"A Nicodemus Moment"

(John 3:14-21)


She sat in a darkened sanctuary
  expecting little
  yet hoping for much.
She sat in a darkened sanctuary
  alone …
and then Light walked in,
  uninvited and unannounced,
  whispering, “For God so loves you….”

Her heart beat faster
  as she heard that
God had loved her in her ‘befores’ …
… before she asked for this Love,
… before she admitted to
       needing this Love,
… before she sought to
       understand such a Love,
… before she realized that she
       wanted this Gift of Love.

"Here I Am, Such as I Am"

(Ash Wednesday)

Here I am, such as I am ...
Imperfect.
Weak.
Broken.
In need of forgiveness.
In need of your Presence.

Here I am, such as I am ...
Confessing.
Repentant.
Hopeful.
Listening.

Here I am, such as I am ...
Willing to be melted
and molded.
Wanting a newly created
pure heart.

Here I am, such as I am ...
Branded with a mark...
your unmistakable mark.

Lead me, O God,
walk with me
in these 40 days....
walk with me always.

Amen.

"This is our Tomorrow"

(Thoughts on the day before Ash Wednesday)

Neglected,
it rests on the corner,
visible to all,
yet ignored by most …
for it has been empty
far too long.

This morning,
this day before
Ash Wednesday,
the front of the building
has been painted
a brilliant white
and the windows
on each side
of the entrance door
are now adorned
with new, royal blue awnings.

Yet the “For Sale” sign
is still posted,
weather-worn
from the years
of begging
and pleading
for someone to look…
just look and consider
the property’s value.

If one dares
to look closer,
beyond the brilliant white paint
and the royal blue awnings,
the other sides
of the building can be seen.

Three other sides
are a dingy beige
with peeling paint
and windows have been broken
by those who think nothing
of doing damage
to something that is not theirs.

The flat roof
can no longer withstand
the weight of
years of debris
or torrential rains
that only accumulate
and puddle
in its flatness.

The property is
overgrown with weeds
and littered by those things
that others have so carelessly
and thoughtlessly
thrown its way.

What are we to think
of an appealing façade
of fresh paint
and new awnings?
What are we to think
of neglect
and damage …
of brokenness
and litter …
of weeds
and debris
and puddles?

Perhaps this is exactly
what we will bring with us
tomorrow …
on this day we call
Ash Wednesday.
We bring with us
freshly painted facades
and new awnings,
hoping beyond hope
that those around us
will not see the
neglect and damage,
the brokenness and litter,
the weeds and shattered hearts.

The black soot
marks the façade
with a cross …
and the ash
falls onto the awning.
The difficult admission
that there are
other sides to be seen
are whispered in prayer
and are heard by the One
who has clearly seen
all four sides
of each of us.

This is our tomorrow.

Holy God,
we come to you
in need of repair …
not in part,
but throughout
our whole being.

Create in us
a newness in our days,
a wholeness and healing through you,
a purpose in your kingdom,
hope in your love
and a pure heart before you.

Amen.

Prayer for Pastors during Advent

God-of-Our-Advent-Waiting ...
What a time this is for our pastors. Be with each of them as they walk through these days of Advent with those whom you have placed into their care. Give them strength to help others wait for, long for and anticipate the peace, hope, joy and love that only the arrival of Jesus into each heart and into our world can bring. Place within these pastors a sweet longing and anticipation in their own Advent waiting. Open the hearts of all so that they might hear your promises spoken through the words of your prophets of old and your servants now. Open the eyes of all souls so that they might see the Light in the darkness that grows ever-stronger as the days draw nearer to your Promise-On-Earth.

Forgive us all if we find it easier to passively await the coming of your Son. In the waiting, may your disciples lead others to place the longings of their hearts before you in prayer; may they help others prepare a place for Jesus to be born anew and may they pray that they also will make ready for such an arrival.

My childhood memories beg me to pray for something else for your servants. During the coming days, place within each of them the excitement of a child; the excitement that causes eyes to sparkle and songs to be hummed in the middle of their busiest of days; the excitement that fills each one of them with hope in your Gift to come; the excitement that brings with it a portion of sleepless anticipation.

