Second Sightings -Baltimore

as with authority

2012-01-26T14:33:00.001-05:00

If, after having made a list
of things to change your life
for the better,

you were to ask
Jesus to come in
to have a look,
what would be changed?

Considering the comfortable boundaries
of life; the knots of our own making,
the familiar limits we traverse
 and imagine the openness
that Christ brings
we begin again, like children, 
to learn from the things
that might be changed
 because they are in God's heart,
and are disclosed
to us
with stunning authority;

but only when we listen. 

They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, .... and at once the report of his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
Mark 1:28

to follow

2012-01-19T09:31:00.000-05:00

The choice is totally up to you,
but you need to know this before you make a decision;
in following Him - and in your life with others,
he will never leave you;
you will never be alone.

Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. Mark 1:14-20

A Baptized Moment

2012-01-12T11:56:00.002-05:00

Blessed to live
in the moment
with the font
as a starting point
day by day.

Once and for all,
still alive and active-
Baptism is not drops of water long dried up
but Spirit lubricating every moment.

Realizing that you are
in the right place
at the right time,
for the right reason
(whether or not you chose to be there),

this is
how baptism
breaks
into life.

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:9-11

the gift you have to give

2012-01-04T12:11:00.002-05:00

what is the greatest gift you have been given

to help make God’s love real in the life you see around you?

what is the gift you have to give?
what gold of the kindness of humanity-
or frankincense of simple love,
what myrrh of forgiving redemption
do you have as a gift to the Lord.

it’s a long way up to God…
it’s a long way down to the manger…

yet, right now
is time to give my best to God’s holy child who lives among us now….

‘In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? …. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage.’ Matthew 2:1,9

A Blessing for the New Year

2011-12-29T09:02:00.002-05:00

A Blessing for the New Year

May you be ever aware of the light that shines in the darkness;
that the darkness can never put out.

May your eyes be opened to the wonder of the daily miracle
of life around you, and may your sense of mystery be deepened.

May you be willing enough to let go of the past,
to lay down failures, guilt and shame,
to lift up your eyes and look to the future
for only in letting go can you be freed
to grasp new opportunities.

May you be blessed with companions on the journey
who listen to you and encourage you with their presence.

May you learn to live with what is unsolved in your heart,
daring to face the questions and holding them
until, one day, they find their answers.

May love flow in and through you to those who need your care.

May the grace of God’s presence strengthen your resolve,
clarify your will and equip you
to live with courage, faith and hope made real
until the year’s end- and far, far beyond.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

the Birth of Christ

2011-12-22T13:06:00.002-05:00

Do not wait for God to come to you and for “I exist” to tell you.

 A God who needs to manifest His strength is too strong for anyone’s good.

 You must know, that the Word, (even God) is blowing inside you, from the very beginning,

 and even if your heart is not set on fire and nothing happens, within you He is still creating.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. John 1:1-4

Mary Envy?

2011-12-15T11:33:00.001-05:00

She doesn’t say, “I’m not worthy,”

but rather, “Let it be done.”

She lets God do all the giving;

her job is in the receiving.

Why does she win the lottery;

how does she so easily open her heart to God?

Is she, like Tim Tebow, too good to be true,
too earnest, too humble, too selfless to be believed?
.

God does not love her, or you, because you are good;

God loves you because God is good,

We are all are more than worthy in God’s sight;
we can all let God’s will be done, through us.

The angel Gabriel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. Luke 1:35, 38

Shadows to Light

2011-12-07T16:32:00.002-05:00

With my back to the sun and

this year coming swiftly to a quiet end,

my shadow lengthens

across my living.

What was left undone will stay so,

what was done poorly will be left uncorrected,

missteps, failures, regrets will remain.

Yet, now turning toward the source of Light

as this waiting season beckons so to do,

the arrival of the Holy Child guides me,

burning away the darkness in life with the brilliance

of a radiant forgiveness.

May the true Light of kindness and care,

hope and goodness penetrate and prevail

in me, to brighten the way for another.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. John 1:6-9

the beginning of the beginning

2011-11-30T14:58:00.001-05:00

The beginning takes place even before we begin;

the first step is always the most challenging.

The willingness to act precedes

the first step on any journey,

and the thought that leads to movement is key...

What was God’s first thought

that led to our redemption --

the gift of a child, arriving to save us?

Why did God choose to empty God’s self

of power -- to become a babe;

of might -- to become weak & helpless;

of distance -- to bridge the chasm from heaven to earth

to dwell in the arms of those who could share love?

Maybe God’s first thought

is love for another.

For us, it is always the right place to begin.

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1:4,7-8

an early Advent prayer poem

2011-11-21T15:42:00.001-05:00

In
this Season
approaching hope renewed,
may we steady our minds and steel our resistance to
the coming commercial tempest whose undertow erodes the Spirit.

Not that we might reject all
things good and tasty, delightful and fun,
but becuase our awareness is too easily distracted
by what draws our shallow focus
away from you and toward ourselves.

Lead us, Lord
to a simple and greater faith in doing what is right;
trusting our better instincts to do more for others,
and in so doing, to remain
more aware of your approaching presence, day by day.

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. Keep awake.” Mark 13

a goat in sheep's clothing

2011-11-16T12:54:00.000-05:00

A Goat in Sheep’s Clothing

Sheep on one side,
goats on the other,
separated by
the captain of our souls.

Good news for the suffering sheep,
salvation’s eternity awaits.

It’s tally time for justice; every sin
has it’s price, every deed will be scanned
and those left undone
will count for nothing.

While cheering for justice, I realize that
I’m as much a goat as I can be.

But Jesus died for the goats, too --
He came to save sinners.

We are goats in sheep’s clothing,
one hundred percent pure Lamb’s wool.

'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25: 46

Well Done!

2011-11-10T11:28:00.002-05:00

Well done, good and faithful disciple!

You who’ve risked what you’ve had for the good, above what is merely expected;

beyond what just has been required.

You, willing enough to lay down your life for a friend; ready to sacrifice all;

for your dedication, service and steadfast resolve, receive life-giving blessings from

the One who made and loves us all.

You who have cared for the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, the needy, the least of

these; far more good has come from you than was ever given.

You who’ve risked what you’ve had to achieve even more for the sake of God’s

reign in our midst, may the joy of the Lord bless you now, and always!

“Well done, good and faithful servant!” Matthew 25:23

a lamp in this world

2011-11-02T12:38:00.001-04:00

There is a love like a small lamp, fed by oil, which goes out when the oil is ended;

or like a rain-fed stream which goes dry when the rain no longer feeds it.

But there is a love, like a stream bubbling up from the earth, never to be exhausted.

Not to be consumed,
But to nourish another day.

Not to burn out,
But to brighten another life.

Not to overwhelm,
But to illumine the next step ahead.

The kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. Matthew 25:1-4

as I say

2011-10-27T11:11:00.001-04:00

It’s not

about the clothes we wear;

(so casual, expensive doesn’t need to be mentioned.)

Nor about the cars we drive.

We could willingly

sacrifice

so much more.

It is rather the gap

between what we say

is right and what we do

to make it so that separates us

one from another,

and another, and another....

and the best of ourselves, too.

‘Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; they do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. Therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.” Matthew 23:1-2

The Greatest Thing, Ever

2011-10-20T11:30:00.001-04:00

It’s the most important thing I have to do;
it’s the thing I’ve been holding back on doing for longer than I care to admit.

