Mediation- BCP

I was tempted to reflect on the readings. In the first reading and then in the Gospel of John we get mention of Judas. He hear of the field of blood, the choosing of Mathias (like General Convention?). In John we learn of his being chosen to betray Jesus. With the Gospel of Judas all over the news this Easter it seems the most interesting thing to discuss for a potential sermon.

However I am rarely ever able to escape any reading that deals with Exodus. I love the exodus. I can't really tell you why except that the book always helps me fill out my understanding of Christianity. As a Christian if there is a backstory to the Cross, betrayal of the Christ, and the adventure of Acts it is Exodus. One could argue that Christianity is the second exodus where God gives himself to all. In one of my favorite rationales as to why Jesus expands the covenant is that God wanted all to experience the love that God gave the Jews in the covenant.

And today's reading had me thinking of the consistency between it and Hebrews. Aaron as Priest is a vehicle of mediation. He is to deliver the peoples gifts and sins to God at the altar so that God may sanctify the people. In today's reading Aaron wears the names of the tribes upon his chest. He wears the stones and in doing so carries the judgment of the people. The man and priest Aaron "takes on" the judgment of the people by wearing the names of the tribes.

In Hebrews the sermon stresses the difficulty of any man to present the sin of another. This is compounded by the very sins the priest has (identify with this one). How could a sinner present to God the sins of another if the persons very sins have not been dealt with? In Hebrews we identify the only priest who is able to do so. That priest is Jesus who without sin can take on sin and in sacrificing himself on the altar thus mediates the sins of the people. A difficult idea to be sure. Like the priest Aaron, Jesus in his body takes on the judgment of the people not in his breastplate but through his very self.

Checking in- weak I know but my best

I am here. This is the best that I can do. Sometimes one needs to simply show up to continue on the journey. Today is my day.

Showing up

Steve is correct. It is so easy to let go the center and begin seeking the outside things. It is exactly this loss of center which feeds us for all those other things. This is the best I can do today. I arrive for future hope.

Must....go....on....can't.....give.....up....now

short short short

In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Life is too busy for time spent with God. No! Must read Scripture, must pray, must not let the bastards get me down.

today is brief and is based on 1John. What a great chance preachers have on this sunday to explain to people just what Jesus did for them. Atonement is something we talk about alot in classes, but hear little about in the pulpit. Let's get back to teaching people what their faith means.

not feeling generous (BCP)

So it was that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called "Christians."

The title above has more to do with me than it does with any of the readings for today. I'm not feeling very generous today. The flipping acting director of field education is up my ass about my work learning agreement. I feel like I'm in the opening scene of Office Space and have placed the wrong cover sheet on my TPS Reports. Grrrr!

Along those not so generous lines, guess what I learned today. I learned that followers of Jesus were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11). Guess where I didn't learn that. New Testament class, that's right. Grrrr!

And then I read this
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1 John 4)

A perfect end to my not so generous day. Convicted of my need to love more. I know! Seriously, I know!

So, its back to prayer for a more generous spirit and a softer heart.

Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated to you; and then use us, we pray, as you desire, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

What is it with these people (BCP)

Has any people ever heard the voice of a god speaking out of a fire, as you have heard, and lived? Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by terrifying displays of power, as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

Over and over and over again the people turn from their God. Over and over and over again they get enamored with a shiny calf.
Over and over and over again they fail to live up to God's call which
over and over and over again leads to problems in judges, in kings, in syncrtistic worship.

Over and over and over again I turn away from God.
Over and over and over agian I get enamored with the empty boxes on my to-do list.
Over and over and over again I fail to live up to God's call which
over and over and over again leads to problems in relationships, in time-management, in practices.

This part of the book of Deuteronomy sounds like something I should try to memorize. It seems like if I had this as a mantra defining the beat of my life I might not do these things over and over and over again. I might listen to God. I might do the things that He has asked me to do. I might live into the covenant.

In Honor of Philip (BCP)

There are few stories in the Bible that I find cooler than Philip and the Eunuch. And how appropriate on this feast day of Philip and James the less!

