“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
—Barack Obama
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Truth is powerful and it prevails.”
— Sojourner Truth
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
~ Nelson Mandela
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.”
—Coretta Scott King
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.”
— Langston Hughes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.”
—Desmond Tutu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?” Martin Luther King Jr.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.
– Jackie Robinson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘Come,’
He said, and I did,
Following his voice
Through the crowd on the edge of town.
I needed wait no longer:
My voice had been heard
Calling for change,
Crying out for a fresh start –
Even though it meant casting off old ways,
No longer the needy person everybody knew.
‘Come,’ he said
And I saw what God could do.
‘Your faith has healed you,’
He told me. ‘Now go.’
He never said, ‘Follow me’ –
But, as I could see, there was no other way.
February 5, 2020
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘Follow me,’
He said, for I had asked him
The next step on a journey
Of personal salvation.
He reminded me of all the good things
I already knew and did.
So nothing was left to do –
I was ready to go.
‘Now sell all you have,’
He said, ‘Give it away to the poor.’
How could I let go just like that –
Lighten the load,
Shed my responsibilities,
Become someone I did not know?
What would be left?
‘Follow me,’ he said
But with heavy heart
I shook my head
February 4, 2020
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘Go,’ he said.
‘Let the children be fed first –
Why should the dogs eat their bread?’
But I would not be turned away:
Hoping for healing,
Hungry for justice,
I stood my ground and argued:
‘In God’s household
Even the dogs are fed.’
Seeing my faith,
He told me to go home
And find my daughter healed.
‘Go,’ he said – and I did.
Feb. 3, 2020
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘Follow me,’
he said – and I did.
Tax collecting never made me popular,
But it put a roof over my head
And bread on my table –
Bitter bread, because grabbed and grudged.
He invited me to become
No longer dog in the manger
But host at the feast.
He came right under my roof
Sharing my bread
And showing me how to share
With all the rest.
‘Follow me,’
He said – and I did.
January 31, 2020
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Follow Me
“Follow me,”
he said – and we did.
We let go of the heavy wet nets,
the tough strands of tarred rope:
our strong hands
were empty – we let go
or all we knew how to do,
our livelihood, our identity-
to follow a dream,
a job description
that no one in their senses
would take seriously.
“Follow me,”
he said – and we did.
January 30, 2020
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“The Christian life is not about pleasing God the finger-shaker and judge. It is not about believing now or being good now for the sake of heaven later. It is about entering a relationship in the present that begins to change everything now. Spirituality is about this process: the opening of the heart to the God who is already here.”
― Marcus J. Borg
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place.” – C.S. Lewis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Love is what God is, love is why Jesus came, and love is why he continues to come, year after year to person after person… May you experience this vast, expansive, infinity indestructible love that has been yours all along. May you discover that this love is as wide as the sky and as small as the cracks in your heart no one else knows about, and may you know, deep in your bones, that love wins.”
~ Rob Bell
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“And this is it. This is the life we get here on earth. We get to give away what we receive. We get to believe in each other. We get to forgive and be forgiven. We get to love imperfectly. And we never know what effect it will have for years to come. And all of it…all of it is completely worth it.”
― Nadia Bolz-Weber
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“If you can’t fly then run,
if you can’t run then walk,
if you can’t walk then crawl,
but whatever you do
you have to keep moving forward.”
~Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”
~ Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 1/17/20
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everybody can be great … because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
~ Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 1/16/20
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy Birthday, MLK, Jr.!
1/15/20
The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But… the good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?’
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Martin Luther King, Jr.
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Something Wise, Something Joyful
Walk wisely in this world.
Listen before you speak.
Look deeply before you leap.
Share love with those who walk beside you.
And, on long winter nights
When the moon is hiding
And frost crusts the soil,
Do not be afraid to try out something different,
Something wild,
Something joyful,
Just for the hell of it
And hope that it leads you to heaven.
~ Ruth Burgess 01/10/20
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1/08/2020
In-dwelling God, we greet you in this new year. As centuries come and go, your presence is ever new when we open our senses to receive you. We ask now that you sharpen our awareness of your creative energy at work within and around us. Let us welcome you in the stranger who is not yet a friend, in the hungry who need the food and care we might provide, in the nurse who fulfills our thirst for water and kindness. Show us your expectations for us this season. Amen.
