For I Am Your God

After Isaiah 43:1-7

The One who created you speaks,
The One who formed you opens his mouth with good tidings:

Do not fear your God,
Your sins do not crush you in my judgement;

For I have redeemed you,
I have called you by name, and you are mine;

You may feel overwhelmed,
Your problems may seem insurmountable;

But though the waters press down upon you, you shall not be drowned,
Though the fire burn all around you, you shall not be burned;

For I am your God,
The Holy One, your Savior;

I overturn kingdoms and empires for your sake,
I make the darkness light to comfort and deliver you;

Because you are precious in my sight,
I love you, and you stand in honor among my servants;

Do not fear, for I am with you,
I will rescue your children from distant lands,
And the prisons of men shall not hold them from you;

I will ransom every one who is called by my name,
Whom I created in glory,
Whom I formed and made.


May Love, Peace and Grace Reign About You

-LE

"Wait, Wait, Cancel That, I guess it says 'helf'"

There is a Gary Larson cartoon that I won't replicate here because of copyright, but it shows a helicopter pilot circling a small desert island. On that island a man is hopping up and down, and waving his arms next to the word HELP,

....except that the edge of the P has been trampled out, and now it looks like it says HELF.

The pilot in the cartoon says: "Wait, Wait, Cancel That, I guess it says 'helf.'"

On the right, you should see a 'donate' button from PayPal.

It is there because, in our challenging economy, I need HELP, not HELF.

Help to stay in my house.
Help to pay my bills.
Help to have time to blog on occasion.
Please give generously.

Yours,
LE

Struggling With Matthew 5

Why should we feed the wolves,
When our sheep go hungry?

How can we abandon our houses to criminals,
And live in the street, when the wintry winds blow?

Why should we forfeit our shoes to those already shod,
And walk the stony ground with bare feet?

Why do you ask us to do so, Lord?

Why should we labor and struggle to enrich the evil,
When we have not two coins to press together?

Why must we give our time and talent to Satan,
And keep nothing but our souls for the family of God?

Should we hold back nothing from the grifter,
The thief, the con artist?

Why do you ask us to do so, Lord?

(Strugging with Matthew 5)

The Squirrel

The Squirrel
Wakes and leaves its nest
Searches the lawn for
Treats left by me
Or my family
Or acorns
Or seeds
Or anything
In a hard year
In a spare year
In a year of hardship
It will take what it can get
And if nothing can be found
On the lawn
It picks up a leaf
Crumples it in its mouth
And brings it back to its nest
As bedding and insulation
The practicality of this activity
Impresses me
And reminds me
To leave a little something
For those who have
Nothing

These Broken Parts

Today a little person
Was trying to re-make her bed
She thought she must have been doing it wrong all week
Because the sheets wouldn’t lie flat
And tended to come off

But really her bed
Was made this week with sheets that weren’t quite right
They were an odd size
Big enough
Workable
But not perfect
And she thought it was her fault
I laughed and explained the problem to her

And thought
That life is like that
Funny but functional
Wrong but workable
Makeshift and marvelous
And that we are forever filling the cracks
And jumping the gaps
And thinking we must be doing something wrong
When in fact, we are doing marvelously
With what we have
Which is enough
Which is workable
Which is a blessing

Perfect is some other world
Not the one we live in
No, we are surrounded by
Appendices of errata
Panda’s thumbs and horse’s toes
Scars and defects
Duct tape and bailing wire

See, in a perfect world
Where everything works well
You would already be at the goal
And that’s not what we’re about
We’re about the next thing
The thing you can barely imagine from here

The thing that you can make if you cobble together
These broken parts
With the contents of the junk drawer
And some duct tape
And bailing wire
And whatever else happens to be lying around

And when we get close to that barely imagined thing
We’ll mostly make it work
But not perfectly
Because we are already busy
Working on the next thing
The thing you can barely imagine from there

And I think God meant us to be this way
Always a little broken
Always working on that next thing
That we can barely imagine from here

Strange Fish Who Seek The Fisherman

God draws us in.
We are always moving
Always hiding, always shifting
But God knows where we are
and God draws us in.

God draws us in like an angler
Playing a strong fish with a weak line
Gently tugging
Pulling and drawing.

We go other ways
We dart this way and that
Sometimes we circle slowly in
And sometimes we break the line and charge away
And God must cast for us again, and again.

God is a patient fisherman
God’s nets are wide and can enclose us all
And yet we can slip out if we will;

God can land his lures over us,
Wherever we hide
But we can ignore them
Or we can break the line and escape.

We must be fish who want to be caught
Who allow ourselves to be drawn;
Fish who seek the fisher.

Because the day will come
When the fisher packs up his gear
And there is no more time
No time for playing the difficult fish
Who wants to go its own way.

A day when the fisherman will take his catch
To the eternal river
Where they will forever
Swim in the holy water of God.

