Disclaimor: This recipe is NOT gluten free, NOT low in sugar, NOT low in fat. However, there is some possibility that pistachios are good for you...and all things in moderation, right?

For several years I worked in the registrar's office at a nearby college. Every year, on or about St Patrick's Day, we would throw an open house for the rest of the college faculty and staff. One year, I discovered this recipe and whipped up a batch for my contribution. Although I no longer work at the college, this Saturday I am going to a friend's birthday party which, as it coincides with St Patrick's Day, gives me a chance to dust off my shamrock cookie cutters. I'm posting the recipe below, which I originally got from the California Pistachio Commission. Also, for those of you who enjoy themed baking and/or have kids that do, check out the Best Bites website, which is always full of clever and yummy ideas.

Pistachio Shamrock Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
1 cup finely chopped pistachios

Lime Icing, (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon  milk
1/4 teaspoon grated lime peel 

Preheat oven to 357. Cream butter and sugar; beat in egg. Stir in flour and lime peel; mix in pistachios. Refrigerate dough 1 hour. Roll out dough 1/4 inch thick; cut shapes with shamrock-shaped cookie cutter. Place cookies on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Pipe lime icing to outline cookies. Makes 5 - 6 dozen.

For Lime Icing: Combine butter, powdered sugar, milk and lime peel in  a medium
bowl. Mix until smooth. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Photo Credit: California Pistachio Commission

Yesterday's Psalm, whose opening lines form a familiar chorus in Josef Haydn's oratorio "The Creation," has long been a favorite. "The heavens are telling the glory of God" writes the poet, "the skies proclaim the work of his hands." As Celtic Christians have long affirmed, God's character is powerfully revealed through the "big book" of creation. Indeed, Paul will tell the Romans, that "everything that is to be known about God is seen in His creation," therefore people are without excuse for seeking ways of meaning, truth, beauty, interconnectedness and love.

But creation isn't the only reveleation of God. The psalmist continues by speaking of the revelation that comes from the law of God. The Old Testament reading from Exodus 20 spoke of the giving of the Ten Commandments, whose words Moses inscribed upon tablets of stone. These words were meant to take a people formed by slavery and transform them into a nation whose purpose was to join the heavens in showing forth the glory, love and kindness of Yahweh. Far from being burdensome, God's laws were to be a delight: "The law of the Lord is perfect, and revives the soul...the statutes of the Lord are just and rejoice the heart."

The task of living out holy lives, however, is not easy. There are times when our hearts need to be cleansed. In John's Gospel (chapter 20), we are reminded that even those who claim to be the keepers of God's revelation may lose sight of truth. When Jesus goes into Jerusalem to offer sacrifices in accordance with Jewish law, what he sees is deeply disturbing. Instead of this sacred place being a "house of prayer for all nations", it had been turned into a marketplace, the stalls of racketeers infringing on the area set aside for Gentiles to worship. Jesus strides purposefully into the courts with a handmade whip, overturning tables and moving out those obstructionists, making room for hearts intent on seeking God.

The purpose of God's revelation - creation, law, and ultimately the God-man Jesus - was not only to show us the character of the Holy, but to invite us to participate in the fellowship of the Divine.  We are meant to see and then long for what is good, to take it into us like sweet honey. Blessed are the pure in heart, Jesus will say, for they shall see God. And those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, will be filled with the very same glory that the heavens declare.

Psalm 19

The heavens declare the glory of God,
  and the firmament shows his handiwork. 
One day tells its tale to another,
  and one night imparts knowledge to another. 
Although they have no words or language,
  and their voices are not heard, 
Their sound has gone out into all lands, 
  and their message to the ends of the world. 
In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun;
  it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
  it rejoices like a champion to run its course.
It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
  and runs about to the end of it again;
nothing is hidden from its burning heat. 

The law of the LORD is perfect
  and revives the soul; 
the testimony of the LORD is sure
  and gives wisdom to the innocent. 
The statutes of the LORD are just
  and rejoice the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is clear
  and gives light to the eyes. 
The fear of the LORD is clean
  and endures for ever;
the judgments of the LORD are true
  and righteous altogether. 
 
