Resurrection Happens -- Easter Meditation

This is the text of the Easter Meditation given by Rev. Christine Ng on March 31, 2013, based on John 20:1-18.


Resurrection happens. It happens all the time. Sometimes it takes us a while to notice.
It’s what struck me as I was rereading the gospel stories of Easter this year. Like John, which is my personal favorite.
In John, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb by herself, early, so early it’s still dark. And she sees that the stone had been removed from the tomb, leaving it wide open.
And this strikes me as really important. It’s Easter morning, yes, but the resurrection of Jesus has already happened. We don’t know when it occurred. We don’t know how. No video surveillance cameras caught the event on tape and posted it all over the web. All we are told is that when Mary got there, it had already happened. She just didn’t know it.
And even seeing the open and empty tomb – she still didn’t see the miracle. Remember, the first cry in this story isn’t “He is Risen!” it’s “He’s been stolen!” Later, she even looks right at Jesus, and doesn’t see him. It’s a morning of chaos and confusion – what is going on?
It reminds me of a wonderful prayer from the Jewish tradition, often said on the Sabbath:  “Days pass and the years vanish, and we walk sightless among miracles.”
Easter is a day full of miracles – but not everyone notices. I can tell you, first hand, that it is a miracle, always, that we manage to pull this Sunday together at all. All the pieces – music and word and drama and pancakes and Easter eggs -- and all the people, all with busy lives, coming together and, even if just for a moment, becoming something more – the body of Christ – Jesus incarnated now in us. Sounds like resurrection to me.
Resurrection happens – in ways large and small and mostly unexpected. Resurreciton happens – all the time. And often, like the resurrection of Jesus that long ago morning, it has already happened, we just don’t always notice – or recognize it for the miracle it is.
And even when we see it, we give it other names – like Mary in at the tomb, naming Jesus the gardener. We find reasonable explanations – it’s all very rational – and we pride ourselves on being rational people. Even Mary and the disciples who saw the empty tomb clothed themselves in what we would consider a healthy skepticism – at least at first. Even they had trouble coming to terms with the risen Christ. Eventually, they found their voices and began to sing of resurrection, but not that first day.
So we shouldn’t beat ourselves up if, sometimes, it all seems so impossible, so hard to take in, to reconcile with the world we think we know. We come to church on Easter because we always have, or because we like the music, or the pancakes (it’s okay to come for the pancakes), or the children running around with baskets full of eggs.
But if you don’t think this is resurrection – if you don’t think this is miraculous – you’re not looking.
I read one writer who argued that the reason we have so much trouble recognizing resurrection is that it’s “unnatural.” I couldn’t disagree more. It’s the way God created the universe – life, death, new life arising from the old. The seed is planted in the ground – it must let go of being a seed, to transform into the plant that will spread its leaves and reach for the sun. It will create, give birth to a seed that will fall into the ground, carrying with it the possibility of new life being born anew. Resurrection.
Or like the peacock or butterflies – other Easter symbols. The peacock with it’s beautiful tail, that molts, leaving it looking pretty sad. But suddenly, there is a new beautiful tail – out of the blue it is beautiful again. Resurrection.
Happens all the time. “Days pass and years vanish, and we walk sightless among miracles.”
Perhaps one of the reasons we don’t see or recognize the miracles of resurrection all around us is that we’re really looking for something else. We mistake resurrection for resuscitation. When things are hard, when our old life is dying, we want it brought back – we want things the way they were before. But that’s not the way God works.
That wasn’t how it worked for Jesus either. Jesus rose from the dead – but things didn’t go back to the status quo ante. Even when he appeared to the disciples he wasn’t the Jesus of before – he still bore the wounds from hanging on the cross.
But I’m sure Mary’s hope, when she finally recognized Jesus, as he called her by name, was, “He’s back. Things will be as they were before!” There’s that old hymn, “In the Garden,” that’s usually played at funerals, about the joy of Mary walking with Jesus in the garden Easter morning.
But Jesus wasted no time and gently told her differently. “Don’t hold on to me,” he said. “Don’t hold on to me. You need to let me go, so that I can become something more, something new.” Mary needed to let go of what had been before, so she could be part of that recreation – part of the new thing God was doing through Jesus, and through her. It can’t have been easy – it must have felt like loosing Jesus a second time. But gradually, the miracle unfolded in her like a flower, and she came to realize that Jesus was still with her – because he lived now in her.  Another resurrection.
