The Sermon I did not preach: Love abides in us.

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Hilda Vaughan

This morning, I did not transfer my sermon from the laptop to the tablet for the midweek Eucharist. I preached differently after preparing what I thought was a fine word. Below is the sermon I had prepared.

Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us. 1 John 3:21-24

When I saw that we had a reading from John, for the Mid-week Eucharist, I got very excited. I love John’s writings. I don’t know that I spend a lot of time delving into them, but the idea of Oneness, God’s spirit being in us, warms my heart. I love the theme of Abiding in God’s Love: The Spirit Within Us. I feel complete when I think about this.

It says to me, you have been given all you need as the all-mighty all-knowing, the comforting, the healing God resides in you and me, and with you and me. I do not believe there is any thing greater than this. I do recognize that it takes time on my part to get to understand God, to know God, to be able to identify God’s voice differently from the other voices speaking, particularly my own self -doubting voice.

This passage from John speaks to that. It says we must strive to identify God’s spirit. I have heard several persons speak on what testing the spirit means, but I find none of them resonating with me. I don’t hear in what they say the voice of God speaking to me. As believers the one (God’s Spirit) living in us is greater than the spirit in the world. John calls the spirit of the world, the Antichrist. A many pronged spirit that spouts evil, injustice and discord in all the places that we allow it to breed. We should not give way to it. Throughout the ages and even today God’s spirit, God’s voice guides us to overcome the false prophets and wrong teachings.

1 John 3:21 – If our hearts do not condemn us. we have boldness before God. Once we place our hands, our minds, our hearts, souls and bodies into the hands of God, we can be transformed from our ordinariness into extra-ordinariness. We are able to do God’s work without fear. John 3:18 supports this. It says Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. We belong to God. God’s spirit is in us verse 24 says. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us. Chapter 4:6 says We are from God.

Friends, God is with us, God is in us, we belong to God. Its not a puppy love arrangement. It is not like developing a teenage crush. It is also not like having a young adult mentor for whom you would do anything. It is not movie-star worship, or author worship. I have that relation with Danielle Steele. I buy all her books. I haven’t read them all, but just having them in my Audible library makes a difference to me. I feel complete. Weird example, but we all have relationships in which we feel complete. We feel safe in these relationships. As long as I have this, nothing else matters. That should be our relationship with God. God is the beginning and the end. God should complete us. Like good friends or a husband and wife who complete each others sentences, who know each other inside out. That should be our understanding of God.

We cannot truly know God inside and out. We are only sure of what God reveals to us. We can be assured that our father and creator knows us inside out. God knows us by name. If we listen, we can hear God calling to us. He calls us back when we are about to fall off the brink. A young girl told me on Christmas day that she was going to a paid party later that evening. I realized she was asking for my permission. She thought she should not go because she was a Christian. I cannot recall what I told her, but God does not call us to not have fun and frolic. Jesus was the life of the party. He always represented himself well in these places. Look at story of the woman anointing his feet with the oil. Just like Jesus in that story, we are called to represent ourselves with integrity. This shows that God’s love resides in us. We are to be compassionate to all.

We must strive to discern God’s love and voice as it completes us. We have no regrets as we know whatever happens it is all good. We understand that God’s love calls us to be authentic and true to ourselves, Truth is eternal, but what is true depends on what you know. So don’t go holding onto what was true yesterday in the face of the more information you get today. God’s love identifies us and we must live that identity. It empowers us to be our best godly selves pouring out God’s spirit that resides in us. Giving the love inside us to others. We must allow it to move in us and to move us to be the best.

May we seek to delve inside ourselves and our lives discerning God, being real and Christlike. Amen

Posted in Devotional | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Christmas message: Grace, Light and Life

Posted on December 30, 2025 by Hilda Vaughan

Christmas greetings to you all! It has been a long time.

Despite the many challenges we face, I sincerely pray and hope this season brings you joy and comfort.
Today, we reflect on the Christmas story as recounted by John – 1:1-18. Unlike the other Gospel writers, John does not mention angels, shepherds, Jesus by name, or even Joseph and Mary. Instead, John’s account grounds the Christmas story in creation itself.

John reminds us of the Power of the Spoken Word, that God is our source and Jesus is the light and life we all need. John calls us to practice our belief and to be transformed into who Jesus has called us to be. Who Jesus by his own life and testimony showed us how to live.