More to be desired are they than gold,
  more than much fine gold, 
  sweeter far than honey, than honey in the comb
By them also is your servant enlightened,
  and in keeping them there is great reward. 
 
Who can tell how often he offends?
  cleanse me from my secret faults. 
Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
  let them not get dominion over me;
then shall I be whole and sound,
  and innocent of a great offense. 
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
  heart be acceptable in your sight,
O LORD, my strength and my redeemer.

Note: The following rendition of The Heavens are Telling is performed by the Kings College Choir, Cambridge.

Given the recent solar activity, I thought a poem on the sun might be appropriate. Donne, whose poetry included sonnets both sacred and secular, was featured in Monday's post. Here, on a different note, is a poem written to the sun. In it, Donne takes the sun down a notch, scoffing that although other lovers may base their activities on his rising, falling, or seasonal affect, Donne and his lady love are quite impervious from this tyranny.

Donne can easily exercise his disdain of the sun - a blink is all that's necessary - but doing so would deprive himself of the source of the only light that matters, the beauty of his beloved. Others may be blinded after gazing upon the celestial sphere, but the poet is concerned lest, enthralled by the beauty of his mistress, that old, unruly Sun might have himself have difficulty in seeing. Perhaps, if he can still manage, the aging orb might take a gander at Donne's lady love to observe if all the splendors of the known world are not found in her. And, as she encompasses  the wealth of all states and all countries, the Sun might enjoy a well-deserved vacation, or at least go part-time. Since their bedroom certainly comprises the entire sphere, once they are warmed, the sun can consider himself finished for the day.

The Sun Rising
John Donne

Busy old fool, unruly Sun, 
Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains, call on us ?
Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run ? 
Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide 
Late school-boys and sour prentices, 
Go tell court-huntsmen that the king will ride, 
Call country ants to harvest offices ;
Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime,
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time. 

Thy beams so reverend, and strong 
Why shouldst thou think?
I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink,
But that I would not lose her sight so long. 
If her eyes have not blinded thine, 
Look, and to-morrow late tell me, 
Whether both th' Indias of spice and mine 
Be where thou left'st them, or lie here with me.
Ask for those kings whom thou saw'st yesterday,
And thou shalt hear, "All here in one bed lay." 

She's all states, and all  princes I;
Nothing else is;
Princes do but play us; compared  to this,
All honour's mimic, all wealth alchemy. 
Thou, Sun, art half as happy as we, 
In that the world's contracted thus ; 
Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties be 
To warm the world, that's done in warming us.
Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere; 
This bed thy center is, these walls thy sphere.

Hope is often perceived as a word of the future (in fact, last week's post took up that theme). But I wonder what it looks like when we view our past with hope? There are things that we’ve done which have caused true harm, and that we regret deeply. I heard once that people don’t remember much about their middle school years precisely because it is so painful. We want to forget the stupid choices we made back then, because we don’t dare hope that what we did can be reconciled with who we are now.

In Christianity there is a strong emphasis on forgiveness. That is to say, that what we have done in the past will not be held against us. We will be released from the guilt, if not always the consequences, of our action. But sometimes forgiveness falls short. And here again, Christianity offers an answer – grace-filled redemption, the belief that good will come from our mistakes.

I remember several months ago I was writing down my top values. One of them was “grace for learning.” In my failures, of which there are bound to be many, I hope that grace will be offered. If I am trying the best that I can, I hope that my mistakes will be taken up and formed into something beautiful.

There is a strand of Christianity that sees sin as inevitable, but also as a means of putting God’s grace on display. Julian of Norwich, in her Divine Revelation, says that God “considers sin to be the sorrow and suffering of those who love him and out of love he does not blame them... And so shame will be turned into glory and greater joy; for our generous Lord does not want his servants to despair because they fall into sin often or grievously; our falling does not prevent him from loving us.”