The interesting thing I have found in my own spiritual journey is that the more one looks for miracles, for resurrection, for moments of connection with the divine as when Mary heard her name, the more we look, and recognize and recollect such moments that have happened in our lives – the more we see. It’s like our spiritual vision improves.
And then we have a choice – once we see – will we acknowledge and accept the new life happening before our eyes, and the responsibility that comes with it? Or will we turn away, rationalize it, pretend we didn’t see it?
Perhaps this is another reason why we miss signs of resurrection – we’re afraid. We know it will never be the same and we’re afraid of the challenges that may come with new life. Sometimes it seems easier to just sit in the darkness of the tomb, instead of walking out into the light. It takes real courage to step out and greet the dawn. I wonder if Jesus felt that way?
But Jesus did leave the tomb, accepted resurrection and all that came with it. And calls us to resurrection as well.
A couple of months ago my husband, Steve, and I were watching a cable political news show – not a place one would ordinarily go for spiritual enlightenment – when we both had a profound vision of resurrection.
We were watching an interview with David and Francine Wheeler on the one-month anniversary of the killing of her 6-year-old son, Ben, at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. It was the first interview they had given. (Here is a link to the interview:  Interview video) And they did it with a large picture of Ben on the table next to them.
It’s one of the most amazing and courageous interviews I have ever seen, as these grieving parents almost literally walked out of the tomb to tell their story, Ben’s story. They talked about having to recreate (my word) what it meant for them to be parents, good parents, and what it meant to be family.
They had made a promise to Ben, and his older brother, Nate, to be the best parents they could be. To protect them. And as they grieved the loss of Ben, they also clearly grieved the loss of that ideal. But gradually, they realized that, to quote David, they are “still [Ben’s] parents. We’re never not going to be his parents.” In a very real way, Ben is still here. And their job, their responsibility, in David’s words, is to continue to be the best parents they can be – to both their children. And one way they are doing that is by speaking out, telling their story, and using that story to try to change their world – to make it safer for Nate and other people, to not let Ben and the others who died that day be forgotten.
When David first said he wanted to do this, wanted to speak out, Francine said her “gut” told her it was the right thing to do, and that she associated that feeling with Ben. She sometimes hears, though not necessarily in worlds, Ben speaking to her in her “gut.” Feels Ben’s love, deep inside. It’s a love that couldn’t stay in the grave, anymore than Jesus’ love could stay in the tomb.
Francine told about how her father, Ben’s grandfather, would say, “Ben is going to do great things. He’s going to do great things.” His mother now says, “I just didn’t know it was going to be in his death. I thought it was going to be in his life. But it will be in his death. He will do great things.”
Resurrection – of David and Francine, of their family, of Ben. Not the same as it was before – they’ll never get to hug him again, they’ll never get to see Ben grow up – and they will continue to mourn the loss of that – but new life all the same. New life that can be good life. New life that may lead to resurrection in the lives of others as well.
        Resurrection happens. Happens all the time in ways large and small and often unexpected.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus leaves Mary with instructions to go and tell others – it’s not a minor detail – it’s part of the process of resurrection in us – and in others. Mary had a private moment with Jesus in the garden of the tomb, but she couldn’t stay there. She had to let Jesus go, and she had to live out Jesus’ resurrection, and her own, in community. She had to tell her story, Jesus’ story, and let the Spirit use it to change lives, and change the world.
And a funny thing, when we start telling our own stories, sharing our experiences just as Mary went and shared with the other disciples that she had “seen the Lord” and what Jesus had said to her, the more people come and tell us their own stories of encounters with the holy – stories they were afraid to tell because they didn’t seem reasonable or rational.  And their telling touches and lifts us, and opens them up to resurrection as well.
       And all of this comes with responsibility. Responsibility to pay attention to these moments of resurrection, to listen to Jesus speaking at the tomb, and to follow where he leads. And if we have the courage to do that, we get to see this miraculous process happen all over again. God’s love incarnated now in us.
        And each time it happens, in us, in those around us, in our world, it is Easter morning, the stone is rolled away, and we experience that Christ has risen. Christ has risen indeed. Christ has risen in you. Amen.

A Cross of Bullets

This meditation was given by Rev. Christine Ng at the Good Friday Walk sponsored by the Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance. During the meditation, names of children of all faiths who have died from gun violence were read, and the names passed out to the walkers to carry with them.

