Faith, Grace, and Hope

2 Kings 2:9-12 9  When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.”  10  He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.”  11  As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven.  12  Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. What would a “double share” of the spirit of a modern prophet or saint look like? The one who received a double share of the spirit of Dietrich Bonhoeffer would likely not rest while there were unjust governments in the world. A double share of Rosa Parks would mean resis...

Acts 16:16-34 This story has an enslaved young woman in it. What’s her name? Why doesn’t she have a name? What does Paul do to her? (Cast out the spirit of divination) Why does he do it? (Because he is annoyed) What happens to the girl? (She is no longer useful as a commodity for her owners. She is not free; she is now considered worthless.) Does she matter? If we keep reading, we go on to Paul and Silas praising God in prison. Their impromptu hymn sing and prayers intrigues the other prisoners and leads the jailer, himself an enforcer of Roman laws, to seeking salvation. But what happens to the girl? You may think it does not matter. She served her purpose in the story- moving the plot forward to get to the imprisonment part. That’s all we need to know about her. She’s not a Roman citizen. She’s probably not even a follower of the Way of Jesus, even though she is able to recognize that Paul and Silas are. Even though the story of Lydia, a woman who comes...

My darling children- I love you so much. With each of you, I remember learning that I was carrying you and immediately talking to you and praying for you. That's what Momma does still does for and with you! I was recently on a trip to NC to help some other members of our family. I missed you both terribly while I was gone. D, I got to talk to you on the phone, but, V, you're still a little small for phone conversations. This was the longest I've been away from you. I looked at pictures of you both all the time. When people would ask about my children, I would speak of you with obvious love in my voice. People would comment on how much I must miss you. I would confirm that I did. I want you to know how much I love you, every day, no matter what. I'll never not be your Momma. I will always do my very best by you and I ask in advance for your forgiveness when it turns out that my best isn't the best for you. Because I love you so much, I want you t...

This medium feels inadequate for physical contemplation- thinking and moving at the same time- but here we are. D at 3 weeks, circa 2009 Take a moment or two. Stretch in whatever way your body allows.  If you can, raise your arms and reach, reach, reach. Or you might stretch one leg or the other. Rotate an ankle. Wiggle your toes. Maybe you can just shift your hips at little- either while sitting and standing. Whatever your ability, feel the pull, not the burn, but the  pull  of a good stretch. Imagine the Spirit supporting your body, gently holding and supporting, while also flexing and guiding. Oh, God of our muscles and sinews, stretch us today. Bring our bodies strength, rest, and peace. Do not allow us to be led astray by voices that do not speak the truth about our bodies, our capabilities, or our gifts. Let us feel, in our bodies, loved and beloved. Amen. Orginally posted at RevGalBlogPals.org

John 20:1-18             I recently read a poem that I couldn’t forget. Now I cannot even remember where I saw it, even though I’ve read it every day. The poet, Wilbur Rees, only published one book of verse in his whole life and he’s not necessarily a poet that you would have heard anywhere else. I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk
or a snooze in the sunshine. I don’t want enough of God to make me love a black man
 or pick beets with a migrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation. I want warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please. — Wilbur Rees             Three dollars worth of God. I am not saying that this necessarily applies to anyone here, but there’s somet...

John 20:1-18             Have you ever thought about butterflies and Easter? Do you know why they are associated? Until very recently, I assumed (like many others) that the caterpillar went into the chrysalis, something, something, grew wings, and became a butterfly. That’s not what happens.             Recently, listening to the program Radiolab , I learned that in the 1600s- theologians and scientists had cut open pupae and discovered a white- yellow goo inside. The caterpillar is gone, but no butterfly was yet formed or seemed even evident in any shape, form, or fashion.             They believed that the caterpillar died. In dying, it represented our bodies. The butterfly stood for our souls, light, free, and beautiful. Fortunately, they were wrong about the relationship of the caterpillar to the butter...

Luke 23:44-46 :   It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.          I’m going to begin a prayer and you help me finish the first couple lines Our Father, who art… Hail Mary, full of grace… Glory be to the Father… The Lord is my shepherd… Now I lay me down to sleep…             Some of you may not even remember learning the words of those prayers. They stir up from your minds almost automatically. The words feel like a part of you and they slide out of your mouth as easily as breath. When we understand ourselves to pray with the help of the Holy Spirit, these prayers are the way God, through Jesus and ...