Month: December 2020

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Advent Word 2020, Day 18 ‘Pray’

Catherine Lee

#AdventWord #Pray “Do not quench the Spirit!” Paul says. The Spirit, ever present, ever mischievous, is constantly trying to catch our attention, using all those human moments – joy, nostalgia, boredom, exhaustion, wonder – to tap us on the shoulder and say, “pay attention to me!” Our response, whether it’s with excitement or annoyance, is called Prayer.  Pay attention, we’re here! This is us, this is Taiwan! Pray for us, pray for Taiwan! Rev. Simon T. S. Tsou with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry @ St. John’s Cathedral, Taipei, February 21, 2020 Continue reading Advent Word 2020, Day 18 ‘Pray’

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Advent Word 2020, Day 17 ‘Worship’

Catherine Lee

#AdventWord #Worship I read once that ​our worship must flow out of true selves and engage our spirit as we pursue truth, and yet so much about how we conduct worship often can feel as if we are putting on pretense – as if we are dressing up to play people who worship, instead of just being people who are worship-filled just as we are – messy, or tired; confused, or content. In a season that is ripe with dressing up, I wonder how we can bring our true selves and engage our spirits as we pursue the truth of … Continue reading Advent Word 2020, Day 17 ‘Worship’

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Advent Word 2020, Day 16 ‘Rest’

Catherine Lee

#AdventWord #Rest God has sent us to “bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners.” Even Jesus suggested, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” What surrounds my rest? Am I tired, exhausted even, from the spirit of God being on me, from following and from being sent? Do I deserve this rest? This quiet place? Even here resting, am I anticipating waking to acting with compassion? Switching off for a few moments! 😴 One of our clergy takes a … Continue reading Advent Word 2020, Day 16 ‘Rest’

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Advent Word 2020, Day 15 ‘Go’

Catherine Lee

#AdventWord #Go The seven practices of the Way of Love are often interconnected. To practice go, we add words frequently. Go and preach. Go and serve. Go and listen. Go and praise. Go and pray. In our ways of faith following Jesus, we must find the courage to move beyond our communities and comfortable relationships to unknown places. Doing that work takes practice; I don’t know many people who flourish when pushed into unknown situations…. In the path of my heart this Advent, I’m crossing the barrier that says light and darkness are white and black. When God chose to … Continue reading Advent Word 2020, Day 15 ‘Go’

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Advent Word 2020, Day 14 ❤️ ‘Honey’ ❤️

Catherine Lee

#AdventWord #Honey The Promised Land flows with milk and honey – how sweet it is. Like Pooh Bear, I love “sweet” and “Sweet Jesus” appeals to me. But as I ponder this, things get sticky very fast. “Sweet Jesus” is not a popular term in many churches. “The sated appetite spurns honey, but to a ravenous appetite even the bitter is sweet”(Prov. 27:7). Want honey? Follow bees. Want Heaven? Follow Beatitudes. Fed-up people have little use for a Sweet Jesus, one who feeds hungry people merely because they are hungry and loved. Child-souls love Pooh and honey – and Jesus … Continue reading Advent Word 2020, Day 14 ❤️ ‘Honey’ ❤️

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Advent Word 2020, Day 13 ‘Word’

Catherine Lee

#AdventWord #Word A singular word can change the world. The Word created us, and it comes to us in flesh through Jesus; it has been given to you and me. If we do not listen carefully, we can miss it being spoken to us. If we do not embody and share it ourselves, we miss the opportunity to be transformed and to bring transformation. This world yearns for a word. This world yearns for a messenger. This world yearns for you. May we accept the call this day, to receive that Word, to embody it, and, most importantly, to share … Continue reading Advent Word 2020, Day 13 ‘Word’

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Advent Word 2020, Day 12 ‘Baptize’

Catherine Lee

#AdventWord #Baptize  Much like John the Baptist, it seems as if we are currently living in the wilderness waiting and preparing ourselves to be faithfully transformed by Jesus. And although this transformation may be filled with uncertainty and fear, John is calling us to trust, to turn back to the source of life and forgiveness, to renew our commitment to strive for justice and peace. As we journey into this new season out of the wilderness, let us receive Christ’s love and grace in our hearts and strengthen the bonds we share with each other through our baptism.   Sleeping peacefully … Continue reading Advent Word 2020, Day 12 ‘Baptize’

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Advent Word 2020, Day 11 ‘Mercy’

Catherine Lee

#AdventWord #Mercy Sometimes this word confines us as a small measure of what we require or are able to give. In thinking about mercy, we so frequently have our own narrow needs and restricted limits. Yet God’s mercy is boundless, amazingly so, reaching out, beyond anything that we can imagine, to embrace and to forgive. And as we experience it, fresh and full every day, our hearts expand in response to the miraculous gift that changes everything. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. Great is your … Continue reading Advent Word 2020, Day 11 ‘Mercy’

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Advent Word 2020, Day 10 ‘Patience’

Catherine Lee

#AdventWord #Patience Patience is that reminder that we are not in control, that our lives do not always happen according to our schedule. The experiences of the prophets, Mary, Joseph, shepherds and Magi remind us that we exist in God’s time. Living in kairos time requires our prayer, our attention and most certainly our patience as we recognize God’s presence, as we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our lives. All eyes on Canon Mark! This is Canon Mark Stevenson, canon to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry – and very well-deserving of a special gold medal in the Patience department! In … Continue reading Advent Word 2020, Day 10 ‘Patience’