Tag: Inspirational

Lent is a season of love.

Not the kind of love that one can contain in a heart-shaped box of chocolates or express in a store-bought card; this love is far more enduring.  It is a love that has surrounded us all our days; we were born into this love and it never leaves us even when we do not acknowledge or comprehend its depth.

It reminds me of a story I once read from ancient wisdom.  The story goes that a young fish swam up to a much older and wiser fish asking, “What is all this water I hear about?” The older fish responded, “You were born into this water, it surrounds you, sustains you and without it, you would not survive. You do not know life without this water.”

We do not know life without this love.  It doesn’t mean life is made easier, but, when we begin to recognize the presence of this love in our lives; the living becomes more purposeful.

This is the kind of love that hung on a cross trusting in God’s redemptive plan.  The kind of love that calls us to serve the other daily in small seemingly unimportant ways, unnoticed perhaps by humans but not unseen by angels. And, “In those moments we become one with God, with God’s love and that moment changes into eternity and God calls us his true child and Christ calls us his friends.”*

May your Lenten journey draw you ever deeper into God’s light, love and friendship.

Blessings,

Rev. Heather McCarrel

*Rev. Friedich Rittelmeyer Lutheran minister (1872-1938).  “Passiontide: The Washing of The Feet”

The photo with this Blog was taken by Amir Arefi

She opened the door partway and rather reluctantly said, “Yes?”  I leaned in so to see her face and introduced myself as the new minister at her church.  The door swung open as wide as the smile across her face as she warmly welcomed me.

Curling was on the TV as we each took our seats on her comfy couch and she muted the sound while saying, “I was hoping to meet you!”  I looked around her cozy room and admired the pictures on the wall and the bright sunshine that was pouring in the windows.

“I haven’t been here long”, she explained, “but I have been enjoying it.” (she had recently moved into this retirement home)

We continued to visit for the next 15 minutes; she told me bits and pieces of her life and shared fond memories of her beloved church.  Before leaving we prayed together and I gave her a card which had my phone number and email address written upon it and we discussed when we would meet again.

That meeting will have to wait.

Exactly a week later I sat with her family as we planned her funeral; each reeling at the suddenness of her death.

That ordinary visit was actually a sacred encounter.

How often do we go through the routine of our days not realizing how each moment is a sacred gift that once passed it cannot be regained?

I vow that through this Lenten Season I will deliberately savor each moment.  I will be pausing to be mindful of the gift of even the most mundane routines as laundry, making supper or shoveling snow, looking for the sacred in each task.

And you know what?  It has already paid off!  Today as I drove down the same street I have driven down a thousand times in the past 30 years I looked up just in time to see two swans in full flight.  Have you ever seen two swans in full flight? With their long elegant necks stretched out and their angel wings riding the breeze, they look otherworldly and sacred indeed!

May your Lenten journey be jam-packed with the ordinary turned sacred and may it amaze you.

Blessings,

Rev. Heather McCarrel

This past week I had a bit of a lesson in what it means to be a “fan” of certain musicians.  For example, did you know that fans of Barry Manilow are called “Fanilows”, fans of Justine Bieber are called “Beliebers”, Lady Gaga’s fans are dubbed “Little Monsters”, Clay Aiken’s fans are “Claymates”, Neil Diamond’s fans are “Diamond Heads”, and the once-famous 1970s rock group Aerosmith calls their fans “The Blue Army”?  The list goes on and on with some fans having inspiring names and others not so inspiring!

This was all news to me as I have never really been a “fan” or follower of any specific musician or group. I am however a follower of one whom, as Rev. James Harnish writes, “doesn’t attract fans; he calls disciples.”

He calls disciples to something deeper, profound and more life-changing than any mere “fan” would aspire.   He calls us to humbly serve the other, “ I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me into your home. I needed clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ …..Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did for me.’(Matthew 25:34-40)

Jesus doesn’t look for “Fans” who compete for attention and status but instead, he calls us to into co-creating a kin-dom of love, peace, joy, welcome, acceptance and grace.

So?  Are you merely a fan seeking attention and admiration or are you a Disciple prayerfully serving Jesus by humbly serving others?  As Lent approaches this is a good question to ponder.

Blessings,

Rev. Heather McCarrel

The photo with today’s Blog was taken by Sebastian Ervi.

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