Author Archives: karbly

Waiting
Larry McGuire of Gilbert, AZ, USA

Hear, O my people of the church, I am Jesus Christ of whom you have sung and testified and in whose name you pray. I am the spirit of love and peace which is in the world and yet not known by the world. I have heard your prayers which have been raised to me without ceasing, and I have sent my healing ministry as a dove to be in your midst. Therefore, lift up your hearts and rejoice in the promises which have been given for your assurance. Have I not said it is the Father’s good pleasure to give to the kingdom? -Doctrine and Covenants 157:11-12

Trust what is being born.

Hope is often born in darkness. I read that somewhere and wished it were true. Facing situations of violence or grief so thick it was difficult to breathe, I was wrapped in a reality that there was only darkness and despair. I did not see hope. The voices of cynicism and hatred drowned out the words “you are enough” or “do not be afraid.” The future was so unknown and uncertain that no map or lighthouse could point the way forward. There was darkness, uncertainty, and piercing questions of how to survive the injustice, hatred, and suffering. This has been a snapshot of what I’ve experienced in the several months of isolation, zoom meetings, online worship, and restrictions on every aspect of life.

Trust what is being born? Messages of encouraging words sent in a text message or videos posted online to help navigate our reality give some relief, but the darkness settles in on another night. Prayers are offered but sometimes they get stuck on the ceiling or my mouth is so dry, unable to speak, they are choked out and fall unspoken. Trust what is being born?

And then, a word is shared, a hug extended, a listening ear is offered, and something begins to stir within that invites me to take one step toward hope. I wait in silence, hoping to hear a word or a phrase that points a way forward. Waiting is hard. Silence is scary. And in the midst of waiting, I realize I’m being invited to wait with silence. It’s an invitation to suspend my expectations, to see the reality of my day not as foregone endings but as unfolding possibilities.

We wait, we struggle, we sit, we hide, we embrace with arms wide open. Advent-an uncertain future that has been embraced for centuries-continues with us. We aren’t simply readers of that story; we are participants in that story. We wait and we choose. It’s often in the unknowing that faith takes root. It is in that dark soil that hope begins to show itself. Trust what is being born.

Prayer Phrase

“Trust what is being born.”

Spiritual Practice

Jesus, the Peaceful One

We have spent this year with a guiding question: Are we moving closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One? As we near the end of this calendar year, we review how this question has been shaping and forming us. In our thoughts, words, and actions, have we been embodying Jesus, the Peaceful One? What might it look like to move closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One as we make space in our lives for Christ incarnate this Advent season?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

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Guided by Hope
Stassi Cramm, First Presidency

The Spirit of the One you follow is the spirit of love and peace. That Spirit seeks to abide in the hearts of those who would embrace its call and live its message. The path will not always be easy, the choices will not always be clear, but the cause is sure and the Spirit will bear witness to the truth, and those who live the truth will know the hope and the joy of discipleship in the community of Christ. Amen. -Doctrine and Covenants 161:7 (emphasis added)

The First Presidency meets weekly when we are all available. We always start with a time of worship and reflection. One day we were using the spiritual practice of Dwelling in the Word. Our focus was on Doctrine and Covenants 161:7. I found myself drawn to the two phrases that are bolded in this scripture.

As these phrases swirled in my mind, I thought about the focus of hope, love, joy, and peace in Advent and our mission statement. Advent is the season of expectant waiting. This means we don’t wait idly for what is being born. We are invited to be engaged in the process and trust what is being born as the Spirit shapes our expectations.

Like the prophets of old, we are guided by stubborn hope that God’s vision of Shalom will be fulfilled. Like Mary and Joseph, we journey in love for God and each other. Like the shepherds, we choose joy over fear and seek to find God’s purposes revealed in the world. Like the angels, we sing and act to bring peace on Earth and good will to all humanity and creation.

Perhaps the link between Advent and our mission statement was intentional. May our Advent journey inform us about the nature of the communities we are called to promote. May we embrace the promises in Doctrine and Covenants 161:7 remembering hope and joy come when together we embrace and live the message of Jesus, the peaceful, one who loves all people.

Prayer Phrase

“Trust what is being born.”

