Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Worship


Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before Him, all the earth!
Say among the nations,  “The Lord reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
He will judge the peoples with equity. Psalm 96:9-10

Be still, then, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.”  Psalm 46:11

Worship is manifest in many ways beyond yet including “standing as you as able and joining us” in hymn-singing at Southside, from serving cups of cold water or hot soup to picking up bits of litter along the road or striding up a decomposed granite path through the Catalinas.

And kneeling before our God and Maker in stillness.
You are God.
You will be exalted.
You will judge with equity.
Restoration.
Let it be on earth as it is in heaven.
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Pray


Pray.

Blessed are the people who walk, O LORD, in the light of Your face,
Who exult in Your name all the day. Psalm 89:15

But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” John 3:21

O Ruler, who raises the lowly and humbles the lofty, have mercy on those who are disheartened! Raise us who have fallen, show Thyself to those who entreat Thee, and heal those who are sick. Feed the hungry, free our captives, strengthen the weak, encourage those who lose heart! All nations shall know that Thou alone art God. –Clement

Pray is practicing the Presence, being in the Light, even as He is in the light, for His glory and honor.
What is true?
That which is full of His light.
Go forth and do likewise.

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Gather


For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

This you is the plural you.

May we gather, every family in heaven and on earth, bowing our knees before our Loving Creator that He may grant us to be strengthened with power through His Spirit to comprehend the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ, that we may be filled with the fullness of God.

This has been my Saturday prayer since the days of sharing a flimsy back trailer with Norma Croyle at Grace Christian School. And I printed this prayer up and push-pinned it to the wall behind my desk and it was my prayer for every one of those seventh graders every single day, especially Miss Andrea Kerstin and Mr. Dustin Clay. And especially Tim and Lauren and Caitlyn and, and each and every one of those kiddos. I worked my way down the attendance roster every morning while Andrea sometimes finished up her homework.

And this you is the singular you.

May I be rooted and grounded in love today. Today as I prepare to tidy up my house and hang up the laundry, as I prepare to welcome migrants and help them make phone calls to their sponsors scattered across the country, as I prepare to get all fancy dressed up for the Nutcracker ballet with momma and Everette, and as I prepare a grocery shopping list for stopping at Fry’s on our way home.

Bowing before this mystery of a newborn babe.

Throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Gathered.

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Harmony



"Great is Thy faithfulness!" "Great is Thy faithfulness!"
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
"Great is Thy faithfulness, " Lord, unto me!

My musical understanding is pretty marginal, but it has something with individual notes coming together into something far more delightful. And a frequent prayer of mine is “Let my heart become one with yours, Lord.” Which is a first note into this idea of harmony. But as I am reminded by Saint Ignatius, that more than just my heart, I choose to offer to God my memories and my understanding of the path walked thus far. I offer up to Him my narrative, and let Him speak truth and healing and purpose into the past, and great hope for the future.

With each new day, help us, LORD, to make our lives a hymn of constant praise to You.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Confess


Confess

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” Isaiah 6:8

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
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I want Jesus to walk with me.*

Ah prepositions.
How many times have I explained that prepositions show relationship between two nouns?

And one of the gifts, one of the presents of advent is a shift in prepositions, from “for Us” to “with Us.”

Presence.

And I confess, that although my hand shoots straight up vertical just like my Bonillas Learn Like a Champion kiddos when asked a question, I really have no clue of the answer.
And that I too have a short attention span.
And I scurry.
And blurt.
And fret.
And look elsewhere.
Or away.

Dear LORD Jesus, may I not look away.
I want to walk with You.
And You walk with me.

A yoke is shared. With.

I want Jesus to walk with me.