Ash Wednesday
ashes may fade but not my heart’s desire
to step up is to move beyond
to go forward is leave behind
to turn toward is to turn away
to receive is to let go
to take up is to put down
to say yes is to say no
ashes may fade but not my heart’s desire
I want to go with Jesus
I want to stop my old ways
I want to stand with Jesus
I want to walk in his ways
I want to lose my self
I want to gain life abundant
ashes may fade but not my heart’s desire
A Sunday Spring Morning
Margaret rises early
on a Sunday spring morning
to cut fresh flowers
in the first light
With worn hands
that worked the soil
and planted the bulbs
she arranges them in a vase
Not haphazardly
or without a thought
but with intention
she places each one
As she does
behind her breath
she honors
each one’s beauty
But it is not for her
and her alone
she arranges them
just so
For to church they’ll go
like a beloved companion
to sit in their own place
in the sanctuary
Folks arrive
and observe
the spring flowers
placed upon the Lord’s table
A witness themselves
to the Creator’s goodness
and a proclaimer
of the good news itself
For what more
can the preacher say
than the flowers
on the altar
Of the beauty and the love
which is bound to blossom
from the God in whom
all things are possible.
Note: Margaret Craighead was a faithful and beloved member of my wife Terry’s first congregation, the Old Auxvasse Nine Mile Presbyterian Church, located in Callaway County, Missouri.
Lent is a Way of Praying
Lent is a way of praying
at first without words
with breath drawn
with breath released
Lent is a way of praying
in the quiet stained-glass light
in the confines of the driver’s seat
as one step is taken and then another
Lent is a way of praying
with eyes tightly shut
with attention on inside
with attention on above
Lent is a way of praying
with eyes open wide
to see what needs attention
to see God’s intentions
Lent is a way of praying
with words carefully chosen
with words haphazard and jumbled
with sighs too deep for words
Lent is a way of praying
for the world
with the world
in spite of the world
Lent is a way of praying
for you and all of yours
for me and all of mine
for us and all of ours
Lent is a way of praying
a little prayer here
a little prayer there
until all, everywhere, is prayer.
A Different Story
winter lingers
with its wind and cold
wanting to persist
tenacious and bold
but the birds tell a different story
their songs melodious and light
arriving to sing-in the new season
their notes uplifting and bright
and the crocus too defies the cold
pushing with persistence from the darkness below
unfurling delicately despite the hard soil
a beauty that melts the dusting of snow
when I am restless, tired and weary
I long to listen in the darkness of night
amidst uncertainty and looming despair
for whispers of good news subtle and slight
for a different story among the stories
that sings with truth despite the strife
a story of peace and harmony and beauty
of grace and love and abundant life
Lent is a Way of Seeing
Lent is a way of seeing
to open my eyes
to widen my perspective
to broaden my outlook
to peer beyond the horizon
to squint for signs of hope
Lent is a way of seeing
God in the ordinary
God in the mundane
God in the extraordinary
God in the surprise
God in the small and the wide
Lent is a way of seeing
when darkness persists
when light is veiled
when the way is hidden
when uncertainty lingers
when chaos encircles
Lent is a way of seeing
the possibilities of today
the possibilities of tomorrow
the possibilities for me
the possibilities for you
the possibilities for us
Lent is a way of seeing
Christ in the cosmos
Christ among the crowd
Christ in the least
Christ as the center
Christ as the whole
Lent is a way of seeing
where I fall down and fall short
where I cannot see or refuse to see
where I am from and where I am going
where the way is narrow and necessary
where the One is leading and leads to the One
Lent is a way of seeing
broken bread and poured out wine
broken body for a broken world
broken grip of the doom of death
broken world born anew
broken hearts surprised by good news.
Lent is a Way of Walking
Lent is a way of walking
A walk with myself but not for myself
A walk in the world but not of the world
Lent is a way of walking
A walk of discovery as much as destination
A walk with detours and distractions
Lent is a way of walking
A walk that leads me by still waters
A walk that sets my feet on stormy waters
Lent is a way of walking
A walk of sight and sound and senses
A walk by faith and not by sight
Lent is a way of walking
A walk with the One who determines the path
A walk with the One who is the path
Lent is a way of walking
A walk along lakeshores and high atop mountains
A walk along byways and valleys of shadows
Lent is a way of walking
A walk alone
A walk with the company of the saints
Lent is a way of walking
A walk among the haves and the have-nots
A walk with the getting ahead and the letting go
Lent is a way of walking
A walk to the cross
A walk bearing a cross
Lent is a way of walking
A walk to empty myself
A walk to an empty tomb
Lent is a way of walking
A walk of life abundant
A walk to life eternal.