Being in OT this year has opened my eyes to a lot of things that I had never before thought of or heard. Philip didn't have the great benefit of Stephen Cook as his OT professor. No. Instead, Philip drew on his experience with the risen Jesus of Nazareth to unpack the ancient Hebrew Scripture.

"Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,

and like a lamb silent before its shearer,

so he does not open his mouth.

In his humiliation justice was denied him.

Who can describe his generation?

For his life is taken away from the earth."

The suffering servant passages in II-Isaiah are amazing in the light of 750 years of history between when they were uttered and when they came to fulfillment in Christ Jesus. I know I'm all over the place tonight, but all that aside what is really fascinating to me is the way in which Philip trusts the Spirit. An angel appears to him first and says "go" and he goes. Then the Spirit commands him to go over to an Ethiopian chariot, and he goes. Then, one can only assume that the Spirit opens the Scriputres to Philip and allows him to speak, and he speaks. Then Philip is called upon to baptize (without formal training "gasp") and he baptizes the man. Still again, the Spirit snatches up ol' Philip and upon his arrival at the new place, Philip goes on proclaiming the Good News.

Wow, what faith!

Ezekiel- BCP

So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and scattered, they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep were scattered, they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with no one to search or seek for them.

I was speaking with a friend at school two days ago. We were discussing the fact that Heresy does not simply go away but keeps re-emerging. I asked him how he felt about our church with the growing acceptance of what constitutes truth. I asked him how that may effect his ministry. Without blinking an eye he made the causual but profound reply. The mission field begins in the pews.

Ezekiel is called to prophesy against the shepherds. In their gorging themselves on the fruits coming from the sheep themselves (fat, wool) they lost sight of the task at hand. Shepherds are not to cull the heard but shepherd. The judgement is not that shepherds are not supposed to eat but that in their eating and feasting they have lost sight of the sheep and now the sheep are wandering becoming food for all type of wild animals.

How large is the sex trade in the world? How seductive its claims? How easy is it to get lost in the seduction of gratification? How easy to lose sight of the fact that millions are dying of Aids or the other host of other sexually transmitted diseases or the fact that sex often trumps relationship so children are abandoned in the pursuit of greater and greater gratification.

How large is the corporate ladder? How important the paycheck? By making the right moves now a person could make the salary and find himself or herself at the top. By saving every dime and investing it in the market you can protect yourself for a self indulgent retirment. So what if you need to work 80-90 hours a week. So what if persons around you are not making it . So what if communities are being compromised for profits. So what if individual success calls us to lose sight that others (our families, our neighbors, our communities)

Libertarianism, Democracy, Socialism, Communism, Maoists, Republians, federalists, Jihadists, all have their claims. They all if followed will help us be better people. They will help us become the community that will overcome corruption, greed, envy, hate, war, and oppression. Each has its claim the idea that it will bring people to a better life. By following its tenets these human systems will enrich and deliver.

And so the sheep have become scattered. They walk through high mountains and become pray for wild animals. Lost and with out guidance they will seek strange places to lay their heads. They will seek comfort, solace, salvation in lands that willingly offer to take them in. They will be bathed and gloried for entering these lands. Yet will what our scattered sheep find be enough. Will sex and work and politics be enough to sustain the sheep. Will it comfort the sheep in times of crises. Will it lift up the sheep for who they are? Will it love them without seeking anything in return? Will it save?

Yet the shepherds eat losing sight of the sheep. The collar and the stole becoming the very thing that judges us.

even truth (BCP)

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.

My sister, 4, and I, 6, had the following fight on a trip from Lancaster, PA to Chicago, IL.

Lisa - Say the sky is green
Steve - the sky is green
Lisa - NO! the sky is blue!
Steve - NO! the sky is green!
and so on...

I feel like this is the fight that goes on each and every day within churches mainline and otherwise.
Theologian - Say the resurrection was a metaphor
Other Theologian - the resurrection was a metaphor
T - NO! It is an historic event!
OT - NO! It was a metaphor!
and so on...