It’s a visit to the nursing home.

It’s digging into my checkbook for what is really due God.

It’s making room in my day for a friend in need.

It’s to see You, God, in others, so to make a real difference in their lives.

It’s clearing myself out of the way enough to make room for God to take over,
even for a moment.

It’s a tug of God’s call on my heart.

It’s the most important thing I have to do;
it’s the thing I’ve been holding back on doing for longer than I care to admit.

‘One of them, a lawyer, asked Jesus a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:34-36

Occupy My Heart

2011-10-12T13:44:00.002-04:00

Cast out the random, petty jealousies, temptations and stifling greed;

wipe out the self-centered virus that infects all I do.

Enter, Generous Spirit, to displace what keeps me from

being who you made me to be and what you made me to do.

Occupy the streets, alleys and passageways of my heart

with your vision, compassion and love.

“Give back therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Matthew 22:21

just say yes

2011-10-06T11:20:00.001-04:00

Is it too glib to say that everyone

will put on the heavenly robes,

or too cynical to say

that there are some who certainly will not?

All are invited, ready or not.

If home is a place that when you go there
they have to take you in, then
the Church is a place
that when you are needing more,
you are always welcomed;

not because you are perfect
but because you are a child of God.

“Jesus spoke to them again in parables: ‘The kingdom of Heaven is like this. There was a king who arranged a banquet for his son’s wedding; but when he sent his servants to summon the guests he had invited, they refused to come.
... For many are invited, but few are chosen.’ (Matthew 22:1-2,14)

Congregation funds $5 million renovation in effort to lift voices higher

2011-10-01T14:18:00.000-04:00

Congregation funds $5 million renovation in effort to lift voices higher

may this celebration

2011-09-29T15:11:00.001-04:00

‘The stone that the builder rejected has become the cornerstone.’
Psalm 118:22

May this church recognize
the gifts so generously bestowed
and celebrate the relentless dedication
of those who build this place up
with their time, resources, caring, joy and practical love.

May we find, as we celebrate
what has already been accomplished
(and inevitably notice things that were overlooked,
let go, or set aside for another day),
the same weaknesses that we so carefully mask in ourselves,
and see in both places
new venues of compassion, inspiration and growth.

May this church be a place where
we can bear to celebrate our weaknesses,
knowing that God will use even us
to welcome even yet more others home.

What is asked....

2011-09-22T12:26:00.001-04:00

What does it take to
believe, to trust, that is all.
Saying Yes to what is asked, by God,
is different from
insistently believing that the yes we say to ourselves
counts just the same.
God’s one and only will
for us all
is to trust, believe, anytime, anyplace.

“I will distrust myself; I will trust you.” (Augustine)

“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went.” Matthew 21:28-29

Hired on Early

2011-09-15T19:20:00.002-04:00

Who is more deserving than me?

At the head of the line all the time; first always, (well, almost)

but never last;

making the best of the best I can.

Then why does the Lord choose the straggler first?

The dawdler, last on board, now gets the best seat in the house.

What could possibly be seen in them

more than in me?

Could it be humility?

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” Matthew 20:1-16

9-11 ONE

2011-09-07T13:24:00.000-04:00

September 11 One

As the soot and dirt and ash rained down,
- as days turned to weeks, and weeks to years- 
We became one color, - and then returned to our native hue - 
As we carried each other down the stairs of the burning building 
We became one class- and then were sorted out by incomes and language-
 As we lit candles of waiting and hope 
We became one generation- only to age out of serious commitment -
 As the firefighters and police officers fought their way into the inferno 
We became one gender - and lost our common courage in the midst of greedy self-interest. 
As we fell to our knees in prayer for strength, 
We became one faith - only to allow hatred to overrule mercy
 As we whispered or shouted words of encouragement, 
We spoke one language - only to be drowned out by cries for vengeance. 
As we gave our blood in lines a mile long, 
We became one body, soon to be divided again, distracted by our shopping. 
As we mourned together the great loss 
We became one family, all too quickly forgetting the ties that bound us. 
As we cried tears of grief and loss 
We became one soul, and now we begin to remember, once again. 
As we retell with pride of the sacrifice of heros 
We become one people, striving to regain the inspiration so powerful.
We are still
 One color 
One class 
One generation 
One gender 
One faith 
One language
 One body 
One family 
One soul 
One people--- Do we remember?
We are The Power of One. 
(original words by Dr. Cheryl Sawyer)

‘I am no longer in the world; they are still in the world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you have given me, that they may be one, as we are one. “ John 17:11

some Summertime lessons '11

2011-09-01T14:07:00.000-04:00

some Summertime lessons ’11

Don’t worry - it’s not you getting lightheaded - it’s an earthquake.

Don’t call Irene - she’ll call you - loud & clear ( & wet, too!)

Sand still feels great between my toes.

Corn on the cob is a gift of God.

Bee stings don’t hurt as much now as they used to.

Fireflies live longer into the summer than I had thought.

If you can take the heat of July - it’s worth it for the cool of late August.

If you have good friends enough that you can count on one hand, you
are a very lucky person, indeed. (...but I knew that one all along...)

Go to the ant, you lazybones; consider its ways, and be wise.
Without having any chief or officer or ruler,
it prepares its food in summer, and gathers its sustenance in harvest. Proverbs 6:6

Powerless?

2011-08-29T14:25:00.001-04:00

Powerless?

Irene- in Greek- ‘peace’,
surprisingly sowing silence;
a Sabbath for my soul to catch up, and for a moment, to lead….
a pause of peace, wrought by nature’s power: cloud, wind & rain
whipsawing through the night.
Leaving a lawn strewn with branches,
a basement with an overflowing sump-pump,
(needing bailing out every 15 minutes!),
and some time, in between
to do nothing else but catch up
with myself.
Peace, relative enough for me.

the fulcrum of our soul

2011-08-25T13:13:00.001-04:00

Our earth shakes underfoot and we are somewhat rattled

yet life regains normalcy nearly in the blink of an eye-

the same old same old, now with something to talk about.

In far off Libya the movement is a different sort, foundations

of life rearranged by priorities instilled by our Creator.

With oppression unhinged, liberty and freedom shake

the bedrock of their land (another people claiming the birthright of all.)

What shaking would it take to change us, for us to reset

our lives for another? What movement would it take for us to notice?

When we’re given the grace to notice, the Lord tugs us toward love.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Psalm 46:1,2,6,7

a prayer poem for our souls

2011-08-18T11:09:00.002-04:00

They say that

you can’t achieve happiness

by simply striving for it;

(happiness is found in doing the work

of your soul.)

To ‘live into the questions’

is a good beginning;

to ask well

is virtually to answer.

Beyond the shadows

of our lives, lies a passion

for what our souls already know

is right.

Blessed are those who trust in the LORD,
whose trust is the LORD. Jeremiah 17:7

A mid August poem prayer

2011-08-11T19:13:00.001-04:00

With the future still so far ahead,

and ‘there’ so seldom, if ever, better than ‘here,’

each step by step by step has never been so full of life.

Each moment, a blessing to receive,

each day a holy recognition of all that I’ve been given,

the hidden promise I can share,

the hope awaiting to be revealed in each awakening.

and the heartfelt satisfaction that comes in connecting the goodness of God

with each moment at hand, sufficient for now, opening to the future

from yesterday to tomorrow, one savory second at a time.

