very different people, shaped by our cultural roots while committed to creatively reforming culture in light of your wish that each day we are born anew and begin a new leg of our spiritual journey.

We lift up the leaders of all nations and the leaders within all nations, those bestowed with power by their people or by the inheritance of power, and those who are in positions of influence within them dynamic communities. May ambitions and lusts for power surrender to the innate need for peace between all people and may true justice follow.

Source of Becoming, bless the humble among us who embody your love, those who strive to live with integrity into your peace. May we recognize and acknowledge their efforts, support them, and follow them (though not blindly) into your promised land of right relationships. Help us to see you in the lives of others, in the treasures of nature, and in the heavenly worlds yet to be revealed to us.

We pray in the name of our brother, Jesus, the Human One, who invites us walk in his compassionate way. Amen.

Visit JunctureOne.Org for more spiritual journey and worship resources.

[junctureone]

Light and Float a Candle for someone, in remembrance of them, this week or this coming weekend. Many have not only shaped us, but released us to become, and become, and become, and become ... Give thanks that new pathways appear before us day-in, day-out.

[junctureone]

Song of the Saints

                   Worship Ideas for All Saints Day / All Saints Sunday ​ In many churches the saints of the historic church are lifted up on All Saints Sunday. Some churches include contemporaries who have died also: peace and justice activists, for instance. I myself, holding to the idea that all people are gifts and immediately surrounding us are saints we might not recognize as saints, people who have gifted us with their presence, have recognized via a multi-media presentation loved-ones who members have lost during the previous year. I've solicited photos from members and some vitals about these people and have incorporated them in a photo montege of remembrance. I used music in the background that invited parishioners to reflect together on how we have loved them and how these saints have loved us.        I lift from the Rev. Ashley Harness an idea that she has shared on the Center of Progressive Renewal blog this week. Listen to the music by John Becker (linked below) and imagine how your congregation might remember church saints and our own saints into worship. Their are certainly a few full voices in every congregation, those of parishioners who might ass a cantor for one Sunday while background music is supplied by a choir, an ensemble and/or the congregation. My experience tells me that this would be a wonderful Sunday to light and float candles in honor of the passage of a loved one and in this liturgical act, people of all ages might participate in a powerful manner. And, as we approach this next Sunday, remember that communion will be shared in many churches this upcoming Sunday; don't forget that the saints join us in the sharing of bread and wine,  ~~RCS

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                                             SINGING THE SAINTS                                           by the Rev. Ashley Harness

​At Lyndale UCC, we have a long tradition of incorporating our own congregation's saints and the saints lost in the justice struggles of our days into worship on All Saints Day. We sing a litany of saints - both the ones most of us would recognize and those who are particular to our community at Lyndale. Via a little crowdsourcing, we collect the names and then our music minister integrates them into this hymn by John Becker. You can take a listen here  and download sheet music here.

Because the names can feel a bit clunky for the whole congregation to sing and get the rhythm right, a cantor leads the versus, but we all sing the responsive blessing. Every year there are tears of joy mingled with grief as we honor those we've lost and rest in their memory as we sing.

This year, in honor of our work in solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter, we'll also be singing some of the names of those lost to police brutality. You can find those names and more information here.                                                                                                                                              ~   Article by Rev. Ashley Harness ~ Minneapolis, Minnesota

[tetw]

The Science of Why We Don’t Believe Science by Chris Mooney - How our brains fool us on climate, creationism, and the vaccine-autism link

We Aren’t the World by Ethan Watters Why the people we study may be giving us a skewed picture of how our minds work

We Are All Confident Idiots by David Dunning The trouble with ignorance is that it feels so much like expertise…

The Illusion of Asymmetric Insight by David McRaney You are driven to create and form groups and then believe others are wrong just because they are others

The Sunk Cost Fallacy by David McRaney Your decisions are tainted by the emotional investments you accumulate, and the more you invest in something the harder it becomes to abandon it

[nprfreshair]

It’s not so bad! 

Have a great weekend.

[gregorymorisse]

This is not new, but definitely a favorite of mine. There are times as a pastor, when I can see the nail so clearly, and yet my job is not, in all truth and seriousness, about the nail. My job is not to remove the nail for you. (Though some would wish it were!) It’s often obvious to me; which makes it all the harder when I can’t see my own nail. Jesus cautions us: “first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5)

[junctureone]

This is really great; the comment and the film clip. Thanks, @revmorisse for sharing this one. 

[t-ginger-bear]

#Godisstillspeaking at #bloominthedesert #unitedchurchofchrist #ucc in Palm Springs (at Bloom in the Desert Ministries UCC)

[junctureone]

Nice

[junctureone]

“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.”   -PauloCoelho