Dear Friends,
We pray for you a Happy and Blessed New Year!
Today's Meditation features a reflection Phiwa Langeni on "The Cloud" of friends and witnesses, living here and beyond death, who help us through life. Today is also the feast day of Aelred of Riveaulx. His motto was "God is friendship and the one who dwells in friendship, dwells in God and God in them." We feel so extravagantly blessed that all of you are in our lives!
We invite you to join us as we commit ourselves to working tirelessly to end systemic and structural racism in our society, in the church, in healthcare, in the workplace--wherever it shows up so that everyone may come to have more abundant life. May this meditation nourish our contemplative-active hearts and sustain all of us in action.
In the spirit of our philosophy of co-creating community and our awareness that the Spirit speaks through each of us, we invite you to share your meditations with us as well. We truly believe that it is God's economy of abundance: when we share our blessings, our thoughts, our feelings, we are all made richer.
We hope and pray that you find peace, healing, hope and the infusion of joy in your life!
With our love and care,
Ron and Jean
MEDITATION: "The Cloud" by The Rev. Phiwa Langeni
January 10, 2023
The Cloud
Phiwa Langeni
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely. - Hebrews 12:1a (NRSVUE)
Cloud computing, a.k.a. the cloud, is a sharing resource that exists on the internet. It remotely stores data for individual computers, phones, tablets, and other devices to access as needed.
The cloud acts as a supercomputer that hangs onto all the stuff we need and has it ready whenever we want to access it. Beyond the convenience of accessing files from just about anywhere, the cloud enables individual devices to direct their resources toward more important and relevant tasks.
My tech-inclined brain makes me quite fond of the idea of dead loved ones joining an ever-growing cloud of witnesses. Though we can’t call or text, hug or kiss, fight or snub loved ones who’ve died, like a computing cloud we can remotely access them in new ways beyond our individual physicality. Before their death, we had to negotiate methods of connecting, even creatively over distance since the pandemic began.
Now, our loved ones are anywhere we are and at any time we need them. Not that they’re hovering over us in some spiritual internet. Instead, the collective cloud of witnesses acts as a sort of supercomputer that holds onto our shared memories, love, grief, and losses. In so doing, we’re empowered to redirect our energies into the important and relevant work of living into our fullest selves.
Prayer
As we log into another year, remind us that death never has the final word. Renew our access to the cloud of those who’ve gone before us. Reboot our passion to participate in living out your desire for a whole and healthy creation. Amen.
Discussion Questions
How do you feel supported by the “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1)? Do you (or how do you) experience the presence of dead loved ones in your life?
The author describes the cloud of witnesses, like the cloud of data storage, as akin to a supercomputer. What does the cloud of witnesses store for you?
What burdens are you able to set down as a result of the supportive cloud of witnesses?
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely. – Hebrews 12:1a (NRSVUE)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The Rev. Phiwa Langeni is the Ambassador for Innovation & Engagement of the United Church of Christ. They are also the Founder of Salus Center, the only LGBTQ resource and community center in Lansing, MI.