Sunday Reflection: Repent??

This week, my friend Nora sent me the music video below -- thanks, Nora! The song has been percolating in the background of my consciousness, and it strikes me as a good fit with today's reflection.

It's unfortunate,
Lord,
how our language often limits your message.

That word,
repent,
for example,
which conjures up images
of hellfire preachers
rather than your deeper message
about learning to really love.

Your word,
metanoia,
is so much better.

Change.

Change your heart.

Change your mind.

Change yourself.

Change the way you see others.

Change the world.

You tell us
that "the time is fulfilled,
the reign of God is near;"
change,
"and believe in the good news,"
you say.

What good news?
we ask --
most of our "news" is not good.

But you are telling us
that this is the good news:

to see people as God sees them.

to love people as God loves them.

to look deeper than skin deep.

And suddenly,
the reign of God is NOW.

Help us,
Lord,
to change our point of view,
to see the world as you do,
and to BE your good news
through the love we offer our world.

+Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtU9xCbVY6I

Unity on a Sunday

Today, there's some excitement at our house as my daughter's High School improv team is performing at the Northern Alberta finals of the Canadian Improv Games. The last few weeks there's been a lot of improv talk around here, and Christina has met a lot of kids from different teams through workshops she's attended. I think it's probably fair to say that she has fallen in love with the improv community.

And what's not to love? It's a big group of enthusiastic, fun-loving, quick-minded teenagers who get together to practice thinking on their feet in order to tell amazing, completely off-the-cuff stories from a single suggestion made by the audience. The team that wins today's final goes to Ottawa to compete in the Nationals, but in my mind, all the kids who have participated are already winners. Just having the guts to stand up there and turn wild ideas into full blown life, story, character or theme portrayals with their friends means the kids create a kind of magical unity of purpose, of which our world could use more.

If you haven't noticed by now, I usually like to post a video on Sunday for your viewing pleasure... and this past week, I came across one that touched me deeply the first time I saw it a couple of years back. If improv creates unity through acting, Playing for Change creates unity through music. The fellow who created this video over the course of ten years is now building schools in places that need them with the proceeds from his work. If you haven't seen it before, you're in for a treat... all these musicians singing and playing from the depths of their souls, in places all over the word. Enjoy! And good luck, improv-ers all!

5:30 p.m. -- Congratulations to all the improvisers at today's finals! You were amazing! There's even more excitement around here -- our school's teams got silver and gold! Now, to find money to send our girl to Ottawa...