The Super Moon

simplicity // 10
the Super Moon

In some respects, it was a different world when Jesus walked the Earth. Life was simpler. He didn’t have to cope with e-mail overkill, binge drinkers, calls from the boss in the holidays, Prozac, traffic congestion, global warming, iPad envy, Katie Price, radiation leaks, the derivatives market or spam.

But in another way, his world was hardly that different. What he saw and experienced was intrinsic to the human condition, including his temptations in the desert. He was tempted to cheat on his mission, shattering its integrity; he was tempted to sell his soul for some fleeting earthly power and dominion; he was tempted to use his calling simply to prove his own worth...

Don’t say you haven’t been tempted, too.

But Jesus was deadly serious about taking the time, and the time out, to confront himself and to align himself and to attune himself to the rhythms of God’s reality.

When you look up at the moon tonight – and it’s a ‘super’ moon, by the way, which means that it’s closer than it has been for 18 years, and it’s full! - why not remember that it’s exactly the same moon that Jesus must have looked up at, night after night, as he sat, on his own, in the desert. In this way, it’s a great point of connection. Jesus, the man, would have seen a full moon within that period, and would surely have contemplated its role and rhythms - shepherding sunlight into the darkness – even as he contemplated his own.

The moon connects us even further back, too; to the very beginning, when “the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” as St John wrote so powerfully at the start of his Gospel. Had Jesus talked with John about his own dawning connections with the creation of time, and life, and light? “He was with God in the beginning,” wrote John. “Through him all things were made... In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind...

“The light shines in the darkness,” John wrote, “and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Shine on.

* * *

action point

Take to the hills. Watch the moonrise. Have a walk. Wonder.

* * *

rsvp

“I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning." (Psalm 130.6) Tears every day when I wait - trust it will wash away the deep tiredness and lift the weight on my shoulders. More than watchmen...” Marijke

“After reading ‘the Wait’ this morning I went to switch off my computer before hurrying off to work. Suddenly the words of the last command hit me – SHUT DOWN. That’s what I needed to do. So at lunchtime I left the stress of the office, went to the nearby river and sat on one of the benches. There in the warm sunshine I closed my eyes and mentally hit my internal command button in order to ‘shut down’. There was no blinding revelation, no overwhelming sense of God’s presence. But as I waited I experienced a precious moment of oasis as the busyness of the workplace was replaced with stillness, calm and peace. To be continued...” Dylan

“As a Quaker I experience God in the silence but... by Day 5 I realised that I was (and had been for some time) on 'automatic pilot', being caught up working through lists of my own making. Always saying to myself 'should' instead of 'could'. When you wrote of contriving desert experiences, the light bulb went on! I realise that I've been mentally listing the time between 10.30am and 11.30 on a Sunday as the slot when I would be available to listen to God. What a cheek! This lovely, lovely Benedictine meditation will be a great help.” Ann

‘The Wait – I read this just as I was about to set out on a long walk today... thank you.” Gill

“Not managed the rhythm of the breastplate or the stilted silence. Yesterday; not a good day, preoccupied with trying to gain employment. My prayer of lament is at the forefront of my mind.... Give me peace Lord.” Keith

“Nice story. But I'm wary of the power of the mind to edit, sift, filter and even downright imagine things. So you saw a shepherd. Well, on the other hand, my friend died and parts of Japan have been destroyed, there's no lasting peace between Israel/Palestine, the church is being horribly persecuted in many part of the worlds and I have a headache. ‘World is crazier and more of it than we think, / Incorrigibly plural. [ . . . .] world / Is more spiteful and gay than one supposes.’(MacNeice). Lean Lenten blessings. Oliver

“When we wait for God, we get to see Him do the business. When Jesus fed the crowds, the raw materials were ludicrously small - just a few fish sandwiches. But as the disciples followed his instructions, so the miracle happened... Waiting for God is not passive, it is the wisest course of action if we are to be used to make a difference.” John

“A beautiful St Patrick’s day thanks to the breastplate mediation which gave me an extra spring in my step. I sent it to all fellow spiritually awake Irish folk in my life in the hope of further empowering and nourishing their souls.” Claire

“Taking break from studies and took your advice - sitting on Killiney Hill overlooking a bay like Sorrento in Italy. Listening to seabirds - and the wind!!! Beautiful clear day with sun shining and sea like a pond...” Ciaran

“I am thankful to be part of this Lent 40 group and to be thinking about these things at this time. Somehow, the entire universe around me seems full of connections which sum up my being here right now.” Sandra

“I am trying to still my mind and wait on God, but it keeps filling up with images of the devastation in Japan. How lucky we are to have the privilege be still. But surely God is everywhere - in the stillness, in the messiness of our lives, when things go according to plan, when they don't, even in Japan..?” Kate

“This last week or so has been tough. I don't necessarily find it hard to find the time and the stillness to rest and think and reflect, but I do find it hard to fully trust in God when things are difficult or not as I would have them be. My desert experience thus far has shown me how little I give things over to God, and brought home how frustrated and weak I often am. It's discomforting to have your failings presented to you, but it's also pride shattering, which is surely a good thing. I've had to choose a few times to keep going, to stick with God on this, or perhaps He's sticking with me. Here's to finding the time just to wait and listen, to receive in a world that is all about 'getting'.” Jonathan

“How do you not think? I tried this today and stood quiet and still half way up a hill in the rain and I couldn't not think. I don't think my brain has an off switch. The closest I could come was just talking to God and wanting his presence.” Jemma

“I loved yesterday’s. Checked out the full translation. This part stood out as a reminder of the vastness and variety of the power Patrick drew on, also available to me:

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendour of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.” Wendy

* * *

May you shine, today...
Go well!

Brian