Psalm 27
*
The world's gone mad!
Our God-given reason is overthrown
By our animal craving for blood.
My own desperate prayer for reason
Is stifled by overwhelming fear.
I see only the destruction our madness will bring in its wake -
Misery, poverty, hatred, despair, evil, chaos -
As the 21st century's first decade disintegrates into insane war.
*
All that is good - morality, kindness, mercy, patience, compassion,
Self-control, forgiveness, wisdom - seems lost, forsaken.
We reject the Spirit's power to act in our lives,
Exposing humanity's ugly wretchedness without God's grace,
And thus, we have damned ourselves.
*
How have we come to this hell?
When did we set out on this "inevitable" path?
Why can we find no other way?
What has blinded us to your grace, O! Holy God?
Where, O! Lord, is your salvation from this mad darkness?
Who but Thee can save us from ourselves?
*
I hear you cry out to us, Lord -
"Don't be molded by the world, be metamorphosized!
Let your reasoning be completely, utterly new,
So you can comprehend what is good through my eyes.
Then you'll understand that you need to bless those you hate,
Instead of inciting more evil and anger and hatred
By seeking to repay the evil done against you with more evil.
You can only overcome evil with good.
Goodness is the only weapon that can destroy evil.
It's the only cure for your insanity and unending cycles of hatred and vengeance."
*
So few hear you, Lord God.
Yet, in my despair, I hear your words of comfort -
"I am your hope, your salvation, your fortress.
Why are you afraid?
Evil may assail you, lay siege and make war against you,
But it will fail.
I am your shelter from trouble on the high ground.
You will one day walk before your enemies without fear or shame."
*
So, Almighty God, Holy Lord,
In the midst of the world's madness, whatever terror is to come,
You are with me.
You say, "seek me," and I do seek Thee.
I will seek your grace amid our human wretchedness and evil
And I will yet live to see your good triumph.
*
Now help me to wait for you, Lord God.
Help me to be strong, to not be afraid, in the overwhelming madness,
So I may endure the coming metamorphosis.
*
3/3/2003 Trinity Prayer Day for Peace - 3/7/2003
Ongoing War in Afghanistan, Pending War with Iraq
Romans 12:2,14-21
Psalm 27
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Compassion's Freedom
Under Pharaoh's oppression
The Holy One, the Almighty, the Wholly Compassionate
Saw Israel's suffering.
He sent Moses to lead them to freedom
And rejoiced to give them His law of compassion,
But they turned from it and chose an oppression of their own making.
Enslaving themselves to their law, attempting to control the Holy One
And confine His power and compassion to them alone.
*
Under Roman oppression
A child was born, full of the Holy One's compassion.
As a man, he refused to accept
The human boundaries assigned to the Holy One,
That His compassion is only for those who follow human laws
Instead of for those who suffer -
The maimed and homeless, outcasts,
Those with ragged clothes, who smell bad and are hungry,
The diseased and sexually different,
One who don't think or feel or believe what the rulemakers said
That the Holy One demanded they think or feel or believe.
*
So, under the law's oppression
They executed him, afraid of His message
Of the Holy One's all-inclusive compassion.
It threatened the rulemakers' power over the suffering,
But their power was nothing. They could kill his body
But not the Holy One's compassionate Spirit within him.
They could not oppress the Holy One.
They could not submit the Almighty to their laws.
They could not restrain His compassion, but they kept trying,
First by oppressing those who believed in His limitless compassion,
Then by convincing the believing that they needed their laws.
So, once more they enslaved themselves to a law of their own making
Instead of to the Holy One.
*
Under tribal oppression
An illiterate merchant understood what Israel and Christians had forgotten,
That the Holy One's compassion is all, is for all, is Him.
That there is no life, no freedom, except in the Holy One's compassion.
Revenge and hate, laws without compassion, only destroy and enslave.
Only the Holy One can judge and He judges with His compassion.
There is no way to live but to surrender to the Holy One and His compassion.
But the merchant's followers soon forgot, too,
And set out to oppress the world by the sword.
*
Under human oppression
We forget still and think ourselves powerful, we think hate powerful,
But it is nothing. We are nothing.
We can only destroy life, enslave life, create suffering
For ourselves and others.
We cannot control the Holy One
And He alone can create life and give freedom -
In His compassion, through His compassion, with His compassion.
*
So, under the Holy One's oppression -
His boundless, all-encompassing, utterly enveloping compassion -
Only there is freedom.
Only there suffering is not.
Only there is life.
Only there are we all embraced and comforted
And there is no fear, no hate, no shame.
So, remember - remember - and surrender.
Live out the Holy One's compassion, empowered by Him,
And be free.
*
9/14-11/9/2001
Reflections on World Trade Center/Pentagon attacks of September 11, 2001
Subsequent war in Afghanistan/violence between Israelis and Palestinians
The Holy One, the Almighty, the Wholly Compassionate
Saw Israel's suffering.
