Devotional reflections

Review: Waiting for God

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Cover image for "Waiting for God" by Simone Weil

Waiting for God, Simone Weil, Translated by Emma Craufurd with Introduction by Leslie A. Fiedler. Harper & Row Perennial Library (ISBN: 0060902957) 1973 (Originally published in 1951, link and cover photo are to current edition in print).

Summary: Weil’s correspondence with her mentor and four essays on her religious thought focused around loving and attending to God.

Simone Weil is a “one off” figures. She struggled with migraine headaches. She worked tirelessly while paying little heed to her own nourishment or her worsening tuberculosis. Weil struggled with her intellectual inferiority to her brother, the mathematician Andre Weil, mostly because she struggled with geometry while producing profound religious and philosophic insight. She died young, at the age of 34.

Waiting for God captures the essence of her spiritual journey and insights into one’s relationship with the transcendent God. The title captures a theme running through the correspondence and essays that make up this book. In “The Love of God and Affliction” she writes:

“How are we to seek him? how are we to go toward him? Even if we were to walk for hundreds of years, we should do no more than go round and round the world. Even in an airplane we could not do anything else. We are incapable of progressing vertically. We cannot take a step toward the heavens. God crosses the universe and comes to us.”

Life consists of waiting for God to come to us in love and stir in us love for him. And in her spiritual autobiography written to her priestly mentor, Father Perrin, she describes how during prayer at Assisi and in reciting George Herbert’s poem, “Love,” “Christ himself came down and took possession of me.” Yet despite this profound encounter, she never felt she could enter the church.

Her letters to Father Perrin that make up the first part of this collection, explain her reasoning. Part of her answer is that she does not believe she loves God enough to deserve the grace of baptism. Another aspect is that while she loves the saints and liturgy, she does not love the church. Instead, she fears the flawed influence it might have upon her as a social structure, Thus, she anticipates many of the objections of the “nones” who would describe themselves as spiritual but not religious. While her intellectual integrity prevents her from entering the church, she takes great pains to express her gratitude to Father Perrin. At one point, she writes,

“In gaining my friendship by your charity (which I have never met anything to equal), you have provided me with a source of the most compelling and pure inspiration that is to be found among human things. For nothing among human things has such power to keep our gaze fixed ever more intensely upon God, than friendship for the friends of God.

What a friend Father Perrin must have been!

Then the second part of the book turns to her essays. First is her essay on school studies. Having worked in student ministry, this essay was worth the price of admission. Specifically, Weil draws the connection between prayer and study in the act of attention. In particular, the “lower attention” given to disciplined study develops this faculty in prayer. But I also found myself wondering whether attention in our prayers also may make us attentive in our studies.

From here she discusses “The Love of God and Affliction.” She speaks of the corrosive effects of enduring affliction on the soul and how help may only be found at the foot of the cross. Only by grace may we enter into an apprenticeship of obedience that awaits the coming of God to us.

Her longest essay is “Forms of the Implicit Love of God.” The essay is divided into sections on the love of neighbors, the order of the world, religious practices, friendship, and implicit and explicit love. In contrast to the clarity of her shorter letters, I found this essay more difficult to follow. Perhaps the best way to describe it is that it read a bit like the Pensees with her thoughts grouped under the subheadings.

However, she concludes on a high note in a line by line meditation upon the “our Father.” As have many others she concludes that the prayer “contains all possible petitions; we cannot conceive of any prayer not already contained in it.”

This is but one of the many works she produced, most published posthumously. I differ with her at points. For example, we will never deserve grace, in baptism or anything else. Yet hers is a voice that comes from outside of our echo chambers. Above all, her insight that life consists in waiting for and attending to God captures the heart of Christian devotion.

Review: My Heart Overflows

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Cover image of "My Heart Overflows" from Paraclete Press

My Heart Overflows: A Treasury of Readings, Poems, and Prayers on Gratitude, Compiled by the editors at Paraclete Press. Paraclete Press (ISBN: 9781640609617), 2024.

Summary: A treasury of reflections on gratitude, a compilation of poetry, quotations, readings and art on thanksgiving for blessings, others, and God.

Paraclete Press excels in publishing works of devotion combining depth of content and graphical material. This work is one more example of that excellence. Organized around the theme of gratitude, this compilation of quotations, readings, and poetry, and prayers offers ample material for reflection. The text is complemented by reproductions of art that may be used as visio divina on gratitude.