This is the day that the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Like

My Summer Garden

2011-08-04T11:17:00.001-04:00

Overripe tomatoes, now bursting their seams,

mishaped cucumbers, looking more like

big gumdrops than pickles they are to be;

yellow squash, coming along just fine, thank you;

plenteous pole beans, always better raw than cooked.

While tilling the soil and tending the plants, I never know

who grows more in the tending, me or they.

Does some chemical cellular attraction take place between us?

What is the tending that is going on here, anyway-

these plants blessing my soul,

or my dirt covered hands, pulling out their pesky weeds underneath?

"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.”
Luke 12:27

What I've been dragging around, for a long, long time...

2011-07-29T07:57:00.001-04:00

The poet and author Robert Bly writes about ‘the long bag we drag behind us’ (in A Little Book on the Human Shadow, HarperOne, 1988) and I get what he’s talking about. I mean, I really get it.
When we were one or two years old, as he says, we had a ‘360 personality,’ Energy radiated from us like the sun, from our bodies and psyches. We were a ball of energy; full of positive, unrelenting life. But one day, he says, we noticed that our parents didn’t like certain parts of that ball. They said, ‘can’t you be still?’, or ‘it isn’t nice to try to kill your brother.” I get that, too.
Then he says, “behind us we have an invisible bag, and the part of us our parents don’t like, we, to keep our parents’ love, put it in the bag. By the time we go to school the bag is quite large.” This makes plenty of sense to me, no doubt about it. But for me, with one parent missing to tell me what should have been put in the bag, I’ve always been kept guessing. From my youngest days of awareness, with my Dad dead, how was I to be guided? Should my anger be stuffed in the bag? Sadness, too? What mistakes, however small they were, should be put in, filed and cataloged according to severity?
As Bly says, our bags grow and grow, through elementary school and into high school, out of what we’ve done and haven’t done. And what we put into those bags we drag around, knowingly or unknowingly, aware or unconscious of it all. Sooner or later, we feel the weight of it all, and either we take charge of it, or it takes charge of us.
The bag is huge and bottomless; always ready to receive whatever seems right to fill the void.
(To be continued...)

Replenished

2011-07-27T11:18:00.000-04:00

Replenished

It’s not just the rain and the clear, bright sun;
the sultry, soothing rays of heat penetrate deep on the back
of my neck; contributing to a farmers’ tan if there ever was one.

Yet more than all the fruits of nature, unstoppable for this season but fated to stall, brown and retreat again come winter (though it does seem to be a whole ‘nother year away, doesn’t it?)
Moving into another season of a lifetime, shifting south, from the head to the heart, deeper into the roots, the core and the soul.
There is always a source from which to draw purpose, with my name carved deep in rings of life that grow, season by season.

 ”I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,  I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14

a 'localized' geography of God

2011-07-21T16:02:00.002-04:00

A Geography of God

A creek bed is a creek bed is a creek bed,
only when it’s not.
Dry and rocky, it is a path now well worn
with markings of deer tracks and droppings;
an easy pathway for wanderers,
clear of the underbrush
now more easily traversed by
wanderers.

Until the rains of life
come down upon, into and through it
now suddenly, surprisingly
awash in the flow of life.

Bidden or unbidden, God arrives,
sweeping, cleansing, renewing.

like you

2011-07-08T07:56:00.001-04:00

Lord Jesus,

as we look at you, we see how to live;

not as we are,

but as we were made.

Open and generous,

being simply human each day,

for another in need

of love, food, hospitality, healing, peace,

as we are led and given the way, through You.

“Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

Colossians 1:15

Way to Go

2011-06-16T10:26:00.001-04:00

God of unceasing change,
from rushing waterfall
to whirling galaxies;

there is a saving word shared
throughout time and space:
that persons need not stay the way they are.

The word is the same for us all:
we are always unfinished.

You are not through with us yet.

In the painful and pleasant changes of life
we meet You
and the Christ.

We call HIm the Way
and mean only the destination.

Christ is also and especially the journey,
the process, the getting there,
the Good News to all
that the journey is our home.

“Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” Genesis 12:1-2

Whose Spirit fills us?

2011-06-09T12:30:00.001-04:00

My breath is God’s gift.
All I need to do is breathe...
“Do your part,” says the Lord God,
“and my goodness will follow you all the days of your life.”

This is the Spirit we know in our bones:
the same wind from Creation, now calming lives filled with chaos;
the same voices driven to Babel, now made clear and plain.
the same love uniting ancient kindred blood, now encircling all
with the same love from whom all have come.

Come, Holy Spirit, breathe in us.

Ascended!

2011-06-02T07:45:00.001-04:00

Ascended !

“While he was blessing them
he was lifted up.” (Luke 24:51)

Arms outstretched, still and always giving,

Christ is left behind

in the wounds,
in the sorrows,
in the tears,
in the joy,
in the wrinkled hands,
in the dancing,
in the waiting,
in the praying...

Gone but present in
body, bone, flesh and blood,
that is - OURS,

given for us to make real
what Christ was sent to announce:
love embodied
from in-side out.

Another - Alongside

2011-05-26T12:27:00.001-04:00

We have a partner
given by God;
we are not alone.

In joys and sorrows equally
we receive as guest
the One who arrives, unbidden.

Goodbye is not
in your vocabulary, God;
so we receive your invitation
to join in your dance.

Your music plays just beyond
our earthly ears;
as we listen to our hearts,
our souls are drawn to follow along
in your glad and sacred footsteps.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. “
John 14:16

The Way for us

2011-05-18T13:26:00.001-04:00

We are the Lord’s.
God is not our possession.
We are God’s
(now and always.)

We dwell in God’s home
on earth.
It is not ours
(even for a minute.)

We do not build our home
awaiting in heaven.
It is God’s.
` (an RSVP has been made
on our behalf, by Jesus.)

“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” John 14:5

A Psalm for my Shepherd

2011-05-12T15:03:00.000-04:00

When I have fallen,
tumbling down the rocky hills
of doubt and despair,
You have been there,
crook in hand,
pulling me up to safety.

When I have strayed,
swaying toward danger,
with Your staff
You have kept me safe,
warding off unneeded pain.

When I have not escaped
and harm has befallen,
come what may,
I have found myself in
Your arms,
comforted,
secure,
home.

“I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.”
John 10:9

No Idle Stroll

2011-05-06T08:05:00.001-04:00

toward Emmaus (where a Roman garrison was located),

away from Jerusalem (the capital of faith)

they walked, aimlessly

settling for a dead Jesus, a Lord now absent from the scene.

Until, after meeting a stranger, and some conversation

at a meal, he broke open the limits of the bread he shared,

his appearance bursting upon them.

They knew now that in following him they would become

better following him than they could ever be on their own.

 “Were not our hearts on fire as he talked with us and explained the scriptures to us?” Luke 24: 32

Some post-resurrection musings....

2011-04-28T21:36:00.000-04:00

gleaned from some of the writings of Cynthia Bourgenault....

Throughout the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, there is an interesting phenomenon at work which conforms to a valid spiritual principle.
It might seem logical that the more 'spiritually advanced' a person is, the more easily they would meet Jesus in a fully enfleshed resurrection appearance- 'like matching like' so to speak.

