Smoke Signals5/22/2024 Wednesday of the 7th Week in OT
I chose the photo above of the "fire pit" at the front of the retreat house at EP because of the theme of "smoke signals" as well as the image of the "tongues of fire" for the Holy Spirit. (Pay not attention to the empty glasses!) The readings from the Letter of James are not very uplifting. His reminder that our lives are like a “puff of smoke” can be very depressing or it can instill in us a sense of gratitude for the moments we have. I chose the title “smoke signals” since this is one of the earliest forms of distance communication. What could be the “smoke signals” in today’s scriptures? What is the long -distance communication that we receive from James and the Evangelist Mark? Along with his reminder that life is transient, he encourages us to trust in God’s will and always remain open to God’s Spirit leading and guiding us. Jesus reminds us that the Spirit of God works in mysterious ways. You don’t have to be one of the “in crowd” to respond to the Spirit. And in these days of Pentecost, aren’t we called to recognize the Spirt working in us and in our world? The gifts of the Spirit are treasures if we recognize how precious they are. Life may be like a “puff of smoke” in its transience, but while we are here we can always ask for those gifts of the Spirit that make our experience of God and each other more and more precious. I didn’t share with you my Pentecost poem, "Cobblestones" this past Sunday but I think it’s worth hearing again. cobbles_tones.docx
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