The Word

Lord, You are

first the Word,

and that word

is a promise,

that Word

is a hope,

the same hope

nestled close

to Mary’s heart,

driving her to the tomb

that Sunday morning,

that same hope

that woke Peter’s soul,

that opened his eyes,

and sent him diving

off that fishing boat

to be with You, Lord,

that same hope

that walked the road

to Emmaus,

and later broke bread

with Your disciples,

that same hope

that looked Thomas

right in the eye.

You are the Word,

and that word

is a promise,

that word is love,

sealed with blood,

redeemed at sunrise,

and passed on

with the Holy Spirit

in fiery tongues.

You are the Word

that strengthens me

that holds me up

when I am weak.

You are the Word

speaking to me now

when I need to be lifted up.

Oh that You would be

that Word to me, always.

Amen.

Psalm 89:28

John 1:1

Those Holy Spirit Moments

This morning, for the first time in two months, I met my friend Laura at the labyrinth at Crossroads United Church of Christ.  It’s something that we usually do every Tuesday, faithfully, but because of the coronavirus, I have opted out recently.

But this morning, Laura and I were both there along with our friends Nancy and Corinne.  We stood more than six feet apart and as we walked the labyrinth together, three of us wore masks, and all of us gladly stepped out of the way when necessary to give each other space.

Social distancing is definitely a sacrifice.  It means giving up standing next to someone, giving someone a hug, or patting their arm.  It means getting out of the way.  It means, as Patrick Swayze once told Jennifer Grey, you do not go into someone’s dance space.

It means wearing a mask inside stores and continuing to wear a mask outside if you can’t keep six feet from someone.  It means glasses fogging up and struggles to breathe through the heavy cotton.  I’m beginning to think the perfect mask is the one I can’t breathe through.  Then I know that virus isn’t getting in.

Today, I was wearing a hat, sunglasses and a mask, as I walked the labyrinth, though I lowered the mask later as we chatted, many feet apart from each other.  As Nancy left, she told me how good it was to see me.  And I told her it was good to see her too if only her eyes.  And then I took off my sunglasses so she could see mine.

Social distancing is difficult.

It’s sacrifice.

It’s also love.  It’s Jesus-love.  It’s unconditional and it’s sacrificial.

After Nancy and Corinne left, Laura and I remained to talk for a while.  We were probably about ten feet from each other, standing in the shade on the sidewalk.

I was right in the middle of saying something when this hawk—Laura’s hawk, I call him because he has made the church his home and we’ve known him since he was a kid—but today, Laura’s hawk flew right between us.

I have never had a hawk fly so close to me, right at eye level.  That was how Laura and I knew we were keeping proper distance from each other, because as Laura pointed out that hawk’s wingspan was easily six feet.

It flew, like a sneak preview of Pentecost, a Holy Spirit moment and landed in the palm tree near the church.

Laura and I stood stunned.

I had goosebumps or “spirit bumps” you’ve heard me call them.

Laura took out her phone.  I took out mine and we started taking pictures of the hawk.  It was just such a precious and spirit-filled moment that I know all of us are lacking these days.

Please remember that your spiritual health and your emotional health are both so important, that these two things directly affect your physical health.  Take time to watch for the Holy Spirit.  Take time to watch for God’s presence. 

He is there.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Lord, is it possible

that the hibiscus knows

how beautiful it is?

Does it know how

artfully You dress it

with soft, pale pink petals,

veined with white lace,

this demure bride-to-be

who flutters about and hides

in shadows so as not to be seen

before her wedding day?

Does the hibiscus know

that the dew it collects

each morning, the tears

that it lets fall back

to the earth are precious,

enriching and giving life

and sustenance to the soil below?

Does the hibiscus know?

Does the spider who spins

her web, and threads the story

of her life around stems and leaves—

does she know?

Does the child know—

the girl who lingers,

who stays back even though

her mother and brothers

continue on their walk

without her—

does she know, this girl

who pauses for a moment

to smile at the beauty

of both flower and web

and the play of shadows,

flickering in the noonday sun—

does she know?

