Reconciling love

Matthew 5:21-24
“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.

Lord, when I am tempted

to consider my virtues

rather than my vices

When I can readily take stock

of the good that  I do

conveniently overlooking

all the opportunities I miss

Remind me of your call

to reconcile

to restore

to repair

And break down

my walls of complacency

and my tendency to spin favourably

the difference I make

while completely forgetting

the harsh judgments I pronounce

in an instant

- the ways I consign others

to categories that confine

that leave no room for growth

or for change

and especially not

for redemption

Bring me back to you

so that, with the assurance 

of your encircling love

I may find compassion

for self and others

With the knowledge of your acceptance

may I expand my horizons

until the lines that I draw

are obliterated

by the incoming tide

of your grace

And, as I meet you at the altar

and feed on your abundance

may that love food

nourish every encounter

inform every decision

and sustain the flourishing

that is your will

for all of creation.

Thresholds, Gateways and Margins

Jeremiah 7:1-7
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah, you that enter these gates to worship the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and let me dwell with you in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.”
For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land 
that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever.

Prophets

Willing to speak truth to power

Willing to call out injustice

Willing to draw attention

to the plight of those on the margins

whose voices are not heard 

and whose cries go unheeded 

Accomplices of Poets

who describe

and prescribe

a better way

Who put into words 

a vision of inclusion 

A vision in which nothing

is right side up

and where influence is found

in the least and the last

Alongside Dreamers

who remind us

that transformation is possible

for those who believe

who reimagine

a future

that is not yet

but will be.

An unholy Trinity

those three

Prophets, Poets, Dreamers, 

who mark out the thresholds

and stand in gateways

and remind us of the margins

where the rejects and the outcasts

and all whom we exclude

gather together in hope

and in certainty of the knowledge

that God’s favour rests

on those who are overlooked

Prophets, Poets and Dreamers

showing us where and how

the Kingdom of God is

in every place and time.

God’s eye view

Matthew 6:22-23
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

I imagined I’d made progress

when I could look within

and see wholeness

made up of dark and light

and love all of it

I imagined maturity consisted

of making friends

with the imperfections

even when they choose

on occasion

(or frequently)

to be exhibitionist.

I imagined that,

as I cut myself some slack,

I afforded the same to others

Yet all the while

I was making humility

a badge of honour!

And inviting huge disappointment.

I’m still not very good at it

- but now I know

(though I’ll always be tentative)

there is more.

Going deeper involves

getting down and dirty with God

plumbing depths

that only God

as creator

has fathomed

and invites us to inhabit

(now and again)

to connect fully

with that spark 

of the Divine

that God places in each of us

A spark waiting to be released

into dazzling light

as we become

all that God intended.

And more - 

as we connect 

with that divine spark in others.

Prayerful space

 Luke 6:12-13
Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles.

Giving thanks today

for time spent in prayer

Snatched moments on the morning commute

on the station platform

or the standing room only carriage

Or long walks along the beach

leaning into the wind

and dodging the surf

when the spray infuses our tears.

Or in a space set apart

that beckons any and all

to rest and rage

and listen

and be still.

Giving thanks

for the presence of God

in all of those spaces

and more

and for friends

willing to sit with us

to walk with us

to wrestle alongside us

and to help us live into

the fullness of life

to which God calls.

Body of Christ

Rachel Held Evans, in Searching for Sunday,  describes talking about church as “attempting to explain the most important, complicated, beautiful, and heart-wrenching relationship of my life...without yelling or crying or saying any cuss words.” 

Lord, when we cannot stand it any longer

When we refuse to keep going back for more

More hurt

More rejection

More disappointment

You don’t help us find a way out

You compel us 

to make things different

You challenge us

to be ourselves

Not compliant

Not resigned

But persistent

Because we know 

we are called to be

in relationship

with you

and with each other.

So you keep on 

nudging us back

You keep on

teaching us how to compromise

You keep on

reminding us

that we don’t have all the answers

You keep on

showing us

that you hurt

when we are hurt

that you are diminished

when we withdraw

And you don’t let go.

So help us

to head back into the fray

knowing that just as we are not perfect

neither is your church

But we are called 

to stick it out

as far as we can

as much as we can

Because, alongside us

you share our frustration

For you too were rejected

You too became an outsider

You too were a disappointment

Yet you never stopped loving

You never stopped caring

And you never gave up hope

Lord, give us the strength

to stick with

faith, hope and love.

Generosity and call

Luke 5:8-11
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Leaving everything

That’s some commitment

Leaving everything

That’s a step too far

Leaving everything

For what?

A leap into the unknown

where nothing is guaranteed?

- even though there’s no reason to question

the generosity already shown.

Do not be afraid?

I don’t think so!

Not when your call

disrupts and disturbs

and brings to light

all that we lack

 - the depths of our unworthiness

-/the shallowness of our trust

- even transferable skills!

I’ll just sit here in the boat

and listen

I’m no Simon 

I’ll lend you my boat 

I’ll even get my toes wet

but no swimming for me

Yet even as I protest

Even as I make my half hearted response

You are waiting on the beach

as though you have all the time in the world

your arms are open wide

there’s a smile on your face

And I just know

I’m about to get in 

way above my head.

Thanks, Lord.

Dredging the heart

Psalms 139:23
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.

God, you alone know my heart

Motivations

Longings

Desires

Hopes I dare not speak

for fear of being ridiculed

or rebuked

or rejected

God, you alone know my heart

What sets me on fire

What extinguishes the spirit

God you alone know my heart

The bit I wear on my sleeve

for others to see

The parts I’m happy to risk being out there

God, you alone know my heart

The deep hidden mystery

so hard to access

shoved so far down

for protection

God, you alone know my heart

Dredge with me its  depths

clearing away the detritus

that prevents me from risk

reassuring me

that whatever emerges

will not take me beyond your love

God, you alone know my heart

Help me to know it myself

so that I can be all that you want me to be

Freed to live abundantly

in the circle of your knowledge

and of your love.