3.11.2012

Miracle


When the man asked
to be cured of his faulty speech, Jesus
touched his tongue, pressing his calloused forefinger
against its fleshy center. The man felt
words well within him, words
of the law and prophets; he felt
creatures swirling in his mouth, and when he opened
his lips, they soared like doves, their soft feathers
brushing his neighbors' ears, every word
perfectly clear and yet still
sounding like miracle, miracle, miracle.
**Lynn Domina
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Show Me The Place

The greatest among you must be a servant.
But those who exalt themselves will be humbled,
and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Matthew 23:11-12


Show me the place, where you want your slave to go
Show me the place, I’ve forgotten I don’t know
Show me the place where my head is bending low
Show me the place, where you want your slave to go


Show me the place, help me roll away the stone
Show me the place, I can’t move this thing alone
Show me the place where the Word became a man
Show me the place where the suffering began
***Leonard Cohen
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The Fragile and the Suffering

Matthew 19:30




Widow
Prodigal
The fragile
Legion
Lost
Beggar
The suffering
Meek
Poor

You are losers no more.
Come share your Master’s joy..


For
Many of the first will be last
and
Many of the last shall be first

..
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In the Name of Love

Jesus was asked a question,
“Should we pay taxes to the oppression?”
Jesus always being broke
Asked for a coin from the folk.
Then He asked “Whose face is on this bling?”
All replied, “ You know- the king!”
Then Jesus finished by being wise:
“Give the kings their due
The earthly and well as the One in Paradise.“

Kings can’t stand scarcity.
They worship the god of more.
More power.
More economically.
More security.
All at someone else’s expense.


Except one King
who understands more through less.
The greatest must be a servant.
Life is more than food and clothes.
A King that sacrificed His life for His people.
All in the name of Love.
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Can’t buy me love


No one can serve two masters.
Either he will hate the one and love the other, or
he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and Money.




God made trees

Man invented paper

God made chemicals
Man invented ink


God gives freely
Man invented money.


Man went and made Money
a god.
And
God wanted to smote Man
for placing His Name on it.

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Top Chef


“You are the salt of the earth.
But if the salt loses its saltiness,
how can it be made salty again?
It is no longer good for anything,
except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
(Matthew 5:13)



He pours the salt

into a stew of

anger

brokenness

crimes

drugs

evil

fear

greed

hate

indifference

jealousy

kooks

lust

materialism

nastiness

obscenity

pain

religion

stupidity

terrorism

un-anything

violence and

waste.


He stirs it

over a high open flame

tastes

and says:

“It could use a little more salt.”
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The Lent Show (Ash Wednesday 2012)


Forget the palms of the parade.
Forget the blood sweated when He prayed.
Forget the cross of Good Friday.
Forget the stone rolled away.

It’s time for the first episode of the Lent Show.
Where today the only thing you know
is:
“You were dust
and dust you shall return.”
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The Wonders of His Love

Praise and worship
The One
who gives freely everything good
to His Creation.

And by both doing so,
Man exalting God
and
God loving man
makes everyday Christmas.
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Fish in a barrel

But to the wicked , God says:
"What right have you to recite my statutes,
or take my covenant on your lips?

For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.
(Psalm 50:16-17)


...you cows of Bashan
who are on Mount Samaria,
who oppress the poor, who crush the needy,
who say to their husbands, "Bring something to drink!"

2The Lord GOD has sworn by his holiness:
The time is surely coming upon you,
when they shall take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishhooks.
(Amos 4:1-2)


[I]n the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? (2 Peter 3:3b-4a)


Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him,
but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it,
you did not change your minds and believe him."
(Matthew 21:31b-32)

Those who speak My Word
without acting on it.
When will they change their mind?

Those who live
as if I AM not here.
When will they change their mind?

Those who think
I only came at Christmas.
When will they change their mind?

Because those who do not change their minds
will be caught by My hook.
Not to be placed in My aquarium,
but thrown in a pile with their fellow Pisces.

.


　
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You think you know Me well (But you don't know Me)

1Now when the king was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2the king said to the prophet Nathan, "See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent." 3Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that you have in mind; for the LORD is with you."