This day, Good Friday,
Is a time to remember.
Remember the life and death
Of our Lord Jesus.
Remember how
He allowed himself
To be broken on the cross,
But not silenced.

This day we remember,
How in our own lives,
In our own communities,
We betray Jesus, again and again.
By paying lip service to all he stood for,
But doing nothing.

We remember how,
In our own lives,
In our own communities,
We deny him, again and again.
By choosing easier paths,
And leaving the crosses
He would have us carry,
On the side of the road.

We remember how,
In our own lives,
In our own communities,
We crucify him, again and again.
By crucifying all for which he lived, and died.
Peace, love, justice, the human family, God’s creation.
Crucify him
In the person of children,
Hung on crosses made of bullets
and made also
of the ignorance, fear, and greed of humankind.

This day
We walk together,
Walk beside Jesus,
Walk all the way to the cross,
Carrying with us
The names of children
Of all faiths who have died
Of gun violence.
And we remember,
Jesus’ last words to us,
And raise our voices
To join his.

As he hung on the cross,
Jesus prayed,
“Forgive them, Father,
for they know not what they do.”
I didn’t know,
Didn’t imagine the numbers.
The numbers are staggering,
overwhelming.
And it’s not just Newtown, or Aurora, or Columbine.
It’s daily, and it’s everywhere.
A child or teen
killed or injured by guns
Every 30 minutes.
In just one year, 2011,
in just the United States of America,
More than 8,000 people killed,
Including 565 children.
Many killed by guns owned
By family and friends,
Owned by people
Who “know how to handle guns.”

There is a word
For this,
It has a name,
Evil.
It’s time
To take off our blinders,
To reveal the evil
Being committed
In the name of the Second Amendment.
But the Second Amendment
Was never intended to justify murder,
Was never intended
To put guns in the hands
Of those who would harm
The most innocent among us.
The Founding Fathers
Would be appalled.

And yet there are those,
Fewer and fewer every day,
Praise God,
Who would make
A religion
Of the Second Amendment
And of the gun,
An idol.
Relying on the power of the gun
For protection, for safety,
Not the power of God.

And so we bear witness, to those who have died, and remember:

Charlotte Bacon
Daniel Barden
Olivia Engel
Josephine Gay
Ana M. Marquez-Greene
Dylan Hockley
Madeleine F. Hsu
Catherine v. Hubbard
Chase Kowalski
Jesse Lewis
James Mattioli
Grace McDonnell
Emilie Parker
Jack Pinto
Noah Pozner
Caroline Previdi

Jesus wasn’t the only one
Crucified that day.
But then, he never is.
Violence touches everyone.

One of the others said to Jesus,
“Remember me.”
And Jesus replied,
“Today you will be with me in paradise.”

Jesus taught of a kingdom
where love reigns.
A Kingdom of God. Paradise.
And taught a few simple rules,
To make that kingdom visible on earth, like:
“Love the Lord your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and love your neighbor,
as yourself.”

But Jesus also gave a warning,
That “all who live by the sword,”
Who live by violence,
and the tools of violence,
“will die by the sword.”
Not paradise.
Not even close.

Jesus refused to use violence,
Even to protect himself.
“Put away your swords,”
He said, early in the morning, on this,
his last day.
“Put away your swords”
your tools of violence.
We need to listen.

So today, we bear witness, and remember:

Jessica Rekos
Avielle Richman
Benjamin Wheeler
Allison N. Wyatt
Cassie Bernall
Steve Curnow
Corey DePooter
Kelly Fleming
Matt Kechter
Daniel Mauser
Daniel Rohrbough

Looking down from the cross,
Jesus saw his mother, Mary,
And the disciple he loved,
Who tradition names as John,
And Jesus said to Mary,
“Behold your son,”
and to John,
“Behold your mother.”

These children,
Who have died,
Who continue to die every day,
They are our sons and daughters.
Regardless of blood, or race, or religion.
All are the children of God.
And as they die,
God’s heart breaks,
And so does ours.

And the parents
Of these children,
Who have died,
Who die everyday,
They are our parents,
Even if they didn’t give birth to us.
Parents we must lift up and support,
In their pain, and in their struggle
To continue to be good parents
To their children,
By fighting to keep their memory alive,
And so that
Other parents and children do not
Suffer as they did. As they do.

