Blog
Naked Rocks and Other Good News
Look to the rock from which you were hewn. Look to Abraham, who was one but I made him many. Look to Sarah, who was thirsty but I made her an oasis. Before you cower in fear of others’ disappointment, before you hang your head in doubt, look to the moths that will devour pride like garments and the worms that will consume judgment like wool. (adapted from Isaiah 51:1b-3, 7-8)
Insecurity: thy name is Abraham, fretting over his legacy.
Cynicism: thy name is Sarah, doubting all hope and possibility.
Who would you prefer to be, Insecurity? A man basking in billions? A prince defending his throne? A god directing heaven’s chariots? What guarantee of tribute would be sufficient? What pedestal of acclaim would be enough? How thick a garment of pride must you wear to be warm?
And if you fall short of the highest glories, if your name does not echo forever among the mountains, how will you know it from your grave?
My dear Cynicism, what defeat are you imagining? The unchanged status quo? The demise of all things good? The triumph of self-interest? What proof of joy can relieve your fear? What evidence of renewal can bring you peace? Is the daily rising of the sun not enough? Is the wool over your eyes too tight for you to peek at grace?
And if tomorrow you are disappointed yet again by the wonders and miracles around you, if they do not pass your judgment, will you be any less alive?
Look to the rock from which life was hewn, O Insecurity. Look to the dirt into which love was breathed, O Cynicism. Are they clothed in pride or wrapped in doubt? And yet the bare rock became a foundation, and the musty earth bore new life.
Prayer: Forgive me, O God, for clinging so tightly to what does not matter and for giving up so quickly on what does.
cross-posted with the UCC Daily Devotional
Telling Time
Is it time to pray again?
Is it time to march again?
Is it once again time to grieve, time to rage, time to resist?
Is it ever not?
So long as we have breath, it is time.
Not because there is a cause.
Not because there is a moment.
Not because it’s never been like this, or it’s worse now, or it’s a critical tipping point.
Because we are part of all life.
Because we have this breath.
The big hand always points to kinship.
The little hand to humility, love, wonder.
Take away the hands and the face of the clock will still tell the time: mercy.
The sin is losing track of time.
The sin is forgetting we breathe.
Testimony
It's amazing that we survive death. So much of life should kill us - heartache, grief, vulnerability, fatigue; even birth should destroy us with pain yet it doesn't, and here we are. Our hearts break, but no matter: we wake every morning. Loss takes our breath away;...
Ungodly
I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; I will meditate on all your work. - Psalm 77:11a & 12a (NRSV) There’s a problem with being made in the image of God: it’s easy to acquire a God complex. “I have the divine right to...” “I hold the indisputable position...
Many Miracles
The crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard [the disciples] speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ... [Yet] in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s...
Faith-in-Flesh
Evil is well worth our anger, our outrage, our fury, our deep indignation. Violence too is a worthy recipient of our defensiveness, our horror, our disquiet, even our fear. To rage against the injustices of the world is an appropriate response of Christian faith. And...
Recognition
On that same day, two disciples were going to a village called Emmaus and talking with each other about all that had happened. While they were discussing these events, Jesus came and walked with them, but they didn't recognize him. He asked what they were discussing,...
Before I Go through the Gate
Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. - Psalm 118:19 (NRSV) I did not grow up in a “come forward” church. Our weekly worship did not include a routine in which people came from their seats to the front of...
The Problem with Kings
Abimelech, son of Gideon and of the enslaved woman from the Bent Place (where Joseph was buried), suggested to his mother's people that they might support his campaign to be king. His mother's people proposed this idea to the landholders of the Bent Place, and all...
Outcry
The One Who Is & Shall Be said to Abraham: "I am sending angels to the place of Violent Fire, to assess the veracity of the people's cries against it. If their cries are true, I will destroy it." Abraham pleaded: "Surely you have more integrity than those who are...
Reminders
“When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between [me] and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” - Genesis 9:16 (NRSV) The world needs more reminders. Guns need not just one safety lock but five safety...