He sent Moses to lead them to freedom
And rejoiced to give them His law of compassion,
But they turned from it and chose an oppression of their own making.
Enslaving themselves to their law, attempting to control the Holy One
And confine His power and compassion to them alone.
*
Under Roman oppression
A child was born, full of the Holy One's compassion.
As a man, he refused to accept
The human boundaries assigned to the Holy One,
That His compassion is only for those who follow human laws
Instead of for those who suffer -
The maimed and homeless, outcasts,
Those with ragged clothes, who smell bad and are hungry,
The diseased and sexually different,
One who don't think or feel or believe what the rulemakers said
That the Holy One demanded they think or feel or believe.
*
So, under the law's oppression
They executed him, afraid of His message
Of the Holy One's all-inclusive compassion.
It threatened the rulemakers' power over the suffering,
But their power was nothing. They could kill his body
But not the Holy One's compassionate Spirit within him.
They could not oppress the Holy One.
They could not submit the Almighty to their laws.
They could not restrain His compassion, but they kept trying,
First by oppressing those who believed in His limitless compassion,
Then by convincing the believing that they needed their laws.
So, once more they enslaved themselves to a law of their own making
Instead of to the Holy One.
*
Under tribal oppression
An illiterate merchant understood what Israel and Christians had forgotten,
That the Holy One's compassion is all, is for all, is Him.
That there is no life, no freedom, except in the Holy One's compassion.
Revenge and hate, laws without compassion, only destroy and enslave.
Only the Holy One can judge and He judges with His compassion.
There is no way to live but to surrender to the Holy One and His compassion.
But the merchant's followers soon forgot, too,
And set out to oppress the world by the sword.
*
Under human oppression
We forget still and think ourselves powerful, we think hate powerful,
But it is nothing. We are nothing.
We can only destroy life, enslave life, create suffering
For ourselves and others.
We cannot control the Holy One
And He alone can create life and give freedom -
In His compassion, through His compassion, with His compassion.
*
So, under the Holy One's oppression -
His boundless, all-encompassing, utterly enveloping compassion -
Only there is freedom.
Only there suffering is not.
Only there is life.
Only there are we all embraced and comforted
And there is no fear, no hate, no shame.
So, remember - remember - and surrender.
Live out the Holy One's compassion, empowered by Him,
And be free.
*
9/14-11/9/2001
Reflections on World Trade Center/Pentagon attacks of September 11, 2001
Subsequent war in Afghanistan/violence between Israelis and Palestinians
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Excerpt 2 from meditation on Revealed Truth
In my studies, I learned, as Paul indicates in Romans 1:18-23, that God has revealed himself to all peoples in some way, if at least minimally through the natural world. This universal revelation, from my view through the lens of Christ, was reflected in the reality that every group of people who have ever lived on the earth have or have had a mythology - everyone, even the ancient Hebrews.
.
I also learned that mythology is not made up, fictional, unreal, fantasy stories. These stories often have the element of fantasy, but they embody emotional, mystical, psychological, sometimes even historial elements that can only be expressed in human language in fantastical vocabulary. They are metaphysical stories, reflecting the deepest truths a people hold, truths that sometimes aren't even recognized on a conscious level.
.
These truths are the reason why anthropologists study peoples' mythology. It's the first thing they want to learn about because, without it, there's no way to understand how a people see themselves - in relationship to the world, each other, and the divine. And how people conceive of the divine in turn shapes the rituals and worship practices they develop culturally, as well as their social values, so we can't understand a people's cultural or moral expression unless we understand their mythology.
.
Thus, studying mythology has enabled me not only to understand more of others and their cultures but also to see deeper meaning in the mythology of my own faith, meaning which a human, literal interpretation cannot provide. By taking into account the Holy Spirit's transforming work in us - including his inspiration - we can see how the Genesis text, though confined by language expressions of the time and place in which it was written, in this case, some six to ten thousand years ago, can transcend its time and place. Yet, by understanding its time and place, we can better understand the meaning that the human author desired to convey.
.
I also learned that mythology is not made up, fictional, unreal, fantasy stories. These stories often have the element of fantasy, but they embody emotional, mystical, psychological, sometimes even historial elements that can only be expressed in human language in fantastical vocabulary. They are metaphysical stories, reflecting the deepest truths a people hold, truths that sometimes aren't even recognized on a conscious level.
.
These truths are the reason why anthropologists study peoples' mythology. It's the first thing they want to learn about because, without it, there's no way to understand how a people see themselves - in relationship to the world, each other, and the divine. And how people conceive of the divine in turn shapes the rituals and worship practices they develop culturally, as well as their social values, so we can't understand a people's cultural or moral expression unless we understand their mythology.
.