John begins with the phrase, “In the beginning was the Word.” This concept calls to mind two popular Jamaican sayings: “there is power in the tongue” and “speak it into being.” Although we might not usually associate Jesus’ coming with these phrases, they perfectly capture what happened in creation. In the beginning, God spoke and brought into existence everything we know—the world, galaxies, planets, stars, mountains, valleys, creatures, seas, rivers, day and night, sun and moon. John’s approach is deeply philosophical. He lived to a ripe old age and so had time to reflect and contemplate the mysteries of faith and life.

John offers us four important reminders about God and Jesus.

God is Our Source: Everything begins with God. John connects the events of creation to Jesus, God’s Son, who came to earth because of God’s love for the world. Jesus is the Word that spoke everything into existence. This spoken Word became flesh at Christmas, as Jesus was born and dwelt among us. Jesus—who is God—became human and lived among people. He inhaled and exhaled just like us.

Jesus is Light and Life: “Light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings.” Over recent months, we have all felt the need for more light in our lives. Physical darkness is difficult to manage, and spiritual darkness is equally challenging. No solar panels, batteries or kerosene to help us. Often, we ignore or hide our emotional and spiritual struggles. Very often we are not willing to let on, that we don’t quite get it. And sometimes we want it to understand it like a math problem. But the mind and spirit walks differently.
Christmas reminds us that Jesus came to guide us; we do not need to walk in spiritual darkness. Jesus illuminates our path, teaching us how to connect with others, to live with purpose, and love—even when faced with betrayal.

Jesus gives life—abundant, boundless, and active. Each day should be lived fully and authentically, so that others see how much God and they matter to us. Jesus emphasizes that while rules are good, caring for people is most important—living with justice, mercy, humility, and love. Living with dignity, We are called to put aside unhealthy beliefs and old, outdated ways of thinking and behaving.

We are called to Believe and Be Transformed: John notes that the world did not receive Jesus when he came. Yet, we benefit from 2025 years of experience and tradition handed down to us. We are called to believe in Him, welcome Him, and allow His life-giving light to transform us and those around us.

We receive Grace Upon Grace: John reminds us that we live by grace—grace upon grace. God gives us second chances, and Jesus continually brings us back when we stray. In chapter 14, John records Jesus telling Martha, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Jesus is both the beginning and the way forward. He is God, the Creator, the Sustainer, and the ‘Source of the light and life’, we need to thrive. We have seen His glory through the miracles He works in our lives.


Embracing Jesus This Christmas

This Christmas, let us once again embrace Jesus, allowing His light and life to fill our hearts and guide our lives.

  • Let us choose the healing that Jesus brings us. Let us choose the exciting abundant life Jesus shows us with all its heartaches.
  • Let us choose to walk in the light that dispels every darkness, trusting that with Jesus, every new day is an opportunity for hope and renewal. As we gather this season, let us open our hearts to the transformative power of God’s love. Remember, just as God’s Word spoke creation into being, so too can our words and actions speak life, encouragement, and peace to those around us.
  • Let us participate in the miracle of Christ’s birth by being compassionate, by making space for joy and healing, and by choosing kindness instead of turning away. New mercies each returning day hover around us while we pray. Each day a fresh chance to reflect the love and light of Christ in a world longing for hope. Let us commit to nurturing faith in ourselves and in others, working God’s grace by restoring relationships, forgiving others.

May we carry the message of John in our hearts: God is our source, Jesus is our light and life, we are called to believe and be transformed, and we live in the assurance of grace upon grace. May these truths shape not just our words, but our lives, and may we to shine light and life to others, reflecting the glory of the One who dwells among us. Amen.

Posted in Musings, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A prayer

Posted on May 5, 2025 by Hilda Vaughan 
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit,
That my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit,
That my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit,
That I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit,
To defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit,
That I always may be holy. Amen
          - St. Augustine (354-430)
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Finding Strength in God’s Words: A Reflection

Posted on April 15, 2025 by Hilda Vaughan

This morning several passages caused me to stop as I did the daily office.   I will read them as they brought meaning to me. This is not necessarily how they appeared in the liturgy. it is how they gave me meaning as I pondered and read over the psalm and the readings.

Jeremiah 15 verse19 says Thus says the Lord: If you turn back, I will take you back, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth. It is they who will turn to you, not you who will turn to them.  

Psalm 6 verse 2: “Have pity on me, Lord, for I am weak; * heal me, Lord, for my bones are racked.”