And so today,
We stand with them,
With all the parents,
And we bear witness, and remember:

Rachel Scott
Isaiah Shoels
John Tomlin
Lauren Townsend
Kyle Velasquez
Demetrius Newlin
Russell King, Jr.
Daniel Paremertor

 “My God, my God,”
Jesus cried,
“why have you forsaken me?”

Remembering
Another time,
Of too much death,
Ellie Wiesel
Told of witnessing
The hanging of Nazi resisters
In a concentration camp.
One was a young boy,
So light in weight
it took him
a long time to die.
An hour and a half,
Dangling
At the end of a rope.
Ellie heard a voice behind him say,
“For God’s sake, where is God?”
And from deep inside,
Ellie heard the answer,
“Where is He? This is where –
hanging from these gallows…”
I am sure
the same question and answer
Was heard in the hearts
Of many who responded
At Sandyhook and other scenes
Of violence against children.
And that,
echoing the words of William Sloane Coffin,
When those children died,
“God’s tears were the first to fall.”

And so we bear witness, and remember:

Veronica Moser-Sullivan
Christina Taylor Green
Charles Christopher Lewis
Kendrick Demond Lott
Jamarcus Allen
Brendalyz Morales
Maurice Edmonds II
Navaeh Benson

Jesus simply said,
“I thirst.”

We all thirst,
Thirst for justice.
Thirst for action to protect
Our children, God’s children,
From needlessly dying
At the point of a gun.

It has been too long –
We have tolerated
School shootings,
Theater shootings,
Mall shootings,
Workplace shootings,
Sniper shootings,
Temple and mosque and church shootings,
Urban neighborhood shootings.
We have tolerated these
For far, far too long.

And so we bear witness, and remember:

Tmorej Smith
Antonio Santiago
Trayvon Martin
Lawrence King
Haydia Pendleton
Jordan Russell Davis
Aaliyah Boyer
Jonylah Watkins
Christopher Stanlane, Jr.

Jesus sighed,
“It is finished!”

Yes it is.
It must be.
Finished.

The violence,
The innocent lives
Lost too soon.
Finished.

When the soldiers came,
And Peter drew his sword,
Jesus cried, “enough, no more of this.”

And our voices echo that cry,
“Enough.”
Enough.
Enough
violence.
Enough guns.
Enough of believing
The answer to
Gun violence
Is more guns.
Enough.
Enough.
No more.
It is finished.

Yet endings are often
new beginnings,
Resurrection happens
In many ways.

At the end,
Jesus breathed,
“Father,
into your hands,
I commit my spirit.”

And with
That final commitment,
Jesus passed the torch
To us.

Jesus
Is incarnated
Now,
In us.
As it has been said,
“Christ has no hands,
But ours,”
To do God’s work
In the world.

It is
These hands
We commit
To the work
Of changing hearts,
Changing minds,
Changing laws,
Changing our world,
To protect
All God’s children,
From evils
Like gun violence
That would harm them,
Take their lives too soon.

And it is with
These hands,
That we carry
These children
As we walk
This day.

Let us go forth
with a prayer.
A prayer of the kingdom,
Come to earth,
A prayer of justice,
Of forgiveness,
Of commitment,
Of protection
That can only come from God.
A prayer Jesus taught us,
Our Father,
Who art in heaven,
Hallowed by Thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day,
Our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those
Who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
And the power,
And the glory forever.
Amen.

Equality and Marriage -- Rev. Ng's View

So it's Holy Week -- and I am over my head with stuff to do to make it through the week -- but what I am doing -- following the Supreme Court in a way I haven't done since I left the practice of law. It's a momentous week for our country -- one that I believe will be remembered for some time to come. It's a moment when we have been squarely faced -- as a nation -- with the question of whether we really mean what we say:  "Liberty and justice for all."

I wanted to write today to put down my thoughts about this whole equality of marriage rights issue, because I think about it is a way that I don't hear represented much in the media. Perhaps it's my background as a lawyer and a minister -- or maybe I'm just out to lunch -- you can decide.

