 commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OHM_-_Geburt_Christi_1e.jpg "I am the light of the world"
~ Jesus, Gospel of John In our last meeting for worship we had so many good messages. I'm going to try to share from my own perspective how they landed for me. In the last 12 years or so we have witnessed the crap-ification of almost everything. No matter what government officials or business touches they seem to muck it up. I could make a list but why bother? The deterioration is all around us. AND ... I don't want to focus on what is broken. There is enough brokenness. What can we imagine that's better? We can start with the power of NOW! The French word for now is maintenant. Etymology tells us that it comes from manū ("with the hand") and tenēre ("to hold"). Therefore, the literal meaning of maintenant can be understood as "while holding" or "in the act of holding". Interestingly, the word maintenance comes from a similar root but meaning "upkeep, shelter and protection. " An inquiry we might consider today is:
When Jesus said "I am the light of the world" it was in the gospel of John just after the mob was about the stone the woman who was accused of adultery. "Let he among you who is free of sin cast the first stone" Such a teacher. In one brief sentence the lesson of self-reflection, empathy, forgiveness and a world where love can enter. Can we be as wise as Jesus? We can consider the words of Jesus as a gate we pass through vis-a-vis all the people we meet and all the actions we take in the world.
~ Joseph Olejak
6 Comments
Donald Lathrop
8/7/2025 09:05:58 pm
Well done, Joseph. Don Lathrop
Nancy Eos
8/9/2025 03:51:02 pm
Thank you, Joseph. Focus... If there is a maintenance to life ... and it is a matrix that from unsolid manifests the solid ... and that matrix was unconditional love ... what does that mean for what you are seeing with your eyes now? ... for what you are feeling now? ... for what you are touching in the future?
Joseph Olejak
8/10/2025 06:39:52 am
As I look at life through the lens of love I see the opportunity to create more love. I see as if through the eyes of child unclouded by the detritus of bad experiences. Open. Free. Willing. Able. Excited. Eager.
Ronnie Ann Herman
8/9/2025 05:34:10 pm
This is something we should all always remember: "Let he among you who is free of sin cast the first stone" What a better world it would be.
Frank Wall
8/9/2025 07:00:51 pm
I’ve learned two important things about how to deal with chaos around me. 8/11/2025 04:14:08 am
There is a saying. "You see what you focus on." When you focus on what is broken, you see broken. When you focus on what is beautiful, you see beauty. Leave a Reply. |
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