You Are Given Now

We have only a moment
Not an hour
Or a day
Or a week
Or a month
Or years, decades, centuries, millennia

We have only a moment to trust
A moment to love
A moment to care
A moment to believe

Who that was who came before
- you cannot know
And who comes after
- you cannot see

But you have now
Use it to believe the best
To do the best
And be as much
As fun
As awesome
As inspired
As you can

You are given now

Use it

Seek Her

Wisdom tires of being mocked
She tires of chasing you down twisting alleys of lies
She tires of calling and having you run instead away
Of stretching out her hand and being rebuffed
Of having her counsel ignored

Attend, lest She abandon you
And laugh at your calamity
Lest She mocks when panic strikes you
When the storm sweeps you away
When you find yourself and all you hold dear
Lost in pain and anguish.

Call upon Her now
having trampled Her word
having ignored Her histories
having spat on Her offerings
having scoffed at Her reproof
and She may not answer

She may leave you to your own devices
Twisting on a gibbet of your own design
Trapped in a cage of metal and spikes
Food for the carrion birds
A warning to others

Should you not eat the fruit of your way?
Should you not find yourself at the end of the road you have chosen?

Wisdom still calls - but you are far from Her
Her voice is faint - but can be heard

Perhaps you can return, retrace your steps
Do not listen to the loud voices around you
Hustling you onward to bad ends
Resist the pushing and jostling of those around you
You still need not be lost

You still, perhaps, can be found.
I write this for you, you yourself

Seek Her!

I am a poor steward

I am a poor steward.
I fail to go.
And when I do,
I go too slow.

I am a poor steward,
I have not done much.
I have not helped
I did not touch.

I am a poor steward,
It was not enough
I did not volunteer
When things got tough.

I am a poor steward,
I whine and moan
To help is hard
I trudge, I groan.

I play dumb games,
I waste my time,
I forget names,
I make up rhymes.

I am a poor steward,
And much I waste.
I don’t do good,
I am less ‘salt’ than ‘paste’.

I will be a poor steward,
But still I’ll go.
Please, forgive me, Lord,
That I go slow.

The House With The Broken Door

You decided against the same old thing
You turned right, instead of your usual left

And you saw a brightly lit house
Its door hanging open
A broken door – Askew, Unworkable.
Like it was no longer something that people closed
From inside the voices came
Laughing, singing, and debating

Smells rolled down to you too
Fresh-baked bread
Apple pie
Roast chicken
New wine

A smiling face appeared at the door
And a friendly body hurried down to take your arm
“Oh!” “You’re Here!” “We were so hoping you’d come today!”
And they were all there
Old friends and new
Their names and faces filled with joy
Filling you with joy
Hugging and kissing
Slapping your back
Welcoming you in

Silly, Silly, So Foolish
How long you walked that lonely road
The house had been waiting for you
The friends had been waiting for you
But no matter
The time was paid for
And the time is at hand for you to be honored

“But I did nothing!” you said…
“I went the wrong way!”
“I did the wrong things, again and again!”

No matter, no matter
On your way you did much good,
More than you could have known
And your mistakes,

See!

They have all been redeemed-
Turned about like an engine at a roundhouse
Like a lump of clay on a wheel
Like the sun breaking through the rain
Like a starfish regrowing its arms

The journey is over
And you are home
What was forgotten has been recalled
What was stolen has been restored
What was lost has been found

There was always room for you here
You were always wanted and needed
Always wanted at our table
Always present in our prayers
If it was not so, would we not have told you?
Welcome Back!
Welcome Back Home!

The Crazy Lady and the Angel

On the section of the Berlin wall located near Battery Park City

The crazy lady and the angel
Stand on the wall

The crazy lady on the outside
The safe side
The ‘go about your business’ side
She wears bright colors
Her skin is green
Her lips are brilliant red
She is lively and creative

The angel is on the inside
Where people used to get killed just for walking
For running to freedom
She is harder to see
But she is there
Who painted her, and when?
Who saw her in those days?
Was she the last thing someone saw?
Perhaps she was meant to comfort, to mourn, and not be consoled
To commemorate children, brothers and sisters, parents, friends, cousins lost

Perhaps that was her purpose
Certainly she does that now
Now that she no longer stands in the shadow of machine guns and barbed wire
Now that she is a curiosity, and a memorial

And it strikes me that life is like this
There is the wild and crazy ‘go about your business’ side
And the serious side
The side of life and death
where people struggle for life and freedom
Where angels stand close to comfort and assist us

It is good to be bright, lively and creative
But let us also be strong and helpful
And stand to help those who struggle for life and freedom