It seems to me that one of the main reasons we have trouble discussing and addressing this issue is the entanglement of church and state at it's heart -- though often unstated. Opponents of equal marriage rights repeatedly -- and often loudly -- define "marriage" as between "one man and one woman" (the subject of the DOMA challenge for federal law). But where do they get that definition? If pressed, it all comes down to their interpretation of the Bible, i.e., that the Bible defines "marriage" that way. We can have a whole long discussion about that interpretation -- but I will leave that for another time. My point here is that most opponents of equal marriage rights rely on the Bible for their definition of "marriage." Even if someone points to the definition in law, historically, we can go back and see that likely that definition for government purposes was borrowed from either the Bible or church tradition. Indeed, though I am not an historian -- legal, religious or otherwise --  I suspect that the legal use of the word "marriage" itself was likely lifted from the church -- as "marriage" is an historic sacrament of the church. We in the Protestant tradition may have stripped it of its "sacramental" status, but it is still a religious covenant, involving blessing by the church or other religious institution.

Until very recently in history, the church and the civil government were joined at the hip. There was an official state church -- even in some states in the early days of our nation. So this commingling of the civil and the religious initially made sense. But as we developed the (very wise) concept of separation of church and state, some remnants of the earlier system remain. "Marriage" is one of them.

We, and other countries now accept that a "marriage" ceremony may be performed by purely civil or state authorities -- like a judge, or justice of the peace, or notary public -- any official authorized by the law to accept the oaths of the participants. No religious authorities need be involved. In many countries, in fact, a couple needs to be "married" twice -- two ceremonies -- one in front of civil authorities, once in front of religious authorities. Though only the civil ceremony is required by law -- the other is a matter of religious choice. But the religious authority does not stand in for the state in the ceremony. It is purely between the couple, the church or other religious institution, and God.

Not so in the United States. If a couple choses to be married in a religious ceremony, the religious authority also acts as a representative of the state (though we wear blinders to keep us from seeing this fact). Ministers sign the marriage license. The state accepts the ceremony performed by the religious institution for it's purposes. And here's the rub:

The state cannot tell me, or my church, whose union we may or may not bless. The state cannot define "marriage" for the church, as a religious covenant and union. All the state can do is define which unions it will recognize for legal purposes. I can perform a marriage ceremony for any couple permitted by my religious convictions and authorized by my church. That is not, as some have said to me, "illegal." That union may not be legally recognized, or accorded the same rights as other unions, but it is still recognized in the sight of God. The state has nothing to say about that.

But because we see civil "marriage" and religious "marriage" as the same thing -- and treat them that way in our law -- we get into this mess about how to define "marriage" under the law, and continue to graft Biblical and religious definitions into the debate. This was made patently apparent in the Supreme Court arguments yesterday -- where we heard things like, "marriage is for the purpose of procreation," and the usual "one man, one woman." Justice Sotomayor exploded those arguments beautifully, I think.

All the government can regulate are "civil unions" or "civil marriages." That's it. And if you strip the definition of "union" or "marriage' down to it's civil (as opposed to religious) components -- what we find is the committed union of two adult human beings -- two people over the age of consent who have chosen to live their lives as a single, conjoined entity. That choice has legal consequences -- rights and responsibilities. And without the religious subtext, there is no rational reason to distinguish between two adults based on things such as religion, race, or gender. The government doesn't keep a Jew from marrying a non-Jew. The government (at least now) does not prevent a Caucasian from marrying an African-American. Etc. All couples willing and able to make this commitment should be treated equally under the law -- entitled to the same rights and having the same responsibilities -- and one of those rights involve having the same "label" under the law. I loved what Rob Reiner said last night on TV, that the concept of "civil union" for gay couples is like saying you have all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, but you are not a "citizen." Doesn't make sense -- unless you want to keep the definition of "marriage" pure because of a religious subtext.

The separation of church and state is a good idea -- for the church as well as the state. This does not, in my opinion, mean that religion has nothing to say in the public arena. On the contrary -- it will always be the job of the church to speak truth to power. And I have no problem with religious authorities advocating based on their religious beliefs. But we need to be clear that is what we are doing. Don't pretend that you are making some sort of neutral argument, when you're not.

But more than that, I believe there is a difference between advocating for a position based on religious conviction and grafting religious definitions or beliefs into the civil law -- especially where, as in this country, we supposedly have separation of church and state. Looked at as a civil matter, all people in our country need to be treated equally under the law.  It's called "equal protection," and it is a cornerstone of our law and our very concept of what it means to be free.

