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

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

Link to the song

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

..

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.“

Mark 12:13-17

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.

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.

Matthew 6:24

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.

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.”

The Lent Show (Ash Wednesday 2012)

Genesis 3:19

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.”

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.

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)

From today's lectionary readings

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.

.

　

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)

From today's lectionary

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.

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)

from today's lectionary

“What was achieved in the body of Mary will happen in the soul of everyone

who receives the Word.” ***St Gregory of Nyssa (4^th 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.

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?)

Not Enough Love In The World

37For nothing will be impossible with God.

(Luke 1:37)

From today's lectionary

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.

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)

From today's lectionary

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?

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)

From today's lectionary

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.”

The waiting is the hardest part

the LORD will not forsake his people;

he will not abandon his heritage

(Psalm 94:14)

From today's lectionary

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.