Jeremiah 15:6 “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by your name, O Lord,  God of hosts.” 

Philippians 3:21 “He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.”

In Jeremiah God is speaking to Jeremiah encouraging him.  God is also calling God’s people back. This brought to mind the passion narrative according to Luke where Jesus says to Peter when you return strengthen your brothers,

It is my job to strengthen others, to pray for their emotional and spiritual healing. Praying that they will have balanced life and feel the presence of God in their lives. Just like Jeremiah God speaks this to me.  ‘When you return strengthen others’  Where have I turned away from God? When have I turned away from God?  God is gracious and forgiving. God says if you come back to me  I will take you back, and you shall stand before me.  I have not really turned away. Still, there are things in which I have not been consistent.

The words ‘You shall serve as my mouth if you utter what is precious,’ encourages me and strengthens me as I speak God’s word to others,  I feel empowered. If I ever doubted I am assured that I am as worthy as anyone else. The power of God’s spirit is on me, God’s word is in my mouth.   

Yet I am weak and some of me needs  healing.  ‘I am weak’ I translate as lacking discipline. I have not done as I ought. I do not always choose to do what needs to be done when it should be done. And I have to play catch up. I console myself as it gets done eventually. This feeds my dabbling into many things.  My concentration span is like that of a toddler.  I laugh as I doubt that many would believe that.  I strive always to act with integrity and authenticity.  I believe that if I put these first all else will fall into place. 

God’s word is authentic.  It is reliable, dependable (one and the same? I don’t know.) It speaks to faithfulness and trust. It is who I believe I am. It is who I seek to be.

God says to me, he will tell me what to say.  Elsewhere Jesus says I should not worry what to say. He will tell me.  I can only hear and speak his words if I listen to him.   I must hone the skill of discernment.

My bones are racked. I laugh as the psalmist seem to know that there is a pain in my right shoulder which gnaws at me from time to time. The remnants of an old injury. 

God further encourages me in Philippians. It speaks about embarrassment and humiliation.  I say my shame tree is dried up. But Philippians says it is not. God turns it goodness. It is transformed in such a way that it leads to God’s glory. It says as in Jeremiah, we experience suffering and opposition. We overcome by our faithfulness to God and the ways of God.    Because God is with us always.  

God says to us today:

  • God will always take us back; We will speak for God and others will turn to us. It is not we who will turn to them. 
  • God speaks through us to others healing them.
  • If we pay attention, we will find joy in God’s words and our hearts will be delighted.
  • The lord has compassion on my weakness and pain.
  • God will transform our humiliation it conforms God’s glory,  

May the strength of God pilot us. May the  power of God preserve us. May the wisdom of  God instruct us. May the hand of God protect us.  May the way of God direct us.  May the shield of God defend us.  May the host of God guard us against the snares of evil and the temptations of the world.

With God all is well. All will be well. All manner of things will be well. Amen

Posted in Devotional, Musings, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Fast I choose – A Lament

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Hilda Vaughan

As I was recording Compline this morning, I read the passage from Isaiah 53. It suggests that keeping the fast meant that we should feed the hungry and clothe the naked. I am burdened knowing that one of my own does not eat every day. She is not close by me, and I really would like to be able to get her a meal everyday. As people say the heart is willing, but the flesh is weak. I am unable to do this. I cannot get a commitment from others to ensure that she gets at least 1 meal a day. I can see why people dismiss things like this. They often say it is not their business. Every time I think about it, I feel a physical pain in my chest.

A friend sent me 1Chronicles 29:14 this morning. It is also sitting with me. “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this?” David is asking the people for resources to build the temple. He will not build it. Solomon will. The community provides what is needed. He thanks God for the community’s generosity. My people are generous too. If I ask for money, I would get it. But what I want to happen and what the lady needs is a meal every day. There is little generosity in the doing. 1 Chronicles 29:14 sits with me because it asks “who am I”. “Who am I that for my sake, my Lord should take frail flesh and die?” Who am I, that my compassion is only in my thoughts? Shouldn’t I be more than this? Where is my get up and go spirit? Where is my ‘help even when it hurts’ spirit. Shouldn’t this be the fast that I choose? The heart is willing, but the flesh is unable.
Nobody should live that way in the evening of their days. She gave her best to the church and her children. Now she is in need and nobody ensures she is looked after. As Christians, we can’t live this way. One of our own may not eat today and we go on with our merry business as if that is a normal way of life. She shouldn’t continue to live that way. We must look out for our own. When I speak, I get the advice “you know what we should do…” But who is the ‘we’ to follow through? Nobody wants to drive on the road to her house. In my head I say “talk is cheap and we really must do better. Who is the ‘we’ I want to do better? Where are they? I only see persons going about their business with no care for the next person.