I think we need an explicit separation of the ideas of "civil marriage" and "religious marriage." Religious authorities need to understand (and based on many of their comments I don't think they do), that if the government recognizes same-sex marriages they will not be forced to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies. The state can't tell them to do it, anymore than it can tell them not to do it. It is up to the individual religious authorities to wrestle with the Biblical and religious implications of "marriage" before God. The government's recognition of the equality of marriage rights doesn't tell them what to believe.

Perhaps it is even time to go to a system of separate civil and religious ceremonies in this country as well -- to avoid this confusion. The simple civil ceremony can happen when the couple picks up the marriage license.

My denomination, my church, and my religious convictions tell me that all committed unions of adults are equal in the sight of God. My religious convictions also spur me to advocate for the equality of marriage rights under the law. I will continue to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies -- and pray for the day when they will be recognized not just by God, but by the law.

Poetry on Psalm 118:1-2, 25-29

Here is a selection of what came out of our workshop yesterday!


O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
   his steadfast love endures for ever!
Let Israel say,
   ‘His steadfast love endures for ever.’
Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!
   O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
   We bless you from the house of the Lord.
The Lord is God,
   and he has given us light.
Bind the festal procession with branches,
   up to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
   you are my God, I will extol you.
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever.

--Psalm 118:1-2, 25-29 NRSV


It should be reassuring to know that there is something, here, in Psalm 118, -- a love -- that endures forever.  Sure, we say that when we meet that special someone, that this is a love that will last forever.  But we know we will die - do we really think that this love between two corporal people will live on forever?  Maybe if we were named Romeo and Juliet, then, maybe.

But to know that a feeling -- a love -- is so strong that it will last forever, and will continue with other people in the in the future -- as it is with those in the present and the past -- I think is more reassuring than contemplating a love between two mortal people.  God's love attaches us to the immortal -- it gives us strengths just knowing that we have seen this great beyond, even here on earth.  God's love allows us to see hat some things do endure forever, and that we are part of this when we are with God.
--Steve



See there! on the horizon
A squinting, flickering light --
Like horns entwining and entangling
Like branches spiraling up to heaven

Look now! here comes the one --
the Mirage Man
from Heaven's House --
Coming with the unspeakable name on his lips,
with a dusty, thunderous step
And warm arms open
Wide

Singing in a full throated voice,
"Thank God! because She is so good!
Her Love lives on forever!"
--Anna

One More on Psalm 139

From our "Poetry, Psalms and Prayer" class:


Based on Psalm 139

If I hide you will find me.
You have created the hiding places
just as you have created me.

I will form a word on my tongue.
What I am saying
is what you know already.

I can try to be apart from you.
I can try to say I am myself
but I cannot deny that I am what you created.
                      --Steve Ng

Reflections on Psalm 126

Restoration: Journey to Build the New City on the Ruins of the Old City -- Gates Whitaker

Our first exercise this week was to use Psalm 126 for lectio divinia, then to write a poem incorporating the words of the psalm. The second was to listen to the Godly Play story of the Hebrews Exile and Return, that fits in nicely with that psalm. Then we responded to it with art. Here are some of the poetic and art responses.

Lord, please, give joy – peace
to those who,
when they were knocked down,
got up again.
--Laura Grace House

They marveled at our fortunes
We rejoiced – we were so cool.
Do it again God!
--Laura Grace House

Old Wall, New Improved Wall  -- Laura Grace House

Those who dream
of fortunes restored
sow in tears
go out weeping
bearing seed
mouth filled
with shouts of them.

Those who dream God’s dream
Restore our fortunes
Mouth filled with laughter
Come home
Come home
With shouts of joy
Come home.
--Megan Dalby-Jones                                       Footprints in the Desert -- Megan Dalby-Jones

“Do it again, Daddy”
Other families see your greatness
“Do it again, Daddy”
We too, your greatness
You even send gifts of H20
To the great desert south of Us.
You bring great harvest even
To those who plant in doubt.
“Do it again, Daddy”
We shout for joy,
As you lead us home.
--Marydella House

Listening -- Marydella House

We were dreaming
With mouths that did not move
Hands that could not hold
But eyes that saw God’s great things.

We woke
But our eyes did not see
For they were filled with tears
Our mouths were moving with cries of sadness.

