Resurrection Clothes

In the Armor Woods        for Murphy, Betty and Mike Walking here today brings so much back, such joy once had, so sad. Old Murphy, kind sweet man, and Betty Murphy’s feisty fun child-doting wife, who loved our little grandson Gus, loved his hair long, even at age three and four. That’s just Gus! she said.  Now, our preteen Gus has short hair, bleached! Still sweet thank God but not the little dumpling they once knew. Murphy, Betty gone, the woods so fallen too. This windfall must be walked around, this nature going back to nature, as it always wants to do.    So young it seems now (in my early 60s then!) no thought that everything would change this way. But that’s just how life goes and goes and goes.  It is all right. I must believe it so. Choose happy or nostalgic sad. My choice. Let’s smile and love this day, this walk, this time of life. Let’s live! This walk, this day— they’re so muc...

Jesus Wept Yes, but before that, and after, You groaned, so deeply toubled, even angry, one translator says and as the word in Greek implies: embrimaomai (almost unpronounceable, the word itself has so much weight). You felt that, Lord, and You exuded that, so much that those who saw, and felt, could tell how much you loved Your brother Lazarus. Anger, then. A strong reaction to a death, but don’t we all, who love the dead, the dying know that anger at the loss? We even blame You, Lord, or Your Father, or Someone who “should have been there,” could have stopped this! Why oh why did this have to be? And then the weeping, Then again the anger. Why? We must let go, though, let You handle this. The grain of wheat must die to bear more life. You have ordained it so. The rising from the dead or nearly dead, is rare, we know. And therefore anger here, and tears. It is all right, we know: embrimaomai. For Bernie and Pollyanna, 6/1/19 ...

Jesus, what in the world?                                       ~ for Sister Gail “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do….” John 14:13 Jesus, what in the world do you mean? I’ve asked for so much, asked so many times. But now as I think of it, haven’t you said the times of fulfillment, unknown to us now, are all in the Father’s command, all integral parts of His heavenly plan? Ah, yes, Love, tread lightly this beautiful earth. You’re learning to trust in the wisdom of God, to grasp that God’s timing, God’s bringing to birth is part of the answer. So leave all with God. We’re taking good care of every request that comes from the center of your heart at rest in the will of your Maker, Redeemer and Guide. But that qualifies it, Lord. What of the rest? The request in great anguish: Is that not heard too? Will that not be answered? Is that not of You? ...

“The image of the scapegoat powerfully mirrors the universal, but largely unconscious, human need to transfer our guilt onto something (or someone) else by singling out that other for unmerited negative treatment.”* Reading this quote today, I suddenly saw that since Jesus was taking on Himself all of the guilt of all of us, He couldn’t in turn single out his accusers, Pilate, Herod, the soldiers who arrested, whipped, jeered, drove Him, and nailed Him to the cross. Though they were singling Him out for “unmerited negative treatment,” He could not thus single them out. His surrender to and acceptance of His role as sin-bearer—fulfilling for all time and eternity the function of scapegoat for all humanity’s sins—allowed and required Him to see these people as no more guilty than all the rest of humanity. He was not there to blame them but to rescue them—and us. A scapegoat did not blame the Israelite priest who bound it, ritually loaded it with the nation’s sins, and s...

Lord, I’m tired. I’ve been doing what you said. Now where’s my bread? I’m glad we’re going to a place alone, with you, to rest. And in the boat we do have respite, time at last to listen to the wavelets slap the boat, to see the sky so blue so vast, to smell the air so full of joy, to laugh and then in awe recount what has been done through us, our hands, our oil infused with miracles beyond our grasp. But now (I gasp) the crowd has followed us preceded us in fact, and here we go again. Your face your eyes so full of mercy and of grace and as you speak we all—the crowds and we alike— forget our need and drink and eat your words, refreshment at its best! Yes, we’ll soon feed the thousands with some little loaves of bread, but even now, we’re satisfied, consuming what you said. February 19, 2019 The Gospel for today is Mark 6:30-34, about the twelve disciples’ return from their successful mission: Jesus had sent them out, two...