These words echo those of Paul, who in writing to the Romans says, "And I know, that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him." (Rom 8:28) They remind us that nothing is outside of the purview and power of God to be transformed. As Joseph says to his brothers, who sold him into Egpyt, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." (Genesis 50:20)

Recently I came upon this poem by Spanish poet Antonio Machado. The dream is an “error” only because it is not literally true, but the grace it shows is marvelous indeed. How it nurtures my soul to hope that those golden bees are nothing less than the loving Spirit of a loving God, adamant in making good out of my life’s mistakes. 
 
Last Night as I was Sleeping
Antonio Machado

Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt - marvelous error! -
that I had a beehive here
inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.

Ever since I was introduced to the Myers-Briggs Personality Indicator (I got my certification about 6 years ago), I've been intrigued by the idea of grouping people into different "types." So when I came across the concept of body types (doshas), based on the Indian Ayurvedic system of health, I was intrigued. Although I don't have much knowledge about Ayurvedic medicine, I do think it is interesting to consider that different body types may have susceptibilities to different diseases, may react to stress in different ways, and can benefit from specific diets and health practices.

When looking looking into the dietary restrictions for the vatta dosha, for instance, I noticed that it involved eliminating some of the same foods that are suggested in studies I've read on Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Based on connections with anxiety in both the vatta constitution and contracting IBS, this diet seems to make some sense.

As with many ancient types of medicine, Ayurveda could probably benefit from the cutting edge of modern scientific research. I wish more time and energy was given to understanding alternative medicines, which focus more on preventing poor health, than in developng new drugs to cure poor health.  And I find the idea that we may have different energy levels and mindbody interactions compelling. It makes sense of why what may be extremely helpful in one situation, could be perhaps even harmful in another.

Anyway, as my indigestion has been off for the past several months, I'm experimenting whether changing my diet based on my dosha will be helpful. If nothing else, it's encouraging me to slow down, notice what I eat and how I feel when I eat it. If you're interested in some exploring yourself, I started at this link at the Dr. Oz website. I also found this blog post by Dr. Lissa Rankin at her website called OwningPink. If you have any interesting info or stories, pass them along!

One of God's great paradoxes - life from death - was a theme that ran through the scripture stories from yesterday's liturgical readings.The Old Testament story took up the renaming of Abraham. God comes to Abram with the good news that he will be the father of many nations, that Sarai (to be known as Sarah) will become the mother of kings of nations. Even though this news arrives in the autumn of child-bearing years, Abraham believes God. The Epistle reading (Romans 4) tells us that
 
He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.

For this powerful faith, God grants him the gift of righteousness,

The Gospel reading presents the same conundrum. In Matthew 8,  Jesus announces that "the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests,  and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again." Peter's strong denial "May it never be, Lord!" gets him a blistering rebuke. "Get behind me, Satan," Jesus says. Unlike Peter, Jesus knows that his death will be the means of the restoration of the cosmos, bringing new life to all of God's creation. This is God's way, and so he continues his conversation by issuing this challenge to his disciples:

If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save  it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?

You must be willing to give everything to me, Jesus tells those who call him "master," and then I will release it back to you - a miracle child, new life into dry bones, healing and forgiveness, and ultimately a resurrection body that will live and love in the restored heaven and earth.

Choosing our own death, even with the promise of new life, is rarely easy. We are made to seek life; our bodies panic if we cannot breathe, we lash out at those who threaten our safety or security. But God calls us to the counterintuitive choice of death as the means for true life.

No one expresses this struggle better than John Donne in his poem Batter My Heart. The  imagery shocks us with graphic couplings - overthrow me so that I may rise and stand, imprison me so I may be free, ravish (rape) me or I will not be chaste (pure). Donne grapples with the reality of taking up a cross. His self is like an imprisoned city, belonging to another, but strongly barricaded against the true owner. The resistance is captained by his viceroy, Reason, who adamantly refuses any action that smells of surrender. He has either been taken captive or brain-washed, and so can offer no help in the effort to let the real king into the gates.
 
Like the apostle Paul, who cannot do what he wishes, (Romans 7) Donne is incapable of opening himself up to the love of God on his own. And so he calls for assistance. It is my desire to submit to your love, he says, but you will need to come with your power to make it happen, you will need to batter down the gates yourself. The plea is as strong as the bondage Donne recognizes; the language meant to shock. But Donne is battling for his life, freed from all that keeps him bound. And he grounds his petition in the knowledge that he entreats the true Lover of his soul, who alone has power to free from bondage and make him stand anew.