We spend so much time an effort holding on to our possessions, not the least of which is (T/t)ruth these days, but to what avail? We ignore so much fighting over the color of the sky, fighting over stuff we're not even sure we believe, fighting over possessions. What would it look like if everything we owned was held in common? As a good capitalist I realize this would be a mess, but bear with me for a second. what would it look like if instead of holding tightly onto my Truth I opened my eyes and saw the bit of truth you hold? Seeing your truth, I might share with you mine, and we both walk away with a bigger piece of the truth pie than we had before. Eventually through conversation after conversation my truth piece will be enormous, so big that I cannot comprehend the depth of it, but a mere kernal in comparison with the Truth of the godhead.

What do you know that you might share with me?

Hard, hard words- Ezekiel

Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and scattered, they became food for all the wild animals.

I am this. These words strike deeply. These are words of challenge to be sure. They challenge in that shepherds are called to act as servants of others and not servants of self. How often do I find myself worried, consumed even, with ideas of taking care of self. What will my salary be? Will I be able to afford a large house? Will the church stay together that I may be eligible for the pension? Me, me, me

And Ezekiel comes slamming through in judgment: You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost...They were scattered

They were scattered. The sheep are scattered and God's judgment weighs down, "Do you love me? Yes Lord "Feed my sheep", Do you love me? Yes Lord, "Take care of my lambs", Do you love me? Yes Lord. "Feed my sheep"

Who would of thought that Jesus was speaking judgment to Peter?

the gift of sickness

Strangely, I have learned a bit about the gift of sickness over the last day or so. My son came down with a stomach bug a few days ago and gave it to me. I found myself laid up for much of yesterday afternoon and today, while lying restlessly, I found myself saying a shortened form of the Jesus prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, Have Mercy On Me". I found myself able to pray even in the midst of some agony, and all my overly intellectualized faith became nothing but a murmur on my lips, it was an experiential parable for me.

I second Steve's to do list comment, I am far too busy; did Jesus die for me to have to do so much work?

my idol (the to-do list) is back

I've set up the readings for the week, but will excuse myself ahead of time due to way too much stuff on my to-do list. I'll be praying for you, please pray for me.

Micah and continued drippings of sweetness- like apple pie bubbled over...

He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,neither shall they learn war any more;

Whether it is real blood or proverbial blood there is a promise delivered in these words. Conflict rarely shows what is the best in us. The conflict arrises, our hackles rise and we lash out. Enemies can come in many guises. They look different. They smell different. They wear their hair different. And as we so often see under our own Christian roof our enemies are not those on the outside but usually those within. They think different.

In Micah we are encouraged to take some important steps prior to the promise. Already the persons of faith have been called to go to the mountain. The first step is not act or react but pray. Wait on God. Seek first the kingdom. Seek first the kingdom? Seek first the kingdom! As creatures we are willfully ignorant. Like my 13 year old son who is convinced that anything that I might say is ignorant due to the fact he already understands. When we live with the idea we got it all wrapped up- taken care of- figured out- we are in contempt. Contempt! "Who are you to say there is no God?" or God's rant to Job "Have you created the heavens?" We are given a great gift with our intelligence but when we confuse the gift as the giver we are in contempt. It has been said, nothing will keep a man in everlasting ignorance but contempt prior to investigation. Micah reminds us first, "Go to the mountain." "that he may teach us his ways".

