 RERUN JUNE 5, 2016 
“Trading Awarenesses: Migrations of the Soul”
“These Times Are So…Perfect!”
Mark 9: 38-50, James 5: 13-20
September 27, 2015
The fantastic annual migration of birds is one of the
wonders of our natural world. Amongst them…
most of the world’s species of geese migrate, and
some routinely accomplish amazing feats.
In Asia, Bar-headed Geese regularly migrate over
the Himalayan Mountains, even Mt. Everest at an
altitude of 31,000 feet….
where the air is thin and the temperatures drop to
minus 60 degrees F.
Migrations over the highest challenges
and through places where its hardest to breath
and where it is oh so cold.
Migrating birds, especially waterfowl, follow broad,
well defined migration routes called flyways or
migration corridors.
They fly together…it is only together they can find
their way through.
~Life is full of challenging places where it is hard to
breath and where it is oh so cold….
nature informs us that together, in awareness,
we can migrate right through them!
Nature and Jesus! tell us not to avoid the hard
places but find our way through them…together,
in flyways, with each other…channels we make, of
salty peace, in confidence and humility with one
another.
We are nature…and nature informs the way to our
own migrations of the soul.
What is your understanding of “soul”?
It cannot be defined but it is knowable, feelable.
I’m thinking it is more than the sum parts of who
we are body, mind, and spirit and has eternal
qualities that predate and post date the “who” that
we think we are in this time. It’s life-giving and
more than sustaining.
As we expand awareness of our own soulfulness,
we can stand life/stand up to life,
consciously overcoming
the cold and thin air…the barriers of shame, fear,
grief, addictions, isolation, unworthiness.
As our souls migrate in awareness, together, we
more than make it through the day, we travel to
new horizons of possibility for our days!
So, listen for the wisdom of today’s teachings and
hold them up alongside nature’s ways that are for
us…..
Jesus came for times such as these, to cold places
where the air is thin.
He comes to places of fear and dread and faulty
assumptions in your life and in our world.
Places where it feels all is against us, overwhelming
us
(illness, financial distress, broken relationships,
over work, so many kinds of suffering)
…at times overwhelming you and making it difficult
for you to see how things could ever be different…
to the point that sometimes you have not only given
up….but give over your integrity, accountability….
your personal power…going it alone…. and often
unconsciously, yet sometimes consciously, you then
place stumbling blocks in your own way or in the
ways of little ones-children and those most
vulnerable in the various settings of our lives…
around kitchen tables, in bedrooms, board rooms,
passers-by and those you know well .
Stumbling blocks?
What and how you do what you do
and choose not to do….faulty coping mechanisms
and justifications, life stopping,
defensive ways of being.
Jesus says: Don’t’ fall over these stumbling blocks,
don’t fall for this!
As we succumb to the seductive, destructive,
defensive ways of the world, we let “the way things
seem” become for us the way things really are.
But rarely are things the way they seem!
In times such as these, we often give in to the
malaise of life, deaden ourselves, and give over our
power.
We forget we can choose to be “on the way” (in flight!) to wholeness. In times such as these, we don’t look to
see the everyday choices we make
STILL have the power to make a difference in our lives and in God’s world.
And that’s when Jesus says….then beware…. better you were thrown into the sea than live your life like this.
If you choose to live your life as if your choices don’t have impact and you can’t make a new choice, that
viewpoint will surely kill you off… kill your life essence, in even more devastating ways than death can ever do.
Worse than death is living without integrity… is living in fear and dread, living in abusive relationships.
Worse than death… a living hell…is sabotaging others, turning a blind eye, throwing your hands up in disgust,
looking the other way, getting even.
Worse than death is living without integrity…. over spending and under spending or hoarding, living in anger
and projecting that onto everyone around you without an inward look.
Worse than death… living without grace… without do-overs, without salt, without peace… of mind and nation.
Living on your own is not living at all! Death. Hell!
Better to live maimed.
Better to live poorer than you might like to live in order to do the things with your money that matter and
impact others and make meaning of/from life.
Better to live divorced than in abusive relationship or be in any relationship which smothers your wholeness.
Better to say no to the promotion than take a job that takes you away from your family and yourself, better.
Better to accept someone’s genuine efforts to help than critique whether they’re doing it right or not… which
usually means your way or not!
(Like the disciples did!)
Better to vote than not, stir up debate than sit quiet.
Better to risk what comes next than to sit sure and secure in a self-centered, self-absorbed or woe is me,
destructive situation.
Not sure how you are living?
Then look at how your choices affect the little ones in your life…. how they are creating joy, or not, in your own
life!
This is so important…and so true…that Jesus uses very dramatic, intense images to make His point.
These words in Matthew do not sound like the Jesus who healed so many blind eyes and crippled limbs!
But realize, Jesus is not talking about destroying ourselves, rather He talks about releasing ourselves from
anybody or anything… any mind set… that has addictive dominion over us.
No pity parties needed or excuses accepted. You have permission! You are salt!
Nothing can separate you from the love of God… From the life you long to live… except you!
And Jesus goes on to cheerlead saying we have the salt within us to do what it is we most need to do!
We need to “be” the faith, be one with God. And if your salt, your faith, your resolve loses its saltiness, energy,
confidence, salt yourselves… find and be with salty others, in peace-full ways, and pray for and with each
other… not only in word but practice.
Maintain your own distinct flavor/character…within the company of other salty folks.
Who respond when you ask: Please pass the salt!
It takes a community to fill a salt shaker…. be a church… to raise an adult!
It’s not a safe world out there. It is risky to do these things… but not as risky as not doing them.
Take the risk. Pray with and for each other… and risk:
Risk “to stay” as you make your way! Be airborn!
Years ago, Pat Bowne in C of F said:
Prayer is preparing ourselves to find the good in what God is already doing!
Hear, O Holy, we are risking and praying.
O Holy One, we are becoming aware!
(Insights from migration:)
Why do geese fly in a V?
Scientists have determined geese use this formation when migrating serves two important purposes:
First, it conserves their energy.
Each bird flies slightly above the bird in front of him, resulting in a reduction of wind resistance. They divert
un-needed resistance for each other. The birds take turns being in the front, falling back when they get tired.
In this way, the geese can fly for a long time before they must stop for rest. It’s like walking through the snow
together, following in the footsteps in front of you to conserve energy and arrive together. It’s easier and it
works!
The second benefit to the V formation is it is easy to keep track of every bird in the group. Flying in formation
assists with the communication and coordination within the group. So, everyone makes it.
And, it was assumed for a long time that the V-formation was learned from the adult birds but not so. They
learn the V-formation from each other… it’s almost self-taught via awareness. Might we say shared wisdom?
Flight together, each aware of self and the others,
using each other’s energy and wisdom,
no one is exhausted and everyone arrives!
Non-critical Self-Awareness is a truly beautiful way to bring about change in our lives.
It's a powerful, amazing… of its own accord, it begins a change reaction within us.
and with this change, peace…
within and beyond ourselves.
It’s soul work! And together, migrating souls, aware… we are so powerful!
What are you enduring that is killing off life in you?
What are the stumbling blocks to your joy?
What is it you “allow” to keep you from the love of God?
Together we have so much wisdom, courage, and power. Count on it! Fly with it!
Reconnect deeply with yourself and your community.
Reawaken to your greatest gifts and deepest dreams and share your brightest light…
in service of the greatest flourishing of humanity!
Jesus comes for times such as these!