savoring the beauty and getting ready for the storms...

One of the benefits of praying the common lectionary along with the world wide community of believers is the breadth of this experience. Today, for example, is the feast day of St. James of Jerusalem, the brother of Jesus. One group of believers writes:

James was, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Mark and the Epistles of Paul, a brother of Jesus. Yet he was not a believer during the Lord's earthly ministry. Jesus appeared to him after the resurrection and James was converted. He soon rose to prominence in the church and became the Bishop of Jerusalem. He presided over the important Council in Jerusalem that decided to permit Gentiles to join the church. As the church grew and prospered, James became less and less popular with the authorities. According to the historian, Josephus, he was eventually stoned and clubbed to death by a mob. James of Jerusalem is usually considered to be the author of the Epistle of James. If this is the case, he certainly had a clear insight into the Lord's message and ministry and its relationship to the Old Covenant.

Grant, we pray, O God, that following the example of your servant James, the brother of our Lord, your Church may give itself continually to prayer, and to the reconciliation of all who are at variance and enmity; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

(see: http://prayer.forwardmovement.org/the_calendar_response.php?id=221023)

The Psalm for this day focuses on Psalm 1:1: Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful! One of the practical insights of this wisdom Psalm is that we will know happiness - and a measure of peace - if we consciously avoid hanging out with deceitful and manipulative people. If we do not practice wise counsel, if we carelessly or consciously put ourselves in harms way, we only have ourselves to blame when things go south. I started the day listening to this Psalm and let it return to me over and again while I was driving, practicing music with a trusted brother from another mother, speaking with my loved one and even while doing yard work to get ready for winter. 

People who live in this neck of the woods (and other north country environs) make a point of preparing for winter: they take in the deck furniture, they tune up the snow blowers, make sure there is proper wind shield solvent in their vehicles, add caulking and insulation to the house windows, etc. In other words, they let the organic truth of the season guide their behavior. They have ample emergency water, candles and blankets should the power go out. And after a decade of living here, I have become a believer: getting ready for the storms that are inevitable makes sense. We have salt and sand in the basement to get up and out of our driveway. (We have an all-wheel vehicle, too.) We are putting up insulation all over the house. Caulking our old windows, too. And adding rust preventative to the body of our old Subaru. Happy, indeed, are those who pay attention and make smart choices before hard times hit, yes?

While I was raking leaves and hauling away fallen tree limbs, I had to stop and take in the colors. They are my favorites: gold and red, various browns and all types of gray. My study is painted in these colors and they always fill me with a quiet peace. In a few weeks the rain will strip our trees of their majesty and a stark and harsh beauty will reign. Until then, this is a time to savor the grandeur and bask in the beauty. It is also a time to get ready for what lies ahead. 

In two weeks, it will be All Saints Day. Then Election Day. Even as I savor the colors, there is work to be done. One of my favorite artists, Carrie Newcomer, shares this invitation.

credits
+ https://forallsaints.wordpress.com/2014/10/23/saint-james-of-jerusalem-brother-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-and-martyr-c-62-4/