The Leather Shoes I've Had A While

The leather shoes
I've had a while

They're worn and scuffed
They're broken in
Into my shape

They're shaped like me
Perhaps too much

Sometimes I switch
what feet they're on

I wear them backwards
Now and then

Just for a bit
To feel the way

They press my feet
Differently

Somehow it is comforting
To feel them different
And unmeshed

Unmatched to my feet

It is also strange
To wear something

So broken in
And yet so mismatched

It reminds me
Of how comfortable
They are normally

It is kind of like

Seeing an old friend
Doing a new thing

Meeting something
That you know well

In a strange place
Far away

Realizing again
What you are about

When you had forgotten
Or become preoccupied

See, I have made all things new
Even the shoes on your feet

Let them remind you who you are
Remind you what you are

Let them help you remember your calling
And enter into the Kingdom of God

Peace,
LE

The Unusual Desk

In the night I pray for guidance in this interesting life I live
And I see warm brown leather
With ink drawings appearing and disappearing on it
I see the letters ‘VS’ appearing between two fragments of drawing,
And I wonder what they mean
The scene shifts and I find myself in front of a large wooden desk
In a large room that is strange to me, all done in wood of light tones
It is empty, but it feels welcoming and warm
The thought comes to me that this is like an English courtroom
But it is not much so to my eye
The desk is in the middle of the room
And there are wooden barriers like altar rails down either side
Beyond which several ranks of wooden chairs rise
Perhaps more like a room of parliament
But the dream is focused on the desk – the room is the background for the dream
The desk itself is odd
There are vertical ridges dividing it into three major sections
Making it uncomfortable to write the way I would like
With a paper at a jaunty angle
The left section is decent sized, no more than two feet wide
And the right one is very wide, over three feet wide
But the center one is narrow, too narrow for letter sized paper
To write here, you would need narrow paper
It seems that the form of what one would write here would be restricted
I opened the desk, the center section lifts and there are writing materials
A drawer as wide as the right section pulls out,
And there are disassembled bits for old ink pens,
Wooden shafts and nibs,
I start to assemble a pen and begin to look for the ink
And I wake

After 2 Timothy 2, Reprise

This is a re-run of After 2 Timothy 2 (with some formatting changes), which text is speaking to me today.

Remember Jesus in your sufferings,
and if you are chained,
remember that the word of God cannot be chained.

Endure for the sake of the world,
that the world may also obtain salvation,
for if we die with Jesus,
we will rise with Christ,
and if we endure we will also reign with him.

Jesus cannot save us while we deny him,
but he remains faithful to us,
seeking us and consoling us when we despair.

Even in our denial,
in our guilt and sin,
Jesus must remain faithful to us,
because he cannot deny himself,
and there is great hope in that.

Jesus is our redeemer,
and seeks our redemption,
so seek to return to and keep true to Jesus,
even as he keeps true to you.

Peace,
LE

Some minor blog changes - you will notice the 'Zeitgeist' of tags is now alphabetical - much more useful. Some blogs that ceased to inspire me have been removed, and I have re-resurrected my rotating 'taglines' at the top.

It's big to me...

I am pushed to the cliff
Where I now stand
What's over the edge?
Rocks or Water? Or is it Sand?

I am pushed quite near the edge
I worry I will fall
And the vain things of my life will end
Many, if not all.

And God is with me as I push back
And as I squirm and twist
But can I count on God to help?
Or is my God just mist?

Oh sure my soul will be intact
I suppose that’s great
But a little help here as I squirm?
God won’t cooperate.

Shall I fall, and say that this
Is all God’s will and fine
And will I lose the little bits
I hold on to and call ‘mine’?

Help me Lord,
Show me the way,
It is not fun
To squirm this way.

LE

Up

Up

Up...

Up we reach

Up we strive
Up we grow

Up...
Higher....
Higher, still

Striving...
Growing...
More and more...

Called to the light...

It is in our cells,
Our souls,
Our very being...

A voice speaks to us all
It says:

Live,
Love,
Grow,

Be Blessed;

Do!

-LE

The Invisible Made Visible or 'When We Pray'

When we pray,
God doesn't come near;
God doesn't drop in,
God is already here.

When we pray,
God doesn't say 'Oh!'
'So that's what they need!'
God already knows.

So when we pray-
What happens then?
If God knows, is close,
What is prayer then?

Perhaps prayer is
Something WE do
To walk with Love;
And each other, too.

-LE

Balance

Balance
Is not perching on a balance-beam
Is not standing beneath a cliff, or on its edge
Is not building your house on the sand
Is not mortgaging your tomorrows to pay for today

Today you live and breathe
Tomorrow may be very different
Take care of the world, the neighbors and the self you have been given today
Do not sell their or your tomorrows
The world wants you to do this-
Selling your tomorrows can make your todays very comfortable

But when tomorrow comes
With storm
And wind
And earthquake
And chaos
And you find you have mortgaged your future
To pay for a pretty today that is gone
You may regret
Not having taken the slow route

Find a less dynamic way to balance
Plant your feet on the level path
And go in through the straight gate

-LE

I Found The Door Unbarred

I found the door unbarred
I found my way within
There was a basin there
Placed welcoming, yet dry
An unlit candle stood tall
The light within was dim
Warmed by illumined saints
Precious woods shone and
Ancient stones gleamed coolly
I paced down the aisle
As carvings spoke to me
Of legend, ritual, faith
I knelt there for a moment
And next to me knelt God
Who accepted my foolish words
Alone in that spare place
And as God often does
I found that my small requests
Were blessed and all came true
The large ones… …it could be
God is leaving them for me

LE

O Lord of Life and Death

O Lord of Life and Death
We thank you for the saints
Who left to us the word
And sang and taught and gave
And bled and suffered much

O Lord of Life and Death
Preserve the gifts they gave
Tend the light of the saints
For those yet to be born
Who will have much to learn

O Lord of Life and Death
Help us to remember
Those who went before us
All that they did for us
And all that they were and are


LE

Jacob's Ladder

On Genesis 28:10-19:

In the desert all alone
beneath his head he laid a stone
the stars looked down upon his face
in this dark desolate place.