An example of the mix of art, quotes, and readings in ":My Hear overflows"
An example of page layouts and ribbon bookmarkfrom publisher’s webpage

We proceed on a way of gratitude in three movements. Firstly, we consider the little blessings that fill our days. We move from a prayer of St. Francis of Assisi to a meditation on Walden Pond from Henry David Thoreau. A prayer of Carl Sandburg is accompanied by Van Gogh’s View of Arles, Flowering Orchards. All of this reminds us of the wonder of the world around us, captured in William Cutter’s poem “The Value of Little Things.”

Secondly, we reflect on our gratitude for others. On facing pages, we view Joseph Stella’s striking Apotheosis of the Rose, a quote by Alexander Duma expressing gratitude for the good done by another and a reflection by Margaret Visser on how “gratitude for” means accepting our dependence on another. George Washington’s Farewell Address is another treasure in this section. But perhaps the best example of gratitude is “The Many People Who Have Urged Me on and Helped Me Learn.” Certainly, all of us could profitably reflect on the many people who did this in our lives!

Finally, God is ultimately the one we thank for every good thing. I loved Edward Payson Powell’s observation that we should be thank-full, faith-full, and truthful, a “trinity of character.” Another set of facing pages in this section also caught my attention. G.K. Chesterton tells us all the things beside meals for which he says Grace. Opposite is Jan Sluyters’ luminous Morning Glory, below which is this Kahlil Gibran quote:

"You pray in your distress and in your need; 
would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy
and in your days of abundance."

To sum up, I could go on with the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins, Emily Dickinson, and the readings and art of many others. But I will stop and simply commend this treasury of reflections on gratitude to any wanting to cultivate a thank-full heart.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Growing Old Gracefully

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Cover image for "Growing Old Gracefully" by David J. Claassen

Growing Old Gracefully, David J. Claassen. Elk Lake Publishing (ISBN: 9798891341890), 2024.

Summary: Navigating the transitions of our senior years with grace and joy.

This book could not have arrived at a better time. I turn 70 in the next couple weeks. And I conclude my employment with the collegiate ministry for which I’ve worked for 48 years in just 37 days. This is a book about the transitions of which I’m in the midst. An aging milestone. The end (so far as I know) of my paid employment.

A word about the author. David J. Claassen is a friend. After visiting several congregations, my fiancé and I joined the church of which Dave was pastor in 1978. We were getting married back in our home town but Dave did our marriage counseling, offering tons of practical wisdom for beginning our marriage well. We are still married after 46 years. Though only in his church for a few years, we have remained friends with him and his wife Diann.

I admired the way he loved and cared for his people over the course of his and their lifetimes. He knew the wait staff of restaurants and coffee shops all around his church and was a pastor to many who never entered his church building. I was most impressed by his decision to step down, preparing younger leaders to take his place And since then he and his wife split each year living near and helping their two children and many grandchildren, in Florida, and in rural Mexico. No scandals. Just good care for the people entrusted to him by God.

This book is about growing old gracefully. Claassen believes we needn’t stop growing as we age. He uses the term “older” because we are in the midst of a process, not a static state. And he speaks of aging “gracefully,” as people who extend the favor of God to others, rather than as old “grumps”!

The book is organized into thirty-one short chapters, each just a few pages in length. And the text is in a large enough font size to make for easy reading. In addition, each reading focuses on one idea, illustrated with everyday stories, anchored in biblical truth.

Among the ideas addressed are the transitions and losses of age, the feeling of being a burden upon others, and our declining energy and changes in health. Contrary to what we might think, these changes bring new opportunities. For example, our need for rest opens us to receive the gift of rest and permits others to slow down. In addition, the freedom from work responsibilities free us to be a blessing to children and grandchildren as well as have the time for study and reflection. Because we’ve reached the point of no longer having anything to prove, we are able to be self forgetful and focus on others.

An important concern of the book is finishing well. One of the ways we finish well as to persevere, to keep growing to the end. While we grow spiritually, we let go of many things, including possessions as we simplify and friendships, as some we love die. In all this, we lean into our hope of eternal life. For example, Claassen shares how the hope of eternal life that he preached at over 350 funerals has become dearer as his own days become shorter.

To sum up, what makes this collection so rich is the combination of its clear-sighted awareness of the challenges of aging coupled with its celebration of the opportunities of growing in grace as we age. Unlike the Old Grump of the opening reading, we have the opportunity to spend our days in rest, reflection, wonder and gratitude, and self-forgetful service to others. We have the chance, like many plants, to bear fruit in the last stages of our growth. In a way, this book is a kind of bookend for me. Pastor Dave, as many of us know him, offered us wisdom at the beginning of our marriage journey. And now he has returned to share this gift as my wife and I transition toward finishing our journey.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author for review.

