_cover.jpg)
I got to participate in a cool – actually hot! – ceremony today as a result of visiting LVUC (www.lynnvalleychurch.com) in North Vancouver, being a member of their community choir, byoVoice (www.lynnvalleychurch.com/programs/2-north-van-community-choirs/pages/byovoice) singing “what i want” a heartfelt poem written by Pat Lowther (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Lowther) (who happened to be born in Vancouver and grew up in North Vancouver) and music written by Stephen Smith (also from Vancouver).
Pastor Blair Odney defined the season of Kenosis simply as ‘self-emptying.’ According to Wikipedia, “in Christian theology, Kenosis from the Greek word for emptiness is the 'self-emptying' of one's own will and becoming entirely receptive to God's divine will.”
Like I said before it was (both) a cool and hot ceremony. The congregation was invited to write on a piece of tissue-like paper what they were willing to let go of. I wrote “worry and anxiety…” especially concerning a particular aspect of my life.
Even though I witnessed the pastor and a few other members burn and release their paper, when it was my turn – ouch! a slight sting – I didn’t let go completely of the piece of paper like others had. What was I thinking?! Silly me!
What I discovered and relearned in that process was the importance of letting go, not only figuratively, but also literally. I have come to know that the most important aspect of actualizing (or manifesting) something is to let go, completely. If I had let go of the paper (completely) while it was burning – the way it burned so quickly was like magic to my eyes – I wouldn’t have hurt my finger, even slightly.
No wonder then that this morning the card that tumbled from a small deck of cards that I received from Anne Marie Evers, (www.annemarieevers.com/damevers/dr-evers/), the Affirmation Doctor, was ‘Spiritual Growth.’ (See blog posting Mon. June 26, 2011 for picture and another related story).
Later in the day, I rediscovered (as I had forgotten) that the Oscars were on tonight. In the past, I watched them fervently. Now I feel that I have outgrown my addiction for watching award shows as I have other interests (and self-imposed deadlines such as writing blog postings!). I can do without (watching) the Oscars and am totally at peace with that. So I feel I have grown spiritually in this regard.
What are you emptying or releasing from yourself?
LVUC is so ‘hip’ (creative/original/modern) that it would have been a perfect day to wear my new leopard dress – it was busy drying at home – as the pastor read “Where the Wild Things Are” with today’s theme being “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” Oh well!
ReplyDeleteOh, and by the way, I wished I had taken a photo of the purple draped table (which, to me, looked like the bottom part of a woman's long gown) with the glowing tealights dish: it really was pretty and captured my attention!
ReplyDelete