After the opportunity in Lent to journey with the Lord
After the time of introspection
After the joy of Sunday morning worship
After the triumphant Resurrection news
After this incredible journey
To paraphrase Howard Thurman’s quote about the work of Christmas
Now begins the true work of Easter
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among others,
To make music in the heart.
May we begin that work with a deep peace and joy in our soul
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
Easter Celebrations are complete
Worship and Fellowship
Afternoon Worship at the Nursing Home
An evening with dear friends
Food, Laughter, Stories, Fellowship
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
First Reading – Isaiah 65:17-25
Second Reading – Luke 24:1-12
Well said, Ronnie!
The Constant Gardener
http://ronniemcbrayer.org/2019/04/21/the-constant-gardener/
— Read on ronniemcbrayer.org/2019/04/21/the-constant-gardener/
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
The journey through Lent and Holy Week nears its end
Walking with you, Lord
Walking with your Disciples
Walking with your Mother
Walking with my congregation
Walking with my dear partner in life and ministry
Walking through the Valley of the Shadows
Walking through life’s challenges
Now, on the Vigil of Easter
As my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
lease don’t plant me
neat rows of rosebushes
and tulips at attention,
no manicured gardens
or crystal vases of cut stems.
Instead, take my hand,
lead me onto
rain-softened grass
which undulates like a boat
on a summer lake,
lie down with me
in a quilt of sunlight and shadows
among yellow petals, violet trumpets,
a feast for hares and bees,
let’s linger and forget ourselves
until even the tiled sky above
is cracked open by stars
and all that is restless and wild
within us can roam the heavens
howling the moon aloft.
—Christine Valters Paintner
This little grouping of stones in the Knoll-Willow Open Space caught my eye the first time we visited this space in the middle of town in 2015. It also catches my imagination as I can visualize it as the tomb hewn into the rock where they placed Jesus’ body on Good Friday.
At sunrise on the first day of the week, the women went to the tomb. Grief stricken, they moved numbly, yet with haste toward their destination. They hadn’t even thought about how to move the stone that covered the tomb. All they wanted to do was finish the preparations of the body of their dear Jesus since Joseph and Nicodemus had been racing against the sunset and the beginning of the Sabbath.
They would offer their Lord a final gift of comfort and love as they completed the preparations for his burial. Mary Magdalene, were you remembering when you anointed his feet with perfume and your tears? Were you remembering how you wiped his feet with your hair? Would you still smell the perfume in the tomb, despite all the horrors he had endured?
They got to the tomb and not only was the stone rolled away, it was empty! Suddenly two men in dazzling clothes came to them. Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.
Then they remembered his words and told the gathered disciples and companions the news. The women were the first to share the Good News but the disciples didn’t believe them. Only when Peter went and saw for himself that the tomb was empty and the linen cloths were laying by themselves did he believe.
They still didn’t know fully what had happened. They only knew that the tomb was empty and that the mysterious strangers had told them that Jesus had risen!
As I contemplate the experience of the women at the tomb, I hear the question of the mysterious strangers over and over again. Why do you look for the living among the dead? Strangely enough, the song which came into my head was a song from the movie, Urban Cowboy! Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places.
At that point I realized the connection between the song and this event. The mysterious strangers were essentially asking the women (and me as I immersed myself into the narrative in the Ignatian way) why they were Looking for Jesus in all the Wrong Places!
To be honest, that question hit me like a ton of bricks! It is a question not only for your Padre but for all who seek to follow Christ. Do we only look for him in the Sacraments? Do we only look for him in our elaborate sanctuaries and Cathedrals? Do we only look for him in our rituals, our prayers, and our Bibles? I am not saying that those places are places of the dead. I am saying that we limit our ability to see Jesus in our midst! If we only look for Jesus there, we are missing the point and the calling to see Jesus in the world.
In Matthew 25, Jesus told the people that when they fed the hungry, clothed the naked, gave something to drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, visited the sick, and visited the prisoner. In other words, when you reached out and treated the so-called least of these as your Sister, your Brother, you are welcoming Jesus! One of the initiatives that the Presbyterian Church (USA) is the Matthew 25 Initiative. This, along with the Hands and Feet Initiative we practiced at the 223rd General Assembly (#GA223) in St Louis in 2018, urges us to take the mission and ministry of Jesus out of the sanctuaries and into the streets.
Over and over again, I read and hear in my heart and spirit the call to reach out beyond our comfort zone (the sacred hour on Sunday morning) and take this ministry into the streets. How can we Do Justice? How can we Love Kindness and Mercy? How can we Walk Humbly with God if we stay inside of our comfort zone? How can we Love God and Love Neighbor if we never venture outside of the sanctuary or our personal devotion time and into the streets?
Dear reader, are we looking for Jesus in all the wrong places? Will you join me in moving outside of the comfort zone and the familiar? Will you join me in becoming a Matthew 25 and a Micah 6:8 Christ-follower?
Can you imagine being a part of Isaiah’s vision in Chapter 65? The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent–its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.
The day breaks
The sun rises in the East
The rest of the world moves on
It was Sabbath
For Mary
For the Disciples
For Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus
Lost in their own thoughts
Reliving the nightmares of the past few days
The Sabbath observance went on forever
When will the nightmare end
Mary, you keep remembering your last moments with your Son
Mary, your heart must be breaking
Perhaps you prayed with the Psalmist
How long, O Lord?
Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
Psalm 13:1-6
How long, O Lord?
********************
The top picture is of Lily Lake in the Rocky Mountain National Park. The second and third pictures are from the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe.
…To each one of us Christ is saying: If you want your life and mission to be fruitful, like mine, do as I do. Be converted into a seed that lets itself be buried. Let yourself be killed. Do not be afraid. Those who shun suffering will remain alone. No one is more alone than the selfish. But if you give your life out of love for others, as I give mine for all, you will reap a great harvest. (Oscar Romero)…
Today We Mourn
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
As the sun went down
I considered those who loved Jesus
Those who followed him
Those who saw his lifeless body taken down from the Cross
Those who placed his body in the tomb
We have to imagine
We must put ourselves in their shoes
As the last rays of daylight faded
All they could do was pray, weep, and wonder
Lord, help us not to take you for granted
Help us not to take your love for granted
Now, as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