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, … Is it not to share your bread with the hungry?” Today I weep for all who are physically hungry. I struggle, I wrestle with my inability to more.
I suppose we do what we are able and God does the rest. I keep praying that somehow God will make a way to ensure she has at least 1 meal for the day as I ensure that the church does its part.

Posted in Devotional, Musings, Religion | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Living the Law is Living Love and Righteousness

Posted on March 27, 2025 by Hilda Vaughan

Our readings for Wednesday in the Third Week of Lent comes from Deuteronomy 4:5-10, and Matthew 5:17-19. In Matthew, obeying the commands of God is paramount. Jesus says he has come to fulfill the law. Fulfilling the law says to me you become the law’s standard bearer. You must live it show it and teach it. The law looks like you. You become the good example of the law.

The Old Testament reading tells us the law is to be revered and respected. Deuteronomy 4:9-10 explains further. it says do not forget the things your eyes have seen. Ensure they do not fade from your heart as long as you live. Being exemplars of the law is to always have it at the forefront of the mind. Teach it, Deuteronomy says. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Verse 10 emphasizes telling others so that God’s words may be revered. The commandments are sacred.

We see in Jesus’ ministry and in the way he lived how he understood the law. He understood that the law was not a shackle. The law was about maintaining good relationships. It was also about caring for others. The law was love. The law was not like a doctor’s prescription taking exact doses at recommended times. Rather, it was a description of what our lives should look like. It is living a life of integrity. Yes, we sometimes get it wrong. But we pick ourselves up and put on the sackcloth and ashes. We ask for forgiveness, brush off. We forgive ourselves, and start again. We pay attention to how we behave.

Jesus says that the practicality of the law is love God and love your neighbour, in the same way you love yourself. He is very clear that showing that love means treating persons as you would want to be treated. He says elsewhere, we are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison and welcome the stranger. Here he says we must teach others how to live out the commandments. We must treat all persons with dignity. We should love them and guide them in the care of their souls. Show them how to relate to others.

we follow Jesus we are not afraid to love despite the possibility of rejection misunderstandings and persecution. Jesus teaches that life happens. We, are each called to live our best lives, unshackled in spirit and mind. We are called to be free thinkers coming more and more into the understanding of God. we should be showing the sacrificial love that Jesus exemplifies. We may not be called to give up our life like Martin Luther King. However, we too, might find ourselves in a place where standing up for what is right, makes us seem like the wrongdoer. This can be challenging. It requires courage and conviction.

Both Deuteronomy and Matthew suggest that the law is not to be abandoned, but is to be lived out fully and with a deep understanding. There is a Higher Standard of Righteousness to be attained. This right living is expressed in how we treat others. Jesus emphasizes that true righteousness goes beyond doing for doing sake. It is not just going through the motions, but making the laws be in your blood. It is a commitment rain or shine. People can trust your word and actions. That takes time to develop. As the Sunday School song says, “I feel god in my head, I feel him in my feet, I feel him all over me.” We become God in us. We live with a healthy respect for God.

Both passages highlight the importance of teaching and passing on God’s word and commandments to others, particularly future generations. We are to ensure that the knowledge of God and God’s law is preserved. we cant teach what we don’t know or understand. And if we keep learning, observing and reflecting, we will unlearn the wrong and keep focused on the right things. The love of God will keep you safe and secure.

We do so by binding unto yourself today
“the power of God to hold and lead,
his eye to watch, his might to stay,
his ear to hearken to my need;
the wisdom of my God to teach,
his hand to guide, his shield to ward,
the word of God to give me speech,
his heavenly host to be my guard.

Binding unto yourself the name,
the strong name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One, and One in Three,
of whom all nature hath creation,
eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of our salvation:
salvation is of Christ the Lord.”

Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rest is God’s Gift: a sacred Practice and Spiritual Experience

Posted on March 22, 2025 by Hilda Vaughan


There’s a song that says
‘Hush little baby, don’t you cry.
You know, your mama was born to die
all my trials Lord, will soon be over.’