In our waiting on God, God will give us his instruction. "The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord." Fear in this context has been said to really mean Awe. That dramatic understanding of both terror and excitement. The understanding that when we wait on God we're not waiting on some two bit servant boy but the very creator and sustainer of the universe. We are waiting on the same Jesus who can command healing with his word. This is no patsy boy Jesus but a powerhouse..."The father and I are one." As Micah suggests here in our moving toward God, God will move toward us and is willing to teach us. If Micah is a good witness this is exciting stuff. Why do I so often go it alone- see first paragraph. On a larger level our going it alone in the church might undermine all our good intention. Seek first and the teaching will come. This brings us to,

He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,neither shall they learn war any more;

The promise is held out there before us. In our current political and ecclesiastical debates over sexuality and the faith I see and hope for the promise. God will judge. Period. He will judge. Whom will he judge? All of us. While initially daunting I find comfort in ABC Rowan Williams when he accentuates that judgement and grace come together. As we wait and he teaches I believe that he will uphold those things we have been faithful with while seeking to root out and destroy our faithlessness, resentment, anger, pity, and hardheartedness. God will arbitrate. We will suddenly realize that our war like stances need to be dropped. We will see with clarity the beauty of Christ in the gaze of our brother. Network will not lift up sword against ECUSA and the west will beat their swords into plowshares for their southern cone bishops.

Not possible you say? Have you sought first the kingdom?

koinonia

Meaning: 1) fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, intercourse 1a) the share which one has in anything, participation 1b) intercourse, fellowship, intimacy 1b1) the right hand as a sign and pledge of fellowship (in fulfilling the apostolic office) 1c) a gift jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution, as exhibiting an embodiment and proof of fellowship

The kind of fellowship the first letter of John is calling for is some serious stuff. Community, communion, intercourse, intimacy!?!? This isn't just Dunkin' Donuts and Coffee after church, this is FELLOWSHIP. In light of all the conversation going on in the run up to General Convention this passage can't help but catch my attention.

we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ... If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

As we struggle to stay in conversation (apologies to those who consider this a 4-letter word) we struggle to stay in communion, in fellowship. We share so that you might have fellowship with us... this conversation is Biblical. Keep talking for it is in sharing stories (not least of which the Gospel) that we find fellowship. And fellowship with you models fellowship with the father. "If we say that we have fellwoship... while we are walking in the darkness, we lie" I read this as "In order for us to be in fellowship we must be willing to admit, 'Yeah I might be wrong.'" Let's keep the conversationi going. Let's not run away to our camp. Let's not say things like, "we don't need you anyway" or "you'll come around." Let's enjoy the conversation, for that is were we find fellowship, koinonia, community, communion, intimacy.

Psalm 4 (RCL)

Psalm 4 Page 587, BCP

1

Answer me when I call, O God, defender of my cause; *
you set me free when I am hard-pressed;
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

2

"You mortals, how long will you dishonor my glory; *
how long will you worship dumb idols
and run after false gods?"

3

Know that the LORD does wonders for the faithful; *
when I call upon the LORD, he will hear me.

How long, indeed will I run after dumb idols, how long will I run after false gods? What about the idol of grades, trying to get just a few more points on my GPA, for what? So I can feel smrt? So I can gain God's salvation? What about the idol of filling up my time all the time? Who do I think I am, God?....isn't this idolatry, not obeying the Sabbath, thinking that my work is what gets me into the promised land? So, I read, I write, I rush to field ed, I rush home, I go to forums, I get pooped. Then there is a moment, when I am rushing down the GW parkway in my painted trashcan of a car when I see the created world, not nature only, but that I see nature as the creation, and I reflect upon my own created being, and I see that so soon the ashes will not just be placed upon my forehead, but that my entire earthly body will be ashes, and I will return to my creator. I remember Yoda in Empire Strikes Back referring to his body as "this crude matter" ... he had a sense that his creation was contingent (for him the Force, for us God).

In running after false gods, in making myself and my own study, busy-ness, and activity my idol, I do dishonor God's glory. Can't I see that this is just a short stop at the station of this world, and can't I accept the gift of the time here with gratitude and reverence?

I'm sticking with Micah- Sweetness 3

For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

My handy, dandy Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church defines Zion as "the mount on which the temple stood, 'God's holy hill' at Jerusalem." Hence it is the home of God, the place of the seat of the Covenant. The home of God, the holy of the holies. As Christians we are heirs to our 'elder brothers'. JPII referred to the Jews as our 'elder brothers' when he came to Jerusalem and asked them for forgiveness. As Christians who claim their legitamacy by being chosen through God's grace we would be unwise to forget that an older tribe was chosen first to deliver this message. They were servants before we were servants.