Batter my Heart
John Donne

Batter my heart, three-person'd God, for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurp'd town to'another due,
Labor to'admit you, but oh, to no end;
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly'I love you, and would be lov'd fain,
But am betroth'd unto your enemy;
Divorce me,'untie or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you'enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

Perhaps it was the Cirque de Soleil at the Oscars, or that Dan is reading Night Circus, a new novel by Erin Morgenstern. Maybe it's that I'm still in the mood for fun! Anyway, I've spent some time today searching for art that depicts the circus and came upon these iconic paintings by Seurat, Toulouse-Lautrec and Chagall. All three were post-Impressionists and their use of color and style depict the whimsy, magic and mystique of the center ring.

Seurat was born in France in 1859. Perhaps best known for his painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte, Seurat was the father of pointillism, a technique which used thousands upon thousands of small dots of paint to achieve the effect he desired.

Chagall was a prodigious artist, who worked in many media outside of painting, including stained glass, tapestries and sculpture. Born in Russia in 1887, into a Jewish family, his larger works also include many religious themes. His paintings are well known for his explosive use of color. 

Another Frenchman, Toulouse-Lautrec was not only a painter, but also created prints and posters. A friend of Van Gogh, he spent much of his time in Montmartre, the district that was home to many artists of the time.

For additional fun, here's a video of Alexander Calder, well-known for his playful mobiles and sculpture. In this video, he shows off his fantastical circus creations. Isn't it great to see how much fun he's having???

This is the second in a Lenten series on hope. 

Why pay attention to hope? I've been wondering this for several months, ever since I had an invitation to speak at a Christmas event on the topic of hope and anticipation. Hope really hadn't been on my radar, so to speak, for a long time. Perhaps it was because I had been working very hard during the past several years on being present. As a Myers-Briggs ENTP, I'm easily captivated by possibilities - naturally drawn to hope. But this future-bent way of looking at things kept me from ever enjoying the today that was yesterday's tomorrow. And so began a long season of letting the future fade and training my focus on the here and now.

Hope is different from its cousin, faith. The writer of Hebrews says that "faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (9:1) Faith turns something that is not seen into bedrock reality. It grounds us. As a Christian, I have faith in a God of love. This loving God, who exists as strongly in my mind as the chair I'm sitting on, is also, by faith, a God of infinite power and wisdom. By faith, I believe that this God is constantly providing everything that I will need to live a life that is good and meaningful, full of joy and connection through the Spirit of love.

Faith is a given. I can take it to the bank. But hope is a future word. Hope brings me into the area of things which are not yet, things which are good, but are still to be decided. Hope involves me as well as God. Despair, or the absence of hope, drains me of energy. It chills my soul, and paralyzes my ability to imagine anything good might happen. It leads to death. Hope, on the other hand, opens me up to possibilities. If I believe that God is truly good and that boundless power is linked to that goodness, then I am energized to move forward, emboldened to grasp onto life.

Earlier in Hebrews, the writer encourages his readers to not be discouraged in their efforts to follow God. Instead, he urges them to think of hope as an "anchor for their soul." My husband, Dan, has often illustrated this verse by an experience that he had while living in the Bahamas. While out on ocean one day, the motor on their boat stopped, causing initial alarm. But he remembered a strategy that he'd heard about, and began casting his anchor in the direction where he wanted to head, and then winching the boat over to the anchor. Then he'd toss again. It took a long time and plenty of muscle power, but in the end, he realized his hope of making it to shore.

We are currently in a situation that requires hope. There is a temptation to give in to fear, which can lead to flailing about or a sense of impending doom. But we don't have to give in to temptation. Now is the time for both faith and hope. Faith grounds us by assuring us that God is loving and powerful, that the future is secure. Hope grabs onto that faith and energizes us to throw out the anchor toward what is yet to come.  

Photo credit: Leo Reynolds on Flickr