The King is Coming!

“Make straight in the desert a highway for our God

Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill

Made low; the uneven ground shall become level,

and the rough places a plain”

How wasteful it seems to make a highway in the desert!

Why would anyone need a highway there?

After all, who would use it?

The coyotes and the road runners and the desert rattlers?

And yet, there is a desert in my heart

There is a desert in my soul

It begs for the quenching Living Water

The desert in my heart and soul is guarded by mountains and hills

They seem to make it difficult for grace to enter

It is plagued by uneven ground that I fear will make it hard

For the chariot of my King to enter

And yet, I know the King is coming

Oh yes, He will come at the End

To set all things right

But He is also coming today,

Right now, this very moment

The mountains and hills are no obstacles for Him

The King laughs at uneven ground and deep valleys

After all, the King created Everything from Nothing!

Nothing will stop Him from blessing us with His Presence

Nothing will stop His Power to set things right,

not just in the world,

But in my heart,

In my soul

Prepare the way of the Lord!

The only one delaying it

Is me.

So, build the highway,

Pray the prayer,

Take the Holy Sacrament,

For the King is Coming!

The Great Gatherer

“ Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you”—Isaiah 43.5 (nrsv)

I will gather you

A simple promise

But something

That changes history

How scattered we are

In our different 

Motives and agendas

How scattered

In our theological camps

And denominational towers

And political think tanks

How scattered

In our individual quests

For power and recognition 

When what we are 

Really hungry for 

Is simply love and acceptance 

But the Great Gatherer

Is coming

In fact, his agents

Are already at work

Can you see it?

Even now 

He is bringing the loose pieces of yarn

Together

Even now, he is weaving

An exquisite tapestry

Of love, mercy, and grace

O, Great Gatherer,

Weave me

And my loved ones

And my neighbors

And even my enemies

Into your exquisite  tapestry

The one that covers 

All creation

The one that brings

Peace

Darkness and Light

All sufficient Grace

When I stand in your Presence

I am blinded by your light

I must close my eyes and

Feel your burning warmth 

On my face 

Lead me out of the present darkness

Into your perfect light

I have journeyed

Into the heart of my darkness

And now, O Glory!

I come into your 

Radiant Light

Give me respite

From the dark journey

That I may come at last

To the side of your manger

And adore with the wise ones

And contemplate 

As the Virgin

And encounter

The Very Light of the World

Not me but you . . .

“Hold fast . . . because He who has promised is faithful.”

Not my faithfulness

But yours, O Christ

Not my achievements

But your grace

Not my work

But your work in me

Not my agenda

But your Kingdom

Not me

But you,

eternally you! 

A candle burning

There’s a candle burning in my heart

It wants to touch the Holy

It wants to commune with

That which is immaterial

That which is Spirit only

There’s a candle burning in my heart

That wants to embrace another

With flesh on

To commune with brother and sister

In the unity of the Spirit

There’s a candle burning in my heart

That is weary of the politics

Of ungrace

That is tired of power and lust and abuse and injustice and violence

There’s a candle burning in my heart

That sees the beauty of the

Full Moon shining in the early morning

And knows that is Real

There’s a candle burning in my heart

That encounters the cat purring

The dog giving kisses

The red tailed hawk in flight

And knows that is Real

There’s a candle burning in my heart

That feels the rise of the wave

It’s swell and rapid crash

Foam and Force

And knows that is Real

There’s a candle burning in my heart

That knows that the ads aren’t real

The airbrushed, over-produced

Hip-Hop Star isn’t Real

The buttoned down, makeup

Black suit, starch white shirt, red tie

Politician who promises the Moon

And instead delivers another law for the attorneys and judges to fight over

And lies through his teeth

He isn’t Real

The violence of retribution

The embracing of division and tribal fighting

It isn’t Real

There’s a candle burning in my heart

That knows that only God is Real

And whatever He has touched in this Creation

And whatever He has given the Gift of Ruach (Breath-Spirit-Life)

There’s a candle burning in my heart

That holds out for the Real

And spits the Un-Real out of my mouth

There’s a candle burning in my heart

The glorious cross

I sit this morning in front of the crucifix

I ponder the Passion of our Lord

His outstretched arms

Reaching from one end of the universe

To the other

His hands, nailed with blood running down

The blood of God

Poured out for God’s people

Blood that is pure and undefiled

The Life-Blood of the Son of God

What is it worth?

How priceless it is!

His arms stretched to the breaking point

His shoulders pulled out of joint

From the weight of the sins of the cosmos

Bearing down

How much do the sins of the cosmos weigh?

His arms, wide enough to embrace me tenderly

As my Brother-God

As my Lord-God

As my Savior-God

How can it be that God calls me brother, friend?

It is too mysterious for me to analyze

It is too huge for me to lift

It is too complex for three and a half pounds of mortal brain

His naked body stretched out

With feet nailed

Feet that walked the length and breadth

Of Galilee

Feet that walked into

The Temple of God

Feet that walked dusty roads

To forgotten people

And brought . . .

Grace

More blood running down

How freely He gave his blood

How freely He gave his body

How freely He gave his Spirit

His head bowed and at peace

His work

Done

His precious head, with all the knowledge and wisdom of God

In one head

All the compassion and love of God

On one face

All the joy of the smile of God

On one mouth

All the grief of a Loving God

In the tears in his eyes

In his face I see the understanding

Of One who has suffered

One who left the glory of heaven

To incarnate into my suffering and pain

And joy and happiness

One who united himself to me

On the splintery cross

One who loved to the max

One who gave all

So that I could be free

Oh glorious cross

Primordial symbol

Of Who God is

Of What God is like

Of Why God made us

Of How God redeemed us

Of When History was cracked in two

Oh glorious cross

I will cling to you

All my days

Because in your splintery beams

I transcend the world that is passing away before my eys

In your splintery beams

I see that God’s Grace

Extends High and Low

Deep and Wide

It reaches the far corners

Of the Universe

Even into the dark corners

Of my heart

Oh, Praise to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!

Who lives and reigns, One God, Forever and Ever!