Saturday, November 28, 2020

Under His Big Top



The circus of my life,

It’s a trapeze act,

Holding on to Jesus. 


He’s got a tight grip on me,

And we are flyin’ !!!


Then, the degree of difficulty increases. 

I reach for my wife, my kids, 

their families, work and projects. 


My grasp is weak. 

I need more strength!

It’s slippery. 

I fear a misjudgment. 

Somebody’s gonna fall?!?


As we sail overhead,

I pray for His net beneath us.

I can’t always see it,

But I know it’s there.


Amen.


Graphic credit

Saturday, October 24, 2020

Pax Electio

I have way too much anxiety over this election. I’ve tried social media and news sabbaths, but it isn’t very helpful. Maybe writing and praying about it will engender some election peace!?! I admit (with some reluctance) that my views could be misguided, but I’m confident that prayer is the ultimate prescription.


Lord of the nations, 

Lord of our governors,


I need to shed this election stress. Chill.


Donald Trump could win re-election. It’s so close. Even if Joe Biden prevails, there could be a drawn out recount and protracted legal challenges. There might be violent protests. We are navigating a rough sea.


I need to trust You. That doesn’t mean my preferred outcome is assured. But I have a navigator, even a life vest, for the tempest.


My lament:


I’m disappointed for my country. I was raised on a benign version of American Exceptionalism. That notion has been trashed by President Trump, obsequious legislators and the agitated cult that forms his base. Politics has devolved to a ruthless struggle for power. Principles, policy and service matter little. Truth is malleable - no longer virtuous. Nationalism and white supremacy have gone mainstream, teased from the shadows by our president. The US has become a pluralistic society, but the old guard resists. Hopefully, this election represents their last stand, but the struggle could last for another generation. In my darker moments, I worry that it might not end well. There are so many - too many - guns in our bedside tables and car consoles. 


My hope:


I pray that America’s commitment to “justice for all” comes to equal her love of liberty. For people of color. With sexual and gender identity. In healthcare and immigration. With COVID recovery that means attention to low wage workers, small business and the setbacks in public education. And let’s find common ground around creation care and the violence that besets us with a meaningful response to climate change and gun control. This nation has been greatly blessed. May we respond with a renewed spirit of global benevolence and leadership.


My gripes. My aspirations. I must mentally kneel and place all of this on your altar. It’s so much bigger than me (and my social media accounts.) Be patient. Keep the faith. Politicians, governments and nations are in your hands. 


Lord Christ, you are my sovereign. You reign. Amen!


*  *  *  *


I wrote this during the 2012 campaign: “My hope is not in a party, its platform or candidates. I place my hope in you: your word, your promises, your power, your presence.” I need to be reminded of that - constantly - as election day nears. 


Explore other prayers on politics and justice.


Saturday, September 12, 2020

Christ in Everything, Everyone

I share the results of a recent exercise in prayer from Fr. Richard Rohr:

Lectio divina (Latin for sacred reading) is a contemplative way of reading, praying, and taking a long, loving look at Scripture or some other text. 


In lectio divina, God teaches us to listen for and seek God’s presence in silence. The text for this lectio practice is from my book The Universal Christ:


“A mature Christian sees Christ in everything and everyone else.” 




Holy Spirit,


(I) Help me to see Christ in everything.


This comes easily,

Especially in nature,

In a flower, a critter, a landscape.


And I’ve worked on gratitude.

It begets optimism,

And a glass that’s usually half full.

I can find an upside in most downsides.

Praise God!



Holy Spirit,


(II) Help me see Christ in everyone else.


A baby’s breath. A grandchild’s hug. 

I sense it. I feel it.

With family, a good friend, colleagues, 

Ditto!


But then, the degree of difficulty grows,

With different people,

With difficult people.


I’m inclined to turn away,

To turn them off.


I need to look for, dig for, 

that essence of God in EVERYONE!

Improve my connectivity and bandwidth,

With more patience,

With more heart.

Help me Jesus!


Amen.


