NUDGINGS: a journey into the unknown

"I am the resurrection and the life.Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live”  [John 11.25 NRSV]  These are familiar words to most of us… and stumbling blocks to some of us. And would always be, o r so I thought until I attended a traditional Anglican funeral service recently. There as the priest came down the aisle towards the front, the words she said began ” I am Resurrection and I am Life …” These words caught me by surprise. They were saying something new, something different from the well-known words. Leaving out that tiny word ‘the’ made a world of  difference to my understanding of the words. On doing some research I was able to find that two of the funeral services printed in the Anglican Book of Alternative Services begin this way. ” I am Resurrection and I am Life, says the Lord. Whoever has faith in me shall have life, even though he die. And everyone who has life, and is committed to me in faith, shall not die for ever.” [John 11.25–26 BAS

The topic of my meditation a few days ago was living in the present. Nothing new there! What it went on to say however was that being in the present didn’t mean forgetting the precious memories we have of the past or giving up our dreams for the future, only that we don’t dwell on them. We all have precious memories that define who we are today . Memories, that we might have shared with others - or not, that mark a pivotal point in how we understand and relate to the world. Often they are little things that would seem trivial or of little consequence to others, but they live on in our memory years, even decades after the event. If someone was to write a story about our life, who we really are, and how we got to this point, these memories would have to be part of it. A number of them would probably involve ‘thin places’ , those places where the everyday world and the spiritual world intersect for just a moment, those moments when you feel especially close to what Paul Tillich c

I am sure that we have all heard it said many times that religion and politics don’t mix. In fact we heard the comment made not so very long ago about the sermon at the royal wedding. And indeed what we hear on a Sunday morning tends to uphold that idea. Here in Ontario, we have just had a provincial election. As I watched the results come in, I couldn’t help wondering if those people voting had given any thought as to what the platform was for each party. And if they had done so, did their vote reflect either their own values or the values of their religion? Would they vote to ensure that their neighbour was treated as   they themselves wished to be? Would they think of the underprivileged, of those in need, when they cast heir ballot? Would they be willing to do with less themselves in order that our society might be stronger? I hope so….. because if they did then their religion has influenced their politics. Too often, as we mark our ballot, if we vote at all, we

I realize now that I have been afraid over the past couple of months.  A pending MRI, played into a fear I have had for years [one of those that appear at 3 in the morning when sleep eludes you]. That fear was that one day I would exhibit symptoms that would call for me to be put head-first into an MRI machine. I am claustrophobic and the very thought put me into panic mode. A couple of weeks ago I was put into an MRI machine head first. Let me assure you that the weeks between the MRI being ordered and actually happening were not relaxing ones! At the same time, I develop mobility problems that made walking up the stairs from our apartment on the lower level, anything but easy or pleasant. In face it curtailed my ability to go about my usual life, as once up the stairs was all I could face in a day. Then two things happened almost at the same time. I had the MRI, and with the aid of an anti-anxiety pill, found the process not at all upsetting. Close to the same time, we