The song is burdensome and the people involved could do with a respite. As I read Hebrews 4: 1-10, the writer says we receive the same promises as the people in the wilderness. These include the promise of rest. The writer says the ‘wilderness people’ did not experience this promise because they did not have faith. It reminds us that God rested on the seventh day having completed his work. The writer says it is written elsewhere that they will never be able to rest because they were disobedient.

God keeps renewing the promise. and so, we too have that same promise of rest. God as the Message paraphrase indicates, resets the promise to Today. I think about sabbath rest. The line in the hymn speaks about sabbath rest by Galilee. It stills the heats of our desire. I recognize that rest comes in different forms.

Rest is physical but, not just physical. Rest is peace of mind. Rest is laying aside the burdens that beset us. Rest is the ability to move on. It allows us to begin again and start over. This only comes if we understand that we have this promise of today. This understanding allows us to be able to reset and restart.

Life can be thought of as a cycle of seasons. It is a cycle of beginnings and endings. We understand that this is continuous. It is not discreet endings and discreet beginnings. You may be beginning something in one area of your life. In another area, you’re in the middle of completing a task. Still, in another area, you are towards the end of a particular season. This business of rest becomes important because of the tensions and the complexities of life. Rest also becomes a brief period we must take from the busyness of life. We do this to rejuvenate. We recalibrate and reorder ourselves. It is a time of refreshment. Sometimes rest is not stillness. It may be a different kind of work that energizes you. You are then able to go back to the task at hand with restored energy.

Rest is a divine gift. Like most other things, God provides for our wellbeing. We should not just take the gift but recognize it as coming from God. We should accept it graciously and honour it as sacred. The world could have been ordered differently. It is for us to take the time, trusting God that by resting we are not losing out. Very often, we do not do things that we ought to do, because there is not enough time. We prioritize paid work. We focus on how we are seen by others rather than on what really matters. What really matters is our relationship with God and those who love us and who we also love. By taking the time to enjoy these relationships, we are not being frivolous. They give us the impetus to go on. Many times, just to ensure the wellbeing of those we love, we do things that make us uncomfortable.

Resting means, we do not carry our burdens all the time. We lay them down long enough to gather insight in new ways, courage and strength to pick them up again.

People rest in different ways: power naps, afternoon naps, a long bath and a glass of wine. Others rest by listening to music or reading a book. Some prefer doing crossword puzzles or gardening. It’s generally about doing something you enjoy.
In Psalm 23, the psalmist says God refreshes our soul. God ensures that the most essential part of us is taken care of.

Rest allows us to see the beauty in our lives and the blessings that surround us, even in the midst of trials. Resting gives us a profound sense of peace and contentment.

One writer suggest we can keep a Gratitude Journal as we rest. Journalling is a practice that can be done daily. It can be as simple as keeping a gratitude journal, where we jot down things we are thankful for each day, or taking a moment to express our appreciation for something. It helps us keep our head above waters in hard time.

Rest then is a spiritual practice that rejuvenates our bodies our minds and our souls. God gave it to us. We should honour this practice of reset, refresh, and reconnect as sacred. It is a holy conversation to which we are called. We sustain it with God’s grace and mercy. We do it everyday, whether we like it or not. because of its sacredness and how it feels once we do it.

“May the power of God preserve us. May the wisdom of God instruct us. May the hand of God protect us. May the way of God direct us. May the shield of God defend us. May the host of God guard us against the snares of evil and the temptations of the world. May Christ be with us, Christ before us, Christ in us, Christ over us. May your Salvation, 0 Lord, be always ours this day and for evermore.” We remember that all is well all will be well all manner of things will be well.

Posted in Devotional, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Diversity and Divine Value: Being Differently Gendered

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Hilda Vaughan

Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say, The Lord will surely separate me from his people;and do not let the eunuch say, I am just a dry tree. For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give, in my house and within my walls,a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. Isaiah 56:3-5

This reference to eunochs who are castrated men has me questioning how we look at gender.

Eunochs had a place in the ancient societies of the middle east. They looked after the harems. Being castrated meant that even if they were to have sex with the women of the Harem, no pregnancy would result.  Castration was also a way of subjecting and controlling these men.  Removing their ‘manhood’ would devalue the man, making him inferior to other men.  Some Eunochs are born that way. These persons can do nothing about it. Similarly with the differently able persons. It is something they live with, and we should accept them as they are – human beings.