In his dreams a ladder shone
let down from heaven to his stone
beside him holy voices spoke
out of fire and out of smoke.

"Where you go there I am too
I will always be with you"
-every place, a place of God
if floored with sand, gold, wood, or sod.

-LE

The Voices We Will Not Hear

Alternate Title: 'We Are The Friends'

They are wrong.
They are so very wrong.
We can't hear their voice.

They call out to us - they say:
Isn't this injustice?
Isn't this torture?
Isn't this slavery?

But we can't hear.
We talk louder.
We talk about other things.
We talk about their failings;
We talk about their sin;
We talk about their error.

They sit in their ash-pits,
Covered with sin,
Covered with death,
Covered with sores,
Maligning righteousness,
Indicting the good we do,
Trying to pull us down with them.

They call out to us - they say:
Is this right?
Is this fair?
Is this justice?

But we won't hear;
Instead we talk about maintaining order,
We talk about helping others,
We talk about sharing,
We talk about becoming involved.

They moan on their death-beds accusingly,
They sigh from their cells,
Their deaths scream out to us,
Maligning righteousness,
Indicting good,
Trying to pull down God.

They call out to us - they say:
Would you want this?
Would you choose this?
Would you live this?

But we refuse to hear,
Instead we talk about precedent,
Instead we talk about independence,
Instead we talk about the needs of others,
We shift away so that they don't contaminate us.

They shuffle in their shackles frighteningly,
Occasionally they catch our eyes uncomfortably,
They abusively mention their lost children,
They truculently bring up their lost freedom,
Trying to make us feel sorry for what they deserved,
Trying to shift the argument,
Trying to unseat justice.

They call out to us - they say;
Would you do this to your friend?
Would you do this to a servant?
Do you still keep slaves?

But we won't hear;
We make up stories about them that might be true,
We talk about the rights of others,
We talk about how they cannot be trusted,

They are wrong.
They are so very wrong.
We can not hear their voice.

Emily Dickinson on Hope

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chilliest land
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

May God bless your hopes and prayers with love and peace.

LE

A Bit of Spirit

I had written what I thought was a lovely post on Pentecost at my church, and the season after Pentecost, but then the gremlins of the internet consumed it in one foul gulp.

So, rather than spend another hour recreating it, with so many tasks calling me, let me instead post a link to an intriguing video by Quayola called 'Strata' which you can find here.

May you seek and find The Holy Spirit every day of this season, and for you, may it be ExtraOrdinary time.

Peace,
LE

Who Is?

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 5:43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

John 7:29 But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me.

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

John 8:16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.

John 8:23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am [he], and [that] I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

John 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

John 10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine.

John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

John 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will [my] Father honour.

John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

John 13:13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for [so] I am.

John 13:19 Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am [he].

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

John 14:11 Believe me that I [am] in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

John 16:32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

John 18:5 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am [he]. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.

Exd 3:6 Moreover he said, I [am] the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

Exodus 3:13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, [when] I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What [is] his name? what shall I say unto them?

Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Jesus Is.

Peace,
LE

Downspout

Rain comes down
Not every day
But it does come
Sometimes more often than I might like

And under my downspout
I have a watering can
Because when it isn't raining
A very small person likes to wander the yard
Blessing the flowers with water

And in this way
I keep water handy for her
To help her in her mission
And help make the world more beautiful
One drop at a time

May all of our dark rainy days
And all of our sadness
Be similarly transformed into moments
Of sharing and joy

Blessings
LE

Christianity is a Verb

I am the vine and you are the branches.

If you abide in me, and keep my commandments, my Father who lives in heaven will come and make his dwelling place in your heart, and I with him, and you will bear much fruit.
And my commandment is that you should love another as I have loved you. You are my friends if you keep this commandment. Go and bear fruit, my friends. If you keep my commandments, the fruit you bear will not be like that which rots or withers, or fades away, but which will last, and will grow – that will bear seeds that will grow in turn and lead to more fruit.
So bear much fruit, and do not despair if you are persecuted, because before you were persecuted, so was I, and when you are persecuted you lay up treasure in heaven. Show mercy and do justice, and love one another. The commandment is not hard. -And if you do you shall live in me, and I in you. And you shall have everlasting life and great reward in heaven.

All My Love,
Your Brother.

Raise Your Light!