But in fact things seem to work the opposite way. Jesus is present in physical density only insofar as is necessary to match the density of doubt that is blocking the view.

Mary Magdalene needs only to seem him to be reassured, and so Jesus appears to her as a vision.

Thomas' doubt is deeply visceral, so he receives a visceral resurrection appearance. And some who are particularly advanced on the path, such as John, the beloved disciple, never seem to require a private visitation at all; they already grasp the whole picture in their inner insight.

---- Question-- Where might you be, in terms of your need of encountering the risen Lord Jesus?

7 Days Later

2011-04-28T20:01:00.001-04:00

All doors are locked tight,
secure against intruders.
No one will barge into this gathering.
Even so, Christ enters in.

On seeing still bloody scabby side, hands and feet,
and feeling the fresh, warm breath upon them,
ten sets of eyes are wide open;
ten beating hearts renewed.

One doubter remains.
With one poke, belief takes hold
and latches on firmly.

Doubt melts into devotion,
fear into fainting, nearly,
and disbelief steps out the door.

God does not take away, but always gives anew.

But Thomas said “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
John 20:25

A Holy Week Prayer

2011-04-20T10:57:00.001-04:00

First, there was a Friday night of black rain,
as if God had forgotten
his promise to Noah.

Next, there was a century of a Saturday,
a day that never saw a smile.

Finally, near the end of the longest night,
in front of a stone the size of twelve men,
around a fire that gave off cold,
three armed men stood watch.

Now the Sun, which the Preacher says,
always rises, broke the night,
but no rooster crowed.

Instead, the stone rolled like a mountain on the way to the sea
and on the fresh wind of morning came the Son of Man,
his shroud sheer and silken, neatly folded,
his feet between earth and heaven in dance.

Morning was filled with the presence
of the dancing man of the shattered tomb.
The story says he dances still.

That is why, to this day, we lean over the beds of our babies,
and in the seconds before sleep, we whisper this story of undying love,
so the dream of Jesus will carry them to dawn.

“Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me, bless thy little lamb tonight;
through the darkness be thou near me, keep me safe till morning light.”

“Palmed Off?”

2011-04-15T08:12:00.001-04:00

Entering the city of Jerusalem or entering our lives,
Jesus arrives with a wide welcome,

a warm handshake, a big hug, an open door.

Palm branches are waved, schedules altered to make room
for ways to serve this new friend who asks us
to learn new ways, to care for others, to journey
step by step, whatever it takes.

But
palms dry out, brittle with wear and tear
or disuse, calendars resume their hectic pace crowdingoutroomto
recognize Christ’s presence in me, in you, and others in need.

Holy God - let me, at least for this one season, not palm Jesus off
for the sake of what seems to thrll me now.

Amen.

The Risen Lazarus ( after a poem of R. M. Rilke)

2011-04-07T10:42:00.001-04:00

For some, it was the only way they’d believe; blaring signs

were necessary.

But, he had hoped that for these Marys and Marthas, just knowing that he could do it would suffice.
Instead they moaned “Why are you late, Lord?”
So he began to undo the course of nature.
Disturbed, angry, with eyes nearly shut, he asked about the tomb. Pained, his tears welled up.
Inquiringly they followed along.
En route, he was daunted by what he had to do; a sudden flame flared up inside, strong, sharp.
Every sinew was strained when he shouted “Move this Stone!”
A voice mentioned the body’s stench (since this was day four.)
But he stood, steeled with growing resolve, lifting his hand, and, stopping in midair his hand became a magnet.
(Now he worried that all the dead, thus sucked up, might be coming back; reemerging larva-like from their beds.)
But only one stood crooked in the day’s light.
This one, Lazarus, was given another stay.

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25

Blind No More

2011-03-31T15:47:00.001-04:00

In sync with the season?

May your eyes open with the blooms of Spring,

slowly

realizing

that your life is no longer just about you;

that One who loves you more than life itself

pursues you

with a healing, relentless passion-

that you may open up to embrace what lays

beyond your present willingness to see.

As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth and said, “in order that God’s works might be revealed in him, we must work the works of the One who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the salivaand spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent).
Then the man went and washed and came back able to see. John 9:1-4

2011-03-25T07:32:00.001-04:00

What happens by the well doesn’t stay by the well.

A watering-hole encounter;
two strangers meet; friends unknown.
Guided by the unseen, they exchange needs-
not just the thirsty seeking refreshment -
but the water seeking the thirsty.

There is a certain way God has
to find how to fulfill a need,
even when you’re not looking.

“Jesus came to a Samaritan city, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” John 4:5-7

2011-03-18T07:28:00.001-04:00

Limitless God,
for every borrowed atom of our bodies
and every unearned ounce of your mercy
our thanks rise to You.

how often we have looked to You as a means to our ends when
we were frightened, or lonely, or desperate.

forgive us our consistent atheism
of living on the surface,
skimming along
overlooking
or just getting by.

Breathe on that glow
that it may not die
but burn more brightly
clearly
often
always.

“The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

* what will bloom in you this spring?

2011-03-11T07:25:00.001-05:00

Still some weeks away-
but approaching nearer by the hour,
what will bloom in you this Spring,
and what will nurture it’s budding?

What sprouts of kindness in an early morning stroll over
a carpet of clover; what goodness emerging underfoot
will God provide for you to uncover –

and, in your walking, reveal
a renewed passion for living
just as God made you,
as beloved a child as there is in all the world.

Give thanks with your life to the One who made you.

‘Jesus said to Satan, “Away with you! For it is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ Matthew 4:10

trans- fig u r e d

2011-03-03T21:10:00.001-05:00

Not by the skill of scaling high mountains,

not by the cut of his oh-so retro sandals,

Jesus strode up the steady slope

to confirm what he already knew,

to reveal what his disciples should well have known,

and to unveil to us what is always true everywhere and for everybody,

in Egypt, Libya, Arizona — wherever we abide; that
by refusing to doubt his identity as a child of God: accepting God’s love in stride
is but a first (and necessary) step
in growing into the image of the One who made us all in love.

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.
Matthew 17:1-2

I saw my first crocus on Cold Spring Lane

2011-02-25T07:12:00.001-05:00

Emergent from the snow, slowly yet suddenly, gently, silently.

Out of this near frozen earth, through the thinnest of thaws

no purple shows yet (that’s for next week).

Who planted this, and when?

A lone stem, risen from the earth.

Sustained by the unseen wonder of life.

A sign of what is yet to come,

relying on God’s perfectly

unpredictable timing.

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?”
Matthew 6:28-30

The Other Cheek ( not a bad sermon today, at all.)

