Fall Cleaning

-
originally published in the South Jetty Newspaper

After Labor Day, I found myself wanting to do some cleaning and organizing for the seasons ahead. It probably has something to do with school starting back and shifting into a different rhythm of life. It also has to do with a busy summer with lots of guests and travel, and now finally having a chance to catch my breath. Some places, people do spring cleaning that may be historically associated with the Persian new year or churches preparing for Easter; it is probably associated with colder climate zones opening up their homes after a cold and snowy winter.

Fall cleaning makes good sense to me here where we live, and it does fit into the school year starting. It also works well with the liturgical year ramping up--walking through those seasons of Jesus' life. Advent doesn't start until December this year, but my mind is already mapping a course to Lent. I'm wondering: "What do we need to study for Sunday school?", "What are our Bible Study groups going to study?",  "What clutter do I need to clear away from my life to be able to focus on other things more intentionally?"

Our Bible Studies are starting this fall with St. Paul's letter to the Romans. He's writing to them about a lot of things, but at the core, he asks them to focus on the most important thing: to make sure their relationship with God is their primary focus. Idolatry is the thing that leads us away from God; it leads to all sorts of unhealthy practices that steer us away from the love of the true God. We translate the Greek word dikios into two English words: righteous or justification. Those words carry all sorts of connotations in our modern context, but the word is about setting relationships in good order. It's important in any relationship to check in from time to time, asking in one way or another, "Are we good?" We might fear the answer, and avoid asking the question with a friendship that is strained. We may busy ourselves with distraction. When we do that with our relationship with God, it's called idolatry, and it is, St. Paul teaches, a misstep that will lead us to an unhealthy life of sin.

So, what's behind my urge to fall-clean? Yes, my house and office are untidy and need work. There may also be a spiritual dimension to it: what's cluttered up my spiritual life, distracting me from checking in with God? It may be an outward and visible expression of the deeper urge to ask, "God, are we good?" Am I giving the space, time, and energy needed for God's righteousness to shape me? St. Paul is helping me keep asking that question; time in prayer helps, too; and most important is my church community walking alongside me through these changing seasons of life.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

plastic: a spiritual perspective

-
Image
Plastic bag in front of Trinity by the Sea On a recent trip to Austin, I was surprised and delighted not to be handed a plastic bag when I checked out of a grocery store. I wasn't buying much, so I was able to carry out my things without remembering to bring in my reusable bags. For some time now, I've gotten in the habit of turning down plastic bags in convenience stores when they try to put my humble bag of sunflower seeds, lonely, in another bag. The plastic grocery bag has become like a handshake at the end of the deal: it seems to make the shopping experience complete. It is such an ingrained habit, that the person behind the cash register sometimes gets a suspicious look when I ask for no bag, as if thinking, "This yahoo is threatening our way of life!" I think about habits a lot, as a Christian of the Episcopal persuasion. Our practices and our experiences in everyday life shape the way we understand our relationship with God, with others, and with ours
Read more

movin' the tide

-
Image
I recently saw a performance by Shinyribs Russell and heard him tell the background story on his song, " Who Built the Moon ." He told a funny story about a conspiracy theorist's idea the moon was built by someone. I like the song for what it is, never mind the conspiracy. That song went through my head again and again this weekend as the Super Moon rose from the gulf horizon, sailed across the sky, and set over the bay. The moon, "hangin' in the sky, shakin' the oceans, and movin' the tide" has long shaped our human lives. It has helped us mark time, it can guide us in our fishing habits, and it inspires artists, musicians, and fireside philosophers. Life looks different in the moonlight. On Sunday morning, as I finished writing my sermon, I took a break to walk outside to see the Super Moon set, and I caught it hanging in the porch of the church. That night, Laura, Eli, and I went to the beach to watch it rise again. Someone told me it's t
Read more
-
Image
For the past three years, I have preached the Gospel Easter Morning including a pop song. The first year it was Widespread Panic's Diner . Last year Prince's I Would Die For You , and this year, the Grateful Dead's Ripple. Music is so inspiring to me, and it is an easy connection to relate to God, Resurrection, and new life through some of my favorite songs, even when they don't use traditional church language. Easter Morning 2023 My earliest impression of the Grateful Dead was as a pre-teen, staying the night at long time friends of my parents and sharing a room with Monroe their son. Earlier in the day Monroe had sent me down a fairly steep hill on his old bike which had no brakes. I managed to stop by veering off the road into the open arms of a magnolia tree. Monroe was so cool. So that night, after having some Neapolitan ice cream we watched MTV. If you remember MTV, you’ll understand how excited he was that a music video of one of his favorite bands, the Grateful
Read more