Spiritual Practice

Jesus, the Peaceful One

We have spent this year with a guiding question: Are we moving closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One? As we near the end of this calendar year, we review how this question has been shaping and forming us. In our thoughts, words, and actions, have we been embodying Jesus, the Peaceful One? What might it look like to move closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One as we make space in our lives for Christ incarnate this Advent season?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

International Human Solidarity Day
Gwendolyn Hawks-Blue, Diversity and Inclusion Committee Co-Chair

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. -Luke 1:38

Phenomenal! That is the word I use to describe what was being shown on the internet and television. Thousands of people of diverse colors and ethnicities in locations in the USA, Brazil, England, France, New Zealand, Argentina, Kenya, Australia, and other places around the globe joined to express international solidarity under the concept of justice for all. They were marching to protest the heinous killing of an unarmed Black man by a policeman in May of 2020 in the USA and to support the call for justice and equality.

As humankind, we face a precipice in the struggle for affirming all people as persons of worth. We can use this time of riveted attention to intentionally and boldly address the systemic inequities that oppress and harm segments of our society in neighborhoods, cities, towns, states, and nations. This moment is unique also because many of us are becoming more aware of discrepancies in the use of resources that could help poor and disenfranchised people. We each must ask ourselves, “What can I do to bring peace and well-being for all?”

Over my lifetime I have seen actions that help us, globally, move closer to the “beloved community” that Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned. When we see each other as valuable members of the human community, we gravitate toward peace. When we work together to provide quality education, health care, and economic opportunities for all, we foster the wellbeing of everyone. When we join with others in nations across the globe to protect and safeguard the environment, we create a better world for humankind, other creatures, and care for the planet we are blessed to inhabit. My prayer and hope is that we each seize this moment to support, in whatever way we can, international human solidarity in pursuit of good for all.

Prayer Phrase

“Trust what is being born.”

Spiritual Practice

Jesus, the Peaceful One

We have spent this year with a guiding question: Are we moving closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One? As we near the end of this calendar year, we review how this question has been shaping and forming us. In our thoughts, words, and actions, have we been embodying Jesus, the Peaceful One? What might it look like to move closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One as we make space in our lives for Christ incarnate this Advent season?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

A Short Sermon on Generosity
Michael Botts of Hannover, Germany

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth. -Psalm 96:11-13

It was shortly before Christmas, and we had planned to take a holiday over the holiday season to visit my family. I had lots of things to buy and take care of before the trip started. One of those things was a sermon on “generosity,” and the theme and words had been going through my head for a long time.

When the last Saturday before the holidays came around, I had a busy day preparing for the sermon, buying the last things we needed before the trip started, etc. I had made a list of everything I needed and was zipping from one shop to the next in the pedestrian zone near our apartment, trying to shop as efficiently as I could without having to retrace my steps.

Like most anywhere in the world, a pedestrian zone in a city of about 500,000 inhabitants will be busy just before Christmas, and in Hannover, Germany, where I live, people like me were bustling around to get their shopping done. The Christmas market in the pedestrian zone made it pretty, but it also took up space, making it more difficult for me to move quickly through the crowds. I passed by parents with their children, booths selling Christmas goods and goodies, homeless people trying to make a few cents more during the Christmas season, and people like me, trying to get through the crowds.

I had passed by one of the homeless people when I suddenly had to stop in my tracks, despite my hurry-hurry, bustle-bustle. Wasn’t I working on a sermon on generosity, and here I had walked right by the theme of my talk? Almost too busy to notice, I almost missed a chance to put my words into action. I calmly retraced my steps, put something into his cup, wished him a Merry Christmas, and then went on my way again.

Efficiency is not always the answer. When “generosity” pops its head up, it sometimes helps to slow down and be aware of where we are. Christ’s Mission is Our Mission.

Prayer Phrase

“Trust what is being born.”

Spiritual Practice

Jesus, the Peaceful One

We have spent this year with a guiding question: Are we moving closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One? As we near the end of this calendar year, we review how this question has been shaping and forming us. In our thoughts, words, and actions, have we been embodying Jesus, the Peaceful One? What might it look like to move closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One as we make space in our lives for Christ incarnate this Advent season?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Welcome Gifts
Emma Gray Pitt of Bayonne, NJ, USA

For I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing;
I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. -Isaiah 61:8-11

To keep myself oriented in this year of uncertainty, anxiety, anger, grief, and-yes, still-joy, it has helped me to rest and acknowledge the gifts that have arrived at my doorstep.