2011-02-20T17:52:00.001-05:00

February 20, 2011 The Other Cheek Matthew 5:38-48

A severely unnoticed and vastly underappreciated aspect of Jesus’ ministry and presence among us is his knack for creativity -- particularly in unexpected times and places.
Jesus’ lessons aren’t once and done treatments, nor are they one-size fits all. As they say, a life of faith is ‘not taught -- but caught,’ and following Jesus encompasses a whole way of life.
A story from the French author Antoine de Saint-Exupery, in reflections of his own experiences in the deserts of North Africa, captures the essence of how it is one’s eyes can be opened to to see God’s work in and around us in unexpected and very creative ways.
The story goes back to the 1920s when French pilots, proud of their new ‘flying machines ’ spent free time trying to impress the locals, mostly Bedouins, natives of the arid desert lands - where the French flyers were stationed as occupying forces. The French flyers regaled in their adventures in trying to ‘tame the Moors’, taking them up in their planes, sharing the technological achievements of their ‘superior’ French culture. But the Africans remained stubbornly contemptuous of European displays of power, even when three of the Bedouins were taken to Paris and shown the pride of France, the Eiffel Tower, and other technological wonders: huge, powerful locomotives and puffing steamships on the Seine.
The marvels of technology did nothing to impress the Arabs. They broke out in tears, though, at their first sight of trees; normal, everyday, tall green trees. These Arab Bedouins had never seen a forest, a river, a rose.
The only natural world they had ever known was very stingy with its gifts of flora and fauna.
Years of life in the barrenness of the desert had trained them to expect only the merest signs of green and growth around them.
Back home, where water was precious, they might walk for days on end in search for a tiny spring, maybe two or three palm trees. So when they stood in a high Alpine meadow beside an enormous waterfall in the French Alps, its water roaring out of the mountain in a huge column of flowing braids of water and foam, they had no way of comprehending such abundance.
As Saint-Exupery writes: They stood in silence. Mute, solemn... gazing at the unfolding of a ceremonial mystery. That which came roaring out of the belly of the mountain was life itself, the life-blood of humanity. The flow of a single second would have resuscitated whole caravans that, mad with thirst, had pressed on into the eternity of salt lakes and mirages. Here God was manifesting himself: it would not do to turn one’s back on Him.1
They refused to leave, adamantly declaring to their French guide that the honor required their waiting..., waiting for the end. Knowing the water could not last much longer, they awaited the moment “when God would grow weary of His madness” - as they put it; when this wild extravagance would suddenly and finally exhaust itself. They stood their ground resolutely. “But, you see,” the guide said - realizing how absurdly unintelligible his words must seem to such men, “this water has been running here for a thousand years!”
Having known the barren depths of desert thirst, these men could scarcely fathom a surging torrent of water, rushing forever from the rock. Nothing had prepared them for it; they had no way of taking it in.
*
Perhaps, when you take some time to consider this story - this is where we all stand in relation to the teachings of Jesus.
He is a well deeper than our ability to fully fathom, an unrelenting font of teachings, blessings and forgiveness that never, ever stops.
So with this desert story as a backdrop - I invite you to open your hearts and your ears to the flood of our Lord’s words from Matthew’s Gospel, in a portion of the Sermon on the Mount.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.
Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:38-48)

This is the word of the Lord

One of my favorite writers, who I touch base with often, (a Catholic story-teller & scholar, John Shea) has titled his commentary selection about this passage ‘cultivating cleverness.’ I think he’s got it right. As so often happens, Jesus takes such a profound step with his words that we have to spend our whole lives trying to catch up with it’s meaning.
To begin with; the principle of an ‘eye for eye’ was in it’s time revolutionary. This code (the law of retribution - lex talionis - was a major step in controlling escalating violence.
Previously, the law of Lamech (one of Adam’s early descendents), prevailed; “I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me” (Gen.4:23). “Might makes right” was the order of the day. A slap brought down upon itself the full revenge one could bear. But under the rule of an ‘eye for an eye’ -- retribution was carefully monitored and measured.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus famously takes this established principle of justice and fairness, stands it on it’s head, dances around it a bit, and dismantles it, piece by piece.
“Do not resist an evildoer” says Jesus. OK - then what do we do? Contrary to some interpreters, Jesus doesn’t advocate our being doormats to violent criminals or to quietly acquiesce in humiliation and pain. Rather it’s all about not returning evil for evil, which is easier said than done. Drawing from the well of Jesus’ wisdom is not easy, nor is it passive. Following Jesus’ advice requires courage, imagination - and cleverness. Offering the other cheek means many things. Understanding just what it meant in Jesus’ time and place is a good place to start.
Our Lord gives three brief examples that embody creative strategies geared to the social violence against the lower classes in first-century Palestine. The clever actions he suggests are all about changing the dynamics between those who instigate violence and those who receive it. It takes a little extra insight to get a real feel for what he’s really talking about, and I need to turn to New Testament scholar Walter Wink for a little background. 2
Jesus is trying to break a spiral of violence. Don't resist one who is evil means don't turn into the very thing you hate. Don't become what you oppose.
The earliest translation of this is probably in a verse of Romans 12 where Paul says, "Do not return evil for evil."
Jesus gives three examples of doing just this.
The first is, "If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also." Imagine if I were your assailant and struck a blow with my right fist to your face, which cheek would it land on? It would be the left. That is the wrong cheek in reference to way Jesus describes this. He says, "If anyone strikes you on the right cheek..." I could hit you on the right cheek if I used a left hook, but that would be impossible in Semitic culture because the left hand was used only for unclean tasks. You couldn't even gesture with your left hand in public. The only way I could hit you on the right cheek would be with the back of the hand.
Now the back of the hand is not a blow intended to injure. It is a symbolic blow. It is intended to put you back where you belong. It is given from a position of power or superiority. The back of the hand was given by a master to a slave or a Roman to a Jew in that day and time. What Jesus is saying is in effect, "When someone tries to humiliate you and put you down, back into your social location which is inferior to that person, and turn your other cheek."
So in the process of turning in that direction, you are defiantly saying to the master, "I refuse to be humiliated by you any longer. I am human just like you. I am a child of God. You can't put me down, no matter what you do." This is clearly no way to avoid trouble. The master might have you flogged within an inch of your life, but he will never be able to assert that you have no dignity. By turning the other cheek, you show resistance, resilience and courage; none of which your assailant has looked for.
Furthermore, you can't backhand someone twice and send the same message. It's like telling a joke a second time. If it doesn't work the first time, it has failed, and action needs to escalate.
The second and third examples Jesus gives could get the same detailed analysis, but we’d end up with the same point already established; that discipleship - following Jesus, is more than a solemn refusal to take part in violence. Following Jesus transforms your heart, from the inside out.
What Jesus shows us in these examples is that you don't have to wait for the kingdom of God to arrive before you can start living according to the kingdom’s ways. You can begin living humanly, freely, generously, now, under the conditions of the old order. Jesus teaches how to take the initiative away from oppressors, from the negative forces in life, and within a given situation of an old way of life, to forge a new way of being.
*
We live in a world which is largely a desert, barren of love and forgiveness. From time to time, though, events occur that give us hope that something has changed; only then to fade quickly away like water colors in a rainstorm. After the terrorist events of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks in 2001 - do you remember how our government first responded in Afghanistan? Think back. The first thing that was dropped on the Afghan people was not bombs, but food & first aid packages; remember that? And remember how you felt ?-- what an amazing thing that was. How creative, how hopeful - but ultimately, whoever initiated those orders were soon given other loads to carry & drop--- ‘Daisy-cutter’ bombs and the like -- and an ‘eye for an eye’ was started all over again.
People emerge to signal a new beginning: Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. We celebrate them... and then we forget them, dismiss them, ignore them.
Thank God we have this book to remind us, the Spirit of Jesus to be with us and our community of faith to surround us and support us as we continue our walk together with the Lord.
I don’t know in what form or manner you’ll be asked to turn the other cheek this week, to accept insult with integrity, to love your enemy, to give to someone who asks, deserving or not; or how it is you will be asked to go the extra mile - but it will surely happen.
You will be asked to do what you feel is more than your share.
You will be challenged, stretched, pulled and tugged -- it will surely happen, that is, if you continue paying attention to Jesus. Prepare yourself - for that’s just what will happen, in more ways than you can ever expect.
Be sure to remember that as you do - as you look and pray and hope to God in Christ for daily inspiration, guidance and strength, that there is a rushing waterfall of love and mercy, pouring out for you continually, through the grace, love and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, each and every day. Amen.

