Celebrate 5

New life bursting forth

Like Lazarus from his tomb,

Goodbye to death's stink.

(Photo: Taken today on our back porch. 

Haiku inspired by the sermon given today by Pastor Alina Gayeuski)

Laugh with us

Laugh with us!

I remember my grandfather's laugh and how his eyes would twinkle,
    his belly would quake a little, and his cheekbones would get rosy
It was almost a giggle and even though he's gone
I can still hear him laugh.

He was a serious man at times, thinking deep thoughts about the injustices of the world
Or reflecting on scripture
Or caring for someone in need,
But, he never forgot to laugh.

It's his laugh that sticks with me.

Somehow, that's what I think heaven will be like -
The sound of laughter, like music, falling off our lips
Joyful to be with one another, a happy reunion,
"Why, look who's here!"

You only have to look at pictures of others laughing
To suddenly find yourself smiling a little, too!

Laugh with us
Help us not to take our lives, ourselves so seriously all the time.
Help us to remember the wonderful gift of life you have given us,
The way that it sparkles
And dances in our hearts
And in our eyes
In the deep, full wells of our very being.

Bubbling up
In laughter!

Laugh in us
   Laugh through us
       Laugh with us!

Freeing Us

Freeing us

Arms outstretched and releasing,
being vulnerable,
facing life with gusto
(without fear),
knowing we are loved
even when we fail.

Life is ahead of us
in more ways than one:
We open up our arms
to let go, to be free
so that we can embrace
that which is
life-giving.

You!
You make it possible:
Your own arms outstretched,
letting go of life
to gain life
for
us.

There you are
on a cross.
Freeing us.

Sidewalk Mindfulness

Sidewalks can teach you things.

Each panel, different in some way
     Cracked, split open
     Cracked with fillings to prevent further cracking
Pock-marked with holes from the size of dimes to half dollars

Dark tiles
     Cream colored tiles
Smooth
     Rough
      Clean
         Dirty
Some with stones poking through
     Grass growing between the tiles - or maybe a dandelion
Power washed with some missed patches
Littered with stones,
     mowed grass,
            pieces of gum,
                  twigs,
                       bird droppings

A panel with a gutter running across it, smoothly indenting it
     Corners dipping down to make sidewalks accessible
           Sheered tops that make for uneven walking
Dual purpose panels serving as entry ways to driveways
An occasional chalk drawing
     or a pattern for hopscotch etched in cement.

And in the sidewalk, I see pieces of myself
   and metaphors for my life.

This is what sidewalk mindfulness teaches me:
Whatever the stuff is that I walk through day to day,
The path still leads me home.

Whatever the stuff is that I walk through in life,
I am still on the path
    with God
        who is leading me
Home.

Broken

In church today, we heard the story of Ezekiel and the dry bones - and we heard the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

These stories make me think about what is dead or broken in our world - and what needs breath, new life. Our world is upside down:

• The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer; most of our leaders seem to be bought by corporations. Our world is being run by self-interest rather than love and care for our neighbor. Some believe that if we don't tax the wealthy some of that money will trickle down to those in need. But, that's not the case. Why do so many of us believe this anyway?
• I think of what we have done to our oceans in the past year alone. The explosion of the oil rig sent millions if not billions of gallons of oil into the ocean, killing off wildlife. Who knows what the effects of all the radioactive waste that has been dumped into the ocean off the coast of Japan will do to creatures that depend on the ocean for life. Our greed and refusal to change our lifestyles is affecting the way we treat our planet.
• We are driven by our fears and anxieties which leads us to distrust those who we perceive as being different from us. So, there are some who fabricate stories about our president and his place of birth. There are some have rifles pointed at immigrants trying to make their way into this country.

In an earlier blog I stated that I have hope because I "know how it will all end." In the end, all things will be made whole. I believe that with my whole heart. In the meantime - with one foot in this earthly kingdom and one foot in God's kingdom - it's difficult  to be patient sometimes. It feels as though we are on a large, fast moving ship heading for an abyss.

Can we turn the ship around somehow?

"Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications....I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope." (From Psalm 130)

Unbound

"The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth, Jesus said to them,, 'Unbind him, and let him go.'" John 11:44




Unbind us
From whatever holds us back:
Our fears,
   selfishness,
       lack of self confidence
            skepticism.

Let us go
To share with others
How you have freed us,
   given us new hope,
       healing,
           life!

Bones

Thus says the Lord go to these bones: "I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live." Ezekiel 37:5









A sign of aging ~
These weary bones
Ache
As I slowly rise from
The chair in which I sit
Or my bed
It takes awhile
To get moving.

A few deep breaths,
Some stretching,
I am moving again.
I am ready to live this day.

A sign of aging ~
These weary bones
Complain
As it fears the change
Or as it feels despair
Are we dying, dying?
Consumable
Church.

It requires the Holy Spirit
And the effort of stretching
To move again.
To live.