how the light gets in

Category: JANUARY 2021

• As you go

  Posted at 8:17 am by How the Light Gets In, on January 30, 2021

  I’ve read and heard Bible stories my whole life.  And still, every now and then a detail pulls me with an invitation to look again.

  Today, the invitation comes from the story of Jesus healing the Lepers in the Gospel of Luke.

  It goes like this:

  A group of 10 men with leprosy call out to Jesus as he was coming close.

  “Master heal us.”

  He answered,

  “Go present yourself to the priest.”

  They went.

  Super simple: They Ask, He Answers, They Go.

  It’s verse 14 that is pulling at me though.

  “As they went, they were cleansed.”

  Recap: They ask for healing, Jesus says go to the priests and they start walking. Do you think they walked away in grateful confidence that, YES, it would be the priests who would cure them – “Of course, why didn’t we think of the priests? Let’s go!” 

  But, the priests wouldn’t be the ones to clean their infections, restore their wounds or give them the wholeness they needed. 

  “As they WENT, they were cleansed.”

  I wonder what the Lepers heard “as they went” through town – screams of fear from onlookers, angry threats from neighbors? I don’t know but I do know they kept going.

  Back then, people with leprosy had to wear bells around their necks. The clanging would warn others of their presence giving them time to get out of the way.

  I wonder about the people hearing the bells. Would the ones who usually stared from behind a curtain peek out just in time to see? Would they stare long enough to witness the miracle of 10 grotesque, outcast, hurting lepers HEALING “as they went”?!?

  The bell around your neck; it might be old shame, might be doubt, could be regret, even anger. The clanging will be loud as you take your first step. I know this to be true for me but keep going. And, what other people do as you respond to Jesus – whether they slowly disappear or make their disapproval loud or laugh in judgment – is up to them. You keep going.

  It’s super simple, right? You Ask, He Answers, You Go.

  It’s just both; simple and not so simple.

  Maybe you’re too afraid to ask by yourself. [There were ten lepers in the same kind of pain and they asked together.] Then, get yourself a circle of people and ask! Maybe that’s your first request: “Jesus, I need a circle of people who know me, love me, hear the bells clinking and clanging around my neck and push me to keep going.”

  Maybe you have a hunch what direction you need to be heading in that relationship, that job, that decision; but the bells are too much: “Jesus, you know my heart. And I think I know the way to go but the fear/doubt/criticism/worry/shame/regret is so loud. Help my feet to keep going.”

  Ask. Listen. Expect the bells and the outside noise. Keep going.

  Now, off you go.

  Posted in JANUARY 2021, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged bells, healing, How the Light Gets In, Keep Going, Lepers, Luke 17:11-19

• my response

  Posted at 2:31 pm by How the Light Gets In, on January 8, 2021

  Fight or Flight: two basic responses to stress.

  Which did you choose January 6th?

  To be honest, I don’t usually choose to fight or run away. I freeze. Very mature. I’m working on me though.

  I woke up feeling like I don’t want to fight, don’t want to flee, don’t want to be stuck either. I do feel the need to face “it”. [For the record, I’m not going into the “it” because “it” is different for all of us.] There’s a rumbling for vulnerability in this country. And we need to address it, one by one, for the good of the whole.

  Our country is a mess. I believe there’s a calling out there for you and me right now. We don’t need a new leader to fix it. You, me, we can all be leaders in our families, our circles for change. I need you. You need me. WE need to work side by side, extending Grace to each other while we respond to the call.

  So, how do we do it?

  Rather than fighting or running away or freezing:

  1. FACE it.

  Are you angry, hurt, sad? With the Church? Racism? Trump? Biden? Covid-19? the mask? White people? Karens? Fox News? CNN? God? WHO? WHY?

  Ask God to untangle the mess inside. “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

  While you’ve got God working in there, ask Him to show you all the gifts you have too (you’ll be needing those).

  2. SIT with it.

  Push past the anger to the real feeling: Is it fear? Fear of the Unknown? Do you feel exposed? Uncertain? Vulnerable? Guilty? Dumb? Territorial? Wrong? Shameful?

  SIT WITH IT.

  Isaiah 30:15 says, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.” There is strength to be found in stillness.

  While you’re sitting with all the things; invite Jesus in please.

  “Come Lord Jesus” – you say the word and He will be there beside you.