Review: The Most Holy Place

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The Most Holy Place, Jeremy D. Vogan. Staunton, VA: LightPath Publishing, 2023.

Summary: Day-by-day prayers based on a verse by verse reflection on the Book of Hebrews.

I’ve followed Jeremy Vogan’s blog, God, Life, and Beauty for several years and deeply appreciated his poetic reflections on life and faith. So I was intrigued to receive a copy of his new book The Most Holy Place.

It is an ambitious piece of work. it consists of 312 prayers that are reflections on the text of Hebrews. That works out to 52 weeks of six prayers per week. Each prayer takes a verse or part of a verse and does what C.S. Lewis once suggested we do with the Lord’s prayer–to festoon the prayer with our own petitions around the theme of each clause.

Vogan does this, often beginning by addressing the Lord, meditating on his character, contrasting that with our own failings, and expressing trust in the Lord’s sufficiency. Each statement or “verse” in the prayers is set off from the next. Many of the verses either are direct quotes or allusions to other scriptures. This is so fitting of Hebrews itself which either quotes or alludes to so much Old Testament material as well as the gospel of Jesus. It reflected a life deeply soaked in scripture that recognizes so many thematic connections.

Here is one example from Hebrews 11:21 (copied from the author’s page on Goodreads):

Hebrews 11:21  “By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.”

Faith sees, Lord

Faith knows

But most importantly, faith obeys

Long did Jacob walk with You and see Your wonders, until his heart learned Your ways

He saw the ladder that stretched from earth to Heaven, and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it

He was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place!” And he named it Bethel

Laban dealt shrewdly with him, and Jacob learned the value of truth

But he accepted the yoke of servitude, and you made him many through Rachel and Leah

You made him rich and increased his wealth on the earth

Your Spirit kept Laban from doing him harm, and protected him from Esau

You wrestled with him until the breaking of the day, and he prevailed

And You appeared to him again, and said, “Israel shall be your name; be fruitful and multiply”

So at the end of Israel’s life, they brought his grandsons to him, the older one Manasseh on the right and the younger one Ephraim on his left

But Israel obeyed Your Spirit, and crossed his hands to bless the younger as the greater

In faith he obeyed, because it is God alone who raises up and who sets down

For one day You would reject the tent of Joseph, and not choose the tribe of Ephraim

And You would choose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which You love

You would choose David your servant to shepherd the tribe of Jacob with upright heart

For the salvation of all who would trust in You

Amen

I noted several themes running through the prayers. One is the arc between old covenant and new, of anticipation anf fulfillment, one inadequate to transform but pointing to the great high priest and king who would. There is recognition of our insufficiency, the ways we self-deceive, and sin and the utter sufficiency of Christ. And there is the bracing call to faith-obedience, to press on and not drift away.

A scripture index might have been helpful to see the breadth of scripture cited or drawn from. The layout of the prayers on a single page per day in the verse format required a smaller point size for fonts than some readers might find comfortable. There is a Kindle version that circumvents this problem.

These daily prayers are rich and give one so much to think about, so much biblical truth to turn over. The content varies with the verse. This makes for a rich, year-long devotional, simultaneously praying through Hebrews and reflecting on the whole of scripture. If you are looking for a good devotional resource for next year, this is one worth taking a look at!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author.

Review: Sundays on the Go Year B

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Sundays on the Go Year B, Albert Haase, OFM. Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 2023.

Summary: Taking the lectionary readings for each Sunday in liturgical year B, offers a brief reflection, prayer, and question to ponder, also including readings for solemnities and special feasts.

Year B in the liturgical cycle begins on the first Sunday of Advent, which is December 3 in 2023. Paraclete has released this timely little devotional just in time for the beginning of the new litirgical year. Teacher and spiritual director Albert Haase, OFM has authored this pithy collection subtitled “90 Seconds with the Weekly Gospel.”