The sun rises, the sun sets
The moon waxes and wanes

The green life rises and leafs out

Fauns and children are born and grow

Old people hold hands, walking into the sunset

Rain waters the earth
Blue skies catch our breath

Birds sing
Fish splash
Squirrels leap
Chipmunks search the undergrowth for seeds

Woodpeckers knock, while skunks hunt for grubs below
Tiny sparks of life burrow in the earth and dance in the air

People help each other
People they know
And people they do not know

They set up funds, institutions, and ways of life to see to the care and shelter of others
For people they will never meet, for those who will come long after they have gone

Others have labored, and we have entered into their labors

Good is not the exception
We live in a very blessed world

We do not light a single lamp in the darkness
But add our light to the constellations lighting the sky

We do not sing alone in a vile place
But join the celestial chorus

There are those who do not hear
Who turn away
Who see the dark first, who struggle to pick out any good
Who cannot see how very blessed we are
Who cannot imagine the world of sharing that we really live in
And we must sing to them
And raise our light, our hearts

There is enough grace,

enough good,

… enough God for all of us

Raise your light!

God Is Not Alone

God is not alone

God is with God’s self, a Trinity

God is with Creation, a vast Unity

God is with us all, an extensive Plurality

God is with the saints, a choir of Sanctity

God is in our homes, a member of our Family

God is with us each, in personal Fraternity

And we are with God

When we care

When we help

When we share

When we love

When we create

And when we show mercy

God is Love

And Love cannot exist alone

How Long?

How long should a sermon be?
Sixty minutes? Forty? Three?

Should it explain ancient words?
Touch on Darfur, or the Kurds?

Should it tell a faith-filled story
Through anecdote or allegory?

How should it move the ones who listen?
Should they laugh, or should tears glisten?

Should it touch the heart, or brain?
Or remind us of the cross again?

A sermon should engage, not bore;
So we don’t drift off, or snore.

Doing all these things takes time;
Just look how it fills out my rhyme.

I hope the sermon’s short today;
I want to go outside, and play.

Post topic suggested in comment on prior post.

None are Unclean

From Acts 11 NRSV:

Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, ‘I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air.

I also heard a voice saying to me, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” But I replied, “By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.”

But a second time the voice answered from heaven, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven.

At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, “Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.”

And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?’

Hinder not God, but treat all with fairness, favoring none, poor nor rich, weak nor strong, discerning not between the races, or the sexes, or by who was born of what parents. For all are called to be Children of God, and all are desired at the great feast.

Look at yourself, and see if you truly treat all alike, repent and turn to the way of God.

Peace,
LE

After John 20:19-31

That Sunday they met in secret, locking the doors because they were afraid of further persecution. And as they were talking, Jesus appeared among them, and said “Peace be with you!” Some were full of joy, some were frightened, and many had trouble believing. But Jesus showed them his hands, and the wounds in them, and his side, where the spear had pierced him, and they believed and rejoiced.

And Jesus said “Peace be with you; As the Father has sent me, so I send you!” And he breathed on them, saying “Receive the Holy Spirit!”

But Tom was not there in the locked room where Jesus had appeared, and when he heard the story he said “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and touch them, and touch the wound in his side, I will not believe.”

So a week later, they were again in the house with the doors securely shut, and Tom was with them. And Jesus again appeared among them and said; “Peace be with you.”

Turning, he said to Tom: “See and touch me, touch my hands - and my side where I was pierced - do not doubt, but believe.”

And Tom grasped his hands and fell to his knees, gasping: “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him: “Have you believed because you have seen? Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet still have come to believe.”

Peace
LE

What to Wear?

When we go a feasting
We wonder what to wear
Which shoes go on our feet
If we should 'do' our hair

Is this a time for white
Or should we all wear black
Should we buff our buttons bright
Or could we wear a sack

When we enter in
If we aren't like the rest
We might feel singled out
The cuckoo in the nest

But some don't have the means
To buy a fancy suit
For them 'What to Wear'
The question is quite moot

So when we gather in
And hope that all will come
I'd like if we dressed humbly
Both rich and poor as one

And maybe the Lord God
Who forgives our sinfulness
Will value every single soul
No matter how we dress


Peace
LE

Blessing for a Non-Sectarian Wedding Feast

This Good Friday, I had the pleasure to contribute a blessing for a wedding feast.

Somehow that feels particularly appropriate for the day when we commemorate the sacrifice of a man who often referred to himself as a groom.

The Prayer:

God, we thank you for bringing us here at this time, to share with friends and family the joyful wedding of N and M. May God continue to bless them, and work through their lives to make them, and the world a better and more loving place. God bless this meal before us, bless us as we share it, and continue to bless us as we travel and as we return to our individual lives. May the strength of N and M’s love inspire us each to a renewed commitment to each other – to live more kindly, to share more fully, and to love more passionately.

In God’s name we pray;

Peace,
LE

A Future Full of Stars

Arthur C Clarke, father of the idea of communications satelites and the idea of of using geosynchronous orbits for them, prolific author, polio survivor, scuba diver, and environmentalist passed on to his reward at his home in Sri Lanka today. He was 90 years old.