  To have the powerful companionship of God – your God who knows tears and injustice and isolation and hurt- while sitting with all of the stuff makes all the difference. Inviting a holy presence into the process will transform you. Promise.

  3. NAME it.

  

  There are three strategies that I’ve seen work to transform always knowing into always learning.

  1. Name the issue. It’s a tough conversation, but clear is kind: I’d like for you to work on your curiosity and critical thinking skills. You’re often quick with answers, which can be helpful, but not as helpful as having the right questions, which is how you’ll grow as a leader. We can work together on this.

  Knowers often have a lot of people talking behind their backs, and that’s unkind.

  2. Make learning “curiosity skills” a priority. Some people may be perceived as naturally curious, and others need to be taught how to be more curious. Don’t assume people aren’t curious because they don’t care. They may not know how to be curious.

  3. Acknowledge and reward great questions and instances of “I don’t know, but I’d like to find out” as daring  leadership  behaviors. The  big  shift  here is from wanting to “be right” to wanting to “get it right.”

  We define grounded confidence as curiosity + the willingness to rumble with vulnerability + practice. While armor is our greatest barrier to being brave, grounded confidence is the heart of daring leadership.

  *Adapted from Dare to Lead: Brave Work, Tough Conversations, Whole Hearts (2018)

  Look. You, me, we BELONG here right now. God put us here today and so we will be equipped for the work ahead.

  I, for one (while slightly terrified) am also excited to think that if I do the work well, I can bring some change to this world. What fills me even more hope is the idea that you are here at the same time! And if we do the work well TOGETHER – WOW!

  Let’s be terrified and excited TOGETHER! WE are here for a purpose. You are meant to be here. Don’t throw your story away in anger or violence or stereotypes, we are worth much more than that.

  Come Lord Jesus.

  Sit beside us in our fear and anger until we can acknowledge what’s in our hearts. Jesus, you promised to be with us in the storm. And this, Lord, is a shit storm. Beyond the promise, you are inviting us to “the other side” of the storm. I pray we say yes to the invitation.

  Help us embrace the love and patience and wisdom and humility and goodness and mercy and grace you’ve woven into each one of us. I pray we learn to accept our faults and to receive our gifts. Thank you for my brothers and sisters who are as messed up as I am and want better.

  Fix our eyes on you Jesus. Amen.

  Posted in JANUARY 2021, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged always learning, Biden, Brene Brown, Clear is kind, Fight or Flight, How the Light Gets In, Isaiah 30:15, Jesus, leader, Psalm 139:23-24, Racism, Revelation 22:20, Trump, Yoda

• Jesus

  Posted at 1:20 pm by How the Light Gets In, on January 3, 2021

  All the Christmas decorations here are packed away (actually, maybe they’re piled in a corner of the basement).

  The house looks so bare. There’s no more glitter or garlands.

  Today, in our faith, we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. It marks the end of Christmas and the revelation of Jesus to the Three Kings.

  Watching mass online in our “bare” house got me thinking about Mary and Joseph.

  What was it like for them to watch other people meet their baby? They knew who they were raising. They knew who their baby was. I wonder what it was like for them to witness how others received him, better yet to watch how others RECOGNIZED Jesus.

  The Star – Were Mary and Joseph aware of the unusual bright light announcing the Light of the world?

  The Shepherds – They had no status or wealth or place in their world but found themselves at the right place because they listened. We always focus on the fact Jesus was announced to shepherds in a field, that their nature (being outcast and unloved) reveals Jesus heart. But, we need to also remember Jesus was announced by a host of Angels, singing in the heavens, breaking through the dark of night; revealing Jesus power.

  The Three Kings – Men of wealth and status; traveling from Persia, following maps and calculations leading them to a star, bearing gifts to meet the King of Kings. When they arrived, they knelt before the baby. Mary-who had been pondering all these details in her heart- was her heart bursting at this point? She had said yes to bearing the shame of gossip about her pregnancy. And now Kings on bended knee, were bowing in vindication of her obedience and revelation. Did Joseph stand there in shocked gratitude?

  Now that Christmas is all wrapped up, The Epiphany begs us to look to Jesus.

  So, would you take a moment for some quiet & look to Jesus?

  

  Posted in JANUARY 2021, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Angels, Christmas, Epiphany, How the Light Gets In, Isaiah 60:1-5, Jesus, Joseph, Light, Mary, Shepherds, We Three Kings