The Sycamore Tree

 

Luke 19:1-7

He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.”

Sycamore trees seem to attract attention

and divided opinions

From the folk who grumbled

that Jesus called Zacchaeus out of the branches of a sycamore

so that a man they deemed “less than”

could enjoy the company of the prophet - 

To those incensed today at the destruction

of an instagrammable icon now lost forever.

And while our focus is on condemnation,

we lose sight of all that we ordinarily tolerate

The swathes of trees destroyed for profit

The habitats lost

Land laid bare

And all the everyday ways that we ravage the earth

and exploit its resources

with scant regard for those from whom 

even the basic necessities of life are withheld

Before we condemn, may we reflect and resolve

to play our part in restoration

of the soul of creation

working alongside the creator of souls

The God who sees us and knows our stories

and offers to be our friend

so that, we too, can know transformation

Transformation that enables us to look beyond what we see 

and what we hear

broadening our vision

and widening our compassion

to care for all of creation.

More than crumbs

 Matthew 15:25-28

But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Lord, if you offered us only crumbs

that would be enough

But you go way beyond in your abundance

You fling wide the gates

Dismantle the barriers

Disrupt the systems

Demolish the boundaries

that keep any from your infinite love

And you call us to join you in subverting

everything that seeks to draw a line

or set up exclusion zones

Open our hearts and our minds

to be as inclusive

and affirming

as keepers of faith today.

(Liz Crumlish 2023)

A woman possessed - of passion, perception and persistence

 

John 20:18

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Mary Magdalene

A woman of strength

a woman of faith

A follower and a leader

who bore witness to the resurrection.

Labelling her as “a woman of ill repute”

suited the narrative of the men

threatened by her insight

who couldn’t live with the notion

that she was a prophet who recognised the Messiah

Labelling her as “possessed”

allowed the patriarchy to dismiss her charisma

and her ability to witness to truth and to power

with her gifts of passion, perception and persistence.

And, when it seems that little has changed

with the passage of time

when strong women and their leadership

is played down, dismissed, undermined

still we continue to do what we do

and to be who we are called to be

women called and ordained

to bear the good news 

birthing life in all its fullness.

Morning Prayer in the city

Listening to the Morning Prayer app

on the London Underground

Pressed up close to a man

carrying what looks like an oboe

I look around and wonder

what others wearing Ear Pods are listening to

Novels? Music? Podcasts?

Perhaps there are other Morning Pray-ers.

Later, at the meeting that brought me to the city

we pray in concentric circles

And upstairs a Pilates instructor

calls out directions to her class

Sharing more than perhaps she intended

unaware of the eavesdroppers in the room below

And my wondering takes me to musing

on whether my core is being strengthened

as I pray underneath her studio

Will I breathe more easily

letting go of all that I’ve been holding on to

Relaxing into who God is?

And the words of David Wagoner’s poem Lost

float into my mind

“Wherever you are is called Here”

So - Here is where I pray.

(Liz Crumlish July 2023)

The leaving

Is it best to leave on a sunny day

when the light reflecting on the water

carves out a path on which memories

continue to accumulate with alacrity?

Or on a rainy day

when the greyness encourages

a quiet melancholy of sifting and sorting

of beauty beheld and friendships forged?

The leaving is bittersweet

as the island seems to  lighten,

tipping its cargo of human freight

onto the ferry even as it swallows up

another disgorgement

Such is island life

a constant ebb and flow

along with the tide

of coming and going

of advancing and receding

of flotsam and jetsam 

that finds its way

into the fertile soil

of the fragile yet resilient machair

that sustains abundant living

in sunshine and in rain.

(Liz Crumlish 30 June 2023)

Sustainable love for wild souls

 

Matthew 9:35-38 (The Message)

Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!”

Jesus saw the need around him

and he did what he could.

He knew he wouldn’t get to it all

so he equipped others

in that ancient tradition 

employed since Moses was a boy

when his father in law cautioned him

about overstretching.

It may be good for the ego

but not good for the body or soul.

Ministry is a shared endeavour

discerned and exercised in community.

We care for one another

when we also care for ourselves.

This we know in our minds

and our one task

is to practice loving ourselves wholeheartedly

until our tender souls are assured

that it is safe to quietly emerge 

with that vulnerability and courage

that belongs to the wild soul

And when the wildness of our souls 

is nurtured and cherished

love - sustainable love

is a possibility

for body, mind and soul.

(Liz Crumlish 22.06.23)

Alert to interruptions

 Matthew 9:19-22

And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.

What intuition alerted Jesus

to the particular need of the woman in the crowd?

What made him pause as he followed the one who requested

healing for his daughter?

And how might we be alert

even as we are engaged in the mission of God

to the needs of those around us

those we might have overlooked?

How might we cherish the interruptions

and the distractions

seeing in those the prompting of God?

When our plans are disrupted

how might we reposition

our will to catch up with God’s will?

And, when chaos ensues,

how might we be calm

grasping opportunities presented

to do that one thing

that stabilises

that brings order 

that responds to the presence of God

in every place and time 

for our healing

and the healing of the earth?