Wikipedia has a fairly good article on his life, and the Fox has a decent write-up from AP. I suggest reading them, and thinking about this life, where it started with the "War to End all Wars", how it was changed by World War II, and how this man with an active mind re-tooled himself, several times, and helped to change the world.

For me this passing is a milestone. Clarke came from the world that was, and wrote about the world that he thought might come to be, some of which came to be, and some of which still might come to pass. The story of his life and how it wove into the movement of history reminds us that the journey continues, to this day, and that the future continues unfolding for us. Our job is to continue, to work to breathe life and love into it.

May we find that it is full of stars.

Peace,
LE

On Palm Sunday

It’s the King!

The King is at the gates!

The King is just down the street!

The King claims He is One with God!

Blind people see!

Deaf people hear!

Run, Run and find him!

Praise him! Praise him!

Save! Jesus Save Us!

Save us from hunger!

Save us from oppression!

Save us from hardship!

Save us from pain!

Save us from difficulty!

Save Us!

Lead Us!

Be our King!

Topple the Government!

We will rise!

We will march!

We will fight!

Wait, he slips away…

He will not fight…

He will not confront…

He is… …he is arrested…

He goes meekly, like a lamb…

His disciples run like frightened children…

We are betrayed…

We remain oppressed…

We remain in hunger…

We remain in desperation…

But he said he was the One!

Jesus?

What to DO with Jesus?

The one who dashed our hopes?

The one who pretended to be the King?

The one who pretended to be GOD?

Crucify!

Crucify Him!

Crucify Him!

Crucify Him!

Hope for the Hopeless

I found myself in a valley, and the floor of that valley was strewn with bones.

Human bones.

Dry, dusty, no life in them, nothing in them that anything could live on.

And a voice said to me: “Can these bones live?”

Live? They are the essence of death!

“Prophesy over these bones! They shall live!”
“Sinews shall grow, flesh and skin shall cover them, breath shall enter them and they shall live!”

So I spoke the word of the Lord, and flesh came upon the bones, and breath entered them, and they stood upon their feet, a living multitude.

And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act," says the LORD. -Ezekiel 37:1-14

Photo Credit Rob Wakefield

Here's Mud In Your Eye:

100 Words on Dirt (John 9:1-11):

He rubbed dirt in his eyes!

What?

The man they are calling ‘Teacher’.

Oh, the new prophet-guy, Jesus. You said he put dirt in someone’s eyes?

Worse, he took dirt, he spit on it, made mud and rubbed it in this man’s eyes!

The man didn’t try to stop him?

No, No, he was blind.

What, it wasn’t bad enough that he was blind in the first place? Didn’t anyone else try to stop him?

No, we didn’t think of it – and it made him see!

He puts dirt in people’s eyes and makes them see; now that’s a miracle.

Peace,

LE

Something Interesting to Look At

I love it when creative people colaborate, and here is a wonderful example - Enjoy:

A peaceful Lent to you -

LE

That Evening

That evening, after it was dark, one of the chief men of the city came secretly to speak with him.
His name was Nicodemus, and after he had been welcomed, the two of them sat on a bench in the courtyard, with the stars glinting down at them, and a pleasant evening breeze carrying the smell of night-blooming flowers past. They do not speak rapidly, and although thoughtful, are casual with each other:

Nicodemus: Teacher, we know you are from God, because the signs you show us are the work of God, and no one could do them who is not with God.


Jesus: Yet none - no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again.


Nicodemus: How can I be 'born again' - an old man like me? I certainly can't go climbing back into my mother's womb!


Jesus: No one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of the water and the spirit - what is born of flesh is flesh, and what is born of spirit is spirit - this should not astonish you.

The spirit works differently from the way of the flesh - it is more like the wind, -we cannot tell where it comes from, or where it goes, but when it is blowing, we sure know it is there!

Nicodemus: I don't get it.

Jesus: Search your heart, and you will know what I say is true. Do you not teach as much in the temple?

I am telling you what we both know and have seen, ...and yet it is difficult for to recieve. If you cannot hear these things that we share, how will you accept what I have to tell you about heaven?

But I will tell you anyway - and I know this, because the Son has seen Heaven:

The Son of Man must be lifted up - just as Moses lifted up the brass serpent in the wilderness, so that those who believe in him - whomever they are - may have eternal life.

This must happen because God loves the world, loves the world so much that he will give his only Son, so that everyone who belives in him will not die, but instead may have eternal life.

Mind you, God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that it might be saved.

And the nightengale sang, and the two talked late into the night as the perfume of the night blooming flowers drifted around them and the stars twinkled.

Tell Your Story

It has been a while since the passing of Madeline L'Engle, but thoughts of her and her writing keep coming to mind, and so maybe, in this meditative season of Lent, contemplating the following words from this spiritual woman is appropriate:

“Why does anybody tell a story?” Ms. L’Engle once asked, even though she knew the answer.
“It does indeed have something to do with faith,” she said, “faith that the universe has meaning, that our little human lives are not irrelevant, that what we choose or say or do matters, matters cosmically.”