Our history should not be forgotten in our rush to try and fix the world. I think specifically here of our mad dash toward San Fransisco seeking to put forward another homosexual bishop in the name of Justice. While certainly I do not want to forget the word of the lord that came out of Jerusalem "love one another as I loved you" I want to hold it in tension with more difficult words, "as he (Jesus) drew near (to Jerusalem), he saw the city and wept over it saying, "If this day you only knew what makes for peace- but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation."(Luke 19:41-43)

I wonder in our rushing, seeing all those opposed to ECUSA's actions as enemies or worse homophobes we are not first ignoring Micah's simple prounouncement. Could we be failing to God to God first? Is God only found in the social gospel? Does God call us to fix the world or does God first seek us into relationship with Him. This is the message I think Micah is saying here to the ECUSA. First seek God. Seek God first to hear what the rest of the church is saying. Allow them to begin to understand. Trust that they are your brothers and sisters in Christ. Allow them to see that our Church seeks first the kingdom as Micah suggests. Allow them to see and discover the same spirit that you are witnessing to. To act now in civil disobedience will only convince the wider world not of our love of justice but our love of autonomy. Our call may be first to trust not in our own understanding of Justice but that our God seeks to guide us if we are but willing to listen.

For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Have you read Acts?

When they had made the prisoners, Peter and John, stand in their midst, they inquired...


I'm rushing tonight to be done before American Idol. I know, I know, one shouldn't rush through a spiritual discipline. I know, I know, American Idol?!? I know, I know. But actually it was in my rushing (read reading in a different context) that I saw something I have yet to realize this week. Peter and John are in jail already, and its only Easter 3; its only Acts 4. Wow, how did we get here from the empty tomb? We're already in trouble, we're already causing problems, we're already blessed with the Holy Spirit (well sort of, we've got some time before Pentecost).

There seems to be a lot to reflect on as our Lectionary propels us so quickly from Resurrection to Martyrdom to the Catholic Epistles of John. Wow!

OK Rod Stewart Nite on IDOL!!!! Do you think I'm sexy?

Sweetness 2- BCP

"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths."
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more;
but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,

I must admit I am not happy. I had this great reflection on the first four lines of Micah. It was lost while attempting a spell check. ARRGGGGGG!!!! I reflected on Rowan Williams and his use of Richard Hooker. RW discusses in his last article on Hooker that Hooker while upholding Scripture was not, unlike his opponents the Puritans, bound to believe that Scripture was the only way to know the mind of God. Hooker upholds the idea, which struck me like a ton of bricks the first time I read it, that while we go to the Bible and read the witnesses of the Bible, we often lose sight of the fact that all the hero's of the Bible did not have a Bible. They had God and as Micah reveals, God is present to us here and now and can be sought. Micah reveals a witness and understanding that can shake the boots of any of us who tend to live in the illusion that I am here and God is in some high and distant place. Micah suggests not only are God's ways open to us but that God himself is close enough to teach us if we are willing.

Sweet! Micah! (BCP)

So glad to have written a one-page refelction on this text for OT just two weeks ago. I share it with you becasue I am still exhuasted from Easter but am trying to live into my Good Friday call to blog.

In the story of the Tower of Babel (Gen 11.1-10) it becomes very clear that the idol of self-help is one that is despicable to God, and yet it seems that the people of God still hadn’t figured it out. In reading Micah we see a time when many different nations had built themselves up on their own self-interests. We see, in fact, a time when the nation of Judah, part of God’s chosen people, had chosen to rely on its own political capital rather than the God of their ancestors who had shown over and over again his authority over even the strongest of political powers. The Judgment of Jerusalem which precedes this pericope calls forth – once again – God’s people to be God’s people.

