Lord, Let Your Face Shine On Us

Yesterday, baby Seth lungs were at full capacity as he was being baptized. During the readings, the homily, the pouring of water, Seth let everyone in church know that he was the center of attention. During the blessing prayers for parents, Seth started once again into a long wail. It was my turn to offer a blessing to the community so I decided to take a different tact. Instead of hollering over his protests, I took the microphone and softly whispered the blessing to the community. Seth stopped to listen and wondered what happened to all the loud noises.

The stories of Easter are about a God who is active in the "everyday-ness of our lives. As mom holds her newborn, as a dad gently cuddles his baby boy. You see, I believe Jesus still walks with us, not as a figure from the past but in the present. Jesus is with us, at our side.

Let me tell you about Justin who has trouble falling asleep at night. Its was not about final exams or a chronic disease, but a genuine concern about what happens to a person when we die. He suffers panic attacks in the middle of the night worrying about what comes next. I told him the story about Thomas who had his share of panic and doubts after the death of Jesus. Thomas did not take his faith for granted nor did he want to appear stupid. He grieved the death of his best friend, and to imagine that Jesus appeared when he just happened to be out shopping was nonsense or a cruel joke. However, you know the rest of the story.

Now imagine Jesus like the Good Shepard, who is restless and disheartened when even one of His lambs are missing or in doubt. I told Justin to imagine himself as a lamb that had wandered far away from this Shepherd for many years. Now close your eyes gently and see Jesus coaxing you to His side. "Come over here...come over here Justin." Imagine yourself nestled against Jesus as He carries you back to a safe enclosure.

Jesus is with us, at our side when we’re sad and troubled, for the Stranger is there. When we’re in an arid place, the Gardner is there. When we’re hungry for love and trust, the Cook is there. When we’re fearful and doubtful, hiding behind closed doors or wide awake late at night, the Surprise Guest is there. When we’ve strayed and sinned, the Shepherd is there. When we feel locked out of life and love, the Gatekeeper is there to let us in to both. When we feel betrayed, rejected and hurt, the Healer is at our side. Like sheep in a flock, we gravitate to the One whose voice we recognize because we know that everyday he comes to us for one reason only: to open the gate so that we might have life and have it more abundantly.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are worried and afraid. Now imagine yourself resting under the tree nestled next to the daffodils and praying Psalm 2:9: "As soon as I lie down, I fall peacefully asleep, for you alone O Lord, bring security to my dwelling."

I Think It Is Time For Me To Take A Break

In one of my favorite movies, "Return To Me" there is a scene when the waiter comes to serve a young female artist. It is evening and she has not painted a stroke on her canvas. The waiter notes her distress, pulls up a chair and says to her "I think it is time for me to take my break." Our young artist finds it difficult to paint because she has a scar on her breast. Her scar is from a heart transplant surgery that saved her life. Ironically, the man she now loves still mourns the death of his wife who died in a tragic auto accident. The donated heart saved our young lady, but she feels overwhelmed by the fact that she carries this man’s wife’s heart. "Life is complicated" says our waiter, and "it takes time to heal the scars of life."

We are all scarred by life in one way or another, whether it be physically or perhaps emotionally. No one goes through life unscathed. Others can hurt us even inadvertently, like our young artist who carries the scar that saved her life. Sometimes the scars may be intentional. But with the scars comes understanding. When something has wounded us, only then can we understand how others who are so wounded can also feel. We can also understand the power of sacrifice, the love which it takes to save the life of another.

In the movie, grandpa reminds his grand-daughter that God gives us the strength to bear the scars of life. It is said that "that which does not kill us makes us our character stronger." It is never easy to suffer, but if we persevere through our suffering, then we will be all the stronger for it. We will also be able to empathize with those who suffer similar ailments. Whether it be the loss of a child from war, or the loss of a limb from diabetes or the loss of hair from radiation treatments, only someone who has endured it can fully understand it. Only those who have been victims of prejudice can understand it no matter how much others may try to "feel their pain". And with that sympathy comes a love which no one can take away.

Jesus "feels our pain" in a way that only another human being could. He became one like us and he suffered for us more than we will ever know. And through this suffering, he became our wounded healer. Just as we would with anyone else, all we have to do is to take our suffering, our grief, our pain and give them to Him. God will not take away our scars, but it will help us to know that He understands.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who continue to suffer from the scars of a broken heart, a broken relationship, a broken promise, a broken life from prejudice, disease or addiction. I like that waiter in the movie who stopped what he was doing, pulled up a chair and told the broken heart: "I think it is time for me to take a break." At this moment, simply pull up an empty chair and let the scars of your life pour out so that the Lord may wait on your soul and heal your wounds.

You Are My Sunshine

The NICU pediatric specialist tells the parents. There is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst. The mother and her husband contact a funeral director about a burial plot. They had fixed up a special room in their home for the new baby; now they plan a funeral. Their three year Michael keeps begging his parents to let him see his sister. Before the delivery, this little one would sing to his sister in Mommy’s tummy. He would sing the only song he knew. "You are my sunshine." He sing it day after day, night after night. Now he pleads to sing it to her again.