So, my guests and friends, share your stories. It will help us all, more than we can know.

Peace,
LE

All Lenten Thoughts

Carnival or Shrove Tuesday?

Carnival has arrived this year wrapped in gauze.

Lent is early this year, arriving almost as early as it can, and today is Carnival.

And I don't feel festive.

Instead I feel in need of blankets and bandages.

Comfort and quiet.

Time to heal life's wounds.

Time to grow and seek quietly.

And so today's fog, the wet quietness of the day, the muffled shapes and sounds seem in tune with my mood.

A gauzey bandage over a bruised life.

A chance to heal.

A time of peace.

Today for me will be more of the 'Shrove Tuesday' than 'Carnival'.

Shrove Tuesday, when we confess our sins before our Lenten fast.

A time to confess and be healed.

May your Lent also start with the kind of day that you need.

LE

All Lenten Thoughts

ps: I am returning to rotating the meditation or antiphon that appears in this blog's description. I never intended to stop rotating it, but life got busy, and the one I had up seemed so appropriate; 'For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face.'

pps: And look at the meditation that was up next: "I'm giving up being angry.". Great for the start of Lent, and great to follow my post 'The Others'. I think I smell the Holy Spirit in this...

Peace,
LE

The Others

It seems like there are always 'others'.
Bad people, stupid people, ignorant people;
people we don't like;
People it is ok to hate.

Perhaps their last name is Clinton,
Or perhaps their last name is Bush;
Or Paul, or Kennedy, or Obama;

Or perhaps 'the others' are a race;
Or a belief;
Or a gender;
Or a sexual orientation;
Or a nationality;
Or a class or category.

We hate them, and everyone who likes them.
We hate what they represent.
We put bumper-stickers on our cars awash in hate or contempt;

We post vitrol on websites,
We wear buttons and T-shirts that drip anger, lies, and hatred.

We tell jokes that dehumanize;
We repeat slander;
We mock;
We make angry, racist, sexist, and paranoid comments.

We find it hard to relate to anyone who likes the other.
Who sees good in them.

We can't countenance a single good thought about them.

And this is unfair.

It is unfair to the other.
It is unfair to those who love or appreciate them.
It is unfair to the world of people who don't want to pass a litmus test to even speak to us.
Or who find that in our presence their speech must be censored.
And it is unfair to us ourselves - because hate blinds us to the truth.

And the truth usually lies in a third place,
Distant from the hills and trenches of our petty wars.
And it is to the truth that we must find our way.

If we can be honest with each other,
If we can hear the voice of the other and not blot it out,
Not block it out with hate;
Not ignore it.
Not censor it.
Not turn it off.
Not walk away.
If we can be in dialog with the other;

We will be wiser people.
We will be richer people.
We may be kinder people.
We may find better leaders.
We can step aside from our anger.
We can cease our fighting.

But first we need to open the gates of our heart and truly listen.
And open our minds to truly hear.

May We Find Peace
LE

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Today is SO busy
There is Sunday School to plan
A fallen tree to chop up with a chainsaw. (This tree, in fact)

And blogs to add:

Welcome:
The Geranium Farm (Long overdue)
titusoneten (Returned from a long silence)
This Passage (Just discovered)

I hope to add more later today.

Forgive me for not posting more!

LE

Walking the Line

A young man walks in the frigid early morning air along a disused railroad line.

His grey and white camoflage jacket is partly unzipped: more open than you would think reasonable given the temperature.
But perhaps he has been walking for a few minutes.

The rail line he is walking on probably stretches half a mile behind him before it touches another road, and I know that he has a little ways to go before hitting the next crossing.

No school lies in the direction he walks, but perhaps he is older than he seems to me, and walks to work, perhaps at a factory, hardware depot, or service firm - all of which lie along his path.

It is a bit countercultural to walk to work. Does he lack a car? Does he enjoy the exercise and encounters with wilderness along the way? I suspect this is more a pragmatic approach to his life than a choice, but bless him for it, and hope that he finds it a blessing;

Once I walked along the rails to work, and I found it a blessing...
...The deer who stand in the shadows;
...The skunks who greeted me on my way;
...The bunnies that lounged in dust baths and eyed me warily;
...The birds, singing and flying about;
...The life that we share;
...The peace in those places more secluded from the daily bustle.

Perhaps this is the best part of walking between the busy places in our lives: the moments of peace.

May you, also find peace between your busy moments, and the means to enjoy it.

LE

The Bread and the Wine

Some reach for the cup
Others open their mouths, faithful that you will tip carefully
Some grasp the bottom of the cup
And control the tip
Some just sip, so timidly that you wonder if they received
Others manhandle the cup and take a significant helping

Some raise their hands for the bread
But many, many leave their hands low
Their hands cupped, almost closed
You must reach down
Reach in
And place the bread inside their hands
Like a seed within a pod
Like a child within a womb
Encourage them to take, to taste

The wine seems more welcome than the bread
Perhaps the wine is like the spirit
The blessings of the spirit
Heady, inspiring, and lifting
And the bread is like the body
Reminding us of our mortality
Of our flesh, and its failings
Of our suffering, of our limitations

Or maybe we want to sense the physicality of the bread
To have it thrust upon us
To have God reach out to us
Touch us in our mortal life
We need the thrust, the touch, the impinging of God upon us

Perhaps this is why
It feels like I must give the bread
But that the wine
People are eager to receive

May you find that God reaches out to you
And that you are much beloved.