~ Lavon Baylor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Epiphany 01/06/20
Epiphany is a jewel
multi-faceted,
flashing color and light.
Epiphany embraces
the nations of the world,
kneeling on a bare floor
before a child.
Epiphany shows
a man
kneeling in the waters of baptism.
Epiphany reveals
the best is kept for last
as water becomes wine
at the wedding feast.
O Holy One
to whom was given
the gifts of power and prayer,
the gift of suffering,
help us to use these same gifts
in your way
and in your name.
~Kate McIlhagga
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Away in the Manger…at Home in the Heart
The gift of God’s creative Word that called each one into being is swept into our heart this day like the rush of breath of God’s Holy Spirit. Truly at home in the heart of God, filled with the presence of Divine life and breath, we are called to incarnation. We are invited to the body, the vessel of God’s very presence. We become the embrace for wounded friends, the words of grace for the heartbroken, encouragement and love for those who are the subjects of our greatest relationships. Today may you become a Bethlehem as Divine love is birthed into your life.
~ Rev. Dr. Brenda K. Buckwell, OBL, OSB 01/03/20
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christ Like! 01/02/2020
I open the stable door,
I look into the manger,
I see the child there,
looking just like you.
I give my love as a blanket
to keep you warm
as I discover in you
the Christ of today
and when you cry
I hold you in my arms
and realize
you’re just like me.
~Richard Becher
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
12/31/2019
We welcome the new beginning that a fresh year offers. All our good intentions are caught up in the promise of starting over. Help us to leave behind that which we cannot change and move forward boldly on the paths in which you would lead us. We accept from your hand the water of life. May the fountain of love never run dry, for we need to drink from it day after day. Amen.
~ Lavon Bayler
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The World Still Knows 12/30/2019
The night is still dark and a procession of Herods still terrorize the earth, killing the children to stay in power. The world still knows its Herods, but it also still knows men and women who pack their dreams safely in their hearts and set off toward Bethlehem, faithful against all odds, undeterred by fatigue or rejection,
to kneel to a child.
And the world still knows those persons wise enough to follow a star, those who do not consider themselves too intelligent
Too powerful
Too wealthy
to kneel to a child.
And the world still knows those hearts so humble that they’re ready to hear the word of a song and to leave what they have, to go
to kneel to a child.
The night is still dark, but by the light of the star, even today we can still see
to kneel to a child.
~ Ann Weems
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Christmas Song 12/27/2019
In the cold of the night
as Mary held her baby tight,
O, warn us, hold us
in your love, God with us, in Christ.
In the lonely night
as Mary calmed her baby’s fright,
O, still us, comfort us
in your love, God with us, in Christ.
In the peaceful night
as Mary trusted all was right
O, guide us, hearten us,
with your love, God with us, in Christ.
In the dark of night
as Mary saw her baby’s light,
O, shine on, shine on us
with your love, God with us, in Christ.
~ Michael Coffey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas Eve 12/25/2019
Tonight old dreams die and new dreams come to life. The Promise is fulfilled! Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace. Hope gives way to joy and prayer to proclamation. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace. Our candles illuminate our story. Dawn invades midnight. The Light of the World has come. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace. And this light is a light for all; igniting a flame within the soul, warming us from within, radiating love, lighting our lives with the presence of God-come-alive in human flesh within us and among us now and always. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill to all.
~ Ruth C. Duck & Maren C. Tirabassi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Christmas Spirit 12/23/2019
The Christmas spirit is that hope which tenaciously clings to the hearts of the faithful
and announces in the face of any Herod the world can produce and all the inn doors slammed in our face and all the dark nights of our souls that with God all things are still possible, that even now unto us a Child is born!
~ Ann Weems
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer 12/18/2019
Ransom me, O God of freedom, from my captivity. Set me free from the things that keep me in bondage. Empower me to take action to reach one of your least or lost. May I see your face in all those I meet today, and may I be your hands and heart in this captive world. Amen.
~ Beth A. Richardson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Wild Rose 12/17/2019
Sometimes hidden from me
In daily custom and in trust,
So that I live by you unaware
As by the beating of my heart.
Suddenly you flare in my sight,
A wild rose blooming at the edge
Of thicket, grace and light
Where yesterday was only shade.
