Spiritual Growth :: Sermons
I Have Crowned You with Glory
Women’s Retreat
Jan. 24, 2004
Desmond Tutu is a short and wiry man with energy that is boundless. He has a capacity to engage people with such single minded attention that, even when surrounded by crowds, the one spoken to is made to feel that he or she is indeed personally addressed. His sense of humor, his personal warmth, and his quick intelligence are empowering , and to be with him is to feel oneself enhanced. He is a person whose life has been deeply touched by the Holy Spirit and who sustains this with an easy but highly disciplined life of prayer. His passion for humanity is shown in the consistency of his cry for justice.
After listening to the bishop address a General seminary gathering, a student turned to Jim Fenhagen, the Dean and said, "Today I have met a holy man". When Jim asked him to elaborate a bit on what he meant he said "What I experienced in Bishop Tutu’s presence" enabled me to experience the Christ in my own life. It was as if I was drawn into my own center by some magnetic force. But at the same time, I found that the world seemed different. The cry of human pain suddenly became less peripheral to my vision, and what had before seemed blurred and distant suddenly became focused. But the remarkable thing was that all this seemed to occur in the midst of quite ordinary events. It was not so much that Bishop Tutu was so special, but that he communicated something beyond himself.
` These are the dimensions of holiness we have been exploring, a sense of connection to God,, a sense of presence--of availability and care for the other, whether that be the person standing in front of them, or the person suffering far away, and finally a sense of self knowledge which makes for a self forgetfulness, or humility that makes this person quite ordinary. Holiness is what happens when we are touched by God and that touch shines through. Shekinah, the Hebrew word for glory, is literally translated, "the shining", and in sign language I am told it looks like this.
Of course, we expect to see that kind of shining in people with the stature of Bishop Tutu, but what about right here? Where have you seen the shining of God this weekend, where have you seen it at home, in your life ? I have seen it in a woman who lost her husband and soul mate, and who continues to exude a spaciousness of love that continually reaches out to people. Whenever I meet her, I am struck by how present she is to me. And I see her doing that same thing with others. Sometimes her questions suggest that her mindfulness of me has been happening in prayer, long before that moment. I am blessed. I am invited to re-enter a world in which generosity is rampant, and God is visible.
I think of another woman whose passion for the poor gets her up most morning long before I hear the sound of the alarm. She discovered that the State legislature is cutting a crucial benefit for the homeless and she is talking to people and seeing how this assault on the poor can be met. Her work puts her in daily contact with homeless men and women, some of whom, in their pain and despair, have made threats on her life. She is faced with the evil of both the system and the victims becoming victimizers, and in all of this, she grounds herself in prayer. She calls on her friends to pray. She opens her mouth to God who gives her words for others that convict and convert. And in all of this, she is a person of amazing playfulness and joy. Her buoyancy is contagious and deep. She shines.
I hope that during this retreat you have come to understand that holiness is not just for the few. And that we cannot think that holiness is something for those who are made of better stuff than we are. It is what we are each called to by virtue of our Baptism. And holiness is not moral perfection. Neither of these two women I mentioned are without their own flaws and lapses, and I am sure if we asked Mrs Tutu, we would discover that neither is Bishop Tutu! And holiness is not an other worldliness, rather it is a way of being deeply connected to the concerns of the world, and yet not determined by its norms—in the world, but not of it, says Paul.
Holiness involves a shift in the way we see reality. It means that connected to God, we see the world more and more through the eyes of Christ. My friend doesn’t just here about the effect of these budget cuts and file it in some mental filing drawer, she allows herself to feel the implications of those cuts, she imagines the consequences for the individuals she knows. And she even allows God to change her perceptions of herself. When she is overwhelmed with the limits of what she can do and the limits of the love she has for her staff, she allows herself to connect again with Christ’s deep acceptance and compassion for her. She is washed in Christ’s love and realizes again that she is made worthy. It isn’t that she is worthy, but that Christ has marked her as His own forever, and that nothing will take that away. And she makes time for restoring fellowship, and prayer, and time to be nourished with Scripture. She takes time to reflect on her life so that the shift in seeing herself and her world in God’s light can be renewed.
And each of us is made for this kind of life. We were created in the image of God, and we yearn for God to touch us in such a way that God ‘s glory shines through. As you go home today, remember the words of Psalm 8, which we read today, God’s word to each of us "I have crowned you with glory."
Today I want to close with an opportunity to shift our own way of seeing reality, particularly the way we see ourselves. I invite you now to join me in a meditation on the glory of God in each one of us mentioned in Psalm 8.
Begin by getting comfortable where you are. If you have things in your hands, set them down. Make sure your spine is straight. Relax into this space. Close your eyes or let them rest on one place. Breathe deeply. Extend your breathing, without holding your breath. If you notice any tension in your body, simply release it.
Repeat silently the words from Psalm 8, "I have crowned you with glory". At the same time allow images and memories of the holiness you have known in others and in yourself to be recalled within you.
Try saying the words, " I have crowned you with glory" as you breathe upwards. Feel your body and the crown of your head expanding. Know that in meditative prayer, we are listening to the One who speaks from the depth of our being. Let yourself hear God saying to you "I have crowned you with glory." Listen to these words of assurance and open yourself to them…If you experience resistance, acknowledge it, and then simply give yourself, with the resistance, to God. Allow yourself to stay with the Lord who chooses to crown you with his glory. Let yourself respond to this gift and to the One who gives it.
Begin to express silently the prayers of your heart. Allow your own heart’s desires to link you with men and women everywhere and the longing they have to be touched by God. Pray for them as well.
When you are ready, come back into this room, and open your eyes. Let us close by saying together the words of Psalm 8 beginning at the 3rd verse.
