I had hung up my harp
but my God still demands a song.
How can I draw a note I asked
my heart within grown cold.
I have weighed justice and mercy
until mercy has hardly registered,
and bitterness become a weight
that kept me counting my losses.
But we are asked to hold all things lightly.
Despair and hope can both draw notes
in hands that recognise the qualities
of height and depth, light and dark needed to make music.
Have you hung up your harp?
Will you take it up again with me?
Together we can extract the gold
we can yet mine from sorrow.
And hope can rise from the ashes of today
to make a brand new song.
Together we can draw meaning from all
that befalls us, good or ill.
We have stilled our hearts,
but God can thaw the fingers which refuse to bend.
Until they move again,
as dancers on the strings,
of harps, which because of hope we have taken down.
Because hope, unlike anything else we encounter
springs eternal in our souls;
that we might each, always have a song.
By Ana Lisa de Jong
Living Tree Poetry
September 2017
By Jenneth Graser ––
Your mercy spreads like waves
relentless over the faintness of my soul.
How long, Oh Lord, is the question
that rises from deep within.
Because it is only while I am alive
that I can be the expression of
your love and light into the world.
Deliver me by the mercy that keeps on
coming.
Deliver me, by your mercy that alone
can save.
I receive no comfort from my futile efforts.
I cannot continue in groaning or tears.
All evil, flee, all darkness go!
For you, Oh Lord have risen upon me
and you have heard my every cry.
You receive and hear the prayers
I offer.
All darkness will turn back and return
to the place from which it comes.
It will turn back from the threshold of the door.
Your mercy will comfort me.
Your acceptance will soothe and re-create
my soul.
Your discipline will not consume me for
I am the Father’s pleasure
and you have borne me into true delight.
Your enjoyment is upon me with
the soakings of mercy, filling, my every
broken place with your love.
Amen.
by Christine Sine
This afternoon I have been reflecting on the growing anger and conflict in our world and especially here in the U.S. Anger towards the racism that seems to be growing and towards the NFL players and others who are responding with defiant protest. Anger at the lack of responsiveness to the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico. Anger and animosity towards those who want to reform the health care bill in a way that would leave millions without coverage.
It is so easy in the midst to join the anger and become part of the violence. Yet God calls us to be messengers of love not hate and the response of love begins not with an outward act but with and inward attitude that fuels our souls with both the power and the persistence to respond as God would respond. I love this post from The Plough with its excerpts from Eberhard Arnold, a German theologian during World War 1.
God wants to give our inward life an indestructible harmony that will work outward in mighty melodies of love. The power that comes from gathering our inner energy is a power for taking action. When our individual hearts are gathered in this way, we will join together as a gathered people – a people whose active work makes God’s reign manifest as justice, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). (Read the entire article here)
We all need melodies of love that overflows in action, action that responds to the injustices of our times with action that transforms lives and communities.
The experience of God is love (1 John 4:8) – love that overcomes everything that opposes it. Love is the energy of the new creation, the spirit of God’s coming reign, the sole element in the new world he is building (1 Cor. 13:13), and the herald of a new era. It is the organic strength of unity, the shaping of a new humanity. This love becomes reality in the church of Jesus Christ, through its unity (Eph. 2:14–22). (Read more)
Prayerfully read through this article and consider your own response. How do you equip yourself with the inner resources needed to respond in appropriate outward ways? What are you doing to be God’s loving presence in this hurting world?
This month is bee awareness month in New Zealand. Here is wonderful post and video from Katherine Hempel —
My husband has been a beekeeper for over 30 years. When we were first married he took me out into the bee-yard to do some cleanup. As he removed frames and blew out some boxes, thousands of bees began to swarm around my head. I giggled. I think that was the day he decided I could stay.
Phil explained that our bees didn’t sting me because I remained peaceful around the colonies and did not smell of fear.
One of the first lessons I learned from the hive was maintain your peace.
There is something about the hum of a bee-yard that generates a meditative response. The soothing sound of tens of thousands of God’s most industrious ecologists at work is mesmerizing and, for me, one of the fastest ways to enter a contemplative state.
How does this community generate such an effect? How can we learn from them?
The world of hive exists in perfect unity. Bees do not compete with one another. There is no caste system. They have a mission given them by their Creator and they take it seriously. They know their purpose and their every living moment is spent fulfilling that. There is no such thing as superiority. What would happen if we did the same?
The Drones, the only males produced in the colony, have but one purpose. Theirs is to mate with the queen and die. They give their life for the continuance of the colony. Sacrifice for the greater good is important.
Within the hive, each member of this community understands that the very existence of their world depends upon cooperation. Worker bees must keep the hive neat and tidy so that the queen and larvae remain healthy and thrive. Guard bees are constantly on the lookout for any threats and woe betide the visitor who dares disrupt the harmony of their kingdom. Whether a janitor or one charged with the protection of others, each of us have been given a special gift to serve. One is not greater than the other. We need to play nice.
