What Are We Seeking?

What does it mean to seek, and what are we seeking?  The meaning we each decide to attribute to the word “seeking” can be as individual as we are, and as different as the reasons that brought each of us here.  As part of the creative team for these services, I want to state up front that we are not formally trained in theology, we are not here to persuade you towards any particular religion or spiritual construct, and we do not claim to have the answers.  What we do have and share with you is a deep desire for a stronger connection to God, or Source, or Spirit, whatever you choose to call your God.  And our search frequently draws into inner reflection, before it leads us back out to share our latest experience of God and self-discovery.

 

This sharing of our personal stories, has become an integral component of our services.  It brings a level of honesty and authenticity to our service when we can share how God is resonating in our lives.  And it is this point I wish to emphasize—you all have your own unique experiences of God or spirit in your lives and they are all valid.  And we hope that you will feel comfortable in giving voice to those experiences.  Because you never know who might be thinking about the very thing you have experienced or who might be seeking another avenue for spiritual exploration that your experience would stimulate.  Our individual differences are our strength and bring a richness to our services that no single leader could provide.

 

 I left the Episcopal Church when I followed Rev. Harry Brunette in his development of Journeys Community.  For those of you who did not know him, he was a true visionary as well as kind, generous, and open to examining spirituality in all its forms.  He encouraged us to explore any faith or spiritual avenue that touched out hearts.  With his encouragement we looked at Judaism’s tikkun olam, the Hebrew phrase meaning “world repair,” which comes from a body of classical rabbinical teachings from the 3rd Century known as the Mishnah. In modern Jewish circles, it has become synonymous with the notion of social action and the pursuit of social justice.

 

We looked at Buddhism and the concepts of being fully present, letting go of attachments to feelings which keep us from healing, as well as dealing with the pain that inevitably comes into all our lives.  The idea that the problem can also bring the solution.

 

We looked at forgiveness in our service on the Nickel Mines tragedy, and the “series of perfect gestures,” taken by the Amish in their response to the tragic killing of seven young schoolgirls in their community.  And we saw the important role the Amish community played in supporting individuals through their grief and healing, and not just those who were the victims, but also those who were the perpetrators.  And we saw how the spiritual values of any community become the well from which all can drink.

 

We created services on our spiritual connection to nature such as trees, animals, and our magnificent world at large, in order to reconnect with the grace that can be found in all living things.  We looked at the symbolism of water and its life giving properties both spiritually and physically. In so doing we acknowledged our responsibility to honor the integrity of the world with its complex interconnectedness, and the need for compassionate stewardship.

 

And we looked at “small deaths” or the endings to events in our lives, which bring with them opportunities for change and new beginnings.  We also considered our physical deaths and how we might use that eventuality to make our lives more meaningful now, by giving more fully and lovingly of ourselves.  By not dying with our music still inside us.

 

Those services, and the ones to come, offer primarily an opportunity for inner reflection.  Only you can weigh the ideas presented and assign to them whatever importance you choose for your own spiritual journey.  And we make room for each other’s experiences and views and to my mind that is where grace is found.  As we honor each person’s journey we make room for God to act in and through us.

 

And so we come here searching for greater spiritual connection and under-standing and greater personal truth.  For some us, Journeys Community will be a transient stopover onto a particular faith, but for others it will be a destination—a life long path of learning and discovery.  I suspect that will be the case for me. 

 

My search for spirituality came after my children were born.  I felt that without some kind of spiritual anchor, something would be missing from their lives.  And so as an adult I was baptized and confirmed Episcopalian.  I struggled to believe in the traditional church doctrine—the divinity of Jesus, his virgin birth, his physical rising from the dead, and the Holy Trinity.

 

I’m a fact gathering person.  Perhaps that is why I love medicine so much.  I like things that I can measure, data that leads me to a logical conclusion.  A conclusion will bear up under close scrutiny and further testing, and at the same time can be modified as new evidence and better techniques become available.  And so I went on a fact-finding mission with regard to Christianity.  I read so much, that eventually I found all the historical evidence that made it impossible for me to believe the church teachings.    But feeling like I was left with nothing, I went to Harry for help.   

 

He said that we each have to find our own spirituality and that the source is less important than the meaning we choose to give it.  He said the Episcopal Church was doing just that, but like so many others it simply was not working for me.  He went on to say that one of the most profound sources he had found was not the Bible, but rather Frederick Buechner’s book, Listening For Your Life, and for Christmas he gave me a copy.  To realize that I had the freedom and indeed the responsibility to develop my own faith was truly a revelation for me.

 

So my search continues to this day.  And when I began listening to my life, I discovered that God was talking to me all the time—through music, through art, through nature, in conversation with friends, in my quiet contemplation.  There was really never a time when I could not find God, so long as I was open to however Spirit chose to reveal itself.  Recently I heard Ann Lamont being interviewed by Tavis Smiley about her latest book, Grace Eventually.  She said that “prayer meets you where you are and it doesn’t leave you where it found you,” and that she really only has two prayers.  “Help me, help me and thank you, thank you.”   So simple, yet so profound.  I find myself using them all the time, and finding an immediate connection to spirit.  I am so grateful to her for reminding me yet again just how assessable God is.

 

I’ve also learned that sometimes I need to get out of my head, away from my pattern of fact-finding, and start paying attention to what my heart is telling me.  Because when I do that I find that spiritual messages just come without much notice or supporting data.  So for me it’s a matter of balance, I can lead with my heart but I know that my head, at least for now, will want more supporting documents and life experiences.

 

 

In his last service, before moving out to Colorado, Harry summarized the core beliefs that unite us as a community: that our personal experiences of God are as valuable as anything we might read or be taught; that the power of these experiences comes from the interpretation we choose to give them; that sharing our personal stories can deepen our understanding of the sacred and each other; and that our community supports each person’s individual journey as it collectively honors the sacred, because we are all connected. 

 

You don’t have to go it alone, because you have a community in Journeys, to support your search and celebrate your vision of your sacred truth.

 

So to all of you, Namaste.   The God in me honors the God in you.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 and is filed under Seeking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or Trackback from your own site.