Today, we have several genders, each type seeking to value and include different groups of people. These persons do not fit the stereotypes we have given ‘normal’ people and are excluded in many ways. These persons would have otherwise been considered outcasts or less than others.  But God values them even if the rest of society does not.  We who walk in God’s ways should value and not devalue the persons who are “differently gendered” too. The distinctions may not mean anything to us who society accept as normal, but it means the world to those who are unable to see their place in society, and those whose normal behaviour is not the same as most persons in the society.

In this passage, God gives value to the eunoch.  God says they have humiliated you belittled you, made you less in the eyes of society, but what they have done is unimportant.  Whether your able to have children or not doesn’t matter, even if you are impotent it does not matter. What matters is paying attention to God and God’s word. God says to the eunuch I value you.  God says I will make a monument in your honour within my house.  You will have a legacy greater than children if you follow me. 

We may like the comfort and security of knowing that others think like us and will behave like us, but God’s way has variety within it.  Paul speaks about people being as different as the parts of the body but like the body, we work together for the common good. 

This is a valuable lesson to learn.  When all is said and done, it is not what people think that matters but what God thinks. How God sees us as an individual counts.  God made us and said we are all good; not some good and others not good. All are good. All are worthy. All have a place, all have a legacy, but we must own it.  We must step into we we are to be by walking in God’s ways.

Each of us, whether we are differently abled or differently gendered, we can walk with grateful hearts feeling whole, and not inferior to others because God values us.  If God values you, God’s people in time will come to value you too.  In time they will come to understand that diversity is one of the laws of nature and it cannot be changed.  It’s God’s way of bringing harmony in a chaotic world, showing that all things and all peoples belong. They will see you as you are another human being.

Let us pray. God who is a God of diversity and uniqueness. who in creating life, did different things but brought them into one big space the universe. Help us to accept firstly who we are, each of us a mere human. secondly give us grace to accept that others differently abled or differently gendered is acceptable to you. In your sight while we may consider them blemished, they are whole and have the same value as we who consider ourselves normal. Help us Lord to be more loving and lovable. We ask this in the name of Christ. Amen.

Posted in Devotional, Religion | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Trusting God Amid Distress: Insights from Psalm 55

Posted on February 1, 2025 by Hilda Vaughan

Hear my prayer, O God; do not hide yourself from my petition. Listen to me and answer me. I have no peace, because of my cares. I am shaken by the noise of the enemy and by the pressure of the wicked. Psalm 55:1-3

I have not abandoned my reflections. I just have not had time to write and record.

Yesterday I was very disturbed. I did not like what I saw happening around me. I was distressed. It was not only about the things that were happening, but the fact that I took it so seriously that my head hurt, and I had to offload to anyone who would listen. I found I was comparing myself with others. I was righteously indignant that if I knew they should know too. I even cursed myself at the end of the day that maybe I was being arrogant and subconsciously beating my chest that I remembered, and others did not. This could be true, but that was not the major player in my thoughts. This distress is of my own making.

I fret for my Church. My distress and frustration yesterday I realize came from that. Psalm 55 spoke directly to me about how I felt. My enemy is a flawed system that seem ready to swallow me up. I need saving. My church needs saving. My friends and family need saving. The passage says “I have no peace, because of my cares”. I realize I care too much. I am too much. I invest too much emotionally. While not a perfectionist, and I am certainly not regimented, I do like to see order prevail. I believe in participating in the common good. Why do I choose to take on things? I care too much.

The writer of Psalm 55 is distraught and overwhelmed. There is chaos and evil within the land. They say in verses 7 and 8 that if it was possible they would fly away like a bird. The writer asks God to change those who are against him or her. But I do believe the writer and I are in the same boat here. It is we who are anxious. It is we who require a change of heart and attitude. We must first deal with the chaos and I dare say the evil inside us. This change will assist us in showing and pointing others and ourselves in ways that are helpful. We need to put aside the anxiety to be able to see clearly and objectively.
There is a saying You can’t see the forest for the trees! We are unable sometimes to see situations as they really are. We lose our perspective because we care too much. We are too heavily invested. This where I think I am. Is it a bad thing? I am not certain. I do know that everything has a shadow side. Our best character trait can also open flaws in our personality. The thing is the consensus and oneness that I should be feeling is not there. The bonds that should exist are only surface deep. As the psalmist says in verse 22, of the would be enemy, “His speech is softer than butter, but war is in his heart”. It is this is the other thing that bothers me. We get so caught up in saying what others want to hear, we deceive ourselves about what really is. We also fool ourselves about what should be, as we only see it from our perspective. We cease to question and reflect. We cease to listen.