4But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan:

5Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? 6I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. 7Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"

(2 Samuel 7:1-7)


39In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?
(Luke 1:39-43)

What an interesting juxtaposition of readings.

God not wanting a Temple to hold Him in.
Instead, God resides in the flesh of a young girl.


God not wanting to dwell in a house of cedar and gold.
Instead, God reveals Himself in a barn.


God not wanting to be in the midst of mindless sacrifices.
Instead, God is born in the midst of living animals.


God refuses to be in a house built by those in power.
Instead, God is worshipped by lowly shepherds


A God who will never say “Long live the king!”
Instead a God who wants all to have abundant life.

Amen.
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Mary

Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
2 Let Israel be glad in its Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King
(Psalm 149:1-2)


1Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

6A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.
(Isaiah 60:1,6)

…she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
(Matthew 1:25b)


“What was achieved in the body of Mary will happen in the soul of everyone
who receives the Word.” ***St Gregory of Nyssa (4th century)


Mary

O blessed one among women,
You who said “Yes” to God,
only to endure the gossip
of your pregnancy.


To give birth
in a stable.


To have your heart drop
when He was left behind in Jerusalem.


And
to have your heart broken
when He was raised on the cross.


Thank you for your blessing
becoming our eternal Christmas present.
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Time only counts in prison

“Life in a prison cell may well be compared to Advent; one waits, hopes, and does this, that, or the other -- things that are really of no consequence -
the door is shut, and can be opened only from the outside.”
-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer


(Meditation on above quotation)
We put up the tree
and the lights.

Write the cards
Buy the gifts.

Invite friends over.
Light the Advent candle.

What else is left do
but to wait for Jesus
to set us free?
(or are we serving a life sentence?)
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Not Enough Love In The World


37For nothing will be impossible with God.

(Luke 1:37)



Omniscient.
Omnipotent.
Omnipresent.

If I had those three qualities,
nothing would be impossible.

Except for humbling myself
and hang from a cross
for your sins.
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Changes (Just gonna have to be a different man)

18Zechariah said to the angel, "How will I know that this is so?
For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years."
19The angel replied, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, 
have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak,
until the day these things occur." (Luke 1:18-20)


The angel said to the priest:
“Watch in silence
these events that you
can not comprehend.

Go home to your beloved.
Lie with her
and let God’s story
start to unfold.”

Today‘s meditation:
Can we keep our unbelief as revealed
in thought, word and deed
silent?
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Looking for Answers (from above not below)


For my days pass away like smoke,
(Psalm 102:3)


My days are like an evening shadow;
(Psalm 102:11)


I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
(Psalms 130:5-6)


You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures forevermore
(Psalm 16:11)



On those days
when life seems dark
and without promise
I wait for You
to give me an answer.


And then when I sense
Your Presence,
There is no great insight,
No enlightenment.


Instead You show me
Your path of life
with a command:
“Follow Me.”
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The waiting is the hardest part

the LORD will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage
(Psalm 94:14)


As we wait
for the second Christmas,


Let us not be anxious
in any matter.

For our faith
is placed in
the Provider
 of all good things
who will not leave
the ones He loves.
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3.10.2012

Miracle (David Wilcox)




A bright star in the winter sky
Led to Bethlehem that night
But only three traveled there to see
And the rest just wished they might

Few will chose to follow
Out of all the star invites
Most will hide safe inside
With the lantern turned up bright

Waiting for a miracle

The journey was a long one
So the story's told
These three guys
Walking side by side
With their incense and gold

People all along the highway
They just shook their heads
They looked hard at that distant star
And went back to bed

'Cause they were
Waiting for a miracle

The star was dim and distant
To those who stayed at home
But every heart that follows
Behold a light was shone

Hark! The herald angels sing
The song is bright and clear
It's so quiet on this road tonight
As the travelers' star appears

But right outside my window
Quiet as can be
All that time making up my mind
The angels wait for me

Waiting for a miracle

　
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There Will Be a Day

Return to us, God Almighty!
Look down from heaven and see!
(Psalm 80:14)



If you do not wake up,
I will come like a thief,
and you will not know
at what hour I will come to you.
(Rev. 3:3b)




On the second Christmas,
When He returns.



