Love

Who would have thought
That these two, with ideologies at the opposite end of the spectrum
Could be
Friends.
Philia.

Loving someone
Is difficult enough when it is someone one actually likes
And whose beliefs are similar to one's own.

But, to love those with whom we disagree or
Love those whose practices hurt those we truly love?
How is it possible?

How is it possible to love someone
Who wants to build walls instead of bridges?
How is it possible to love those whose hate
Is practiced through unspeakable violence?

Yet, there is Jesus
Telling us to love our neighbors as ourselves,
And calls upon us to love our enemies.
Easier said than done, Jesus.

But, maybe by loving our enemies
We see them as human, as children of God
And, maybe by loving our enemies
We can start a conversation
That opens the door
To better understanding.

Look to Jesus
Who risked it all
To love those who hated him.

Refuge

"Be to me a rock of refuge

A strong fortress, to save me,

For your my rock and my fortress."

I am woman fleeing the abuse of my husband.

(Be to me a rock of refuge)

I am a child who is bullied by my classmates.

(Be to me a rock of refuge).

I am the African American man pulled over by the police fifty times simply because I was driving while black.

(Be to me a rock of refuge).

I am the one who is living on the streets because I have mental illness and no money to pay for treatment.

(Be to me a rock of refuge).

I am the Syrian fleeing my war torn country trying to find a safe place to raise my children.

(Be to me a rock of refuge).

I am your child, God, living in a world that I don't understand, full of violence and hate.

(Be to me a rock of refuge).

God, my refuge is in you.

Even as I ask for sanctuary, 

Let me be a little light in this world

Offering safe harbor for those who need it.

Do not let me turn my backs on them

Out of fear for my personal safety 

Because you 

Are

My refuge, my home.

I need not fear.

Mighty

Perhaps those who would claim to be mighty
(or come across that way)
are not, in truth.
Maybe it is just something they hide behind
To make them appear to be bigger 
Than what they really are:
The fake wizard hiding behind the wall,
Insecure bullies, small-minded big mouths.
They are not mighty unless we allow them to be.

What of the ant that can lift one hundred times its own weight,
the distant sun which can burn so brightly it forces one to remove one's coat,
the written word,
the majestic symphony which rises from a few quiet notes,
the dreamers visions that start as small as the tiniest seed?

What may seem insignificant, subtle, or humble may very well be the mightiest of all.
Give me eyes to see and ears to hear, Creator, the mighty in the unexpected places.

Go

This is my memory.

I am standing by the back door of our old farmhouse with my parents who are getting ready to go somewhere and one of them says, "Let's go!" My brothers get their coats on and bound out the back door while I'm still standing there, whining, "Do I have to go?"

This didn't happen just once. There were many times my parents invited me to go somewhere with them and I would grumble, "Do I have to go?" When I was made to go, I have to admit (but never admitted to them) that I was glad I went. But,there were occasions when my parents left me off the hook and I could stay behind. However, when everyone returned, I heard all about their adventures and many times regretted the fact that I didn't join them. 

"Do I have to go?"

What I need to remember today is that wherever I go God is with me. Sometimes God calls me to take risks or try something new and while my impulse may be to plead, "Do I have to go?" I know that God will be there ahead of me, with me. That is a great comfort and gives me courage to go places I might not otherwise go.

Settle

How different my days would be
If I were to start each one settling into you, my God.
I might see with different eyes
Do the work that matters,
Feel less stress,
Reach out to those who are hurting and oppressed,
Be a better listener,
Make time to sing and dance and laugh,
And say thank you, thank you, thank you.

If I were to start each day
Settling into
You.

Celebrate

Children are invited to gather around 
the altar during the Great Thanksgiving. 

I must have grinned ear to ear along with those gathered around me when we witnessed the pastor, my husband, scoop up this child so that he could see what was happening at the altar. Every move the presiding pastor made, he watched intently. When it was time to pray, he folded his hands in prayer. When the pastor lifted her arms in blessing, he did the same.

Years ago, I served in a congregation where a clergy couple also served on the staff. Matthew, the child of this couple was just two years old, like this child, when he asked his mother while standing at the communion rail if he could "eat a blessing" like everyone else. This was during the days when only those who had been confirmed were permitted to partake of the Lord's Supper. But, Matthew's ability to verbalize what was happening around the table was spot on.

Eat a blessing. Drink a blessing.

It's a party of blessings to which Jesus invites us and all are welcome.

That is something to celebrate.

Injustice

injustice is a soul-sucking parasite
and not unlike a vine choking out life
as it insidiously
creeps,
      creeps,
           creeps along
see that writhing rot ooze through
the orifices and fingertips
of the fear-infested powerful ones
suffocating everything, everyone in its path
even the blind, self-centered perpetrators themselves
(oh, that wily vine)

We don't usually see injustice from this angle.

We only see its effects on those who suffer.

But, make no mistake,
Injustice strangles us all.

Come! Live in the light!
Shine with joy and the love of the Lord!
We are called to be light for the kingdom, 
To live in the freedom of the city of God.
We are called to act with justice,
We are called to love tenderly;
We are called to serve one another,
To walk humbly with God. 
     --David Haas

Look

"Hey mom!"

"Look at me! Look at me!"

I heard this familiar refrain many times when my sons were growing up. Always, always this phrase was shouted, repeated (at least twice) and full of enthusiasm, joy, and most always with pride. They cried out, "Look at me!"when they made goofy faces or when they accomplished something that they hadn't done before:

• riding a bike unassisted for the first time
• shouting from atop an eight foot high mound of snow that they managed to scale on their own
• doing some "trick" from the jungle gym

"Look at me! Look at me!"

I think, in the same way, God is calling out to us, but God beckons instead, "Look to me! Look to me!" because by looking to God, we will find our way when we get lost in this crazy "look at me" kind of world.

Voice

Which voice do you choose to hear?
Will it be the one shrill voice
That grates on the ear like fingernails on a chalkboard
Like scratches chiseling or a belching chant
Torturous
Noise for the sake of noise, without a tune
Those cacophonous clanging cymbals
The prima donna who hears only his or her own part
Missing the point entirely of what it means to truly make music
Or the hollow, empty voice
That draws one in like a black hole
Lost forever
Sucking us into the despairing void and away from all that is holy

No,
Give me the voice that calls me to harmonies
Soaring to the heights like incense
Rising, expanding, and rising again
Like the Brahms Requiem that moves me to tears
Voices listening to other voices
Calling on each other to be our better selves
Connecting and joining
Rising and falling
Moving ever toward the
One
Who calls, beckons, connects, welcomes
Give me ears to hear this Voice

Gather

Snowflakes
Gather, changing everything
Turning bleak forests into great beauty.

Stardust
Gathers, changing everything
Creating life in the form of you and me.

People
Gather, changing everything
Doing more together than one does apart.

There is wonder in the gathering
And the gathered
Through the One who Gathers.

and the Sacred Voice whispers,
"Be whole. Be whole."

Photo Faith Stories

This Lent, I am going to try my hand at combining a couple practices - photography and storytelling.

The United Methodist Church has in initiative called "Rethink Church" ('We think church is more than a place to go. We think church can happen anywhere.') During Lent, they provide a word each day on which to focus and reflect. Then those who participate in this practice take a photograph of an image that, for them,  reflects the meaning of the word.

Storytelling. I am presently engaged in helping people tell their faith stories, focusing on a particular theme such as "grace" or "forgiveness." I am convinced that the more we share our stories, the more we will see our connections with one another and to God.

What if I combine the two, using the word for the day to find a photograph and then tell a faith story (either witnesses or experienced) based on that word? I am up for the challenge.