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