Isaiah 43:1, 4

I have called you by name, you are mine … you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.

To the little girl,

standing in the open field,

just before sunset,

staring into the golden sky

and calling out with a strength

only seen in pure love,

calling out the name

of a lost dog, a lost puppy,

a lost friend and companion.

The day is over.

It’s time to come home.

Come home.

To the mother

standing on the front porch.

The sky is dark now,

the porch light hums,

drawing the moths in

with its song, and here

the mother stands

and whispers the name

of that child, her child,

the one who’s now minutes late.

Come home.

To the woman,

making her trip to the tomb,

her daily trip and alone,

keeping watch, keeping vigil,

for what possible reason

others scoff, but she comes

because of grief, because of love,

and she closes her eyes

and says his name and when

she does he lives a little still

there in her heart, taking breath.

Come home.

He calls us by name.

He knows us like no other.

We are precious to Him.

We are loved by Him.

We are His and He is ours.

We belong to each other.

And He will not rest.

And He will not forget.

He will wait for us,

for eternity if necessary.

He will wait for us

to say His name,

and then come on home.

Amen.

2 Timothy 4:17

But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.

Lord, when

I am tired,

and when

I am too weak

to my lift my head,

I pray, Lord,

for this simple thing,

for just enough

strength to open

my eyes and behold

Your magnificent presence.

Just a moment,

Lord, is all I need.

Just a moment,

for Your love to fill

my vision and flood

my heart, soul and mind.

Just a moment,

for You to become

my vision and infuse

me with the strength to hold

back the ocean tide,

the strength to stand against

the wind and ride out

the storm there on the mountaintop. 

Transform me

from the one caught

inside the lion’s mouth,

to now the lion itself.

Fill my lungs

with Your Spirit, Lord,

and then listen to me roar.

Amen.

Isaiah 44:22

I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud,

    and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.

Come home.

All is forgiven.

This is the Lord,

our God,

the Father,

the Mother,

the Parent,

standing on the front porch,

waiting for those headlights

to appear down the road.

The night grows chilly,

but God remains,

with tears in His eyes

and a longing in His heart,

waiting for us,

waiting to hold us

in His arms once more.

Did you know this?

Did you know that God

longs for you?

Did you know that He

aches for you?

That He dreams of you?

And did you know this?

God has never left you.

He is with you now,

standing beside you,

laughing with you,

weeping with you.

He has never left you.

You have never been abandoned.

You see, this is the lie

that sin tells you,

that you are not worthy,

that you have failed,

that you are irredeemable,

that God wants nothing

to do with you.

Sin blinds you to God’s presence.

Sin deafens you to God’s call.

Sin binds you and holds you back,

whenever God reaches out

to draw you nearer to Him.

But He has never left you.

He is just waiting for you to see,

for you to push sin aside

and see Him, there, arms open.

God is home.

Amen.

2 Corinthians 4:16

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

Renew me, Lord.

Restore me.

Lay Your hand upon me

and make in me,

all things new.

Remind me, Lord,

that I still have a heart.

Fill my heart

with Your love.

Fill my heart

with Your light.

Fill me, Lord,

with Your Holy Spirit.

Fill me to overflowing.

Years pass.

Time ticks away

and counts each second lost.

We age and grow older,

but on the inside,

in that space we share

with Your spirit, Lord,

each tick on that clock

is a second gained,

not a second lost,

as we are renewed

continuously in Your presence.

Renew me, Lord.

Renew us.

Restore us.

Fill us with Your light

and love so we may live,

so that that which is Holy

within us, may live.

Amen.

Romans 12:12

Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.

Psalm 98:4

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
    burst into jubilant song with music.

Rejoice!

Rejoice in Hope!

Rejoice in all things Holy.

Rejoice in all Holy Places.

Rejoice in every step taken

on this Holy Ground.

Rejoice!

And take off your shoes.

Let your feet sink into

the earth and allow yourself

to connect to the presence,

to the echo still sounding,

still humming and singing

out God’s first Holy words

of command and creation.

Rejoice!

And take a moment to breathe.

Close your eyes and breathe.

Take a breath and then exhale.

Take a breath and then give it back.

Release the air inside you

and feed the world even as

the breath of God fills and feeds you.

Rejoice!

Rejoice and be patient.

Rejoice in the waiting,

in the aching and the longing

you feel just before sunrise.

Rejoice in emptiness.

Rejoice in loss.

Now there is room to be filled.

Rejoice!

Rejoice and speak.

Yes!  Lift up your voice

and shout for joy to the Lord.

Let all the earth hear you sing.

Let all the earth hear you praise.

Let all the earth hear you pray

to the God of gods who loves us all.

Rejoice!

Amen.

Proverbs 23:18

Surely there is a future,

    and your hope will not be cut off.

In the midst of loss,

in the midst of grief,

when our spirits feel empty

and our hearts hollow,

when love is lost,

and faith is bruised,

there remains always,

there at the bottom,

after the onslaught and

the soul-wrenching agony—

in the opening

of Pandora’s box—

there remains … Hope,

and in that Hope,

a guarantee,

a promise for a future

to be lived in,

a future to be filled in,

a future to be loved in,

a future for you,

God’s beloved.

Amen.

James 4:8

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

Good morning,

won’t you join Me

here beneath the trees?

Quiet now and listen.

That hush you hear

is the butterflies

gossiping about last night.

Here, sit here,

and I will show you

how the spider prays,

there on the labyrinth

she spins into her web.

Draw near to Me

and I will show you

the birth of the universe

in a single dandelion seed,

charting its course

in the currents

of a summer wind.

Draw near to Me

and I will draw near to you

and when you look at Me,

when you truly see Me,

when we look at each

other eye to eye,

you will find both

your own reflection

and every answer to

the mysteries of life.

If you stay with Me,

for just a moment,

I will reveal the secret

hidden within your soul,

the treasure map

I buried inside you

before you were born.

Draw near to Me

and I will fill you

with an infinite

and unending love.

Amen.