Sleep with the Angels

'Yes, we’ll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river;
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.'

Fellowship, a gift divine given to all God's children, in ages past in time to come. We stand as family; we stand as one with brothers and sisters far and near in time and place -- a familed circle of love -- in days of safety and days that rain fear. 

1 Cor 3:16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?

Matthew 12:48-50(NLT)48 Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 49 Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers.50 Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!”

The Church of the Nazarene flowers in joyous faces around us -- the family of Christ -- perfuming the days -scattering petals of safety, of good will and neighbors' blessings -- of fuel and food, of clothes to share and thoughts to bear each other up, a cup of water here, a double pat of butter and honeyed bread there, a knowing  laugh -- a promise kept -- an ear to hear, and yes even through the days and nights of pain -- the long kept vigil not spent alone -- gathered in a solidarity of hearts for evening's tearful prayer. 

But joy comes in the morning! Matthew 18:20 For where two or three gather together as my followers,I am there among them.”

Picking up our years each day, we are not alone: Our lives are bound, baptized anew in the memory of our Lord and Jordan's cleansing river. In daybreak prayer and communal song, remembering ancient gifts of frankincense and myrrh, of doves in the sky and the cross held high, we sing, "Worthy is the Lamb!" We sing, "Blest Be the Tie that Binds!" We sing, "Just As I Am!"

John 13:34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

Worthy more than gold or mammon's vacant call are the time we spend together in worship sweet and sacred call together, a family of soul and sight and sound. Holding fast against the rain of culture's snare, building each other up with faith and prayer. With heads held high, not in pomp, but in the conviction dear of our Lord, of standing to proclaim His name, we are united as one. We are brothers and sisters in Christ.  

2 Cor 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Mike asked, "What is your purpose?"

Purpose? What is that? Ambition? NO. The drive, the inner yearning for life... to do? I will do what my hands find to do, the keys under my fingers type words to places and people unknown, who yet are connected and intimate, bound into the tapestry. I am purposed to love. To help. To serve. It shifts as a wildfire from person to person and task to task...enveloping me, incinerating self, it purifies. God writes the story and moves the life. I try to walk along and not walk into walls, to live along and not make enemies, finding secret paths along the way -- to find the right word or the right soultouch. To dream the right dream. To be awake when sleeping and not sleeping when awake. To be. To be good. To be good in God. To hold Christ's hand when I don't know the purpose. To listen to whispers in the wind. I write. I love. It is more than enough.

Smoke and Mirrors

Mirror imaged and through that mirror darkly, satan's tree sends out subterranian roots to grow dark tendrils around our souls, breaking through the ground of trust in each, one from the other: It separates promises and hearts. Tangling its way inside our thoughts, it twists words inside our minds as it seeks out each one's vulneraiblity, the secret place where our fears hide: It tempts the pure of heart, breaking all the rules and laughing at confusion; it pours forth acid sap to pull us toward infinite musings,lashing the mind with duplicities and arrogance. Its just mirrors --smoke and mirrors. Leave it to die by itself, starving and shrunken -- already defeated; it is a relic of the past,it's worldy crown the hand of death --vanquished on Calvary. Breathe the light. Laugh. Trust. Dance. Sing. Live, for this is the day that the Lord, and no other, has made!

Mia asked, "Who planted it?"

Trees are good, ancient in wisdom. They talk to me, their tales turn my heart to smiles and my heart to prayers. Hemlocks are especailly slow, but also deeply thoughtful. Willows are full of fancy and I dance as we sing together. Oaks, well there are so many kinds...and to find the spokestree is not always easy. I fancy Threegreenia myself, but then our history together is a long one. So many trees, so many songs, so many stories. But The Tree. No, I do not believe it was planted; rather, it IS -- God formed, formed of God, sword shielded from stolen glances -- full of wormswood if we turn our minds to pick from it. It's not that the apples are bad; the evil is in the pride of stealing ownership. One bite and then Death.

While the day and the week are still with us, let us say a goodbye
in song and praise until we meet back here next Monday!

You are invited to come share coffee and donuts with us
 at Maple Street Church; we'll be singing and listening
to the Good News, and then having a bit more fellowship
before going on our ways. Our coming together is always
filled with honesty and joy. We never meet strangers!

If you are too far away to be with us in person, the sermon will be up on the net
at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBpAAJcjtrPmDHv_OACqDFw

Wherever you are, I pray that you find a fellowship and congregation of
brothers and sisters in the Lord who will open their hearts to you.

So, now:

Holy! Holy! Holy!
is the Lord God Almighty
who was and is,
and is to come!

Exodus 15:2 The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.

Psalm 150 Let Everything Praise the Lord

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
    praise him according to his excellent greatness!

3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
    praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
    praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
    praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

War

I watched a war film last night with my husband and my son. As I saw the blood soaked ground, I thought of Cain -- of Abel. And I was sick with the sight of slaughter. I remembered that long black line of death in Washington, with names and flowers -- teddy bears and tear stained letters falling at its cold,mute foot -- Vietnam. And I wondered. Thousands of years and still we make the ground bleed with each others blood, cursing the earth, cursing ourselves inside our feet of clay. And then as I thought of Afganistan the roles switched. Cain was Abel and Abel was Cain. Our self defense, our family towers attacked. Not revenge, not testosterone adventures of men for glory and fame, but suvival. I will not worship idols or have my grandchildren wear burkas. Let us be honest for a change; we do not bow to Allah. Onward Christian Soldiers.

This Fourth of July

July 4th. comes, dancing in its own parade again,
Singing Hallelujah to The Saints Come Marching In
and swaying to The Battle Hymn of the Republic!

Reminders of the Founding Fathers sing and march
through the years of memories held precious and dear --
Of Judaeo Christian bedrock principles:
 Of America the Beautiful --
'America! America! 
God shed his grace on thee 
And crown thy good with brotherhood 
From sea to shining sea!'

How blessed we are to be born in this good land. 

From the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. 
What promise these United States had!

Freedom to choose our religion,
Freedom to worship unafraid.
From the Constitution and the Bill of Rights:

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Long ago. Long ago. Long ago.

A kaleidoscope of tears prisms through
splintered. politically correct lenses.
Apprehension and fear run through
fellowships and congregations,
prefiguring visages of a pale horse.
The media spins black-widowed webs
as people wince and writhe in place,
poisoned en masse into silence, stillness.

It is enough. In God We Trust:
The weekend brings the Fourth of July --
 fireworks and families circled in
celebration of our country, of its values.

Time to come together and throw off the
shackled mind bands, to honor our heritaged
courage, to stand together as Christian
citizens against tyranny, whatever the source.

Let us laugh at nihilism, embracing again
     our hope and our foundation
      One nation under God.

Our prayer for America, our prayer for our parents
and our children, indeed our prayer for the world:
           God bless America.
We stand for this, we ask for this, we plead for
merciful grace and intercession in Jesus' holy name,
                  Amen.

The weekend brings the Fourth of July and fireworks,
families circled in celebration. Time to come
together and throw off the shackled mind bands,to
honor our heritaged courage,our stand against
tyranny,laughing at nihilism and embracing again
our One nation under God.

Inspiration

Words dropped down like pick-up sticks --
fall, scattering feelings and illusions
broken over coffee. But we turn our ears,
lift our heads to the sky, waiting -- leaning toward
eternity. Before the heat a rush, and then:
Voice traced words find the tongue -- fire.