Week two in intensive care: it looks as if a funeral will come before the week is over. Michael keeps nagging his parents about singing to his sister, but children are not allowed in the NICU. Finally, this mother makes up her mind. She will take Michael to the hospital whether they like it or not, figuring that if he doesn’t see his sister now, he may never see her alive. So she dresses Michael in an oversized scrub suit and marches him over to the NICU. He look like E.T. but the unit secretary spots him as a child and scolds the mother: "Get your kid out of here." The mother instinct rises to the surface and even tempered mom glares steely into that secretary’s face, her lips are firm. He is NOT leaving until he sings to his sister! Mom tows Michael to his sister’s unit. An understanding nurse assigned to his little sister finds a stool and helps Michael gaze into the incubator and he begins to sing. In the purhearted voice of a three-year-old, Michael sings: "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray..."

Instantly, the baby girl responds. Her pulse rate on the monitor becomes calm and steady. Keep on singing, Michael! "You never know dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away." The baby’s ragged, strained breathing becomes smooth as a kitten’s purr. Keep on singing, Michael. "The other night dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamt I held you in my arms..." Michael’s little sister relaxes as rest–healing rest–seems to sweep over her. Keep on singing Michael, tears comes streaming down the nurse. Mother glows. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine... Please don’t take my sunshine away."

Funeral plans were scrapped. The next day –the very next day–the little girl is well enough to go home!

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who struggle with the trust it takes to believe You can take these fragile bodies and make them well again. Restore our memories, and as we gaze upon the "strips of linen" and "burial cloth" help us remember Your words: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you." Believe that Love is stronger than death. If a little boy can sing "You are my sunshine," why can’t God say: Take away the stone? See how He loves you.

Save Us Lord

It was on a Palm Sunday, when a young college student heard the homily and the the hymns which seemed for him to miss the point. After the service, he told the pastor that his homily and the hymn, sound as if you think that 'Hosanna' means 'Hallelujah'. It doesn't. Hallelujah means 'Praise the Lord.' Hosanna means 'Save us'. With this new focus, you might better ask yourself this question: What do you want Jesus to save you from?

Seriously think about this question for a moment. It might depend on what stage in life you find yourself. For some might answer, save me from a nursing home, or chronic pain or worse dementia in which I will not be able to recognize my kids. If you are just starting out with a family, you might scream out to Jesus to save me from another downsizing, or exhaustion, or fear of losing my health insurance or worse losing my child to an accident or some miserable disease. As a young college student, you might pray to Jesus to save you from your next exam or project, or save you from youy family that has so much pain in its history or save you from your addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs that keeps you up all night. From patients, I will hear their emotional pain will cry out to be saved from their overwhelming caseloads, depression, separation, discrimination, alcoholism and gambling.
Imagine Jesus walking into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and the people are desperately crying out to be saved from their fears of terrorism from the Roman guard, discrimination against women and children and disease which has no cure.

Pray and reflect on Psalm 27: "The Lord is my light and salvation whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?"

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who walk with you this Holy Week to learn that You are the ONE with the Words of everlasting life. It is a life that knew loneliness and suffering. It is a life that comes to bring us the strength and courage to carry on in this life for we are NEVER alone. Wait for Lord with courage, be stouthearted and wait for the Lord.

God's Smile

Imagine this morning, you walk out your back porch with your coffee and you sit to watch the birds. This is "sacred time" before you run into the office. As one Sonshine Friend wrote: "It is an opportunity to get in closer touch with God and his creatures in the beauty of the universe He created." Now in the paradise in your head, imagine a soft light, "alpine glow" that sweetly greets you with" God’s Smile." Let me remind you what’s behind that smile, a God who is very kind, a forgiving God who wants only the best from all of us. A God who asks us to love Him with our whole heart and soul and put our complete trust in Him. A God who never wants us to doubt that He lives within each breath we take, with each heartbeat. Simply, place your hand over your heart and feel this tenderness. He has forgiven us so many times for so many things. Sometimes we think our prayers go unanswered, but God has placed a seed of hope and not despair in our hearts so that the alternative usually turns out to help us nurture and grow even stronger in His grace. When we recognize "God’s Smile" we might humbly ask ourselves what have we done to have such a loving God look after us.

I am glad that God does not answer all my prayers the way we pray. Some where and many years ago, a young college student prayed to God that he would make the cut as he auditioned to sing with the Harvard Glee Club. Unfortunately, he was not accepted to their choir. Later after he graduated, Professor Randall Thomson was accepted to serve on the faculty at Harvard University and composed the hymn "Alleluia" that most likely has been sung by every church choir throughout the United States. Believe it or not God smiles when He sometimes says no and Randall was most grateful that God had not answered his prayer that he prayed as a young student. You see it was not his voice but his heart and eyes as he composed his Alleluia hymn that God wanted to give to the world.

Paul put it this way: (Romans 8:26) "We do not know what we ought to pray for..." It is so important to always add, "Not my will, but yours be done, Lord" to our prayers. So, the bottom line is to pray, yes pray without ceasing, and to know that God will answer your prayer. It will be either with a "yes", a "no" or a "wait".

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that with all the difficulties and disappointments and the prayers that are seemingly not answered, You may encouraged each one of them that You are there with them.