Does the hibiscus know?

Does the spider know?

Does the child know?

Do any of us really know, Lord?

That we are fearfully

and wonderfully made?

Amen.

Psalm 139:14

Psalm 89:5

Let Me Sing

The story behind the prayer is this … back when I was a teenager and spending a couple summers here in Florida with my grandparents, there were mornings after my grandmother had left for work and after my grandfather had left for … honestly I don't know … maybe errands … he always had a ton of errands … and I was alone in the house, after my shower, I would go into my bedroom, blow dry my hair and sing. My grandparents had old hymnals sitting on the shelf in my room and I would open them up and sing just about as loud as I could. Boy there was something freeing about singing those old hymns.

LET ME SING

Lord, let me sing for You.

Let me sing for You now,

the way I sang for You then,

when I was a child,

and fearless and innocent

and filled with nothing but joy,

as I reveled in Your presence.

Let me sing for You again,

the way I sang for You then,

when I closed my eyes

and poured forth my love

with words and song

that shook my spirit,

and left every inch

of me, sparking with

an electric anticipation.

Oh, how great thou art,

I sang in the morning

until my bedroom walls

pulsed, saturated with

an unfettered passion

that filled my room as surely

as the early morning sun

filled every corner, every

out of the way nook,

once hidden in shadow,

but now radiant in light

and a holy love for You.

Lord, I will sing

without shame.

I will smile through

every missed note,

through every crack

and wobble of my voice,

knowing that in Your ears,

every note of my love

is pitch perfect.

Lord, I will sing of my love.

I will sing of Your love.

I will sing of love this day

and all days, forever.

Amen.

Psalm 89:1

Let Me Thirst

Lord, from the moment, I awake,

from the moment I open my eyes

and slip from sleep,

and leave my dreams

to fade with the night,

fill me with need,

fill me with longing.

Let me turn to You and draw

strength from Your well,

a well filled with a living water

that never grows stagnant or stale.

Lord, if I am to be thirsty,

let me thirst only for You.

Lord, if I am to be hungry,

let me hunger only for You.

Lord, if I am to ache,

let my spirit ache for You.

Let my heart, hardened and scarred

from the battle, beat again

and find its rhythm in the hymns

of a Sunday morning choir.

Oh Lord, be so very gracious to me.

Amen.

Psalm 86:16

Metanoia

I will not be swept away

by the flood.

This storm will not tear me away

from my home.

I will not be lost in

the darkness.

I will endure.

I will pause.

I will stop for a moment.

And then, I will take a deep breath

and fill my lungs with the Holy Spirit,

and I will transform.

I will be transformed

by the storm.

I will not be broken forever.

I will rebuild.

You will rebuild.

God will build something new

in all of us,

because the storm will not defeat us,

but it will lay us bare,

and in that aerated, newly fertile soil,

God will plant the seeds of hope,

and feed and water what grows there

with healthy servings of faith and love.

We will grow something new

in our souls, an innocence

not seen since we left the Garden.

Oh Lord, work in us now.

Redeem us from the pit.

Restore us from the depths.

Pull us from the storm

and make us the souls

that You created us to be.

Amen.

Psalm 86:11

Agape

In the beginning was the Word

and the Word was with God

and the Word was God.

And the Word is God.

And God is love.

The Word is love

and love is the foundation

upon which the universe

was created.

The spinning galaxies,

the whirling and twirling storms

of stars, the black holes,

the explosion of constellations—

LOVE.

The earth, the volcanic, liquid

mass of fire and wrath and chaos,

cooled and settled and then still—

LOVE.

The sky, the clouds, the rain,

the dirt, the rocks, the worms

that dig their prayer labyrinths

under our feet—

LOVE.

And you and me, my friends,

our tears and our laughter,

our pain and our joy,

our beating hearts,

our worrying thoughts—

LOVE.

Lord, Your grace is sufficient,

because we were molded

and shaped and created

from Your hand, with Your love.

Amen.

John 1:1

2 Corinthians 12:9

Psalm 86:10