And Emeline always wraps herself around me for a big hug.

December 2, 2015

But You, O LORD, are a shield about me; You are my glory, the One who lifts up my head. I call aloud upon the LORD, and He answers me from His holy hill; I lie down and go to sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. Psalm 3:2-5

The Prayer Appointed for the Week

Almighty God, give all of us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility.

There is strength and encouragement to be found in community. Last night mom and I braved the chill and the end-of-the-day weariness and joined together with others who are committed to the cause of welcoming the stranger into our midst, the refugee. And we were surrounded by those who count it a great joy to pour out their lives in great humility.

For God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but so that through Him the world might be saved.

And my daily labors at 55 North Sixth Avenue seem small in the big scheme of aching hearts and longing for place. But last night was a cheering reminder that it is not about me. It is about following in His footsteps. His compassionate footsteps towards the distressed and dispirited.

Like Derek who knows every single kid clinging to his tromping game-playing legs.

And Cheri who stands at the airport each week with big cheerful signs covered in saguaro cactus and American flags.

And the two Iraqi pastors who sat behind me and got kind of teary when I said I had two Iraqi sons.

Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom.

And in my ten-and-a-half hour day today I will face small gatherings of distressed math-hates-me-Miss eyes and dispirited waders through big fat history books about the Missouri Compromise and Who is General E. Lee and lead giddy leaping and shoving troops along Pendleton Avenue through the folks camping out around the Main Library and past the cops handcuffing an assortment of trembling drugged out souls to an art lesson at the museum that I heard was full of string and glue and popped balloons and nobody following directions.

But in the midst of it all we will celebrate eucharisteo. And offer up whole-hearted thanksgiving for the life given that we might have Life. In abundance. And the candles will flicker. And we will read Psalms and Isaiah and Matthew together responsively.

He is my Glory and the Lifter of my head. And I will drink the cup and eat the bread in remembrance of Him. And go out in strength and courage.

With fifty ziplock baggies of chocolate chip brownies and tape and colored paper for the refugee tutoring center from my momma.

And the guy from International Refugee Center said the smallest things made a huge difference.

One of the refugee ladies said that my mom’s cookies were so delicious they made her cry with happiness.

Sustained in peace.

Selah.

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Romans 13: 11-14

 I am pretty sure that that most of us are would be surprised to see quarreling and jealously ranked right up there with sexual orgies as works of darkness. But I totally get it, since my life is quite filled up with the quarreling and not so much with the orgies and drunkenness.  

And really, I imagine that orgies and drunkenness result in bad headaches the next morning and maybe stained furniture and sticky trash to be taken out, but after a good scrub and a long nap, the residue is sort of washed away. 

But quarrels. Yikes. They drag on forever and can poison every interaction and sneak into all of those loose thoughts and drive people away from our Lord and Savior, or at the very least, poison His body into settling into being ineffectual puddles of sludge rather than being fresh flowing rivers of Life. 

No provision for the flesh. No distractions. Every moment is to be lived in what is good and pleasing and perfect. To walk in the light as He is in the light. And Nicole is putting together this manual for the book Do What Jesus Did and we talked about whether she should include this big fat checklist of things that hold us captive to help sort through lives and look for footholds for the Accuser to stand upon or whether we should simply sit quietly in His presence and give Him free rein to wander through our mind and heart and body and look for wicked ways, but either way the point is No Excuses. 

And every person has their favorite finger-pointing stance. In the opposite direction, whether it be violent video games or unforgivenness. Political intrigues or yoga. Ambition or Magic Eight Ball. So I am not so much in favor of lists. Because they can be distractions in and of themselves and sort of smack of smug look what I can do-ness. But it’s not me. It Him.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Bind that little What Would Jesus Do band around my wrist and His words shall be as frontlets between mine eyes: Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. And the second is likewise: love your neighbor as yourself.

And nothing else.