Dancing with God

Rublev’s Icon of the Holy Trinity

An offering for Trinity Sunday

In the beginning

God gathered God’s self together

to create the universe

Fashioning with goodness the sky

with its galaxies and constellations

its suns and moons

its  light and darkness.

And there was some fun and mischief along the way

as God messed about with incredible light shows

and sent the planets into orbit

and played around with tides and seasons 

and day and night.

And then God created the earth

with its mountains and valleys

its oceans and streams

its continents separated by vast seas and deserts

its forests and ice caps

and plains of fertile land.

And God enjoyed attending to detail - 

the bumps and the curves

the flow from one landscape to the next

the separation of water from land

and earth from sky.

And God loved that beautiful world and wanted to share it.

So God created animals

For the hills and the plains

for the sky and the sea

for above and below the earth.

Each with a place and, largely, a purpose.

And then, with a flourish, 

involving dust and breath,

God created human beings

who would care for all of creation

for all that God had made

and who would be co- workers with God 

in nurturing and sustaining creation.

God saw that it was good and delighted in all of creation.

As it was in the beginning, so it is now.

God delights in us.

Desiring nothing more than relationship 

Inviting us to be part of

the divine dance

The dance of Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer

God invites us to be caught up

in the mystery that is God...

Instead, we spend our time 

trying to unravel that mystery

We tie ourselves in knots

instead of enjoying the different kind of knowing

that is offered by God

We distance ourselves

rather than entering into relationship

We ponder how we can change the world

when God’s invitation is simply to dance....

In that dance we discover compassion

that moves us to care for creation.

In that dance we discover anger

that fuels us to root out injustice.

And, in that dance

we discover freedom

made up of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, 

Faithfulness, Gentleness, 

the fruits of God-control,

the elements of the dance

that sustain the world.

God’s laughter and delight 

and tears and compassion 

form the rhythm that draws us in

and sends us out 

to dance.

Angels today

A conversation (more of a monologue - no space was left for responding!) on the 13:00 train to Ayr

Everything changes

Coffee shops are now gin boutiques

Tea rooms are Prosecco bars

And the Italian’s on the corner

is now a wine bistro

Rail tickets are stored on plastic

that the machine reads with a tap

And there’s a piano player in the station.

The train windows don’ t open

The aircon is either too hot or too cold

And, the announcement “ We are now approaching...”

wakes you up before you miss your station.

Do you believe in angels?

(Without waiting for an answer)

Well, they’ve changed too

Mostly, they’re not scary

Although they might be dressed all in black

rather than in white

And they might have long hair, tattoos or piercing 

And sometimes they’re virtual

They appear as an email, a text message

or in a Facebook or twitter post

They’re visible when a stranger smiles

or when someone puts down their phone

long enough to have a conversation.

They show up when someone

notices you could do with a wee hand

Aye, everything changes 

but still

God sends angels.

Not far from the kingdom

Mark 12:32-34

Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.

Not far from the kingdom

How often are these words preached

as words of rejection

rather than words of hope?

Not far from the kingdom

How often are they turned into 

words of condemnation

rather than words of encouragement?

Not far from the kingdom

How often is this interpreted

as missed opportunity

rather than glorious potential?

Not far from the kingdom

Words focusing not on my sinfulness

but on the amazing grace of God.

Not far from the kingdom

Today I choose

to hear these words

and to focus

not on the ways that  I disappoint

but on the ways that I bring joy

Not far from the kingdom

Today I choose 

to hear these words

as words of love

and to experience them

as light

as hope 

as blessing

Not far from the kingdom

A wonderful place to be!

Feed my sheep

John 21:15
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

When I’m too busy squabbling with the wolves and the goats

that I neglect the sheep you place in my path

Lord, forgive

When I’m consumed with chewing over words not said, hurts unacknowledged

Lord, forgive

When I’m choking on self righteousness

that blocks the way for compassion

Lord, forgive

When I’m too full of my own importance

to recognise the struggle of another

Lord, forgive

When I’m distracted by hopes and dreams

and fail to be open to this day’s gifts

Lord, forgive

Lord, you know that I love you

Help me to feed your lambs

Not with bread that is contaminated by my self absorption

spoiled by my lack of leaven 

but with the bread of life

that you give in abundance daily

In every day may I stay close enough to you

so that I can inhale the fragrance

of sweet,fresh bread,

still warm from the making.

May I feed on that

and share it with others.

Lord, you know that I love you...

The Temerity of God

How often does our writing - be it poems, prayers, sermons or reflections convict us. Especially when we think we have written them for another.  I’ve always been aware in my preaching practice that I’m speaking into the areas that are itching in my life, into the struggles that I own, into the places that I need to grow. If the words I use also speak into the struggle of others, especially those with whom I share community and faith, I am grateful. In parish ministry, this happened more often because I was engaged in listening and walking alongside folk and, together, we were able to articulate where we experienced God and what constituted good news for our community.

On other occasions the words that we offer to others arise from the unconscious or unacknowledged in ourselves and it may take some time before we become aware of that and have the opportunity of addressing it.

I’m not sure that I think out loud - perhaps I do. But I know that I process out loud, by writing.

It’s not the first time that my writing has caused offence - and on the whole I’ve been largely unapologetic about that. If my processing offends you, touching a nerve, exposing a wound, then perhaps you have some work of your own to do.

Recently, however, wanting to find a way of expressing concern for and appreciation of a friend, I penned some words that have, in fact, found their way back to me, confronting me, challenging me, mostly in a good way but I have been surprised by their incisiveness in revealing things of which I was blissfully unaware or perhaps skilfully denying - wounds buried deep, well scabbed over. And while that means I have some work to do, I can’t help smiling at the temerity of God, who never lets us off the hook but who will always find a way in, a way to breach whatever armour we have embraced. As the saying goes:”Be careful what you wish for!”

In the Spirit of God’s temerity I look forward to grasping hold of a thread and seeing what unravels or where it leads.

What is mine to do?

John 17:4
I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do.

Lord, what is mine to do?

And who will be my accomplices?

I want to glorify you

I want to do the work that you have given me

I want to be faithful, obedient,

and  - I want to know joy.

But, Lord,

What if discernment

takes me to somewhere I’d rather not go?

What if the work you reveal

means that I must conform

to expectations 

and navigate old territory

in which I feel subdued.

Lord, will you give me other outlets

where I can be fully me?

Will you show me those places

where I needn’t tread so carefully

and where I can find sustenance

for the work you need me to do?

Lord, I want to glorify you

and I want to be

fully alive in you.

I’m just not terribly convinced

that those desires

are wholly compatible.

Teach me, O Lord,

how to grow

how to delight

how to glorify you

in finishing the work

you give me to do.

There’s more

Acts 19:4
Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.”

More

There’s always more...

Perhaps a comfort

for our restlessness

Or a challenge

when we dare to settle for less

More

There’s always more...

Even as the disciples

took their heads out of the clouds

after Ascension

there was the promise of

The Holy Spirit

More

There’s always more...

What will that look like for us today?

Are we ready to confront it?

Or are we still too busy

licking the wounds of the past

to meet head on

the more

that is promised?

More 

There’s always more...