There was an official.
Whose son was ill.
Everything in Jesus’ own country was prejudicial.
He sought new grounds to till.

Perhaps the official worked for Herod.
It took courage to approach Jesus.
Indeed a hope that he might have thought that was arid.
A moral for us.

If a life is at stake.
We can humble ourselves.
If it’s make or break.
A son’s life not just ourselves.

The official tried everything.
For faith’s sake can we not try anything.

……

Do we fight for life
And prepared to be humble
Like the official

…..

See John 4 : 43-54

Laetare.
Jerusalem.
Be joyful, no need to be weary.
Celebrate , Jerusalem.

We cannot always do penance.
We need a break.
Return to our joyful essence.
And rely on a bit of give and take.

Human nature is weak.
We cannot fast continually.
Our worries are not unique.
Either physically or mentally.

It’s made for us , Lent.
We are not made for Lent.

…….

Laetare Sunday
A chance to pause and relax
So why not do it

…….

See The description of today

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled.
But the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
Our real ambition is rumbled.
Our true nature can be faulted.

What does it matter.
Who or what we are.
No need to flatter.
Accept us as we are.

We wish we could divorce ourself from ourself.
Have no interest.
In ourself.
And only care about everyone else’s interest.

But being humbled.
Is we doubt being exalted.

…….

We exalt ourselves
We will be truly humbled
So better not try

…….

See Luke 18 : 9-14

Every kingdom divided against itself.
Is laid waste.
A message perhaps for oneself.
We must unite if we are to remain graced.

We just have to keep going.
However exhausted.
We must start our reawakening.
We can always start anew, it is not finished.

When a man guards his palace.
He feels safe.
We search for solace.
Hopefully somehow to be safe.

But if we are divided.
We will end up derided.

…….
kingdom divided
Against itself is laid waste
We ask, are we so

Luke 11 ::  1 4 –   23

And Mary said, behold
I am the servant of the Lord.
This we are told.
And this we know from the Lord.

Let it be to me.
According to thy word.
Let us like her see.
And accept the word.

And what if she had said No.
After all she had free will.
We would now be so low.
Waiting for fate to finally fulfil.

But in humility she said yes.
And we if we forget doubt we can too say yes.

…….

Mary said Behold
I’m the servant of the Lord
But we ask are we

……

See Luke 1 : 26-38

Learn to do good.
Seek Justice.
Search for the Holy Rood.
Resist injustice.

You are not a sinner like us in every land.
You have never done anything wrong.
It is I with sins countless as grains of sand.
Who have bought down on you this host of sorrows for so long.

I was listening to St John’s Passion.
These words moved me unbearably.
At last I had understood our mission.
My tears rolled down irresistibly.

It was the haunting words of the tenor evangelist.
That my heart could not resist.

…….

You not a sinner
You have never done some wrong
You take our sorrows

…….

See Isaiah 1 : 10, 16-20 and Bach St John Passion

For to all that I send you.
You shall go.
And whatever I command you:
You shall speak so.

Captured.
Enslaved .
Maltreated
Escaped.

Studied.
Returned.
Travelled.
Converted.

And then missionaries to all the world.
They helped convert the world.

……

To all I send you
You shall go to all nations
And you shall then speak

…….

See Jeremiah 1 : 4-9

His face was altered.
And his clothing became dazzling white.
On the mountain tops we feel exalted.
In the valley floors we lose our very sight.

Life goes from mountain to valley .
From rose to thorn.
We lose sight of our up and down tally.
Between  feeling fresh and worn.

But I listened to the common pigeon’s song.
I watched the sun dip below the hill.
Nothing good or bad needs to last long.
Exciting or run of the mill.

Remember Christ transcendent.
Our life one day will be ascendant.

…….

His face was altered
His clothing became dazzling
Remember all this

…….

See Luke 9 : 28b – 36

Blessed are those.
Whose way is blameless.
A budding rose.
No less.

Who walk.
In the law of the Lord.
No more talk.
Just a spiritual sword.

Blessed are those.
Who keep his decrees.
Another rose.
Who has paid his fees.

They seek him with all their hearts .
And find new fresh starts.

……

Blessed then are those
Whose way is truly blameless
Are we those people

……

See Psalm 119

O let your ears be attentive.
To my pleadings.
But are we attentive.
To his readings.

In a city we seldom look at the sky.
Our attention focused on what’s passing.
So we don’t look at him in the eye.
But in the country the sky is constantly delighting.

If you pause and look at a cloud.
You are in this moment.
There is silence, nothing loud.
Changing yet constant.

The clouds have no future , no past.
No regrets or hopes , content not to last.

……

Are my own pleadings
Being listened to by him
But am I listening

…….

See Psalm 130

A broken and humbled heart.
O God, you will not spurn.
Here is a start.
If we start to learn.

I am the light of the world.
Anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark.
I read these words lighting a candle for the next world.
Trying for those passed to make a mark.

He , I read will have the light of life.
We are not walking alone.
We have eternal life.
Believe and you will not be alone.

The candle is lighting
And we are surviving.

……

Broken humbled heart
Will not be spurned by our God
That’s what we believe

…..

See  Psalm 51 and John 8 : 12

There is no distinction between Jew and Greek.
For the same Lord is Lord of all.
After all don’t we all seek.
All of us waiting for the call.

He is bestowing riches.
On all who call on him.
We can build bridges.
We are all one body , one limb.

Pray for Christians in  Syria
Persecuted , numbers declining.
Even today killed in Latakia.
Fleeing, hiding.

All God’s people are one.
That is the prize to be won.

…….

No distinction
Between all religions
The prize that we seek

……

See Romans 10 : 8-13

Teach me O Lord your way.
That I May walk in your truth.
We search , is our path right, who can say.
To our old age all the way from our youth.

Did God create man.
Or did man create God.
Who knows for sure , how narrow is our scan.
We are so flawed.

But one thing is certain.
God’s love is real.
We just need to draw aside the curtain.
It is there all around us, this we cannot know, only feel.

We know this through the joy we feel.
And that certainly is real.

…..

Teach me Lord your way
That I may walk in your truth
Now and for ever

……

See Psalm 86

Cry aloud, do not hold back.
Lift up your voice like a trumpet.
Truly there is little we lack.
We are indeed well met.

Declare to the people their transgression.
To the house of Jacob their sins.
This too is our mission.
Although there will always be losses and wins.

Yet they seek me daily.
And delight to know my ways.
Certainly if we pray daily.
Seeing God in our thoughts like the sun’s rays.

Always searching.
And we pray believing.

……

If you cry aloud
And if you do not hold back
You make some progress

……

See Isaiah 58 : 1-9a