Our task is to lean on God. We need to trust God and the process as ultimately it is God who is in charge and who guides. When we are uncertain or frustrated, we can appeal to God to hear us. We can dump all our cares, and our fears on God. One thing of which we are certain is that God will see us through. God will see us through our indignant sef righteousness, our arrogance until we come to a place of humility and rest. God gives us the strength, the power and wisdom to be our best self.

We pray as Reinhold Niebuhr is said to have prayed.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen.

Posted in Devotional, Religion, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

There is no ‘separateness’ in God – No me without You

Posted on January 16, 2025 by Hilda Vaughan

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups ¬{Jews and gentiles) into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, Ephesians 2:13-15

It amazes me the lengths people will go to, in the name of “them and us”. I am not certain why we find it difficult to accept other people as worthy as us, or as important as we think ourselves. But that is very often the case. We confuse privilege and status with being human. Maybe the better way to say it, we believe that not having high status and/or privilege means that one should not be treated as a fellow human being. Only those of my grouping count and are of value. I sometimes wonder why we do the things we do.

There is a family I know who by their attendance at church, they consider themselves devout Christians. Others think they are too. Yet their behaviour says otherwise to me. As I understand Christianity, we are not to be divisive, but are to always seek to be builders of unity. Yet this family operates from the perspective of divide and conquer. Irrespective of how others feel, if they do not agree, they act divisively. They do everything to ensure that only what they want happens. I single out this family yet I know 3 other person in 3 different congregations who behave like this. I know a priest who behaves like this. In business organizations and institutions I know people like this. I see politicians who behave like this.


Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations for Thursday, January 16, 2025, shares a captivating story. It tells of a man named Nanak. He founded the Sikhs. After a period of separateness from his community and contemplation, he understood that ” There is no Hindu. There is no Muslim. This was more than treat your neighbor as you would yourself. This was more than taking in the stranger. This was: There is no stranger. There is no you-against-me at all. We constitute each other. “ [1]
Sikhs believe that there are no strangers and all of humanity is equal. We are all to be treated the same.
I do agree. I believe the divisions are of our own making to satisfy our own elevated egos. Our illusions of grandeur which does not allow us to consider, that we cannot be the best at all things. We will always find that we are able to do some things better than other people and vice versa. It does not change who we are humans. Our circumstances do not define who we are. In many ways one aspect of our personality complements the area in which we are deficient.
References:
[1] Adapted from Valarie Kaur, “Becoming a Sage Warrior,” Daily Meditations, October 28, 2024, Center for Action and Contemplation, video, 38:13. 

Sikhs believe in the following principles. These are no different from the teachings of Jesus

  1. Equality: Sikhs believe that everybody is equal. Race, religion, or sex does not matter. And therefore tolerance of others.
  2. Social justice: justice should benefit everybody.
  3. Service to others: we should help those in need.
    The Richard Rohr devotion quotes Sikh wisdom as saying “All of us are part of the One. Separateness is an illusion: There is no essential separateness between you and me, you and other people, you and other species, or you and the trees. You can look at anyone or anything and say: You are a part of me I do not yet know.”
    This is great philosophy. It sounds like Ubuntu. “I am because you are”. I do believe we are all one. It is a teaching of Jesus that I hold dear. Jesus prayed that his followers would be one, yet our guttural (or is the word visceral?) need to be the greatest, to shine brightest, suppresses our humility to the point where we hurt ourselves, others and our community. This is so sad. What is even worse is that we cannot see that our own actions contribute in one way or another to this separateness. It is always the other persons fault and we feel not just hurt but opposed hated and unloved.
    There is so much in Life that we need to think about if our search is to be better persons and to serve Christ through the service of others. We cannot exist without other people. Jamaicans say “one han’ caan clap” May we understand that we need each other. may we see our way as Francis of Assisi did.
    Let us pray.
    Merciful God, to you we commend
    ourselves and all
    those who need your help and correction.
    Where there is hatred, give love;
    Where there is injury, pardon; Where
    there is doubt, faith Where there is
    despair, hope; Where there is sadness,
    joy; Where there is darkness, light.
    Grant that we may not seek so much to be consoled, as to
    console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to
    love; for it is in giving we receive, in pardoning we are
    pardoned and it is in dying we are born into eternal life. Amen.

Posted in Devotional, Musings, Religion | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment