Meditation: My Shepherd Is The Lord
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
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.
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
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
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
God of my strength
Answer my call!
You sheltered me
When I was hurt
Be kind to me
And hear my prayer
I am Ashamed
Held in contempt
Truth matters not
When men seek lies
Raise me back up
Save me from shame
My God has set
His folk apart
He hears our cry
When we suffer
Hard times should not
Cause us to sin
Stop, pray and think
Pause and reflect
Do what is right
Before the Lord
These times are hard
And long and cruel
O that we might
See better times!
But shine upon
Us Lord and God
And we will be
Glad beyond cause
I will lie down
And sleep in peace
God guards my soul
God gives me peace
In my dream we were planning the funeral of a good friend, someone we loved a lot.
We were just getting started, gathering around a large table.
Family and friends were there, and around the table there were several who did not feel wlecome, or worthy to sit, and we were encouraging them to do so.
There was room for all.
And once we settled, and had started discussing, we realized a funny man was behind us...
...painting huge Easter eggs on the picture window that was there.
Even funnier, he didn't paint from his imagination, which you might think he would with such a simple subject. Instead, he had a friend who was arranging and holding large colorful Easter eggs so that he could paint them 'from life', draping fabric about them, and positioning them just so.
We talked about the two of them, and thought they were just a bit crazy.
But upon waking, I am not so sure.
In your times of mourning may you find moments of outrageous Easter.
LE
We are born in pain, and its sharp claws prod us throughout our lives. They are never far away. Pain helps us to learn how to stay healthy, how to avoid harm. But at the end of our journey, pain seems worthless. When there is nothing to be done, when no cure will suffice, pain can be an unbearable burden that must be carried anyway. And so we bear it. We share it with Christ, whose capacity for pain knows no bounds, we distract ourselves, we hang on for one more moment. Perhaps we yell, pound our fists, even go a little mad.
Soon, soon, the cool waters will come, the baptismal waters will return, lapping higher, taking away the pain, washing you clean, submerging you in the comfort of Christ. And you will rise, dry, and clothed in white robes of love, ready to join the feast of the lamb.
Today is painful, today is hard, today there is still a race to run, a struggle to be finished; but tomorrow is swiftly coming, when the bridegroom will take your hand and lead you to the great city where you will join in the great marriage feast, where you will dine on true food, and quench your thirst with living waters.
And then, together with those who have gone before and those who come after, you will take up the great song, the masterwork that creates, encourages and binds. And you will have true joy as you have never known it.
May you find your peace in the Lamb
When you wake in the night
Think to greet your God
Who is there in the quiet
To ignore him seems odd
Perhaps in the dim
Is a good time to pray
When the loud and the din
Are all put away
Raise a word to the Lord
With the small and the meek
With the chirping of crickets
With the little bat's squeak
Perhaps God will hear you
A bit better at night
And bless you, and heal you
And make things all right
And I pray that each person
Who finds they awake
Is blessed and healed
From trouble and ache
And I thank you, dear Lord
For answering my prayers
In the few minutes I sat up
And told you my cares
And now to my nest
I retire again
Bid Adeu to the night
And turn off my brain
Peace and Love to You who Know the Wee Hours as Well as Those who Greet the Day
LE
Dear Friends
Please do not spend this day in anger.
Do not spend it in foolishness.
Do not forget those who have gone before.
Do not forget that there is still much evil out there.
Be watchful and careful.
Care for those who are hurting.
Protect the helpless.
Create peace, as much as possible by being peaceful.
Share Faith
Share Hope
Share Love
And may you be filled with the peace of God, which passes all understanding.
LE
We don't often talk in the waiting places.
Doctor's offices, train stations, elevators...
The places we wait for something to happen.
We just wait and our life spins by.
Some are quiet out of politeness,
Some because they are shy,
And some to keep the peace.
Fate, work, travel, sickness, life... have gathered you together here, but your minds, your hearts are miles away.
But some speak with the spirit, if they know you or not:
"Good Morning!", they say, with an intonation that shows they are wishing it for you all.
And your spirit rises in you, and you say "Good Morning!" back, and suddenly there is a community together in the waiting place;
people together; and sharing a few words.
And the glow from that brief friendly moment colors the next moment, and the next.
Good Morning!
Bless You!
God Be With You!
...Seems as if He arrived while you were speaking; thank you for inviting Him.
God Be With You All!
LE
Above the trees
A hawk wheels screaming
Against the azure sky
Where cloud-dragons twist and coil
About my feet
The chipmunks skitter
The sky darkens with evening
The hawk finds its nest
The cloud-dragons are gone
The chipmunks settle in their burrows
The dog barks
And appears with his owner for a walk.
Bunnies appear
Cautious and quiet
Ears atwist
Evening birds sing
A bat swoops by
I poke the fire and sparks fly up
Fireflies blink
Stars peek
Peace soaks in
May peace and joy surround you
Are you awake?
And if you are awake, do you see?
And seeing, do you speak?
And what manner of speech?
Are you welcoming or hard?
Available or distant?
Helpful or not helpful?
Do you note those around you who are hurt?