We walked the path we dreamed
Filling it with our tears
When we had filled it like a river
We floated on our way home.
--Steve Ng

Building Walls -- Steve Ng

Dream God’s dream
Laugh
Shout
Tears fall like seeds
Upon parched and
barren ground
Resurrection.
Dream
Laugh
Shout of joy:
“God is good – all the time!”
--Chris Ng

Protection or Prison? -- Chris Ng

God will restore us
God will provide
God wants us to laugh – to shout joy
God will restore
Our dreams and our fortunes
Exchange tears for laughter
And sadness for shouts of joy.
God is good.
--Mary Whitaker

Different Ways -- Mary Whitaker

Poetry on Psalm 139

This week during our Lenten poetry workshop on Wednesday nights, we explored Psalm 139, which we will hear again in service this Sunday.  Here are some of the poetic responses:

1. (Written as God's response to hearing the psalm)
I am filled with Joy
having heard from you today.
You are special to me, in even more
ways than you recounted in your Song.

I speak to and listen to all my creation constantly.

My Son and I are planning many
things for you and creation.  Our
Spirits -- Holy and otherwise will always
be near.  Your Constant love.
-- Marydella


2.
We crave
Not so much
To hear the words,
"I love you"
than to hear the words,
"I know you."
I've known you:
I've sat with you,
Risen with you,
Heard you,
Understood you,
Followed you,
Guided you,
Seen you,
Watched you,
Searched you,
Found you,
Laughed with you,
Cried with you,
Embraced you,
Wrestled with you.
I've been there.
I feel you.
I get you.
I know all of you,
And for that,
I love you all the more.
--Anna


3.
God is personal to each one of us.  God is all knowing and all powerful.  We cannot hide from this fact by night or day or distance.  God created each one of us.

Praise God for his goodness.  Let us be reminded and let us live in the certainty that God is good.
--Gates


4.
You know me,
    all my ways

You guide me and
    hold me fast

You create my inmost
   being

Your thoughts are precious
    to me

Your works are wonderful

Lead me in the way
   everlasting.
--Laura Grace

5. (Haiku)
You know all my ways
Your thoughts and works are precious
lead me in your way
--Laura Grace

6.
What do you expect of me, Lord.
You already know everything about me.

I'm confused about where to go, or what to do.
You are totally aware of my thoughts and actions
and I can't find a private place to figure them out -

Please share your precious thoughts with me-
that I may not offend you-
but be led by you into eternity -
--Billie

7. (Haiku)
You have searched me, Lord
Darkness is as light to you.
Lead me in your way.
--Kathy

8. (Written in God's voice)
I know you, my child.
I created you and know everything about you.
Even before you speak I know what you will say.
I will support and guide you at all times
and yet sometimes you try to hide from me.
Remember that you are precious to me.
--Kathy

9. (Haiku)
Know my anxious thoughts
How precious are your thoughts, God
I know that full well
--Kathy

10.  (Written in a surly teenager's voice)
OK Mr. BIG - so you want me to thin you know everything and I'm supposed to believe you know all about me
You know, I could call you a stalker -- you are almost like glue or alien slime -- dang I can't get away from you!
If I think about it, I guess it could be worse -- after all, if I do need something, all I have to do is blink or something since you are supposed to know everything --
OK, Mr. God, if I buy into your story and pronouncement that you are the one know it all -- if it is really true, I guess that is kinda cool
Yeah, if this is true, then I guess it is even kind of nice -- like even if I'm just a number -- you know all the stuff about me -- yeah, like you made me.
Wow, when I think of all this like I'm special or something - it is kinda cool.  I still could blame you for all the crap I've had -- after all you said you made me and know me.
Hey, I'll give you a chance -- why not, nothing lost and could be something gained.
OK, we'll play it your way - check me out - fix any broken pieces and let's see what's up --
--Mary

Psalm 121 -- Belay On

A Meditation with pictures.

        My daughter, Jenny, used to really love rock climbing. If there was a climbing wall around, she could go up and down it all day. So when a climbing gym opened near where we lived in Florida, we all went and took the intro class so she could go climb there if she wanted to. If you don’t know, a climbing gym is basically a warehouse covered in the ultimate in climbing walls.

And in the class, you had to learn not just about climbing, but about belaying – how to hold the safety rope to protect another climber from falling. Climbing was always done in pairs – with one person as belayer. The rope is attached to the belayer’s waist and the belayer holds it with both hands – letting it out or taking it in – watchful and ready to tighten their grip and hold firm if needed.  And one of the few things that stuck with me from that course was the phrase, “Belay on.” Before climbing, we were taught to ask it as a question, “Belay on?” – to confirm that the belayer was ready before we tackled the wall. And the belayer responded, “Belay on” or “on belay” – a shorthand way of saying, “I’ve got you. I won’t let you fall.”


