It's Tuesday morning and I find myself at my desk…skimming through the
lessons for this week-end. I tend to start my sermon prep early in the
week --- wanting always, to give the Spirit plenty of time to move and to
speak. So I usually start by looking over all of them, wondering as I do,
if something will 'hook me' and get me moving in a particular direction
earlier rather than later. It was as I was glancing through Psalm 104
that I was struck by something that is almost 'cliché.' For the psalmist
ends his words of praise with, "Bless the Lord, O My Soul." I
especially got to wondering about the end of that phrase "O My Soul."
Now I confess, that I am a person who occasionally talks to myself…
sometimes even calling myself by name with words of encouragement or
scolding… (For obvious reasons, I try not to do this in the company of
others…) But it's not often that I address myself as "Soul." Although it
would make sense, of course, to do so… for even the calling of one's name
indicates a calling of the whole person: body, mind, and soul.
I stood at the bedside of one of our own last week. She had finished her
lunch --- what little bit she is eating now --- and her pain prompted her
to ask to be put back into bed. Only her body has been in slow and steady
decline for some time now. Ravaged by rheumatoid arthritis, heart
disease, and now cancer, there's a great deal she can no longer do for
herself --- including getting herself back into bed. And so her daughter
and I stood by as a couple of kind nurse's assistants came in with a
contraption called a 'hoyer' lift, attached the sling that was holding
this woman to it, and gently transferred her from wheel chair to bed.
This dear one is so much more than her body…. What shines out from her
eyes is the soul, the very breath of God, which has filled her since her
first breath as a tiny baby in her mother's arms in a small town in Iowa.
You know, my doctor has me on a low sodium diet these days and I'm walking
well over an hour most mornings to try to get my blood pressure under
control. A blood pressure cuff and a scale both offer some measure of how
I'm doing as I tend to the physical body I've been blessed with. Young
people who are just finishing school are still reflecting on another
measure of growth… grades and class standings and college admissions and
such. Both are a measure of 'who we are.' And yet, I wonder how we think
about strengthening our 'souls --- the 'whole' of us that is greater than
just body or mind, but rather is somehow the 'sum of our parts.'
Now, I don't know of a good measure for this kind of growth, --- at least
not in the middle of the journey --- but I've certainly known those who
have done this 'soul' work in such a way that it shows --- like with the
woman I mention above who has lost use of her body, but whose spirit is
still strong. For her that strong spirit results from a full and vibrant
prayer life… where she prays not only for her own needs but also for those
of others. When she was able, regular participation in the worship life
of the community helped develop in her the ability to pray and to praise,
to confess and to receive forgiveness, and to know herself to be connected
to people of faith not only here, but the world over. Sharing in a meal
of bread and wine and hearing the promises of God over and over and over
again helped to build up her spirit, her soul, which helps sustain her
now. For in the end, the only measure I know of the strength of our
'souls' is how we 'hold up' in hard times, often near to the end of life.
So I ask you, I wonder with all of us, what are we doing to build up or
strengthen our souls, our whole selves? What place do worship, prayer,
confession, forgiveness, and conversation with other people of faith have
in your life? How do you seek to live out the faith you've been given at
work, in the community, in the church? How is your 'soul?'
Peace to you and many blessings,
Pastor Janet
Coming up this week at Salem: This week-end is Pentecost. Remember to
wear red to worship and bring a red bedding plants to help decorate the
sanctuary (to be planted on the church grounds later).
Between services on Sunday morning, Pastor Janet will continue to reflect
on the mediation work she's been doing this spring. Join us for a cup of
coffee and conversation and learning together.
Again this week we will continue our special offering for victims of
spring storms and tornadoes through Lutheran Disaster Response. Be sure
to bring your pennies to help the children raise 100,000 pennies for Peace
Lutheran Church in Joplin, Missouri, which was entirely destroyed by a
tornado a couple of weeks ago.
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