First, I have been given the gift of time. With my job transitioning to remote work, I got nearly two hours in commuting time back every weekday. That allowed me the opportunity to leisurely cook a meal, to go on longer walks with my dog, and to read more chapters of the book on my nightstand.

I have been given the gift of education. Others have pointed me to books and articles that retell the history of my nation and illuminate the nuance of the simplified story I thought I knew. I am immensely grateful to those who offer their personal stories, as they inspire me to know more and do more.

Most recently, I have been given the gift of empathy. As of the time of writing this, I have just been laid off from my job. Yesterday, I visited the unemployment section of my state’s website for the first time and realized how wordy and confusing it all is. I hope that the time I might utilize these services will be short, but my eyes and heart have been opened wider to the overwhelmingness of it all.

And I can’t forget to notice the gift of joy as well. I have sat at the beach under the warm sun with a perfectly cool breeze. I have laughed with friends and family in person and over the internet. I have even sprinted down the steps of my apartment to catch the ice cream truck that comes down our street every evening!

These gifts aren’t wrapped up in the best paper with the finest ribbons. They are unassuming-like small cardboard packages resting against my front door. What could it be this time? What gift are you receiving today? Open it!

Prayer Phrase

“Trust what is being born.”

Spiritual Practice

Jesus, the Peaceful One

We have spent this year with a guiding question: Are we moving closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One? As we near the end of this calendar year, we review how this question has been shaping and forming us. In our thoughts, words, and actions, have we been embodying Jesus, the Peaceful One? What might it look like to move closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One as we make space in our lives for Christ incarnate this Advent season?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Yearning for Justice and Peace
Matt Frizzell, director of Human Resources Ministries

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. -Luke 1:78-79

Today, I learned that a young man I met in Monrovia, Liberia, passed away. His name was James. He was probably nine or ten years old.

James came to church with his grandmother that morning. He had a large visible tumor on his neck. He had an expressionless face. He stood silently with his grandmother after church and asked to speak with the minister for help. I had given the sermon that Sunday and did what was appropriate. I met James and his grandmother. We touched hands. Hearing their petition, I referred them to the local pastor. The pastor and leaders could provide the ministry that was needed.

I learned from Kaywea, the pastor and mission center president, that they knew James and his grandmother. James’ tumor was treatable. Removing the tumor cost approximately $500 at the local hospital. The church was prepared to help. James had seen doctors. They prescribed waiting a bit longer before surgery. James was supposed to have surgery in April. He passed away in March.

I had emailed Kaywea for an update on James, and he shared the news. My heart broke. As a student and instructor of theology and ethics, I know inequities and injustices make up our world. Our world has tragic inequalities, preventable systemic problems, yet wild hope. Hearing the news about James drove all this home. My eyes welled up. I asked myself a hundred questions. Should I have done something different when I met James last January? Should I have, like the Good Samaritan, taken him to the hospital and paid the $500? Was there something more I could have done? I felt grief and survivor’s guilt at the same time. Was James’ short life somehow-in a direct or indirect way-my fault? My mind knows the answer, but my heart isn’t sure. Wisdom found in Lamentations and the Psalms shows me that fault finding is one way our hearts grieve tragedy, pain, and injustice. I should expect those experiences on the path of discipleship and road to Shalom. “Let your heart be broken,” the wise hymn reads. But there was also something more inside me. James’ passing felt wrong.

This Advent season, we must struggle to trust what is about to be born. Why share such a difficult story for the season of Advent? Because James, like Jesus, bore the image of God. He was not at fault for his life’s circumstance. My brief encounter with him is a reminder that Christ’s mission for God’s justice and peace are sorely needed in the world. Workers are needed in service of God’s Shalom.

Prayer Phrase

“Trust what is being born.”

Spiritual Practice

Jesus, the Peaceful One

We have spent this year with a guiding question: Are we moving closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One? As we near the end of this calendar year, we review how this question has been shaping and forming us. In our thoughts, words, and actions, have we been embodying Jesus, the Peaceful One? What might it look like to move closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One as we make space in our lives for Christ incarnate this Advent season?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Clean Hands and Hope
Glenn Johnson of West Des Moines, IA, USA

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. -Jeremiah 29:11

Avoiding COVID-19 has forced me to live in isolation. Lacking the physical presence of others, I am acutely aware of my daily solitude. Living in isolation, spiritual mindfulness invites me to focus on presence and gratitude.

