The end of the affair.
And so it goes.
Time moves ahead.
And things feel new again.
Time moves on.
Another chance.
To make some sense.
Human sense, we hope.
Time bids us journey.
All along the way.
Brief for some.
Long for others.
Hard it can be.
Tears it demands, at times.
Laughter it brings.
The end of 2017.
A year of surprises.
Politically, ugly.
Personally terrific.
A move to a new home.
A new town.
Time moves, quicker these days.
2018.
Can it bring some political relief?
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Saturday, December 2, 2017
1 Peter 4.7-19
Morning Musings on the Lectionary, 1 Peter 4.7-19.
I've read this before, but this morning, it hit me hard:
"Maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins" ... the point being, nothing is perfect, and no one has it all put together, and in the midst of chaos and turmoil, to hang on to one another, to help, to assist, to encourage ... because "love" isn't just a pleasant feeling, which it is sometimes, because "pleasant feelings" aren't the point, but rather hiking up one's pants, rolling up one's sleeves, to seek one another's welfare, do what's right for one another, and the larger the circle of life, the more demanding it becomes, to live Micah 7:8
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Peter makes clear to his readers that suffering is sometimes part of the deal ... and for some of his readers, and for many within the folds of history, the suffering has been immense, horrible and deadly.
For others, it's a suffering of the spirit, an anguish of soul, a conscience bleeding for the sake of others ... a desperate desire to make a difference, to plead the cause of justice, to lift up the voice of hope, to hold in mind and heart an image of life that reflects the image of God's Edenic purpose.
Peter offers what I think is a bit of gallows humor: "If you're gonna suffer, be sure it's for the right reason. Don't complain if you suffer for being a murderer or a thief [and here, it's helpful to understand this as taking life away from others, if not literally, then economically and socially through a sadistic manipulation of the system to feather one's own nest] ... a criminal or even a mischief maker" (I imagine Peter winking as he writes this, and his readers winking at one another). In other words, "don't be a jerk."
The reading ends, not with hope, but with encouragement to keep on keepin' on ... an echo heard throughout the Book of Revelation ... because, for sure, in the long run, the long, long, long, run, things will end well, but in the short run, remember love, accept whatever suffering comes your way for the sake of the gospel, remember that you're in good company on this score, and continue to do good (which sounds very much like Micah).
I laid awake last night, pondering ... with a sometimes clenched gut ... I see the outskirts of hell sometimes, I hear the demons laugh, and I smell the stench of power, power run amok, and power's kin, greed and lust ... and the consequences of God Mammon: the death of the soul of those who have too much, and the death of the mind of those who dare not think about what they do.
And then, this morning, I read Peter ...
I've read this before, but this morning, it hit me hard:
"Maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins" ... the point being, nothing is perfect, and no one has it all put together, and in the midst of chaos and turmoil, to hang on to one another, to help, to assist, to encourage ... because "love" isn't just a pleasant feeling, which it is sometimes, because "pleasant feelings" aren't the point, but rather hiking up one's pants, rolling up one's sleeves, to seek one another's welfare, do what's right for one another, and the larger the circle of life, the more demanding it becomes, to live Micah 7:8
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Peter makes clear to his readers that suffering is sometimes part of the deal ... and for some of his readers, and for many within the folds of history, the suffering has been immense, horrible and deadly.
For others, it's a suffering of the spirit, an anguish of soul, a conscience bleeding for the sake of others ... a desperate desire to make a difference, to plead the cause of justice, to lift up the voice of hope, to hold in mind and heart an image of life that reflects the image of God's Edenic purpose.
Peter offers what I think is a bit of gallows humor: "If you're gonna suffer, be sure it's for the right reason. Don't complain if you suffer for being a murderer or a thief [and here, it's helpful to understand this as taking life away from others, if not literally, then economically and socially through a sadistic manipulation of the system to feather one's own nest] ... a criminal or even a mischief maker" (I imagine Peter winking as he writes this, and his readers winking at one another). In other words, "don't be a jerk."
The reading ends, not with hope, but with encouragement to keep on keepin' on ... an echo heard throughout the Book of Revelation ... because, for sure, in the long run, the long, long, long, run, things will end well, but in the short run, remember love, accept whatever suffering comes your way for the sake of the gospel, remember that you're in good company on this score, and continue to do good (which sounds very much like Micah).
I laid awake last night, pondering ... with a sometimes clenched gut ... I see the outskirts of hell sometimes, I hear the demons laugh, and I smell the stench of power, power run amok, and power's kin, greed and lust ... and the consequences of God Mammon: the death of the soul of those who have too much, and the death of the mind of those who dare not think about what they do.
And then, this morning, I read Peter ...
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