Tuesday 19 March 2024

Carried by love

  

Isaiah 63:9

It was no messenger or angel

but his presence that saved them;

in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;

he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.


How often you carry us, O God

without our knowing

or acknowledging your presence

We imagine our independence 

We overestimate our ability

And all the while

yours are the arms that bear us

setting our feet on solid ground

Yours is the whisper of a call 

that beckons us onward

Yours is the cadence of a song

that invites us to dance

As in days of old

stay with us

And make your presence known

that we may know your rhythm 

in all of our days



Monday 18 March 2024

How shall we sing


 Psalms 96:1-4

O sing to the LORD a new song;

sing to the LORD, all the earth.

Sing to the LORD, bless his name;

tell of his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvellous works among all the peoples.

For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;


How shall we sing a new song

How shall we marvel

at the beauty and the wonder of creation

How shall we declare the greatness of God

as the world cries out for peace

and creation weeps for healing

How shall we behold beauty

in the groans of the earth

and see the goodness of God

in the midst of suffering

By knowing that God the Creator

sits beside us, silently weeping

for all of creation

By remembering that God the Creator

has given us the means

by which to heal the earth

and to share its resources

By resolving, alongside God the Creator

to use our power for good

to counter violence with peace

and to practice love in our everyday

Knowing, remembering, resolving,

We shall sing a new song


Sunday 17 March 2024

Live into covenant

 

Peden’s Pulpit, Failford

Jeremiah 31:33

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.


Covenant

takes relationships

to a whole new level

Covenant

cuts through the small print

enacting ethos and essence

Covenant is not aspirational

It is an embodied commitment

May we embody the love of God

written on our hearts

invested in all we encounter today

 
(Liz Crumlish Lent 2024)

Saturday 16 March 2024

Holy Ground

 


Exodus 3:3-5

Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”


Finding holy ground

means turning aside

Leaving the familiar track

to make room

for possibility

New perspective emerges

from a passion ignited 

in the vulnerability 

of turning aside

taking off our shoes

and standing on holy ground


Friday 15 March 2024

No time to lie low

 


John 7:1

After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him.


This is no time to lie low

Already a marked man

A man on a mission

Making himself visible 

For the poor

The hungry

The grieving

The marginalised

The sick

The homeless

The oppressed

The depressed

The fearful

The terrorised

The refugee

The fugitive

The outcast 

No time to lie low

Risking his life

For all at risk

Thursday 14 March 2024

Making a difference now




 Exodus 1:6-8

Then Joseph died, and all his brothers, and that whole generation. But the Israelites were fruitful and prolific; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.


When we are gone

and our names  are carried only in stories

what will be the import of all our living?

What will be the difference that we were,

for a short time, inhabitants of a messy world?

Perhaps what matters

is not the legacy we leave behind,

the dear souls who will keep our name alive

but the everyday acts of kindness and of caring

Those ways we help someone feel that they matter

The good service we acknowledge in the cafe

The door held open, the space made for us

The eyes that we catch on the morning commute

acknowledging another’s existence

Taking time to share a piece of writing 

or art that we have enjoyed

honouring the creator.

Inhabiting a way of being in the world

that makes others feel special

that embraces difference

that cherishes creativity

Treasuring moments 

that renew our souls

and keep our hearts open

to love and be loved

It’s not about the future

It’s about now.


(Liz Crumlish Lent 2024)


Wednesday 13 March 2024

In the presence of angels


 Mark 8:11-13


The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” And he left them, and getting into the boat again, he went across to the other side.


Sighing deeply

when folk are asking

for one more sign

When it is clear

that all the signs in the world

will not be enough

Their minds already made up,

they would rather be disappointed

than leave room for the possibility

of the unpredictable

While the world is filled with miracles

and countless small incidents of wonder

And we are invited to greet angels unawares

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