These are your servants for sure. You have placed a call within them to love others and to share your great Love in ways that are, at times, much different than our own ways and for that I am most thankful. Love them as they love others, O God. Lead them as they lead others.   AMEN.

Hint of the Holy

I found myself outside on the balcony at the beach at 6:30am yesterday morning to watch it all unfold. The whole process lasted almost an hour, from the first faint promise of light to the glorious sunrise. There was a lone man walking in the opposite direction from the sunrise. I wanted to scream from my balcony, "TURN AROUND ... DON'T MISS THIS!" I didn't ... and he missed it.

I shared this with someone and he said, "This perspective, this sunrise, is meant for you only. It is a gift for you."

I thought that sunrises are all the same, certainly equally spectacular, perfectly timed as only God can do. But this morning, unlike yesterday

morning, those few who were walking on the beach in the cold morning air stopped and turned to watch it unfold. A small boat moving in the opposite direction turned toward the sunrise as well. And then, instead of the sunrise that I saw yesterday, there were hints of brilliance outlining the clouds and peaking through the clouds. This is surely what God does every single day, isn't it? Peaking through and into our lives, hinting at the brilliance of Holy Presence. How beautiful a thought that this happens every day, at some point in our day and in some way in our lives. So, this morning, I'm sharing the 'hint of the Holy' as a reminder to stop and turn, to look around, to see God's Presence in the most unexpected moments of our lives.

Perhaps my friend's words were right on target. How can we tell another person to stop, turn, look around, seek and receive if we first haven't received the gift of the hint of the Holy ... if we first haven't done the very same thing?

 

"Through the Eyes of Faith"

 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  (Hebrews 11:1)

(The words of Helen Keller)
I, who cannot see, find hundreds of things to interest me through mere touch. I feel the delicate symmetry of a leaf. I pass my hands lovingly about the smooth skin of a silver birch, or the rough shaggy bark of a pine.... I feel the delightful, velvety texture of a flower, and discover its remarkable convolutions; and something of the miracle of Nature is revealed to me.

Occasionally, if I am very fortunate, I place my hand gently on a small tree and feel the happy quiver of a bird in full song.... At times my heart cries out with longing to see these things. If I can get so much pleasure from mere touch, how much more beauty must be revealed by sight.

Yet, those who have eyes apparently see little. The panorama of color and action which fills the world is taken for granted.... It is a great pity that, in the world of light, the gift of sight is used only as a mere convenience rather than as a means of adding fullness to life.

(Now words from me)

It is the promise of Fall that the foliage will change from greens to golds and reds and oranges. I have heard that the colors are beautiful in the higher elevations of North Carolina, but on my hour's drive yesterday heading in the direction of the mountains, I saw only greens. Yet, I know that there is such breath-taking beauty there even without seeing it ... and I know that soon the greens in my world will change to golds and reds and oranges as well. I know this to be true because the Creator of all promises this to me each and every Fall season.

"See" with everything that is within you, friends ... even (and especially) through the eyes of faith!

 
Blessings ... anna

"Just When ... "

(Please read Exodus 3:1-15)

Just when the young
have their hectic schedules
finalized on their calendars …

Just when baby boomers
have their lives
carefully mapped out …

Just when retirees
think that they have
indeed retired …

Just when our lives
become routine and settled …
and just when we think
that we will never
hear the voice of God,
IT HAPPENS.

Yes, just when we begin to believe
that we are who we are
and are who we will always be,
God calls our name,
not once, but twice …
commanding attention
as one might do
to a child who hasn’t listened.

Just when we put on
our well-worn bedroom slippers again,
comfortable and familiar,
we hear
“Take off your slippers.
You are standing on holy ground!”

Just when you call our names,
O Great I AM ...
just as we lean upon you
to remove our slippers,
forgive our initial fears and excuses;
forgive us if the first words
from our mouths are
“B-b- but G-G-God …
I haven’t had a pedicure yet!”

Just when our names spoken
still echo in our hearts …
just when our feet are bared,
and our favorite slippers
are tossed aside,
may our prayers be
that when called,
each of us might say,
“Here I am.”