Graphic credit

Monday, June 1, 2020

Listening to Pentecost




Lord Christ,

I’m wondering if we miss the message or meaning of Pentecost. It’s not about the rushing wind and tongues of fire. It’s not about speaking in tongues. It’s not even about a sudden proficiency with foreign languages.

These miraculous happenings obscure the real significance of Pentecost:

That the Holy Spirit enabled diverse peoples to understand one another!

That it wasn’t so much about speaking as it was about listening!

O that your Spirit would come upon us, rest powerfully upon us, that we would become better listeners, that we would better understand one another...with a heightened empathy.

Then, with fresh insights and new friends, inspire us to a noble and holy cause.

Amen.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Extreme Makeover: Heaven & Earth


And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, 'Look, God's home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them.'" (Revelation 21:2-3)


I read and greatly enjoyed Jon Meacham’s The Hope of Glory during Lent, especially a few pages (p 87-88) on the meaning of “life after death” that resonate with me. 

He quotes Anglican Bishop N.T. Wright:
Heaven, in the Bible, is not a future destiny but the other hidden dimension of our ordinary life - God’s dimension, if you like. God made heaven and earth; at the last he will remake both and join them together forever. 

And from Meacham:
The earth is not a temporary place that will disappear on the last day. It will, rather, merge with heaven, which means “God’s space.” Therefore, one should neither need nor want a ticket out of the created order into an ethereal realm. One should instead be hard at work making the world godly and just.

My prayer:

Lord Christ,
Give me appreciation
for the mystery...

I have this notion
of two realms,
the world we perceive:
our concept of time and space,
what our senses reveal.

And the Kingdom of God:
the garden, perfection,
God’s presence manifest,
100%, 24x7.
Heaven!?!

Occasionally,
these realms overlap.
It’s a grace
of your spirit. 
Liminal things.

Most often,
they are separated 
by a thick concrete wall.
The Kingdom of God
can seem
impenetrable. 

But truly,
the barrier 
is merely a veil, 
a mist. 

I have another notion,
both theological 
and practical,
that your resurrection 
set in motion the joining 
of these two realms,
of heaven and earth.

While we wait
for the consummation,
I would prefer
to spend more time 
in the Kingdom of God,
reaching for it,
working for it.

So...what small part 
can I play this day
in uniting heaven 
and earth?

Amen. 


A relevant sermon from Day1:
The Rev. Dr. R. Leigh Spruill
St. George's Episcopal Church, Nashville, TN

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Emmaus Mash-up


Here’s a prayer mash-up from two of my Sunday morning readings, and St. Luke’s account of Jesus’ post resurrection appearance along the road to Emmaus.



Join me, Jesus,
on my road to Emmaus.
I want to tell others about you,
the resurrection story
and resurrection living.

Walk with me, Jesus.
I need your support,
your inspiration.
Our fellow travelers
don’t look like me,
live like me,
believe like me,
vote like me.

And then you shout to them:
Come to me all you who want to belong, and I will give you a table to sit around. Come to me all you who feel disconnected. Come to me all you who are lonely, cut off, rejected, and marginalized. Come to me. Come home. Come be part of the family that I want to share with you.

Open my eyes, Jesus,
to the scriptures,
to your spirit,
to open my arms, 
my heart.

Amen.

Monday, March 23, 2020

Falling...UP!


As I ease into retirement, I am reading Fr. Richard Rohr’s Falling Upward

Per Rohr (and Carl Jung), there are two halves to a lifetime. Most of our concern in the first half of life is about rising, achieving, accomplishing, performing.*
And in the second half there’s is a shift to spiritual development. Most of us tend to think of the second half of life as largely about getting old, dealing with health issues, and letting go of life, but the whole thesis of this book is exactly the opposite. What looks like falling down can largely be experienced as "falling upward." In fact, it is not a loss but somehow actually a gain, as we have all seen with elders who have come to their fullness.*

You can recognize a second half of life person is by a kind of inner outpouring, a kind of inner generativity. They're not guarded. They're not overly self-protected. They're looking for ways to give themselves away, because they're now living out of their abundance, and they find that it's an overflowing wealth.*

That’s aspirational for me. I have much inner work to do! A recent funeral inspired some hope-full thoughts about the seasons of life.