This is one instance in which there is truth in advertising. Father Haase makes few words do the work of many. In his introduction, he says he sets himself a limit of 170-180 words, which if one includes the gospel text should easily be readable by the average reader in under 90 seconds. Here is an example from the First Sunday in Advent for which the Gospel reading is Mark 13:33-37:

Be Faithful and Awake

Jesus tells a parable about the master of a household leaving his servants with specific work while he travels abroad. The servants are to do their tasks while keeping watch for their master’s return. Like the servants, each one of us has been given a specific responsibility to help foster the reign of God. It’s so easy to become weary or even bored as we fulfill our duties as a spouse, parent, grandparent, godparent, office clerk, salesperson, writer, or web designer. We faithfully carry out our work right now, right here, knowing full well the master could return at any given moment. A popular bumper sticker gets it partially correct as it proclaims, “Jesus is coming soon. Look busy!”

Pray

Lord Jesus, We have been blessed with the responsibility to help prepare for your Second Coming. May we remain faithful and vigilant in fulfilling our duties. May our hearts be on fire with the joyful anticipation of your return. Amen.

Ponder

With what specific duties and responsibilities has God blessed me?

[Copied from online excerpt, pages 11-12]

As you can see from this example, the reflection makes one simple point and the prayer is brief, three short sentences. Then Haase gives a question to ponder that one may carry in meditation throughout the weekend.

I especially loved these questions, which gently probe into our lives. Considering Mary’s “yes” to God, Haase asks, “What do I selfishly cling to and refuse to give to God?” Considering the lowly animals of the stable, he asks, “Why do I think I am unworthy to be in the presence of the Christ Child?” After a reflection on the extravagant anointing of Jesus by an unnamed woman (Mark 14:1f), he asks, “When have my gestures of love been lavish and extravagant.”

These short reflections are best read before Sunday Eucharist as preparation. Both the prayer and the question to ponder might be used throughout the week to carry God’s gospel word throughout the week.

There are also readings for the solemnities and special feasts on the church calendar. Sundays on the Go Year A has also been published and I suspect a volume for Year C is in the works.

This is a wonderful aid for those whose churches follow the liturgical year. My church does not but many of us from such backgrounds find ourselves longing for a richer rhythm through the year than just Christmas and Easter. This book is a wonderful introduction into a rhythm many of our fellow saints have followed for centuries, one that allows us to read, pray, and reflect with much of the global church.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.

Review: Candles in the Dark

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Candles in the Dark, Rowan Williams. London: SPCK, 2020.

Summary: Weekly meditations by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, written for his parish church from March to September 2020, during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We all remember when life as we knew it ended as lockdowns and stay at home orders were issued to curb rising COVID infections. For many of us it was around mid-March 2020. On March 26, the day of the Feast of the Annunciation (remembering the appearance of Gabriel to Mary announcing she would bear the Christ child), former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams wrote the first of a series of meditations addressing what it means to live in faith, hope, and love during the pandemic. On that day, he wrote:

“And as we contemplate the coming months, not knowing when we can breathe again, it’s worth thinking about how already the foundations have been laid for whatever new opportunities God has for us on the far side of this crisis. The small actions we take to protect one another, to keep open the channels of love and gift, volunteering, if we’re able, to support someone less mobile or less safe, finding new ways of communicating, even simply meditating on how our society might become more just and secure–all this can be the hidden beginning of something fuller and more honest for us all in the future.”

Rowan Williams, pp. 2-3.

Over the coming months, ending September 17, 2020, Williams wrote weekly meditations for his parish church, collected in this compact book. Each are two to four pages in length. He reflects on our anxiety when our usual outlets for productive activity are gone, of treasuring relationships because of the experience of aloneness, the giving of the Holy Spirit that reminds us we are not God, and of seeking justice for those disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

One of my favorites, on the Feast of St. Matthias (May 14) celebrates this apostle whose greatest accomplishment lies in taking the place of Judas Iscariot. Williams emphasizes the hidden heroism he represents of those who faithfully show up. Another, written on August 6 was especially meaningful. Williams notes that this is both the day the first atom bomb was detonated with deadly results over Hiroshima, and the day of the church’s celebration of the transfiguration. In the first we see the dark face of humanity. In the second we see the radiant face of “infinite love of beauty,” the face of God in human flesh and know there is yet hope for us. I was born on August 6 and I feel this contrast, so beautifully articulated by Williams, has framed my life.

His posts do not all address pandemic-specific realities. Many, like the examples noted above, are connected to the church calendar. Others simply address contemporary realities like the reduction of our individuality and dignity before God to algorithms. Another is simply on meditative walking–something some of us have had time for. He writes with a measure of caution about the current trend of tearing down statues, which merely reflect what is true of all of us–people who got much wrong and a few things right. It may be right to remove a statue, but there is no room for smug superiority in doing so.