-LE

A brief flash of consolation

A brief flash of consolation
Is worth months and months of pain
When God bends down to be near us
As He does now and again

Or, is it that in peaceful moments
When our minds slow down
We can notice Divine presence
And we know that God bends down

If we make it to that country
Where we walk in endless light
Then we'll know true consolation
And see Love in all its might

Work to be worthy of that city
Where the very plainest can
Dine at table with Life's master
And help work the Divine plan

That great city has so much joy
It would make the nations cry
We can glimpse it where we're standing
We do not have to die

There every beggar is annointed
(Kings wear no crowns at all)
There the humblest and the smallest
Feel as if they're ten feet tall

There all the troubles that we teethed on
And all the locust stole
Are restored, repaid and healed
We will be made more than whole

There the ending and beginning
Are knit joyfully to one
Errors, missteps, pain and shortfalls
Are completed and are done

Pray to see that holy city
Work to make it here
It is worth our minor troubles
To see our God bends near

Peace,
LE

Diggin

Do you have anything for me today, Lord?
Something in your sack?
Some miracle for me Lord?
Something to bring my cheer back?

I don’t want to dig all my life, Lord,
Don’t want to dig and hew
Don’t want to labor for the taskmaster, Lord,
Isn’t there anything you can do?

I owe my life to the government, Lord
And the banks stole it all away
I never agreed to sell my freedom, Lord
I never gave it away

Find me where I am working, Lord
Kuz they won’t let me stop
Find me where I am slaving, Lord
Working on the job

I’ll be digging for your glory, Lord
I’ll be digging for Love
I’ll be telling my story, Lord
And dreaming of heaven above

May all your dreams be peaceful and happy,
Even if your life is less cooperative.

Some Bible Quotes on Baptism

Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and [with] fire:

Mark 1:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Mark 1:8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

Luke 3:16 John answered, saying unto [them] all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

John 1:26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;

John 1:33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

Peace,

LE

Justice and Mercy

We are called to do justice, show mercy
This calling requires great strength
Wringing our hands will help no one
We must both speak loudly and act
Words without actions mean little
Oppression ignores empty words
We are called to do justice, show mercy
We must not be silent and still

The Grace of Baptism

I like baptism
I like the gathering of the community
I like the approach, the welcoming of the candidates
I like the blessing of the water
I like the vows taken by and for the candidates
I like the ritual of washing
I like the symbolism of immersion
I like the unity of the body of Christ in the church.

But baptism is a peculiar thing
We do it once
We do it for others
And not for ourselves

Baptism is the Rubicon of Christianity
Once done, we have crossed over
We belong
We are sealed as belonging to Christ

Baptism is a sacrament to many Christians

An outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.

The sign is the wetting, the bathing, the annointing, ...and the grace?

The grace is the forgiveness of sins available to the repentant Christian through Jesus Christ.

And perhaps this is the forgotten beauty of baptism: not its celebration of becoming a member of the body, not the spiritual vows made to actively seek to turn from evil, -these are outward signs- but the initial recognition that we are all in need of perfection, that we all have stumbled, that we all need forgiveness, and that in particular the candidate is recognizing his or her errors, and is formally repenting and seeking forgiveness.

And perhaps this is what Jesus brought to baptism that it did not have before: the authority to say:

"Rise and walk, for your sins are forgiven you."

Rise and walk, and if you stumble, pick yourself up, and walk again.

May you, dear reader, also Rise and Walk

Peace,
LE

frosty filigree

A fantastic frosty filigree has silently decorated my window while I slept.

Now the sun catches the twisting tiny twirls of tinsel that have grown there, sparkling and glinting as if dotted with diamonds.

I am glad that I am inside to enjoy the beauty in a warm place.

May you have a warm place to shelter in your cold days also.

After The Fifth Psalm

Hear my cry, O Lord
May my sighs arouse your mercy
Hear me, help me Lord
Let my morning prayer incite you

Evil is not of you
You overturn all it's schemes
You expose it's lies
It cannot abide your judgement

Killers you bring down
Decievers are reduced to shame
Their sins are exposed
You abhor them and bring them down

But the good you love
And the repentant they are blessed
Welcomed to your house
Worshiping you in your temple

Lead me O my Lord
Lead me in your great righteousness
Straightly in your paths
Help me to walk in your favor

My foes surround me
They lie constantly against me
Declare them guilty
Let their intrigues be their downfall.

Against you they rebel
But let your servants find great joy
All your faithful, bless
Let those who love you sing for joy

God blesses the good
God sheilds them within his strong wings
They pray not in vain
Their souls lie safe within his hand