Shining Spirit

Sometimes the edges of night are indistinct, like a
muffled sound or a photograph slightly
out of focus.  Shadows play tricks.
Things are not exactly as
they seem.

Clarity wears no badge of certainty,
I have been clearly wrong.
Precision can be a guess with a PhD.
But what of love?
“Perfect love casts out fear”
“Love is patient and kind.”
“The greatest of these is
love.”

But love loses something in the transmission
from perfection to people.
I am the problem,
a cracked container.
You, too?

My hope is for my cracks to be mended;
is that what redemption is about?
Is that the Story and the final
solution?
But what if love was never meant to be
stored in perfect containers?
What if I’m supposed to leave a trail of it
behind?
Maybe to be fully human is to have a chip or two,
and a crack here or there
in order for Love to nourish a thirsty creation.
What if redemption is not patching for perfection,
but refilling again and again
for a walk in the world?

Roger Pierce  December 13, 2019

Soaring Spirit
help me today to rise above
all pettiness and hurtful words.
May my motives be honorable,
my actions consistent with what I say.
May I be aware of comfort needed
and then provide it,
sensitive to my neighbor’s need
and respond with helpful hands
and a willing spirit.
May I forgive as I am forgiven,
love as I am loved.
Amen

Here is your day.
It is beginning to unfold into something
beautiful and fragrant.
It has the potential to bless those
who pass by and to announce
that in the midst of divisive voices,
amazing things can happen.
Treat the day thoughtfully.
Tend the unfolding beauty.

Spirit that watches through the night,
I wake with gratitude for your presence
as I slept in peace.  I rise to meet this day
with confidence in your counsel and in your
compassionate indwelling.

Lead me into the brightness of day.  Guide my feet and
my mind into ways that are just and true,
my hands to extend sacred caring and helping
service.

When I turn out the light tonight, may I gladly
affirm this day shared with you,
source of all that is good and
all that is possible.

Take my hand now as I rise to meet the breaking dawn.
Walk with me side by side, lest I lose my way.

Amen

“So I pray that God, who gives you
hope, will keep you happy and full of peace
as you believe in him.  May you overflow
with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Hope is falling all over the place this early morning.
Downspouts are gurgling, puddles dot the asphalt street,
it sounds like the Rocketts are dancing on the skylights.

I am happy and at peace as I think of friends
who enlarge my life, the work I do that contributes
meaning in these otherwise quiet days of remembering
and celebrating, and the hope that sustains me because
of a Sacred Mystery that I can neither
understand nor explain.

May hope fall all over you today, too.
May it soak you to the bone.
And may harmony
with life reign.

“May God, who gives patience and encouragement, help 
you live in complete harmony with each other —
each with the attitude of Christ Jesus
toward the other.”

Romans 15:13         Romans 15:4

This morning I will think of my friend and be grateful
for his kind heart and gentle spirit.

I will remember the one who holds a grudge and
refuses to look my way.

I will think of the man on the bicycle collecting
cans for coins to buy breakfast.

I will picture my neighbor as she drives away to
see the cancer doctor once again.

And I will look in the mirror and see them all
in myself.  We are made of the same stardust.
We are each other.

Welcome the morning with open arms!
Embrace the gift.  It is yours to use, spend,
or waste.  Don’t take it for granted.

Welcome the day with a generous heart.
Remember, all is given, nothing deserved.
This day belongs to everyone and everything.
Share some of what you have.  With intention.

Welcome this day with the door of your mind
wide open.  Let in a breeze of new possibility,
a burst of creative insight…fresh air.  By the way,
leave the door ajar; a new thought might want in.

Welcome the day in the company of the Sacred Spirit.
Be more than a nodding acquaintance.  Get to know
each other.  You have a lot in common.

Yes, welcome this day with a sense of thankful wonder.
You woke up, didn’t you?  Miracle enough!
Make the most of it!