This is a sparkling collection of writing that reflects not only the pandemic but many of our contemporary concerns. I found myself wondering what Williams would have written during the horrendous wave of infection that came after the close of the book. What would his reflection have been about stubborn variants and vaccines? I hope he has continued writing. The book ends only part way through the journey, offering helpful direction for how we might live as people of faith both in this and more ordinary times. He recognizes this in his epilogue and recalls his opening reflection. He asks if we have grown through the solidarity forced by our common plight.

It is a question worth considering if we believe that the call to trust and follow Christ is to grow in Christ-likeness until the day we see him. We may feel with vaccines and the rescinding of health orders (at least for a time) that this is “over” and we can move on. If we simply want to forget, does it reveal something about the kind of people we have been through this time, with which we are uncomfortable? It is not too late to reflect on how the pandemic has shaped our life of faith, hope, and love, and make course corrections where needed. If we do not consider William’s question, we may find ourselves on a course that takes us away from Christ, and from solidarity with the human community. Williams’ book reminds us there are candles in the dark for those looking for light.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Review: A Mentor’s Wisdom

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A Mentor's Wisdom

A Mentor’s Wisdom: Lessons I Learned From Haddon Robinson,  R. Larry Moyer. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2018.

Summary: Forty-five sayings of Haddon Robinson with reflections by one of the men he mentored.

Haddon Robinson spent much of his life in one theological seminary or another, as a professor of homiletics (preaching), as President of Denver Seminary, and later as Interim President of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. A hallmark of his work was a commitment to expository preaching of the Bible, careful application that arose from the text, and clarity of communication without distracting with stories and illustration. Many of us have used his book Biblical Preaching as a guide to expository preaching that honors Christ. He was also a senior editor of Christianity Today.

Haddon Robinson died in 2017 at the age of 86. One of those for whom he was not only professor but also mentor was R. Layer Moyer, the founder and CEO of EvanTell. Robinson helped Moyer get his start, commending him to seminary alumni and serving on his board. This year, EvanTell celebrates its 45th anniversary, and Moyer had the idea of collecting 45 quotes from his mentor, both as a tribute and to commemorate the anniversary. This book is the result, consisting of 45 quotes under the headings of “Life Lessons,” “Work Counsel,” “Spiritual Advice,” “Public Speaking and Preaching,” “Leadership,” and “Evangelism.” Following each quote is a relevant scripture text and a brief reflection, averaging two pages, often giving the context in which the author first heard this statement from Robinson.

There is a wealth of wisdom in this little book, worthy of the reflection of any Christian leader or minister. The collection begins with a profound statement worth taking a retreat day to consider: “Decide now what you want people to carve on your tombstone, and then live your life backwards from there.” A number reflected Robinson’s generous and humble character: “I want to be on your team, not on your back,” “I know what that is what I suggested; that was a bad decision,” and, when Parkinson was in an assisted care situation for advancing Parkinson’s disease, “This Parkinson’s is rough. But the people hear are great and the food is good.”

Without giving away too much of the book, the section of quotes on “Public Speaking and Preaching” summarize a life of teaching in this area:

  • 25. “Learning how to speak is like learning how to think. If you think clearly, you will speak clearly.”
  • 26. “God has not promised to bless your words; he has only promised to bless his.”
  • 27. “The biggest problem I have had while training preachers has been, strangely enough, getting them to preach the word.”
  • 28. The stance of a preacher is the stance of a persuader. You are not there to simply teach; you are there to persuade.”
  • 29. When people come to church on Sunday, they want to know what you can tell them that will help them get through the following week.”
  • 30. “The art of preaching isn’t hinged upon knowing what to put into your message but rather what to take out.”
  • 31. “The passage has to hit you before it hits the audience.”
  • 32. “When you say, ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ you better be right. That is an awesome claim.”
  • 33. “The problem is that too many preachers tear the passage apart in their studies and then don’t put it back together before they step into the pulpit.”

Haddon Robinson primarily left his mark through those he trained directly or influenced indirectly through his books. For that reason, his name may not be widely known. Perhaps this was because of his conviction, framed in another quote not found in this book, “There are no great preachers, only a great Christ.”

This book, useful for devotional reflection, acquaints us with a scholar and teacher whose life was shared by that conviction. We get the chance to overhear wisdom about life and ministry and to see how that wisdom, under the grace of God formed a Christ-shaped, yet one-of-a-kind life.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.