Glory Revealed
nature surrounds with beauty
a snow-capped mount
a river-blessed valley
every inch exalted
a regal condor sharing fresh air
with a tiny garden gnat
a kingly elephant
trembling from a stinging bee
a blue whale balleting
with a school of anchovies
every creature blessed
from a tiny atom
to a massive Jupiter
all share in being blessed
why do we destroy
the glory revealed
Poor in Spirit
“In the beginning was the Word,
And the Word was with God.”
He was born into poverty,
and with the poor He toils.
His spirit is eternity,
no beginning, no end.
His light shines within us,
bringing comfort and grace.
We cry to him from the depths
of our depression and our plight.
We are poor in spirit,
except when we find
His presence in our lives.
Covid-19
Be glad and rejoice
Fear not this Covid
for God hears our voice
ever since the time of David
We are promised life eternal
A concept hard to grab
But God is our internal
We are His Hansom cab
We trust in You, O Lord
Our lives are in your hand
We are of Your accord
As we walk Your holy land
Deliver us from harm
From enemies far and near
Embrace us in Your arms
We are Your volunteers
Be gracious to us now
For we are in distress
We waste away in sorrow
This virus does progress
We live under its scheme
We are its broken vessel
But we walk along Your beam
And in Your love, we nestle
Your Goodness Abounds
Your blessings are many.
We share the wisdom given freely.
We are just one creature on Your earth.
You have given us the seas, great, wide, fruitful.
You have blessed the earth with your fullness.
We feed from Your seas and Your earth,
but we are not good shepherds,
destroying all in our paths.
Still, you open Your hands,
filling us with goodness.
You are loving and forgiving;
we come to your presence
asking for your light to shine.
Grant that heaven is truly within;
guide us to restore;
Your earth, Your seas, Your life-giving air
that we may again rejoice
in your plentiful world.
Batter my Heart, Dear God;
I am broken by life.
I live to be the rock for others,
but I fail to share Your gifts.
My body is weakened,
captive to society’s commands.
My every breath is consumed
by the desire of others.
Am I helping, O God?
are my efforts to aid
Destroyed by avarice?
Can I restore my soul
And pleasing to your eyes?
I knock on your door
But I get no response.
I am betrothed to your grace
and embraced by your breath.
My love for you is all consuming,
yet life makes me doubt your presence.
Great Father, I ask forgiveness
as I try to rise and stand without You.
Please enthrall my battered heart.
Gethsemane
Went to the garden
with three of his own;
wanted their strength,
his misery hath grown.
Fell on his face,
“Father, if it be possible,
let this pass from me;”
was so alone in God’s grace
agony had gripped this sacred plea
Returned to find the three asleep,
“Can you not watch with me?”
Is this vigil so hard to keep?
Then leaves the three.
“Father, I drink it, thy will be done.”
The three still slept; he was alone.
He prayed for forgiveness not strife;
and walked into pain.
He prayed for strength in his short life,
but walked into death with nothing to gain.
In three days, he rose.
defeating all deaths.
And as everyone knows,
it’s God’s gifts He bequeaths.
Comfort in the time of Trial
speak kindly to one another
do not retire angry
share with the needy
tender hearts rule the day
forgive
as we are forgiven
obey the voice
of God
within you
within us all
open hearts to
all humanity
do not turn away
from those who displease
make our hearts
be filled with calm waters
comfort
as we are comforted
speak kindly to one another
tender hearts rule the day
Six Feet Apart, but Still Hugging and Holding Hands
In these days of being sequestered from friends and family, we do a lot of things differently to fill the time. Although I read the Bible every day, I have taken to meditating more on what I read. Looking at what the Episcopal lectionary asks us to read for Sunday, March 22nd, I am reflecting something that Jeremiah said thousands of years ago, “ And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
When we walk in the truth of God’s love, our spiritual selves overcome the brokenness of our physical bodies. When we are in trouble, and seek comfort, God answers. Although I cannot be with my children and their families, we touch each other over the phone. I miss the physical hugs but am warmed by the love that comes through the airways.
In this period of Lent, we are meant to join together in celebration of God’s love as brought to us through the teachings of Jesus. This period is a time of relationship, the relationship of all of us to each other and the relationship of all of us with God. Each night, as I retire to bed, I try to bring the faces of the people I worked with or met over my 77 years. I may not always remember their names, but by bringing them into my consciousness, I am both praying for them and remembering the great times we had together.
I also enjoy meeting and talking with new friends that I meet in my daily chores. I miss this part of my life, but I know that when this present hardship is over, these new friends will be there to share God’s love. As I spiritually walk and meet my fellow brothers and sisters, I know that the light of God’s love and compassion protects us from all evils. We rejoice over the realization that God is a loving God, walking side by side with us or carrying us when we stumble. When we stumble, God delivers love and comfort to us. All we need to do is close our eyes and open our hearts to feel the warmth and glow of true compassion and caring. God rejoices with us when we walk in His Truth. Let us hold hands from a distance, give ourselves air hugs, and enjoy warm hearts in God’s love.
Why?
When God instructed Moses to take his staff and strike the rock, allowing water to gush forth, God was providing humanity with the life-giving spring water of eternal life. All God asks is that we be faithful to Him and love Him. This is when the Jews in the desert began to believe in one God, even though their abstinence did not allow them to enter the promised land, only their children could.
This Exodus passage teaches us that God will provide for all our needs; we only have to love Him, but our own obstinance clouds our ability to recognize His life-giving presence in our lives. All our lives we are His children, the sheep of His pasture, and its caretakers. We are gifted with this and responsible for this. But first, we must learn how to be God’s children. We must learn how to be loved. We must learn how to receive love. We must learn how to pass this love to others.
This may cause us great suffering, but as Paul says, suffering blesses us with endurance, which blesses us with character and hope. Hope for our futures, living in His pastures. Hope permits us God’s love which passes into our hearts through the ever-present Holy Spirit. We are truly blessed.
The meeting of the woman at Jacob’s well tells us of the water that Jesus gives us, the water of everlasting life. Jesus promises that this fresh spring water gives us everlasting life. How enriching this is to experience the love that Jesus has for this unknown and unnamed woman. We recognize the specialness of Jesus because he was able to humble himself and love everyone. If we are also children of God, how is it possible that we cannot do the same? Is it impossible for us to humble ourselves as Jesus did? He has shown us the way; now we must learn to follow.
God chose people from the lowest ranks of society to lead. Moses was a slave; Jesus was a poor carpenter. Why? Why does God live with the forgotten ones? Why? Perhaps if we humble ourselves, perhaps if we trust in God, we will learn why.
Pain
My family surrounds me with love
they cannot stop the pain.
My neighbors bring in food and love
and stay to visit for a while
they also cannot stop the pain.
My minister comes and blesses me
and prays with me
he cannot stop the pain.
I know that God is with me,
always
but the pain persists.
Friends call, offer prayers
they cannot stop the pain.
I walk a road that one
can only walk alone
abandonment follows pain.
I look around
see many friends
many relatives
but I am alone.
I feel forgotten
in the bane of pain.
We walk this path alone
except for God
who eases our heart
though still in pain.
God gives us the strength
to move forward
face our pain
We follow the path
travelled by Jesus.
He also walked into pain
showing us the way
to trust God
to relieve our loneliness
our abandonment.
In pain,
I rest in God’s arms,
comforted by is love,
as shown through our family
and friends
and ministers
Meditating to Heal 