1 Saint-Exupery, Wind, Sand and Stars, (New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1940.) pp.138-144.

2 Wink, Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992) p.185.

eye for an eye?

2011-02-18T07:24:00.001-05:00

You have heard it said, even by Jesus,

that an ‘eye for an eye’ no longer works,

but I say to you that you had better look out for number one.

Give them an inch, they will take a mile.

Don't feel bad about your self-interest.

If you didn't look out for you, who would?

Think twice before turning the other cheek,

going the second mile, giving to anyone who asks.

No, the Sermon on the Mount is not a list of tactics

for bringing out the best in other people.

The Sermon on the Mount says that, even if this way does not produce

good results, this is God's way.

Jesus doesn't say turn the other cheek because it always works.

Jesus says, deal with evil the way God deals with evil.

(Baby steps permitted.)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also... Matthew 5: 38-39

2011-02-11T08:06:00.001-05:00

‘God Saves‘ is Jesus’ very name;

and that saving comes

both

through tough Commands

and forgiving Blessings.

Swimming in our our own soup of sin,

the life vests of Jesus’ Commands are

more buoyant than sodden disobedience-

saving us as we put on their Blessings.

“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’
But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. (Matthew 5:21-22)

2011-02-04T07:53:00.001-05:00

What are we made of…

Sugar, spice- everything nice-
snips, snails, puppy dog’s tails,
dust of the ground, infused with God’s breath,
Oxygen (65%) Carbon (18%) Hydrogen (10%) Nitrogen (3%) Calcium (1.5%) Phosphorus (1.0%) Potassium (0.35%) Sulfur (0.25%) Sodium (0.15%) Magnesium (0.05%) Copper, Zinc, Selenium, Molybdenum, Fluorine, Chlorine, Iodine, Manganese, Cobalt, Iron (0.70%) trace amounts of Lithium, Strontium, Aluminum, Silicon, Lead, Vanadium, Arsenic and Bromide

“Salt of the earth,” so says Jesus.

We are what we are,

not what we ‘could’ be, or ‘might’ be, or ‘should’ be.

Essential to God’s purposes, cherished each and every one;

from earth to heaven, from heaven to earth,

we are made of God’s love; resistant, resilient, holy and free.

“You are the salt of the earth”.
Matthew 5:13

beatittude

2011-01-28T07:51:00.002-05:00

Blessed are you,
on this somewhat less snowy day. With aches & pains,
wants & worries; most things taken care of - some bigger things not.
Yet this blessedness you are given,
which comes from beyond, sinks deep within and settles you
like you’ve snuggled under a fort made of sofa cushions... the world
‘round you made safe and right.
In the moments of blessings received, cherished, and remembered
we can, in turn
share more blessings than we ever know.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3-10

2011-01-21T07:24:00.001-05:00

There’s talk about finding Jesus,
seeking and accepting him as Lord and savior
as if he could somehow be our captive,
as if it were him who had been lost all this long while and not us.

This misstates it altogether.

“I could not seek you, if you had not already found me,” said St. Augustine.

Jesus invites us to fullness of life, not reduced to the size of our agendas.

It is God who chooses us, God who finds us,
God has always known and always loved us
and
we have just come to discover it.

As Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen.
And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.”
Immediately they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:18-20

2011-01-14T07:53:00.002-05:00

The Lamb is on the horizon,
poised to help
us bridge the gap
between expectation
and hope.
We expect another shooting to happen, somewhere, before too long.
We hope, to God, that it won’t.
Lamb of God, take away our sins, that
we can reach out to the pain of others.
More than just expecting the sun to rise each day,
this One of God gives reason for living; sharing ourselves
in lives bridging the gap.

‘The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ John 1:29

2011-01-07T10:08:00.001-05:00

a sunrise, a sunset,

a blessing, a promise

a year before us, underway and gaining speed.

not to forget, dismiss or reject,

each moment is God-made,

ticking away with an increase of wonder, grace and gratitude

in this life freely given us.

God made real, pleased with our lives

never wished away

359 days, and counting.

And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.
And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:16-17

2010-12-31T09:28:00.001-05:00

The future: time’s excuse to worry us;
a single year is too vast a prospect for the depth of the heart.
There is a light to illumine all the darkness ahead that is - or ever could be.
It is not a light waiting at the end of the tunnel,
but one that brightens the way, step by step.
Future, who won’t wait for you?
Everyone is going there.
It is enough for our way to be made plain
by the presence of the one already with us,
the light of all life, Christ Jesus, our Lord.

‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.’ John 1

nice ride today! by blairhug at Garmin Connect - Details

2010-12-30T15:57:00.000-05:00

Untitled by blairhug at Garmin Connect - Details

2010-12-17T11:52:00.001-05:00

If Jesus is the incarnate gift itself
and how God delivers the gift,
then Mary is the measure of how
the gift is received and treasured.
Christmas is not an experience to be controlled, it is not
about getting what you want when you want it, but
getting what God wants for us.

“Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.” James 1:17-18

2010-12-10T07:51:00.001-05:00

We need Joseph;
who was not told what was to come, but waited;
and given a present, only partial fact (of an impending illegitimate birth)
stood firm, with less information than he needed
to know his next steps -
suspending judgment and allowing more grace to fill the void
of what had not happened between he and Mary.

We have similar need of faith and assurance beyond sight; always.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.” Hebrews 11:1-3

2010-12-03T08:02:00.001-05:00

Advent waiting

is not wasteful.

... not an irritating minute, pausing for a download,
not an eternity at the checkout line,
not a lifetime at a red light.

But,
a longing to see someone you’ve missed for all too long,
anticipating joys of catching up; to sit, linger & relish each moment
shared, connecting instantly and deep – without a minute ever lost.

In the meantime, there is much to do.

“Train yourselves in godliness, for while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7b-10

2010-11-26T11:08:00.001-05:00

For the First Sunday in Advent, Nov. 28, 2010

The notion
that the eternal fate
of people
swings on whether
one decides to allow Jesus Christ
into their heart
is ruthlessly
individualistic
and runs counter
to the biblical hope of a new creation.

Putting the weight
of God’s intent to redeem creation
on a series of personal choices
is something like
a man in a cottage
on the coast of Normandy in June of 1944,
as the Allied forces swept across the beaches,
thinking that he had to choose
to be liberated or not.

“Train yourselves in godliness, for while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” 1 Timothy 4:7b-10

2010-11-19T08:03:00.001-05:00

“as Below, so Above”,

that’s how Jesus taught

prayer: “ ... on earth as it is

in heaven.”

You’d think it the other way ‘round -- ‘Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done.’ ... From on high to the earth to change everything....

Yet we pass Jesus as we run up the down staircase

with praise glibly on our lips,

and he finally meets us, as we sit in tears

at the bottom of the stairs.

Christ is with us, here below

so that we ourselves may be changed,

to ground heaven’s peace on earth.