And it struck me, reading and praying this psalm this week, that this is what it’s all about. This psalm is one often recited by pilgrims, or those setting out on a journey – but the psalm really recognizes all of life as a journey – a journey that is often up-hill.






Some versions use the word “hills” for what is up ahead on the road – which makes me think of peaceful rolling hills. And life can be like that – a gentle up and down.

But others use the word “mountains,” which brings to mind something steeper, more rugged, more difficult.  If life is a journey, sometimes you have to climb some mountains along the way.





This psalm is part of a group called the “Psalms (or songs) of Ascents,” that have that phrase as a kind of subtitle before the psalm begins. But Psalm 121 is unique, because words of the subtitle in Hebrew are slightly different. Psalm 121 is subtitled “A Psalm for Ascents.” This is a song, a prayer, to sing while ascending, while going uphill, while climbing.

And so, as I read this psalm, I imagine coming up to a steep rock face, and knowing I need to go up and over it. Looking up, and wondering, “How am I going to make it? What happens if I slip? – From where will my help come?”

Rock or mountain climbing is hard, you feel the strain in your hands, your arms, your back, your legs, your ankles. It takes everything you have to make it up. And it’s unsettling. The hand and footholds are small, and sometimes not so secure. It’s easy to slip or lose your grip. And we can make mistakes as we climb – think we chosen a good, safe route to the top, only to find out it’s a dead end and we have to go back down a ways, retrace our steps, and find another way up.

       It’s a risky business, climbing – and it some-times leaves us hanging off a cliff by the most slender of threads – but that is often the route God calls us to take.

     But the promise of Psalm 121 is that as we climb, we do not do it alone. God is our belayer. The Lord holds the rope that keeps us safe as we climb. A foot may slip, but not because God wants that to happen. And if we fall, we won’t fall far, because the Lord will hold us fast. And when we reach the top, and rappel down the other side to continue our journey, God’s rope will guide our descent.

“As easy as it seems to lose our grip on God, it’s nice to know that God does not lose a grip on us.” [Feasting on the Word] Our security, and our ability to continue our journey of life and faith, doesn’t depend on our always “getting everything right,” because when we step wrong, God will help us get back on the right track.





It’s a risky business, mountain climbing, but much, much riskier, life threatening even, if we try to do it alone.













Our culture may promote individualism and self-sufficiency, but sooner or later we all reach a point where we have to look up, and ask for help. But if we are willing to admit the need, to ask for help, the answer comes right away, “My help comes from the Lord.”

Belay on? Belay on. Amen.

Lenten Poetry Series - Steve Ng

Every Wednesday night at 7:45pm, we've been gathering in the Library to explore the psalm of the week through prayer, drawing, and poetry.  Here are some poems from Steve Ng based on the psalms we have been studying.  Stay tuned to the blog for more from our resident poets and featured psalms!

Based on Psalm 42

I hear you my soul

rumors of past things

I have attended to.

Cast down and covered up

my feet kicking the dead leaves

to hide the bare earth.

Patches of soil where I once raised

roses in former times

handed to others in affirmation of life.

You tell me my soul

to remember why

I was such a person.

I am still that person

I will grow again

and give to others this affirmation of life.

-- Steve Ng

Based on Psalm 43 six-word poem

You: God, why?

Send! Lead, let . . .

-- Steve Ng

Based on Psalm 100 (NRSV)

All generations

all the earth

A joyful noise

coming with singing.

Know that

this is his pasture

We are his people

we are his beloved sheep

coming forth with bleating

hooves digging his green grass.

It is our worship;

all we can do is praise.

--Steve Ng

Based on Psalm 100 (The Message)

We Christians are a secretive lot

We live in a great Unseen World.

We want people to come

We want everyone to join our club.

But there is a password

Everyone knows what it is

Some say it all the time

Even if they're not Christians, they should be

Because they're members of the club.

It's not our club, really

It's God's club.

Oh, the password?

You know it.

But have you said it?

Recently?

Repeatedly?

Without asking why?

Yes, it's "thank you"

I'm glad you asked.