A Tree in Winter
What is a tree to be in winter?
I wondered on a snowy sabbath day.
Seemingly stoic and obviously bare
what else might a tree consider?
From what I can see and certainly surmise
there is more to a tree than appearance.
For along its trunk and among its branches
there are happenings that are sure to surprise.
The squirrels are about with total abandon
running and jumping without reservation.
The fallen snow covering the branches
leaves pattern that are anything but random.
Moss upon the bark survives
its green a welcome sight for the eyes.
The buds that tip the ends of the limbs
promise that spring is soon to arrive.
What is a tree to be in winter?
I wondered on a snowy sabbath day.
As the good Lord made it I surmise
and for all of creation the better.
The Landing Below
it is early autumn and change is in the air
as days shorten and leaves fall
I’m left with the questions of what to do and dare
sleep beckons in the sudden coolness of the night
to go and slip under covers
is the temptation before me to stay out of sight
yet while the light lingers I should rise and find the way
that takes me out and beyond
the place I can no longer stay
for the leaves tell a story real and true
that beauty is found
when the darkness descends before something new
where the fallen leaves gently lay
bright flowers will bloom tomorrow
beauty reborn in the newness of day
what beauty in me will fade with the night
so that something new can emerge
when the time is right
for an end is not the end but only a new beginning
the loss a part of what is becoming
as the Creator keeps the universe beautifully spinning
beauty is the seed within me that will grow
as I dare to let go in the lingering light
may I fear neither darkness nor the landing below
A Life of Its Own
A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions.
Frederick William Faber
My wife Terry recently spent a week at a conference and retreat center near Baltimore, Maryland. She gathered with colleagues who also serve presbyteries throughout the country. Honestly, I really hoped she bring home a fresh Maryland crab cake but, equally honestly, I knew that was not too realistic. What she did bring me was a decorative magnet that included the quotation, “A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions.” I surely would have enjoyed a crab cake—I cannot deny that! But this quote really struck me and will definitely stick with me longer than even the best crab cake!
A single act. That is all. Sometimes we succumb to the notion that we must do a lot or do something big and bold or do something everyone will consider the best. But when it comes to kindness a simple act is not only enough but can impact others exponentially.
A single act can be easy and then again it can be hard. Sometimes it is easy when it comes naturally for us or it is directed to someone we love. Sometimes it is hard when it requires more from us—more time, more energy, more sacrifice. Regardless, the impact of kindness can be so profound. Sometimes even though it is easy for us it comes to someone at just the right moment—when they feel overlooked or overwhelmed. Our single, easy act of kindness really makes a noticeable difference in their lives. Another time, when it is hard for us, it can equally change someone else’s life for the better possibly in a way we never know.
Throws out roots in all direction. I like the idea of kindness taking root in a person’s life or in a family or a community or a congregation. Acts of kindness are not fleeting. They last—likely beyond what we witness initially. The compassion experienced in kindness becomes rooted in the recipient’s life and becomes an ongoing source of strength. It also then fuels their ability to act in kindness toward others. Acts of kindness multiply themselves touching and transforming more and more lives. That is how kindness spreads in all directions. We act in kindness a single time but the kindness moves well beyond that person, that place, that point in time. It keeps going and going and going—to people and places we can never know. Kindness takes on a life of its own.
If you ever garden near a tree you learn quickly how expansive its root system is. Countless times when attempting to plant a new perennial flower in our yard I have ended up working around tree roots unexpectedly. I cannot really fathom the expansiveness of a root system of a single tree. The same is true of kindness—it may appear singular on the surface but much more is happening than I can perceive.
I invite you this week to recall an act of kindness directed to you. How did you feel? How did it impact you? How did it affect others in your life? And too, consider how you can act in kindness toward someone else and be mindful of the impact of your kindness beyond that one singular act.
We are all recipients of the good, compassionate kindness of God. May that be the source of our acts of kindness that take root in the lives of others.
Holy Encounter 