In Christ everything in heaven and on earth was created, not only things visible but also the invisible orders of thrones, sovereignties, authorities, and powers: the whole universe has been created through Christ and for Christ. Colossians 1:16

prayer/poem for 33rd Sun. in Ord. Time, Nov. 14, 2010

2010-11-12T07:55:00.001-05:00

Rejoice,

always.

For the Lord is near,

not as a threat

but as a promise made real—.

Rejoice,

always.

For none could possibly be more gracious and caring

than our Lord who holds us in everlasting love.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Philippians 4:4,5,

2010-11-05T07:41:00.002-04:00

The communion of saints

means that your goodness is not just your own,
nor is your badness.
The lived and the unlived lives
of your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents
as far back as DNA and genomes can trace it—
are part of you.
Living in the communion of saints, in the awareness of eternity,
means we can take ourselves very seriously
(as the sum of all that led to our birth)
and not too seriously at all (as just a part of the whole!)
at the very same time.
We are then individually and collectively freed
to be full partners in God's triumphant parade
through all of life and history.

(adapted from the writings of Richard Rohr)
“Once you were far off, but now in union with Christ Jesus you have been brought near. For Christ is himself our peace, … and has broken down the wall … thereby making peace.” Ephesians 2:1-11

2010-10-29T07:52:00.001-04:00

To be human

is to become visible

while carrying

what is hidden

as a gift to others.

You are enough;

what you do to others

will bear fruit in you.

‘For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.’
Galatians 1:11-12

2010-10-22T08:24:00.001-04:00

Head, shoulders, knees and toes,

from top to bottom

the Body of Christ is us,

individual members, parts

knit together, woven in community

to think and work, pray and walk

like Jesus would on earth as

in heaven.

God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
1 Corinthians 12:24-26

2010-10-15T10:44:00.000-04:00

Love

God

Trust

God

Obey

God

All will be well (honest!)
God says, “I love you. I won’t mess it up. Trust me.”

“We know that to those who love God, who have been called according to God’s plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good.”
Romans 8:28
(J.B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English, 1958)

2010-10-08T08:20:00.001-04:00

Sometimes a person rises from the breakfast table
and goes outside. And keeps on going
because somewhere there is a church,
a gathering of the faithful who sing the same Spirit’s song.

Another person stays at home
until death arrives,
fiddling with odds and ends,
processing paperwork, cleaning shelves.
So it is then that the children go out
into the world, seeking the church that was forgotten.*

( *adapted from a poem by Rilke)

‘The promise is to you and to your children and to all who are far away, to everyone whom the Lord our God may call.‘ Acts 2:39

2010-10-01T08:07:00.001-04:00

A good shepherd leads sheep to find good pasture,

one shepherd, but many flocks,

day after day, through trials, shadows and storms.

And like a shepherd, he leads from behind, not out

in front, to tend the fallen, the weak, the delayed.

Coaxed, comforted, prodded; nudged to

where we ought to go; and despite

our wanting to overgraze the same old pasture,

he inexorably brings us in, where we belong.

( Jesus said), “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.” John 10:16

2010-09-24T07:59:00.001-04:00

In the interest of full disclosure,
Jesus said (in part),

... if you hoard your wealth, you will die.
... if you are very generous, you, too, will die.

We are given the command to be fully who we are,
to share what we have that others may follow suit;
an exercise more of discovery than achievement.

God’s irrestistible grace urges us
to want to do what we have to do,
which makes us all dig deep into our own resources
to become who we most deeply and truly are.
And that is all that God wants us to be.

“This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” Luke 12:13-21

2010-09-17T08:10:00.001-04:00

Tethered by trust,

the Spirit sends us all

we need for life together.

Jesus asks one thing of us.
... to trust God,

to trust without hesitations or reservations.
to trust without anxiety or fear.

Tethered in trust, peace arrives
on its own accord.

Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” Mark 5:34

2010-09-10T07:22:00.002-04:00

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Tamar,
Boaz, Ruth, Jesse, David, (Bathsheba, but not by name),
Solomon, Amon, Eleazar, Joseph, Mary;
so were the generations before Jesus,
lives dedicated, distracted, determined,
destined links in the chain of God’s unending promise.

Their lives were built by trust beyond what they could see.
Not that they were perfect, but that they lived as vehicles of God’s redeeming love.

“God is not ashamed of sinners,
for He even puts them in the family tree.”
(Martin Luther, 1522)

“So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.” Matthew 1:17

2010-09-03T07:28:00.001-04:00

Wisdom is found through the eyes of our Lord

who looks at us, gazing with wonder,

filled with kindness,

yearning for us

to live as lovingly as we were made.

‘You that fear the Lord, trust in him, and your reward shall not fail. Consider the past generations, and see; was any trust in the Lord in vain?’ Ecclesiasticus 2: 8-9

2010-08-27T07:56:00.001-04:00

Some call it pilgrimage

others call it life....

in whatever form your testing comes,

by the fires of crisis

or through the fuller’s soap of steadily streaming trials,

God will hold you, strong and sure.

Those who have a ‘why’ to live, in Christ,

can bear with any ‘how.’

“For who of us can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like the fuller’s soap... and he will purify the descendents of Levi and refine them like gold...” (Malachi 3:2-3)

Rejoice, Anyway

2010-08-06T08:01:00.001-04:00

Not because of anything you’ve ever done

but simply because of who God is.

We assume that we have more reasons

than not to grumble; an oil-filled Gulf, wars and random

killings all too real, and more.

Yet, rejoice because the Lord is near. Always.

In a nurse’s care, a child’s smile, a soldier’s courage,

a fishermans’ persistence; the life of the Lord is made real.

Living is a constant challenge.

Rejoice anyway.

“The LORD, your God, is in your midst, he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with singing as on a day of festival.” Zephaniah 3:17

2010-07-29T18:32:00.001-04:00

Not by wit or feigned devotion,

diets, fads or down and dirty deals.

It’s not written on your

quarterly statement,

your deposit slip,

nor available

through any data-mining firm.

The love and complete acceptance of God

in Christ is at hand, now and always.

“Look at the proud!
Their spirit is not right in them,
but the just live by their faith.”
Habakkuk 2:4

2010-07-23T07:50:00.002-04:00

With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high?
You have been told, O mortal, what is good; and what it is that the Lord requires
of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:6, 8

It’s all about the walk.

It depends with whom you travel, (doesn’t it?)

The better part of wisdom has much

to do with the company you keep.

You can go it alone.

Or embrace courage and humility

to walk with One

who wants better for you

than you want for yourself.

2010-07-16T08:12:00.001-04:00

“Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness
like an everflowing stream.” Amos 5:24

In America, the word ‘justice’ brings to mind
an image of a robed woman, blindfolded, holding a balancing scale before her.
A static concept, it is a noun, describing the achievement of fairness and equality where all is at rest.
But Amos uses the Hebrew word for justice, ‘mishpat’, which calls to mind
an entirely different image.
Justice is like a surging, churning, cleansing stream.
More like a rushing torrent than a balancing scale, this is the prophetic picture of justice.
Yet even a steady drip, drip, drip of small acts of justice will water God’s garden of community.
Better a methodical drip than a dry and rusty spigot. Better a generous heart than a self-absorbed soul.

2010-06-25T07:32:00.001-04:00

A truant child,
a wayward spouse,
'the devil made me do it,'

it happens.

