All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth… – Hebrews 11:13 NRSV * * * All my life I’ve thought one day this wandering will be past. The place I seek willContinue reading “Always the Road”
Category Archives: Poetry or Lyrics
Pentecost
The room is still; the hearth is cold and dark. A rancid smell of ashes fills the air. The candles stand neglected. Windows stare Like blinded eyes unlit by any spark. How dead this place – no life has left its mark Upon the icy floor, the table bare; No breeze, no breath, no sound,Continue reading “Pentecost”
Another Look: My Christmas Poet
First posted November 2010. For years now, a favorite book in my library has been an old worn copy of The Poetical Works of Christina Georgina Rossetti, published in 1904. A brief note in fountain pen ink inside the cover says that it was given as a Christmas gift in 1908, and a sticker in the backContinue reading “Another Look: My Christmas Poet”
Jesus Loves Even Me
“Jesus, looking at him, loved him…” (Mark 10:21) * * * Even when I have enthusiasm without understanding, When I present myself as one who is worthy, When I think myself a good candidate for the kingdom, He still looks at me and loves me. Even when I imagine I have measured up, Having fulfilledContinue reading “Jesus Loves Even Me”
What If I…
What if I… When dark and deep prevailed Breathed out an order And light broke through to awaken the world? And what if I… When heinous violence ruled Tapped a lone man’s shoulder And bid him build a lifeboat to preserve the world? And what if I… When self-reliant hubris swelled Confounded and scattered allContinue reading “What If I…”
Advent III: The Winter Sun Is Warm
Third Sunday of Advent December 11, 2012 Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Psalm 126 or Luke 1:46b-55 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-8, 19-28 Prayer of the Day Stir up the wills of your faithful people, Lord God, and open our ears to the words of your prophets, that, anointed by your Spirit, we may testify to yourContinue reading “Advent III: The Winter Sun Is Warm”
Advent II: The Grass Withers
Second Sunday of Advent December 4, 2012 Isaiah 40:1-11 Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 2 Peter 3:8-15a Mark 1:1-8 Prayer of the Day Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son. By his coming strengthen us to serve you with purified lives; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who livesContinue reading “Advent II: The Grass Withers”
Advent I: What Fruit Remains
First Sunday of Advent November 27, 2011 Isaiah 64:1-9 Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Mark 13:24-37 Prayer of the Day Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. By your merciful protection waken us to the threatening dangers of our sins, and keep us blameless until the coming of your new day, for youContinue reading “Advent I: What Fruit Remains”
The Open Door
After a week of ordinary and inevitable failures, sins, and missed opportunities, I’m content to remember in whose hands salvation lies and who invites us in to his Sabbath rest. Psalm 84 talks about being a doorkeeper in God’s house. I suspect I’ve occasionally been more like the malodorous bum lying on the steps, preventingContinue reading “The Open Door”
The Descent to God
This month, while Chaplain Mike is on sabbatical, Jeff has asked me to provide some Sunday meditations. I find that daunting. I’m not a scholar or a preacher, but I’ll give you the best I have. Ironically, the best I have is other people’s words, but these are words that have taken up residence inContinue reading “The Descent to God”
The Internet Monk Archives 