Not as a baby
But as the King.



No star directing those to see Him
But He who is the Light in the darkness



Not escaping to Egypt
But reclaiming those who kept the faith.



No gifts from the wise men
But reviewing what the faithful and unfaithful
did with theirs.




On the second Christmas,
When He returns.
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The Last Adam



There’s only one God
whose strength can not be measured
and
whose wisdom is far beyond comprehension.

Who came down from His home
Not to exhibit His mighty power
or show off His knowledge.

But to live a life
like one of His creations -  Adam
As a baby
As a child
As a man
As a Teacher
As a Healer
As the Christ.
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3.04.2012

I’ll be watching you





18 Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,
(Psalm 33:38)

9 The LORD watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
(Psalm 146:9)
Maybe the reason
God’s presence is so unnerving
is that
He can see us
while we can only sense He’s there.
 
 
 
As we meditate on the Magi witnessing
God in the flesh,
let us remember the God of all the universes
is watching you.
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Shine

As daylight becomes


shorter and shorter in duration

each day of the Advent season

(until Christmas), 1

doesn’t mean we should lose our light

during this time of year.
Note 1- Poetically, not meteorologically
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Morning Prayer of the Depressed



Turn, O LORD! How long?
Have compassion on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us,
and as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be manifest to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us.

(Psalm 90:13-17)






Advent is the season of the coming of the Light,
let us remember those who live with darkness.

O God!



When is this gonna end?

When will Your love change the pain

caused by my darkness?

Today, bring the newness that You want for me.

Break open this stone heart.

May each moment of the day be remembered

and kept in the new center You created.

For without You

There is no Amen.
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Interesting interpretation of the Wedding Feast Parable

1Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying:
2"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 4Again he sent other slaves, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.' 5But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. 7The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.' 10Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, 12and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. 13Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14For many are called, but few are chosen." (Matthew 22:1-14)
From today's lectionary readings



When we read about a king in the parables,

we think God.

But what if the king in this parable is evil?

So evil that the invited one per centers (those who usually back the empire)

send their excuses regrets.

A king so evil he kills them for not RSVP-ing.


So in order to keep up appearances he invites the townspeople to the party.

And what if Jesus (not one for appearances)

is the One who defies the evil king by not wearing a wedding robe?

In a foretelling of Good Friday,

He is speechless in his defense

and the king orders Him out to the darkness

to His death.


The question is: Are the few that are chosen

the ones opposed to the power of the world/empire?


As we meditate on Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus headed toward Egypt

and away from the evil king,

it is an interesting interpretation to think about.
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You think you've seen the sun, (but you ain't seen it shine)


Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.

Psalm 25:4-5



O Lord,

You are the Creator of all things.

But of all the objects You designed,
the ones You treasure
weren’t in place on Genesis week.

Your ways.
Your path.
Your truth.
Salvation.

Those take time, patience, understanding.

Therefore, I will wait for You

all day

a week

a year
the rest of my days.
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Prepare


I also withheld the rain from you
….yet you did not return to me


I laid waste your gardens and your vineyards;
….yet you did not return to me
I killed your young men with the sword
…yet you did not return to me,
Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;
because I will do this to you,
prepare to meet your God, O Israel!
(Amos 4:7-9;12)




Prepare to meet your God!

Can we hear the choirs as the shepherds?
Can we see the light of the stars as the astrologers?
Can we wait as Simeon and Anna in the Temple?
May this be the theme of your Christmas -
Prepare to meet your God!
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And no one dared disturb the sound of silence

A king is not saved by his great army; (Psalm 33:16)


[So,] do not put your trust in princes, (Psalm 146:3)

They do not know how to do right, says the LORD,
those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.
(Amos 3:10)

The children crying out in the temple,
"Hosanna to the Son of David,"
the scribes became angry and said to him,
"Do you hear what these are saying?"
Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read,
'Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise for yourself'?" (Matthew 21:15b-16)




God tells the world:
Force can not save.
Politics can not redeem.
Nor corruption or evil.


But the world tries to hush,
(and wants to crush)
the little children singing, “Hosanna!”
to the One
that is to overcome.

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