Uniting Community and Christ

Just as pockets of morning mist and heavy fog frequently limit vision and blur coastal Maine, a need for corrective lenses or cataract surgery may alter or distort our perception of the world we inhabit. That may have been one reason that Christ’s disciples did not always recognize him despite the fact that they had lived large chunks of life with him. They held intimate and deep conversations as they shared meals and walked the shores and dusty roads of Galilee. They knew his voice from endless teaching encounters and had witnessed powerful, amazing, countless miracles. But on occasion, they didn’t immediately recognize him!

Many of us are directionally challenged. We can usually tell “up” from “down”, but determining compass points or right from left may cause some temporary anxiety like the lost city folk must have felt when they asked for directions from an old Mainer who in his thick Downeast accent told them “You can’t get they-ah from he-ah.”

Words are important and powerful. They may be a sword or a lullaby depending upon the user’s intention or whim. Strung together, words create stories, poems, lyrics and conversations. They can break hearts or cheer souls. Used wisely, they may encourage and refresh needy spirits and nurture good character. Contemptuous or gossipy words diminish and destroy. Truth spoken with love may inspire change or resolution. Misleading or harsh and condemning and deflating words lead to despair.

Even little birds can give us lofty thoughts. To some, puffins simply raise questions about genetics and adaptive mutations and behaviors. But in the larger context, these little birds are but one of creation’s vast array of variations and adaptations which not only challenge imaginations and serious scientific investigations but also philosophic explanations about meaning and purpose.

Life is a bit like quarrying! We are all stone cutters searching for bedrock!