Those who are regularly put down, insulted, excluded, assaulted? The ones you see being harmed?
And if you did notice, would you offer them a word of comfort? Some direction? A hand of assistance? Or do you stand coldly with those who do the harm?
Remove your steel gauntlets.
Take off your armor.
Put up your barbed helmet.
Pull off your hob-nailed boots.
Wash yourself, cleanse your face, your eyes, your ears, your skin, and be clean;
Annoint yourself with scented oils;
Don soft garments for gentle interactions;
Silken slippers and gloves.
We are about the business of love,
And steel will not serve you today.
I saw the girl-fox again today
She went dancing overhead
While I was sitting in traffic.
She on a railroad trestle
Me on the road
She in the wild that is so closely knit
With the roads and parking-lots and shops of suburbia.
Knowing foxes, I know her schedule.
I know that when I was rolling over for another 30 'Z's, another 20 winks,
She had already been up for an hour and a half.
I used to keep a schedule like hers, you see,
And daily meet one of her cousins a couple hours before sunrise.
At another railroad crossing,
Many miles from here.
Funnily enough, my train will take me in the direction she was headed,
As she set off for perhaps her third time already this morning.
But I still had to wait for my train;
The rails heating up and expanding in the warm sun,
The wooden ties creaking and clicking in response,
While song-birds fill the air with their music,
And the breeze shifts the grasses.
Today the train is late.
And that's just fine.
Almost hidden, glinting faintly below the trees, under the bar-berry bush and the rabbits-foot fern, the still stream glistens, small wildflower-petals dotting its surface.
It moves silently through the marshy woods, its bed richly robed in the blackened leaves of last season, each leaf in turn covered with a fuzzy-looking blanket of light brown decay.
No noise makes the stream in this part of its journey, as its waters glide very slowly along. Nothing moves this quiet morning to stir its bed.
Each place in this world has its own peculiar beauty. Every spot is filled with Light. Each small place finds its own way to show forth the awe we share.
Take some time to worship in the silent manner of this stream.
May we may find many such moments of peace in our lives.
I was traveling back to New Jersey from the New York City area late this evening, and as I came across the George Washington Bridge, along route 95 and then 80, it struck me that somehow this bit of road was a bit like a worn old pair of corduroys.
Worn smooth in some places, patched in others;
Comfortably out of style, with its pink and green Marcal Paper Products sign, and its cylindrical Holiday Inn.
And comfortable in how many times it has taken me home, along with thousands and millions of others, rolling home, year after year, to lives that changed radically over time.
As if to rub it in, the radio started playing Chuck Mangione’s “Give it All you Got” from, what was it? 1970-something. Remember those Olympics? Lake Placid? Long time ago now.
My life is like that. Patched, worn smooth in places. Holes in it where it doesn’t really work right anymore, where you can see layers of something that came before underneath. Funny, half-remembered bits and preserved things that don't really make sense anymore patched in or poking through.
Probably your life is like this too, and if it isn’t, it probably will be.
That is one of the wonderful things about life though, like corduroys and asphalt, it takes patching well, and can take you to places you never imagined, while staying kind of plain and ordinary every step of the way.
May you all, when you look at your life, see it as less worn out, and more worn in, broken in, and comfortable, and may you find many friends and angels among your fellow travelers, friends who appreciate a comfortable old corduroy kind of a life.
Share truth
Create peace
Give space
Make time
Be good
Share truth, because truth is the coin of wisdom, the river that life swims in, and the raw material of civilization.
Create peace, because noise, enimity, and war are poison to thought, care, and life
Give space, because space is the dwelling place of dignity and honor, and food for the spirit.
Make time, because within moments of time are found infinities that can be turned powerfully to the service of light.
Be good, because in being good, you instantiate God.
Snow covers this morning in my little town.
It hides a good quantity of minor suburban lawn-sins.
The boy's toy truck abandoned in the back yard becomes a small white mound,
The Christmas tree awaiting use in a campfire next year becomes a larger hummock,
Places where fallen twigs needed picking up, or where chipmunks and beetles have ruined bits of lawn are totally hidden away.
Each groundskeeping sin is covered by pure robes of snow, whiter than any Earthly fuller could bleach.
It is with joy that I report that, like my minor suburban groundskeeping crimes, our personal and corporate sins can similarly be covered, forgiven, and hidden away.
And how is this possible, when the ones you sinned against are resolute against you, or long lost, in perhaps many ways?
It is only possible as we all belong to God, and any real crimes committed against each other belong, in the end, to our loving God, who is as broad as creation and as patient as eternity. Seek forgiveness from those you have harmed, if possible, and make peace, but also, bring your sins to God's throne, and you will receive the peace of God.
Lent is coming
I am hoping
To de-trash-ify my life
Lent is coming
I am hoping
For a bit less strife
Lent is coming
I'll be thinking
How to keep things calm
Lent is coming
May it sooth us,
A peaceful Lenten balm
Lent is coming
Let's be quiet
Working towards the prize
Lent is coming
Let's keep looking
For Paschal suprise
Lent is coming
Let's be kinder
Nicer to each one
Lent is coming
Pray it heals us
By the time it's done