Every day, I press the pump of a large one-liter bottle of hand sanitizer I inherited from my sister. As I apply the sanitizer, I pay attention to my hands and, as it evaporates, I find hope in God’s presence and my call to be the hands and feet of Jesus even in these times.

During a pandemic marked by uncertainty, I am buoyed by deep and abiding gratitude for family, faith community, and divine presence.

It is easy to be overcome by anxiety in times that are unpredictable. Coping with uncertainty invites us to imagine our best possible future, to “lift up [our] eyes and fix them on the place beyond the horizon to which [we] are sent” (Doctrine and Covenants 161:1a). During Advent, I invite you to spend 15-20 minutes each day in gratitude, hope, and imagining your best possible self.

Begin by writing in your journal a list of things you are grateful for. Add to your list each day. Nothing is too small to draw the attention of our gratitude.

Then embrace the certainty of this season of Advent and light with prayer that welcomes the coming light that illuminates the birth of the Christ child. As you imagine your best possible self, forget the restraints that have limited your vision in the past and instead focus on all aspects of your life. Imagine specific details including what you will do, where you will be, and whom you will be with.

During Advent, we anticipate the anniversary of Jesus’ birth, we live in communion of the presence of the Christ, and we envision the mystery of Christ’s return. Focusing on clean hands, we find hope.

Prayer Phrase

“Trust what is being born.”

Spiritual Practice

Jesus, the Peaceful One

We have spent this year with a guiding question: Are we moving closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One? As we near the end of this calendar year, we review how this question has been shaping and forming us. In our thoughts, words, and actions, have we been embodying Jesus, the Peaceful One? What might it look like to move closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One as we make space in our lives for Christ incarnate this Advent season?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Blessings of Community
Nancy Ross of St. George, UT, USA

Beloved Community of Christ, do not just speak and sing of Zion. Live, love, and share as Zion: those who strive to be visibly one in Christ, among whom there are no poor or oppressed. As Christ’s body, lovingly and patiently bear the weight of criticism from those who hesitate to respond to the divine vision of human worth and equality in Christ. This burden and blessing is yours for divine purposes. And, always remember, the way of suffering that leads to the cross also leads to resurrection and everlasting life in Christ’s eternal community of oneness and peace. Trust in this promise. -Doctrine and Covenants 165:6

The night before the semester started for me and my husband, an intense desert thunderstorm caused a flood in our house. We grabbed our shop vacs and went to work cleaning up dirty flood water. I quickly realized that the water was coming in faster than we could clean it up. We needed help. As I worried that people would resist coming to our rescue during the pandemic, I typed out requests for help in several social media locations. “If you are still awake and have a shop vac or pump, we could use your help!” I immediately went back to vacuuming. Within an hour, we had four family members, church community members, and colleagues at our house with the needed equipment. Shortly after, the storm ended. It took about an hour and a half of intense labor, but we finally got the floors dry and prevented further damage to our home.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have struggled with feeling the strength of my community. I saw church folks on Zoom and received emails from colleagues, but it was difficult to feel the realness of those connections and to see them as solid. I knew we were all struggling to take care of our families and get our work done. It felt like my need to care for my most immediate concerns had chipped away at the value of other kinds of relationships. I worried that this whole experience had made me and many others more inward-looking. But this incident with the flood showed me that I can experience God-in-community even in times of physical isolation. I am learning that while the pandemic has created so much physical distance, it has given birth to an unmet desire to show up and care for our neighbors and loved ones. I can recognize that now. I am still preoccupied with the needs of my family, but I am now watching and waiting for opportunities to return that care to my community.

Prayer Phrase

“Trust what is being born.”

Spiritual Practice

Jesus, the Peaceful One

We have spent this year with a guiding question: Are we moving closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One? As we near the end of this calendar year, we review how this question has been shaping and forming us. In our thoughts, words, and actions, have we been embodying Jesus, the Peaceful One? What might it look like to move closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One as we make space in our lives for Christ incarnate this Advent season?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

“…from the Waiting”
Cheryl Saur, Saint Charles, MO, USA

Spiritual growth can be gradual and hidden…when [it seems] nothing is happening. As a people, we are not comfortable with waiting. We see it as wasted time and try to avoid it, or at least fill it with trivial busyness. We value action for its own sake. Even in retirement, people are expected to be active and boast that they are “busier than ever.” It is hard to trust in the slow work of God. -Margaret Guenther, Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction

After several years of being married, like many couples, Ron and I were hoping to bring our own children into the world. I became so focused on carrying a child and giving birth that everywhere I looked and everything I read was about being pregnant and the process of giving birth. For many years I lamented and cried out to the Lord as to why I could not experience this natural part of life! During this time of searching for answers, God led me to the understanding that the birth process was not about me being pregnant and carrying a child at all! But it was about the life that was to be born from the waiting. A life that must be nurtured, loved, cared for, and taught as the result of the waiting. This was the purpose of that part of the journey.