Nurse bees stay busy tending the next generation’s eggs and, when necessary, they are called upon for the important job of raising the next queen. Theirs is a sacred task and they treat it as such. The nurturing of the next generation cannot be taken for granted. We need give special care and attention the young. Theirs will be to continue the work we started. We need to teach them in the way they should go. We need to encourage them to be better than we have been.
The Scouts are not only tasked with searching out the best sources of pollen for the Gatherers, but could be called upon to find a new home when necessary. Communication is their forte. Without their infamous wiggle dance, by which they give other bees detailed directions to the next pollen field, a great deal of time would be wasted and wasting time is not something these efficient creatures care to indulge in. We need to learn to communicate clearly to one another. To communicate our love and our values has never been more important.
The diligence of the Gatherer bees, provides the nectar and pollen which is the lifeblood of the hive. Without their dedication to seeking out the best sources of this nectar and pollen, there would be no honey; no propolis, used in medicines for humans; no royal jelly to feed the eggs destined to royalty. We must constantly be seeking good spiritual nourishment for ourselves and to share with others. Garbage in/garbage out does not only apply to computer inputting.
Royalty here is no simple lay-back-and-be-waited-on existence. The queen spends her entire life, after her mating flight, laying eggs. She never stops for without her consistent, unwavering labor; there is no hive. Every other bee knows that inherent to their job description is: protect and serve the queen. When we serve in a position of leadership, we must always remember our job description is simple. Serve the community, set an example for others and allow them to do their best.
Life in the hive produces the peaceful hum not by its members kicking back and putting their feet up; but by continuous sacrifices. There are no individual bees demanding their rights. Just the steady melody of humble service at work.
by Christine Sine
Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.
So says Alice in Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice in Wonderland. To a child like Alice, the world is an amazing place with miracles at every turn. We watch their expressions of awe and wonder with delight. The make us smile, they make us laugh but few of us take them seriously.
I have had to rethink that attitude since reading John Pridmore’s fascinating book Playing with Icons: The Spirituality of Recalled Childhood, in which he analyses a rich variety of people’s memories of their childhoods. He believes that our decline in capacity to notice the miracles around us as we grow older is a failure of the spirit as well as of the senses. He argues that by the time we become adults we have lost our child’s eye and no longer experience everyday objects with our senses or capture them in their true light because they have now become familiar and commonplace. It takes a rare event like a solar eclipse to stir within us the spirit touching awe and wonder kids experience every day.
Pridmore points out that when Jesus drives out the traders and money-changers in the temple, healing the blind and the lame, the authorities get angry but the children cheer because they alone can see the significance of the wonderful things he is doing. Jesus reminds the authorities that “out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself.(Matthew 21:14-16.)
Research indicates that experiencing these magical feelings also changes how we approach our lives. It can make us more satisfied, less self-involved, less likely to feel starved for time, more grateful and more likely to help others. Even brief experiences of awe, such as being amid beautiful tall trees, led people to feel less narcissistic and entitled and more attuned to the common humanity people share with one another.
Unfortunately the research also suggests that we are awe deprived. We spend more time at work and less outdoors. We are less inclined to attend art galleries, live music, theatre and museums. Even our children are having their arts and music programs dismantled and their unfettered outdoor time cut for more resume building activities. Not only are we suffering as a result, but our faith and our concern for others are suffering too. Some of the leading researchers looking at this subject believe that chronic awe deprivation has had a hand in a broad societal shift making us more individualistic, more self-focused, more materialistic and less connected to others. They say we need to actively seek out awe-inspiring moments in our every day lives.
What Is Your Response?
When was the last time you experienced a sense of wonder at the world around you or sat in awe at God’s greatness? Perhaps it is time to reenter the awe inspiring world of childhood where everything is a miracle. And perhaps it is time to rethink our spiritual practices to make this possible.
Watch the video below and then consider setting aside time each day this week to reflect on the miracles that the day has unveiled. Sit quietly in the presence of God and take some deep breaths in and out. Close your eyes and walk through the day reimagining everything you did.
Start with the dawning of the day and the miracle moment of the rising sun as it’s light touched the sky and illuminated your world. Think about the miracle of the flowers unfurling in your garden, and the bees and birds flitting from plant to plant. Look into the eyes of a child and remind yourself of the miracle of your own formation. As you sit in the presence of God what else comes to mind? Make a list of at least six things that suddenly are unveiled to you as miracles that you have taken for granted in the day that has passed. Offer a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God.
By Lilly Lewin
Psalm 103:8-12
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
The Lord will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is God’s love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has God removed our transgressions from us.
I don’t about you, but I need a clean slate. I often need a “DO OVER.” I need a fresh start on my day, or on my week, or month, or sometimes even a whole new year would be nice! We just happen to get a new year and a fresh start this week because it’s the Jewish celebration of Rosh Hashanah. So Happy New Year! What would you like to do with your clean slate?