And once more I am blessed,
Choosing again what I chose before.
And once more I am blessed,
Choosing again what I chose before.
~ Wendell Berry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Waiting 12/16/2019
All my life I have waited: waited for the project to be completed, waited for supper to be ready, waited for the doctor to see me. I have waited at the traffic light, waited for the right relationship, waited to grow up.
I have waited alone or waited with friends. I have waited anxiously. I have waited expectantly. Some waits have brought joy. Other waits have brought bad news. Some waits have been “worth waiting for.”
Now it is Advent, and I am waiting again. This time I am waiting in the darkness of my soul-ravaged by sorrow, anger, and fear. But I do not despair in the waiting, for I remember the way light looks and feels. The memories of silent nights with starlit skies are with me, and I have been bathed in the warmth of love’s light. And so I hope-for Messiah to come.
Voices sing, “Prepare him room.” I know now waiting cannot be passive. There is something to do, but where? I have no inn or stable, but in my heart, I can make room. Move over doubt. Move over despair. Make room for Truth, for Life, for Love. Make room for the Prince of Peace.
~ Kathy Clark-Dickens
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
12/12/2019
God did not wait till our lives were spotless.
God did not wait till every child was loved.
God did not wait till the hungry were fed.
God did not wait till the broken-hearted were comforted.
God came to a world such as ours to lighten the way, bring hope and guide us into the ways of peace.
~ Nicola Slee & Rosie Miles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Hope of Loving 12/11/2019
What keeps us alive, what allows us to endure?
I think it is the hope of loving,
or being loved.
I heard a fable once about the sun going on a journey to find it’s source, and how the moon wept
without her lover’s warm gaze.
We weep when light does not reach our hearts. We wither like fields if someone close
does not rain their
kindness
upon
us.
~ Meister Eckhart
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Caregiving God 12/10/2019
Caregiving God,
providing for our needs,
as you long to fill the hungry with food,
so also fill our imagination
with people and things that are just true,
excellent, noble, and worthy of praise,
that by dwelling on the beauty of goodness,
we may grow into it day by day
as students of Christ
in whose name we pray, Amen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Second Sunday in Advent 12/9/2019
Our God, who sends your most valuable gifts as tiny children,
And teaches us to love each other by first loving us,
Remind us again that two candles always give twice as much light,
And that only in community can we receive and share your gifts.
As we lovingly shop,
Help us remember that our gifts are symbols of your incredible life.
Help us remember people who may receive no gifts,
And sometimes even may receive no love that they can recognize.
Teach us to see that no child of yours is unlovable.
Come, Lord Jesus!
~ Kit Kuperstock
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SAPENTIA – WISDOM 12/6/2019
Prayer
O Wisdom, breath of God’s power,
Your glory fills the streets and skies,
Your order all things sweetly and justly:
Come, blow us clean
And teach us wonder and truth.
~ Ruth Burgess
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Midwinter prayer 12/5/2019
God of all creation
of bare forest and low northern skies
of paths unknown and never to be taken
of bramble, sparrow and damp, dark earth
we thank you for loss, for the breaking of the dimming year
we thank you for light, even in its seeming midwinter falling
we thank you for life, for its hope and resistance
like a seed dying and living.
~Rachel Mann
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
12/4/2019
Night is drawing nigh –
“How long the road is. But, for all the time the journey has already taken, how you have needed every second of it in order to learn what the road passes-by.
~ Dag Hammarskjold
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Giver of Hope 12/3/2019
Spirit of God,
you open doors that are locked,
break the shackles of slavery,
erode the pyramids of domination,
and tumble tyrants from their thrones.
You give us life
and whisper in our hearts,
“You are God’s beloved child,
and always will be.”
Deep in every human heart
you plant a seed of promise,
a glimmer of expectation,
and a spark of hope.
~ Brian Wren
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First Sunday in Advent 12/2/2019
Creator of infinite stretches of icy universe,
Now is the time we need to address you as Father, as Mother.
Daylight has shrunk. Out in the darkness, people are cold.
You have promised that your word will become flesh and dwell among us,
Bringing your peace and love and joy.
In the cold and the dark,
give us the courage to light one candle,
And share your light with all those around us. Come, Lord Jesus!
~ Kit Kuperstock