In her book, Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction (ISBN:9781561010561), Margaret Guenther uses the metaphor “spiritual midwifery.” This image really spoke to me during my studies and ministry on my journey as a Spiritual Companion. I began to recognize that my Spiritual Director’s gentle and nurturing guidance was just like that of a spiritual midwife tending me during my spiritual labor. She listened with “holy curiosity” and asked curious questions that encouraged me to discover myself through many different lenses guided by the Spirit. This allowed me to discover a deeper sense of calling and the freedom to more deeply search out the numerous questions, thought processes, and ideas that needed to be birthed for me during my sacred life journey.

The spiritual midwifery image is one that each of us can hold on to during this time of patient and attentive waiting…Advent. Labor is the hard work, care, and attention essential for spiritual formation and giving birth to justice, hope, joy, love, and peace. Why? Because it is not just about me or you. We are all born out of someone else’s time of “waiting.” This is about tending the spark of divine love that God planted deep within the very marrow of every soul…waiting…yearning to be stirred into flame.

As spiritual companions, we must patiently tend each precious spark of love just as a midwife would…to listen, to love, to hope, to encourage, and to wait as this sacred flame bursts into life through the very breath of God. This is our time of holy waiting…Advent. Be ready…trust in the slow work of God.

Prayer Phrase

“Trust what is being born.”

Spiritual Practice

Jesus, the Peaceful One

We have spent this year with a guiding question: Are we moving closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One? As we near the end of this calendar year, we review how this question has been shaping and forming us. In our thoughts, words, and actions, have we been embodying Jesus, the Peaceful One? What might it look like to move closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One as we make space in our lives for Christ incarnate this Advent season?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Bring Good News
Robin Linkhart, Council of Twelve Apostles

The Spirit of the Lord is upon us, the Lord has anointed us and sends us to bring good news to the oppressed…  -Isaiah 61:1, adapted

It was mid-December and the last day of our congregation’s neighborhood Homework Club before the holidays. It was getting dark. A few members helped kids finish their schoolwork. Others cleaned the kitchen.

More than 350 kids lived in the low-income housing across the street. Countless kids, challenged by poverty and language barriers, walked by our building on their way to and from school every week. Many of these families were now our friends.

I offered silent prayers of gratitude for the transformation taking place in our members and those we endeavored to serve on this adventure of life in a world filled with struggle and injustice.

Suddenly I heard a knock. I opened the door. A young Hispanic man asked to speak with the pastor. I invited him in and motioned to nearby seating. He sank into a chair and told his story. He was out of work, relationships were strained, Christmas was coming, he was desperate to get himself together, and it was obvious alcohol was taking a toll. Tears streamed down his face. I offered words I knew to be the truth: God loves you no matter what, and your worth as a person is not in question.

I shared information about shelters, food pantries, and the aid our congregation could offer. Then I took his hands in mine, and we prayed.

When I opened my eyes, he looked into my face and said, “If someone can take me to the bus station, I know what I need to do. I need to admit myself to Boulder County Rehab Center. I need to get well.”

“Yes, Gabriel, we can do that.”

The good news calls us to carry the light of peace in all the places we find ourselves. I may never know the rest of Gabriel’s story, but I do know on that night he found the shining light of a little white church working to make a difference in his neighborhood. Christ’s peace.

Prayer Phrase

“Trust what is being born.”

Spiritual Practice

Jesus, the Peaceful One

We have spent this year with a guiding question: Are we moving closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One? As we near the end of this calendar year, we review how this question has been shaping and forming us. In our thoughts, words, and actions, have we been embodying Jesus, the Peaceful One? What might it look like to move closer to Jesus, the Peaceful One as we make space in our lives for Christ incarnate this Advent season?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.