This past week the lectionary reminded us that God doesn’t keep score when it comes to forgiving us! Peter thought he was being generous by asking Jesus if forgiving someone 7 times was good enough. (that was more than double the normal amount required in Jewish tradition of the day.) Jesus said, not seven times, but seventy times seven. And then Jesus tells a parable about a forgiving king and a servant with an impossible debt. This servant pleads for mercy and is given grace but then takes out his anger on a fellow servant who owes him money. Next, the first servant is tattled on and the King throws him into prison. It’s a messy parable about how often we receive grace and mercy but we don’t offer or give it to other people. For me it’s a lesson on forgiveness and unforgiveness. And reminds me how often I put people in prison who have hurt me and I throw away the key. Also it reminds me of how often I don’t give grace and mercy to myself. I put myself in prison and slam the door!
Sometimes I think we keep ourselves in prison and we don’t allow ourselves to be set free. We somehow believe the lie that we still need to be bondage because of things we’ve done. We believe that we are still slaves rather than heirs to the reign of God.
When will we allow the cell doors to be opened? When will we be the ones to say set the captives free? When will we allow Jesus to actually do for us what he came to do? Give us life, and life in abundance! Jesus didn’t show up to keep us in a life of captivity. Nor did he give us a life of bondage, but a life of love, acceptance and forgiveness. Jesus gives each of us a life outside the box we keep ourselves in! We need to claim our freedom!
Lord Help me to live into that freedom!
God help me to get out of the jail of unforgiveness that I put myself in.
God help me to walk out of the cell since you’ve opened the door.
Lord, open the box that I put myself in and help me to live in freedom!
Set me free Jesus and help me to set myself free!
Set me free so that I can go and set others free! AMEN
So here’s to a clean slate, an open cell door and an empty box! Here’s to a New Year where our sins are washed clean and erased! Let’s remind each other that God has a very BIG ERASER and God is not afraid to use it! God loves and longs to wipe the slate clean again for each of us!
We just need to ask and receive again.
ACTION: Find an eraser to carry with you this week to remind you that God has erased all your sins and you have a clean slate! or get a small box with a lid and keep it open on your desk this week to remind you that you are set free! the box isn’t closed! The cell is open! You are set free!
From ThinplaceNashville Journaling : Read the passage slowly three times. Allow the Holy Spirit to highlight words or phrases. How is God speaking to you thorugh this parable today? Use the questions below as journaling prompts Allow the Holy Spirit to be light and love to you today through this passage! You might choose to sketch or draw or create a collage in response to this passage rather than journaling from it. Allow the Creator to inspire your creativity!
MATTHEW 18:21-35 NIV
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Questions to consider while Journaling:
- Jewish tradition was to forgive 3 times. Jesus is throwing out keeping count at all! Why do we need, or seem to want to quantify forgiveness? Why do we want to keep score when it comes to forgiveness?
- Look at the parable as a whole…not in pieces. How is the Kingdom of God like the totality of this parable?
- What makes it hard for you to believe that God is merciful and forgiving?
- When have you been forgiven when you didn’t deserve it?
- Is there anyone in your life right now that you are having trouble forgiving? What about forgiving yourself? Can you allow Jesus to forgive you? Will you allow God to help you forgive yourself 70×7?
by Christine Sine
Yesterday I asked the question What does God love about me? The responses were fascinating as most people have never asked themselves this or considered that God does love them. I found Pastor Coe’s response suggesting that we usually look for God’s approval rather than God’s love particularly insightful. I responded:
Yes I think there is a difference between God’s approval which is an acknowledgement of accomplishment and God’s love. With a new puppy in our home I am thinking a lot about this too. I love her, the feel of her warm fur, the way she snuggles into me when I pick her up, her silly antics but it certainly has nothing to do with approval – she still bites, and pees on the floor and gets into things she shouldn’t. My love for her has nothing to do with her bad behaviour at times.
I think God’s love is like that. It has nothing to do with our bad behaviour, with the times we get things wrong or deliberately disobey. There are innate characteristics God has given each of us that are God delights in because that is who and what God has created us to be. Just as I love my puppy because she is who and what God has created her to be – a puppy with all the sweetness that God has infused into her tiny golden retriever body, God loves each of us – because we are lovingly shaped with hands and feet and beautiful smiles. Some of us are fast, some slow. Some of us are tall some short. Some of us love spread sheets, some of us hate them. but we are all lovingly and uniquely shaped and enlivened with the breath of God.
I think that this is some of what Eric Liddel expresses in the 1980s film Chariots of Fire. He is an Olympic runner in the 1920s, whose fundamentalist Christian family is dismayed at his desire to run. At one point he says: God made me fast and when I run I sense God’s pleasure.
Maybe instead of asking What does God love about me, it would be easier to reflect on God made me ….. and when I …. I sense God’s pleasure. What is it about you as a unique creation of God that makes you sense God’s pleasure? Is it your athletic prowess, your love of gardening, your delight in mathematics, your artistic talent? Is it your patience with illness or your acceptance of infirmity? The list is endless.
Take a few minutes to reflect on this today and delight in the pleasure God takes in you.
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