(*) Italicized excerpts from amazon.com, Q&A with the Author


lord of life’s seasons

at a funeral
in my hometown
with friends 
from thirty-five years ago

recalling propitious times
the launching pad 
for family and career
and a wonderful church family

my self-diagnosis
acute nostalgia
if only I could rewind time

those memories
i’m reminded
were from the first act
the curtain now rises on a second

and the funeral scripture
a time to weep and a time to laugh
a time to mourn and a time to dance
(ecclesiastes 3:4)

surely there will be weeping 
and mourning
but there is more laughter 
and dancing to come

meanwhile
in the sunlit church courtyard
a cohort of grandchildren
chasing and racing 
toward a bright future 

to every thing there is a season
and a time to every purpose 
under heaven
(ecclesiastes 3:1)

amen

Thursday, March 12, 2020

Elijah’s Blessing


Pandemic fears realized, a severe stock market plunge, family travails. It has been a faith-challenging week. 

Studying 1 Kings, I find comfort today in the chapter nineteen story of Elijah’s flight from Queen Jezebel. In fear, Elijah is running for his life, but I hear a blessing in this drama.


For those in a gale or earthquake or fire,
For the fearful and exhausted and despairing,

Hear God’s gentle whisper. 

Notice the angels, 
Discover friends, 
Accept their help.

Find support and comfort and restoration.

May this blessing become your truth. Amen. 

Graphic credit

Friday, February 21, 2020

Vision in the Haze


Some people are so clear on their communication with God. I used to feel inadequate. Now I’m wary. Revelation should be the result of discernment...and downright wrestlin’. 

For example, the current intersection of politics and faith in America is choking on certitude but totally lacking discernment. 

In reading about Moses theophanies in Exodus - the burning bush, the Ten Commandments - I realized that when Moses talked with God there was smoke and fog. Even though he heard the voice of God, I’m thinking there was greater discernment required than the Bible stories suggest. After all, Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai (and Jesus was forty days in the wilderness.)

Biblical imagery for our cloudy vision varies. There’s a veil, mist, smoke, clouds, sometimes fire. Discernment requires cogitation. (I really like that word.) And while we cogitate our foremost prayer isn’t necessarily for answers. It’s for God’s illuminating, reassuring presence. 

Come near to God and he will come near to you. (James 4:8)



Creator God,

I want guidance,
a clear path.
You beckon from the mist.
Ambiguity persists.
Yet your presence 
is more than sufficient.

I want answers,
vision in this haze.
But you ask me to wait,
to cultivate patience 
and trust.
And your presence  
is more than sufficient.

I want a mountaintop high,
exhilarating, joyous.
But you come in a cloud
with calm and peace.
Your presence 
is more than sufficient.

Amen!


My prayer was inspired by a Steve Garnaas-Holmes (unfoldinglight.net) devotion in Disciplines:

Sometimes the clearest revelation we receive is that God walks with us in the dark, and we hear God breathing next to us. God offers no words, no thoughts, no stone tablets. Just a loving presence. And even in the dark that is enough.

Even as I seek God’s light to guide me, I pray for the faith to trust the mystery of God’s presence when the way is clouded and when the revelation itself is a mystery...


Photo: Clouds over the Blue Ridge Parkway, Blowing Rock NC

Friday, January 24, 2020

Lead Us Not Into Temptation



Five-minute Bible Study | Luke 4 
Commentary (Scripture Union)  


Lord Christ,

The things I chase 
You rejected 

Tempted with wealth
Influence and renown 
You chose a simple 
Itinerate life 
Teaching and healing 

That proved powerful 
Celebrity followed 
You didn’t monetize 
You didn’t mobilize 

Isaiah’s scroll 
Revealed your call 
The poor, oppressed 
Imprisoned and blind 
Figuratively or literally 
No matter 

I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God... 
Luke 4:43 

Will I embrace your call? 
It matters
Amen

Another prayer about the Temptation story.

Artwork credit