Thus, studying mythology has enabled me not only to understand more of others and their cultures but also to see deeper meaning in the mythology of my own faith, meaning which a human, literal interpretation cannot provide. By taking into account the Holy Spirit's transforming work in us - including his inspiration - we can see how the Genesis text, though confined by language expressions of the time and place in which it was written, in this case, some six to ten thousand years ago, can transcend its time and place. Yet, by understanding its time and place, we can better understand the meaning that the human author desired to convey.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Excerpt from meditation on Revealed Truth
Difficulties arise, though, when we don't want the Holy Spirit to keep transforming us. It's like setting out on a journey and deciding to set down roots somewhere along the way, then telling your companion to get lost. On a spiritual journey, at least a Christian journey, your roots can't be in a place or one, absolute understanding of the biblical text or an inflexible theology. Your roots must be in your companion - in Christ himself. If your roots aren't in him, then whatever you think the Bible requires or whatever theology you cling to, it won't be the Truth, God's Truth, an inerrant truth, or even a human truth. It will be meaningless, worthless. In learning to run the race of life and faith with my eyes fixed on Christ, keeping him always before me (Hebrews 12:1-2), I discovered something I thought remarkable when I was in college, but, later, came to see it as just part of the Spirit's work, when we let him keep at us, and that is - if I am rooted in Christ, then he becomes the lens through which I see everything in life, a lens that functions like a microscope, telescope, and corrective glasses. Thus he transforms how I see, what I see, even that I see.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Mystery of the Incarnation
Each year as Advent approaches, I often read and meditate on the Incarnation. The mystery of it fills me with awe and wonder, a mystic experience of the Holy Spirit making Christ's presence intimately real, a reality I try to keep in the forefront of my thoughts throughout the year.
For the Incarnation is at the core of what it is to be a follower of Christ and a child of God. We are called by the Spirit to become "like Christ," as the Apostle Paul says, to participate in Christ's incarnation and make Him real to all with whom we interact, each day, every day, throughout our lives.
My thoughts on this great mystery lead me to find expression for it in poetry, since prose cannot capture it and poetry, like music, can help us transcend the limits of our human conceptions. Below is my 2010 Christmas poem on the Incarnation:
Your kingdom come, your will be done, in this world as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10)
Holy Father, your kingdom comes
With each breath of my body, drawn and exhaled,
Your created glory constantly recreated day in and day out,
In a rhythm of life that, like a river,
Flows from your being in eternity into linear time
And is manifested in this dwelling place
Of fragile beauty and our finite existence -
Spirit in perfect harmony with the earth.
Blessed Redeemer, your kingdom comes
With every breath from your body,
From your first cry at birth to the last in physical death,
In a rhythm of life that, like a song,
Reverberates from eternity in your compassionate words
And is manifested through your incarnate sacrifice for all,
Your recreation of life in your resurrected existence -
Flesh perfected in love by the spirit.
Divine Spirit, your kingdom comes
With every breath you breathe into us,
Each impulse of our hearts and minds, souls and hands,
In a rhythm of life that, like a dance,
Steps forth from your eternal glory, joining heaven and earth,
Manifesting your love and being dwelling with us,
And creating a harmonious, glorious existence -
Your kingdom perfectly come into the world.
May your kingdom truly come, Lord God, as you will. Amen.
For the Incarnation is at the core of what it is to be a follower of Christ and a child of God. We are called by the Spirit to become "like Christ," as the Apostle Paul says, to participate in Christ's incarnation and make Him real to all with whom we interact, each day, every day, throughout our lives.
My thoughts on this great mystery lead me to find expression for it in poetry, since prose cannot capture it and poetry, like music, can help us transcend the limits of our human conceptions. Below is my 2010 Christmas poem on the Incarnation:
Your kingdom come, your will be done, in this world as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10)
Holy Father, your kingdom comes
With each breath of my body, drawn and exhaled,
Your created glory constantly recreated day in and day out,
In a rhythm of life that, like a river,
Flows from your being in eternity into linear time
And is manifested in this dwelling place
Of fragile beauty and our finite existence -
Spirit in perfect harmony with the earth.
Blessed Redeemer, your kingdom comes
With every breath from your body,
From your first cry at birth to the last in physical death,
In a rhythm of life that, like a song,
Reverberates from eternity in your compassionate words
And is manifested through your incarnate sacrifice for all,
Your recreation of life in your resurrected existence -
Flesh perfected in love by the spirit.
Divine Spirit, your kingdom comes
With every breath you breathe into us,
Each impulse of our hearts and minds, souls and hands,
In a rhythm of life that, like a dance,
Steps forth from your eternal glory, joining heaven and earth,
Manifesting your love and being dwelling with us,
And creating a harmonious, glorious existence -
Your kingdom perfectly come into the world.
May your kingdom truly come, Lord God, as you will. Amen.
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