Where does forgiveness come from?
Where does the font of mercy reside?

Beyond all that is mortal, among us, between us,
exists a cord of compassion,
binding us all in a love that, even
now, is unbreakable...

How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender.
I will not execute my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath. Hosea 11:8-9

2010-06-18T07:46:00.001-04:00

“God will forgive me, just this once...”
So we say, turning away
from that which calls us to be true.

The plot thickens when
we rely more on God's forgiveness for our inaction
than following the voice of courage
we feel in our hearts,

what gods are we serving?
Taking one step toward God, day by day,
is a far better way
to stay faithful
to a Lord from whose watch care we cannot swerve.

“Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego replied to the king: ‘Your majesty, we have no need to answer you on this matter. If there is a god who is able to save us from the blazing furnace, it is our God whom we serve; he will deliver us from your majesty’s power. But if not, be it known to your majesty that we shall neither serve your gods nor worship the gold image you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-18

2010-06-11T07:28:00.001-04:00

If God’s holy breath were to enter you,
to shake your bones,
what would it look like, feel like, what would you do?

What dreams fulfilled, what hopes renewed?

God’s breath enters, at morning sun and close of night.

Slowly take your next deep breath,
let your lungs feel wind blow past,
know that God’s love stays fast,
and presses on toward what is right.

The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley full of bones.
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.” Ezekiel 37:1,4-5

2010-06-04T07:46:00.001-04:00

Loving God, let my heart be broken by the things that break your heart.
Let my hands be filled with the work you lead me to do.
Lead me, in my daily walk, to take one more step closer to you.
Open my eyes, Lord, and help me to see what you see.
Help me not to duck!

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, God’s mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness..”
Lamentations 3:22-23

a prayer from Jeremiah

2010-05-29T17:17:00.001-04:00

We were

created for good,

damaged by evil,

restored for better,

and are

sent together to heal.

“I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."
Jeremiah 31:33.

2010-05-21T11:56:00.000-04:00

I crossed paths with an eagle today,
thirty feet ahead of me, it took off in flight.

Two flaps of its wings lifted skyward,
over the branches, out of sight.

Left behind, yearning
I was drawn up by the draft of its wings.

Those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

2010-05-14T07:41:00.000-04:00

Only when

I know

I’m loved

can I ever

love another.

God’s love

comes to me

from before all time

and lasts forever.

That’s

good enough for me.

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death,
passion fierce as the grave. Song of Songs 8:6

for everything....

2010-05-07T07:47:00.000-04:00

For everything...

all that is under heaven and on earth,
for a young life lost,
for gulf waters polluted,
for spring wondrously in bloom,
for exams in preparation,
for summer just waiting to happen...
there is a connection deeper
than we know,
an end resting in the heavens,
with a shoulder to cry on,
an ear for listening and
a heart beating on still here on earth.

God summons all together,

with arms of providence and love.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

2010-04-30T07:31:00.001-04:00

The root of the word Anxiety
comes from the old Hebrew word
for ‘narrow,’ ‘strangle,’ ‘constrict,’
and the yokes and rings put around
the necks of captive slaves.

Anxiety takes you by the throat,
holds you prisoner and drives you like a slave.

The Lord, on the other hand, most assuredly,
will be your freedom, will share your walk
and will be your joy, forever.

The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding established the heavens;
by the Lord’s knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.
My child, do not let these escape from your sight: keep sound wisdom and prudence.
Then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble. If you sit down, you will not be anxious; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
Do not be afraid of sudden panic, or of the storm that strikes the wicked; for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught. Proverbs 3:19-26

2010-04-16T07:55:00.005-04:00

Once upon a time, in a faraway land,
there lived a legendary man,
a just and righteous man who,
in his solitude and despair, found the courage to stand up to God.

And to force Him to look at His creation.
And to speak to those people who sometimes succeed, in spite of Him and of themselves,
in achieving triumphs over Him, triumphs that are grave and disquieting.

What remains of Job? A fable? A shadow?
Not even a shadow of a shadow.
An example, perhaps?

( Words of Elie Wiesel, concerning Job.)

Job answered the Lord:
“I know that you can do all things and that no purpose is beyond you. But I have spoken of things which I have not understood, things too wonderful for me to know. I knew of you then only by report, but now I see you with my own eyes.
Therefore I yield, repenting in dust and ashes.” Job 42:1-6

2010-04-16T07:55:00.004-04:00

2010-04-16T07:55:00.003-04:00

2010-04-16T07:55:00.002-04:00

2010-04-16T07:55:00.001-04:00

2010-04-16T07:55:00.000-04:00

And was that Rising

2010-04-02T08:03:00.000-04:00

And was that Rising like bread,
molecule by molecule, from the inside out,
or explosive
like a Grand Slam radiating through stone,
or steady, relentless as waves on the ocean
or a gull’s soaring wings?

Or perhaps it was more everyday, like waking
in April with sun on your face,
warmth working through a foretaste so wild,
and Spring in your marrow no frost can kill
and a light lifting lilt that draws you
to look into the abandoned tomb,
which is no longer the Lord’s
but your own, empty and free.

“The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them,“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.” Luke 24:5

trumpeting life's arrival

2010-03-26T08:32:00.000-04:00

Loud as a trumpet
at the head of the procession
I run ahead and shout out

My words draw attention
not to me, but to one greater,
far more humble and powerful
than I

Heading into April, gathered into spring,
the way is being prepared for another
grand entry of
resurrection made real
the Holy every day

Is this a dream, a fantasy,
or something I can share
in my living every day?

As Jesus was approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen. Luke 19:37

when we pray

2010-03-19T07:42:00.001-04:00

When we pray,
the object is not how to get more out of God.*

Rather, we are challenged to
ask ourselves ‘what do we really want?’

Are our desires
in keeping with God’s desires for us?

Do we trust
God’s direction for our lives, (or the direction we are
headed in), that it is God’s desire for us?

If so, then, like Solomon,
we can count on finding fulfillment in God’s desires for our lives.

That night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask what I should give you.” Solomon said to God, “Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of yours?”
God answered Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may rule my people over whom I have made you king, wisdom and knowledge are granted to you.” 2 Chronicles 1:1, 6-12

* These sentences are adapted from The Interpretation Series Commentary on First and Second Chronicles, by Steven S. Tuell, Associate Professor of Religious Studes at Randolph Macon College.

the Voice

2010-03-12T07:20:00.000-05:00

Not in the wild wind, crashing down upon life as we know it,

Not in the earthquake, shaking the foundation beneath our all,

Not in the fire, burning, refining, purifying

Not in the sound of a still small voice, the sound of sheer silence overheard,

nothing is yet spoken.

The Voice arrives in the next steps taken.

Only when Moses placed his foot in the Red Sea did the waters begin to part.

Elijah said, “I alone am left, and they seek to take my life.’
To this the answer came: ‘Go and stand on the mount before the Lord.’ The Lord was passing by: a great and strong wind came, rending mountains and shattering rocks before him, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.
When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. There came a voice: The Lord said to him, ‘Go back by way of the wilderness of Damascus, enter the city, and anoint Hazael to be king of Aram; anoint also Jehu to be king of Israel, and Elisha to be prophet in your place.‘ 1 Kings 19:11-16 (Revised English Bible)