Trust

 

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Blessed are those who trust in the LORD,

whose trust is the LORD.

They shall be like a tree planted by water,

sending out its roots by the stream.

It shall not fear when heat comes,

and its leaves shall stay green;

in the year of drought it is not anxious,

and it does not cease to bear fruit.

How often is our trust in humans

reduced to ashes?

When, time and again, 

we experience hurt and disappointment 

When our vulnerability is exploited 

and our dreams are trampled down

We long to be seen

and to be held in love

To be nurtured and valued

To be accepted

To be rooted and grounded

encouraged to grow

To be given space 

to blossom and bear fruit

and to make room for others

who will follow

knowing that we are enough

and that God, in whom we trust

is more than enough.

Mothering sons

 Matthew 20:20-21

The Request of the Mother of James and John

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favour of him. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.”

A mother 

who watched her sons

throw their lot in with the itinerant teacher

Saw them wandering coast to coast 

attracting crowds

along with controversy

Saw them welcomed and feted in some places,

excluded and body-swerved in others

Of course she wants to explore the payback

It’s her role to think about their pension plan

She got the premise wrong

with the best of intentions.

And I’m bound to wonder how she felt

when she realised

That the future she imagined 

would come at an even greater cost

than she could possibly know

And in a flight of fancy

I imagine her and Mary, the mother of Jesus

comforting one another

as they faced their grief together  

as mothers of sons.

Re-alignment

 Matthew 23:1-3

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.

When our words are removed from our actions

Christ offers us a way back

When we preach love

and do not practice it

When we exhort courage

and  do not embody it

When we call for compassion

and forget to exercise it

Christ offers us a way back

A re-alignment of sorts

that brings together those part of ourselves

that have become disjointed

Christ offers a way back

Re- membering and making whole.

Stay curious

 

Luke 6:37-38

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

Remaining curious

Taking time to wonder about the back story

Being prepared to offer compassion

rather than censure

Aren’t those the ways

we’d like to be met?

When we can offer these things to others

Perhaps, then, we can also be compassionate with ourselves

And on those days when we don’t get it right

forgiveness enables us to have another go

at remaining curious.

Taking up our cross

 Mark 8:34

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

What makes taking up our cross so difficult

is that , so often, virtue is portrayed 

as unmitigated misery

Taking up our cross

may well lead to death

 - as we have seen only too well this week*

Those who speak against oppressive regimes

envisioning a just world 

will be silenced by those they threaten.

True martyrs live life before they lose it

imagining and inciting a different way.

Taking up our cross

releases us to live in love

to enjoy freedom in the things that matter

It consists of letting go of things that feel like burdens

in order to embrace justice and compassion

in a quest to effect change

Change that promotes life

even in the midst of death.

Taking up our cross 

offers a way to be free

to live in the love of God

(Liz Crumlish Lent 2024)

*In the death of Alexei Navalny

Beyond what is right

 

Mark 2:23-24

One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?”

Isn’t it the truth

that there will always be those

who are more concerned with the rules

than with what makes sense in the moment

Those who police other people’s actions

with so little awareness of the impact of their own

Those who prefer order

over transformation

May God give us grace to bear with the rule bound

and the courage to risk reaching beyond

with the spirit of love

that truly makes a difference

Evening prayer

 

Psalms 130:5-7

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,

and in his word I hope;

my soul waits for the Lord

more than those who watch for the morning,

more than those who watch for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the LORD!

For with the LORD there is steadfast love,

and with him is great power to redeem.

The words of evening prayer

whispered in the dark of night

look hopefully to the dawn

and the promise of a lightening sky

that blossoms

dispelling darkness

carrying hope

summoning love

for those who wait on the Lord

Hearing the stories

 Mark 2:1-5

When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Today, we need the reporters

who will broadcast the stories 

of those who are overlooked

Reporters who will make honest dramas

of others’ perspectives

We hear the lies of government

all too loudly

We hear the outrage of those who profit

from misfortune clearly

We hear the squirming of those whose intentions

were questionable 

We need reporters who will cut through the noise

and share what is really happening

and  encourage others to come and see

and to get on board

Highlighting the potential of the many

to challenge the decisions of the few

effecting justice

holding out the potential for healing

A possibility when all the stories are told and heard

We need the reporters, the broadcasters 

and the dramatists today

along with friends who don’t give up 

to begin the healing of the world.

(Liz Crumlish Lent 2024)