All praise

All praise to you

Brilliantly beautiful Father

All trophies laid at your feet

Pure loving Son

All glory to you

Terrible and mysterious Spirit

You search all things

You sift the hearts of mortals

To you belongs 

The far flung galaxies

Every single star

In the myriad expanse

Of the heavens

Every single atom in the Universe

Every proton, neutron, and electron

Glorifying you

By their very existence

Life force, power, unending motion

I only ask one thing

To behold your sheer brilliance

All the days of my life

And indeed forever more

Wait

Wait on the Lord
Wait?
Really, Lord?
But we're supposed to have things . . .
Instantly!
When Israel had to wait
On Moses
They cast a calf idol of gold

When we have to wait
We try to cast idols too
Idols that will speed things up

I was eating out at a nice restaurant
And the people behind me
Complained to the manager:
"We didn't enjoy our meal!"
"Why not?" the manager asked
"Because we told them
We had to eat in 30 minutes or less!
And they took longer!"

Can you eat a fine meal in 30 minutes or less?
Nope

O, Lord, help us wait on the fine meal
You are preparing for us
A meal of bounteous goodness,
Grace, and Love
Help us when we
Must . . .
wait 

Confession

"Who can detect their errors?"

O Lord, I am aware of my errors

My anger, my impatience

Saying ugly words 

Demanding my own way

But I'm sure there are 

Other sins that I am not aware of

As Julian did, 

I happily confess them to you

Happily because 

There is vacancy at the cross

For my sins

Happily because 

I can unload them from me

And lay them down at your feet

Happily because I'm tired of trying

To be good

And ready to have a

Justifying and sanctifying 

Injection of the Holy Spirit 

Purify me by your grace

Because my efforts are not enough

But you are all sufficient 

Authority

Authority

It seems like such 

An old fashioned word

And even one that 

Hits our post modern ears

As negative

After all, modernity

Freed us from

The oppressive authority

Of those who were

Un-enlightened

The modern revolution 

Was to be your own authority

But after a century of that

Many realize that

Self is not the best authority

We need something (Someone)

Beyond self

No, we don't want to go back

To having to obey oppressors

The real authority

We need to turn to 

Is Jesus

In him we find real authority

That is love, grace, and truth

O Lord save us from

False and abusive authority

And pseudo authority

Help us look to you

From whom true life springs

New day

There's always a back to Egypt committee

And sometimes it is my own voice 

That cries for that

The past can seem so pristine

So perfect, so ideal

Yet The Lord calls us 

To a new day

New experiences

New blessings

And yes new challenges

O Lord, help us embrace

This new day

Your new way

And your new call

May your grace 

Be sufficient

For whatever

We face today 

Triumphant celebration

"I will sing to The Lord

For he has triumphed gloriously"

How often do you celebrate

I mean really take up the tambourine

And dance for joy

Don't say well, there's really 

Nothing to celebrate

Are you alive?

Are you breathing?

Did the sun rise this morning?

I too am sometimes so filled 

With the worries of life

The burden of pain

The cynicism of the earth

That I forget to celebrate

Lord forgive us when we forget

To celebrate life 

Your blessings 

And most of all

Just who you are

Get ready to rock

Start the dance

"Celebrate good times

Come on!"

Sing!

After The Lord led Israel

Through the sea

Moses,the one who

Couldn't speak in front of people

Launches into song

In front of the whole nation

And that is what the Spirit does

The one who does not speak sings

The one who is downcast rejoices

The one who is in despair finds hope

The one who is bored

Finds enthusiasm for Jesus

The creation, that was locked in darkness

Has the glorious light of God

Shatter the darkness

And all is made new