Walks with Barry - Profoundly Simple: A Walk Reframed

  Here we stand, on the eve of a new year. It stretches out before us as wide open as this field, dormant, ready to spring to life. The skies aren’t completely clear, clouds will be a part of things, no doubt. But it is a new beginning, a way of marking time that allows space for a change of direction or a change of heart. It is a day that invites us into reflection on where we have been and on where we would eventually like to be. The best is that, at this moment, everyday of the new year lies in front of us. 2022 is all possibility at this point. Wouldn’t it be great to experience life in moments such as this, where we live in nothing but the possibility, not in the regrets or the mistakes or the failures of our life? Wouldn’t it be great to see only the wide open space before us and not be overwhelmed by the obstacles that we know lie ahead? The prophet Isaiah writes, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs ...

  On a recent overcast morning, it was strange to see this little cloud within a cloud floating above the rooftops. Its elongated shape was distinct against the grey sky. It looked like a small version of the Hindenburg or some other airship of old. Silently it navigated the neighborhood as I walked the streets. It seemed so peaceful and calm. I imagined buying a ticket and hopping on board, curious to find the destination for which it was headed. I would travel in the silence with no schedule to keep, no particular place to be. It would be a quiet and solitary adventure. We tend to think of adventures solely in terms of excitement and size. Big. Loud. Dangerous. Thrilling. And many adventures should be described exactly in such terms. But we should also be open to adventures that are experienced differently. Reflection and meditation can be an adventure as we discover new things about ourselves. Reading and study can transport us to other worlds and other times, all in the quiet o...

  These days seem to me each year to be “in between days”. Between the celebrations of Christmas and the New Year. Between one year and the next. Between what was and what will be. As do those daily moments between night and morning, they have a different feel. Time seems to flow differently. There is still much to be done, of course, deadlines and reports and wrapping up. But our minds seem to be in a slightly different mode. We are divided between looking back and looking forward. When I was a boy, our church helped us out in this transition with a youth event on New Years Eve. There weren’t many places to go where we lived. We would gather at the church. There were lots of snacks and food and games and fun. We would sing a little and play a little and eat a little. As midnight drew near, we would gather and have a prayer for the New Year. We prayed for health and growth and to be faithful in the months ahead. We celebrated that each of us had a new beginning, that this could be ...

  This past Sunday, as the sun rose on a unseasonably warm morning, I spotted this solitary rabbit in the baptismal garden. As I observed from inside the glass breezeway connecting two buildings, the animal just sat and sat and sat. The brick walkway is surrounded by grass and landscaping, settings that would seem much more hospitable to a rabbit. But here it was, positioned front and center. I tried to imagine what it was thinking as it sat so still for so long. It was as if there was a big decision to be made. Options were being weighed. Scenarios run. Lists of benefit and loss compiled. Directions to be decided. It appeared to be a most serious bunny. As we move quickly toward the start of a new year, perhaps we are feeling a little like the bunny. Where will we go? What lies ahead ? What decisions would be best for ourselves and those we care about the most? If only we could see down the road far enough to know which choice is the right choice, or the best choice. If we are not...

  On this Monday after Christmas, I pray your experience was joyful and bright. I hope that you found a moment of reflection, a moment of comfort and a moment of hope. Before the decorations disappear for another year, I share again the words of the brilliant Howard Thurman: The Work of Christmas When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among others, To make music in the heart. May we each, in our own way, be about the work of Christmas throughout the coming year. Peace.

  Well, we made it. The end of our Advent journey has arrived. Today, on Christmas Eve, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. This day means many things on many levels. Time with family and friends. Traditions around food and activities. Gift giving and parties. Special music and movies. All good things and blessings to all. But it also carries an even more profound and deeper meaning. In this birth we find hope. We find hope for our own lives and our own struggles. We find hope for our troubled world. We find hope for the future. We find hope for this moment. Why? Because in this birth the light has come. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have...

  For a moment, the sun was at just the right angle as it shone into the sanctuary through the stained glass window. It cast a perfect reflection of the Noah’s Ark image onto the wall. It was amazing. The first followers of Jesus talked about him in this way. We read in Colossians, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” The one whose birthday we celebrate in a couple of days lived a life which reflects to us the truth about God. Jesus reflects the truth about who God is and what God is really like. God is really with us in this life. God longs to be in a life-giving relationship with us. God is at work to bring health and wholeness. God is breaking down the barriers which separate us. God is love. So why, then, do we work so hard to create God in images of our own design? We know the truth. We have experienced the truth. The truth of the nature of God is more glorious and wonderful than we could ever imagine. And God revealed it clearly to us in the ...