And then… And then, Micah shows that this judgment is not without grace. That if/when the people do return to God it will not be just God’s chosen people, but instead all those dispersed at the Tower of Babel will be brought together again at the mountain of the Lord in search of his way. The people who had for so long relied on themselves would again turn to the will of the Lord. This returning to the Lord will bring about the kingdom of peace which God had in mind from the beginning.

As we know, however, this returning to the Lord will not happen on this side of the Eschaton. As Christians we live in constant hope for the Kingdom of God. In this time of war, terrorism, natural disaster, and the general polarization of society we are keenly aware that this time of peace is far, far away.

And then… And then we come to this passage of hope in the midst of great despair in Micah. We are called to look past this time of judgment to see the promises of God enacted as we ascend Mount Zion and are cleansed of the sin of pride.

Into your hands I commend my spirit

Good Friday Reflection

We Remember his hands,
Gesturing to the fishermen, He called them
To set down their nets and become fishers of people.
His hands gave healing to the sick and the unclean
The spirit of healing flowed from his hands
He laid his hands on each of them and cured them
He laid his hands on one, and immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.
Water became wine and a few loaves and fishes became a feast.

He predicted he would end up betrayed into human hands
But he continued to heal and to teach parables of the kingdom
The powers wanted to lay hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people.
Though they tried, they did not lay hands upon him when he was a babe
They did not lay hands upon him in the temple
They did not lay hands upon him on the plain
They did not lay hands upon him when he healed
They did not lay hands upon him when he cleaned the temple
And he saw that they did not lay hands upon him
Day after day in the temple, they did not lay hands on him.
But this is their hour, and the power of darkness
Brought their hands upon him.

The journey he has made into the world from God
is nearly done,
but his work and his life will endure in a new way.

His work of healing,
of teaching,
of preaching,
of walking the way of God in the world.
Welcoming the outcast,
visiting the lonely,
the sick
those in prison,
healing those in turmoil,
liberating the oppressed.
He walked with them,
healed them
and offered hope.
But his work and his life will endure in a new way.

His life is gift,
God’s gift to God’s creation.
Ours, too are pure gift,
We are brought into the world
and are held in loving hands as infants,
hands of our parents,
hands of our guardians,
hands of the ones who baptize us,
the hands of our siblings,
and the hands of our teachers, priests and the hands of our friends.
We lay our hands upon others in healing,
we hold the hurt of others as we offer our open hands up in prayer,
we hold up our hands to receive the Eucharistic Feast.
We offer up our hands as we commend our lives to God’s service.
From your hands we have received our lives,
Into your hands we commend our lives and our spirit.

Their hands held him,
Their hands nailed his hands to the cross.
In the moment that worldly hands bound him
He offered no curse
No condemnation
But the gift of radical forgiveness
He saw the hands that would bring him home,
The hands that had supported him all along,
The hands that had held him up in the temple,
The hands that supported him in the wilderness,
The hands that had offered direction and comfort.

In that moment that the hands of the world bound him,
He commended his spirit to the hands that endure,
When he might have cried out in anger or fear
Jesus offered a prayer from the Psalms,
“Into your hands I commend my spirit”
No longer bound by the hands of his captors,
No longer bound by his hands to the cross,
Jesus makes his own funeral commendation,
This cry is no cry of loneliness
of dereliction,
but is a prayer and a deep hope.
He seeks out the hands of his father, from whose hands he became incarnate
The hands that hold the entire world, and caress from when newborn children until today.

In that moment of cosmic loneliness,
He felt God’s hands reaching to him,
He saw the hands of his Father,
his Abba,
caressing him
offering love,
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”
In the moment when the hands of the world betrayed him
a prayer.

Calling out into the darkness
But, in hope and love,
God would hear him and hold him
Not a distant deity without care or concern
But a compassionate and loving God
He trusted the loving hands of his Father
He trusted those hands that had held him from the beginning
And were there all along
Holding him, supporting him, and guiding him.

His life is gift,
God’s gift to God’s creation.
Darkness came over the whole land,
The sun’s light failed,
The curtain of the temple was torn in two,
Crying with a loud voice,
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”