Let those who mourn.
Look as if they were not mourning.
Why do we often look so forlorn.
We should in life or despite it, be accepting.

And those who rejoice.
Look as though they were not rejoicing.
So with fear and hope you have a choice.
Just keeping going.

St Paul asks us to treat all the same.
Just carrying on.
All the same.
On and on.

Trusting.
Believing.

…..

If you are mourning
You just carry on the same
It’s what we all do

…..

See 1 Corinthians 7

As for me , I trust in your merciful love.
Let my heart rejoice on your salvation.
All that really matters is love .
It is enough, yet still it brings salvation.

I will sing to the Lord.
Who has been bountiful with me.
He is the Lord.
Who nurtures me.

I will greatly rejoice.
In the Lord.
That is my choice.
As I cross this life’s ford.

In Psalm 13 we find belief.
And from this world some relief.

….. ..

We trust in his love
We know he brings salvation
And that is enough

…..

See Psalm 13

Your boasting is not good.
Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump.
We try in a small way to do good.
We are St Paul’s leavened lump.

But we cannot boast.
We err constantly.
We’re so much spiritual toast.
Making progress so very slowly.

We are held to account.
If we found to be wanting,
We must not lose count.
We just have to keep trying.

Of course we know we are feeble .
But we swear to try and be reliable.

…..

We fall so often
We rise up and keep trying.
That’s all we can do

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See 1 Corinthians 5

The one who loves one another.
Has fulfilled the law.
What greater task  than loving each other.
Doesn’t this sum up what we are for.

Love does no wrong to a neighbour.
Therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Who is my neighbour.
He is everyone , that is core.

Love is the fulfilling.
Of the law.
Achieving.
The only really worthwhile law.

…..

Love one another
That is fulfilling the law
All that is worthwhile

.. …

See Romans 13: 8-10

You should learn not to go beyond what is written.
That none of you may be puffed up one against another.
Well surely then Mother Teresa is worth a mention.
More than any other.

For the sick caring.
For the lonely comforting.
For the dying consoling.
For the poor providing.

We may not be able to do great things.
We may not have the energy.
But we can do little things.
Which may not take too much energy.

We are what we are.
But still we can care.

….

We can do little
We can do just a little
For it is enough

..   ….

See 1Corimthians 4

Trust in the Lord.
And do good.
Hold on to the spiritual cord.
And eat of his holy food.

Then you will dwell in the land.
And find safe pasture.
We, as so many grains of sand.
Will be held to account according to our measure.

Find your heart in the Lord.
Who grants your heart’s desire.
Who else to follow but the Lord.
From this we cannot retire.

Thus, our attention held by psalm thirty seven,
We are living in hope, striven.

……

We trust in the Lord.
And we just try to do good
That’s all we can do

….

See Psalm 37

By the mercy of God.
We do not lose heart.
But we ask , where is God.
How do we feel him, where do we start.

I dreamt , why was I not praying.
Surely we can only find him in prayer.
Asking for grace, not demanding.
Slowly, layer by layer.

Sometimes being answered.
More often encountering silence.
But knowing we are loved.
In the still of quiet silence.

I continued happily in the dream to pray.
And in the day, of course , I forgot to pray.

…..

By God’s true mercy
We’re sure we will not lose heart
But then we must pray

…..

See 2 Corinthians 4

What then is Apollis.
What is Paul.
Would we follow Apollis.
Or Paul.

Paul planted.
Apollis watered.
God delivered.
He ensured the community growed.

We do not need this leader
That leader
Another leader
No leader.

We just need God.
Only God.

……

Apollis watered
And Paul it was who planted
But God ensured growth

…..

See 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

The spirit searches everything.
Even the depths of God.
What, we ask, do we bring
Is our soul strong, well shod.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion.
Slow to anger , abounding in mercy.
Where is our true passion
Do we just avoid controversy.

The psalm follows the first reading.
We are less judged, more loved.
With God there is understanding.
More than love , beloved.

He knows .
It shows.

……

He searches everything
And he knows our very depths
He is God, our God

…..

See 1 Corinthians 2: 10-16 and Psalm 145

O Lord, how I love your law.
My meditation all the day.
How do we return to our true core.
Searching that elusive spiritual ray.

It is in meditation.
In quietness.
Resisting the mind’s churning temptation.
Asking not for more but less.

What is the law.
It is the love of life.
Not looking for a flaw.
Or fearing the afterlife.

We are just here.
Have no fear, we will be there.

…..

Lord I love your law
I love  meditation more
Just to be here quiet.

……

See Psalm 119

If anyone would come after me.
Let him deny himself and take up his cross.
Is this the key.
Or are we at a loss.

Surely we cannot walk through life.
Carrying a cross every day.
Aren’t we beset by every other sort of strife.
Is all that’s left is just to pray.

Is there a middle way.
To ponder the cross.
Not necessarily under its sway.
Never being at a loss.

Not bearing alone the cross.
But sharing the cross.

…..

We come after him
We share the cross’ burden
But we’re not alone

……

See Mathew 16: 21-27

God chose what is foolish.
To shame the wise.
And we who doubt , are we mulish.
Ignoring the truth, accepting lies.

God chose what is weak.
To shame the strong.
So do we join the meek.
For what really do we long.

God chose what is low.
Do we think we are high.
Perhaps we just go with the flow.
Or endlessly just asking why.

We must learn to accept.
We will be well kept.

……

God chose the foolish
To shame what we know as wise
But then who are we

……

See 1 Corinthians 1: 26- 31

Watch therefore.
For you know neither the day nor the hour.
Do we believe in our very core.
Where truly do we acknowledge power.

We need to delight in the present.
A breath of wind , a tree waving.
So simple , nature , what a present.
No questions, not even understanding.

Death may come tonight.
But to whom , who are we.
Enjoying only for a moment earthly light.
We do not really know, we cannot see.

Only in this moment fleeting.
Yet in the memory of, everlasting.

……

We must watch  therefore
We don’t know the hour or day
But yes , it will come

…..

See Mathew 25: 1-13

Stay awake, because you do not know.
On what day your Lord is coming.
We may be ever so high or just low.
Young or old, but he is coming.

Perhaps this very night.
What then all our dreams.
Will we be open to his light.
Nothing may be the same as it seems.

And who are we.
Are we just a bit of flotsam in the stream.
Are we unique, destined for the heavenly see.
Is all this no more real than a dream.

Am I I
What is I

…..

We must stay awake
We do not know his coming
But it may be soon

……

See Mathew 24: 42-51

You outwardly appear righteous.
Within you are full of hypocrisy.
Perhaps we are just self-righteous.
Despite all our trying anxiety.

We claim these moral standards.
Do we actually have them.
Mere totems, not true personal standards.
Something not for us but them.

We say one thing.
We do another.
No truth ring.
Or care for the other.

But then we try.
And not to lie.

…..

Are we hypocrites
Say one thing doing other
But maybe we try

…….

See Mathew 23: 27-32

You clean the outside of the plate.
But on the inside they are full of greed.
What do we really rate.
Where do find the true seed.

Be loving.
Not judging.
Accepting.
Forgiving.

What matters is inside.
How we love.
No need to deride.
Accept all as in a well fit glove.

They are just they , we are just we.
And they will remain they and we will remain we.

…..

Judge not the outside
But look to the true inside
That is what matters

…….

See Mathew 23: 23-26

Can any good.
Come out of Nazareth.
Where do we ourselves look for good.
And where do we find spiritual breath.

Nathanael answered.
You are the son of God.
How would we have answered.
Would we have , do we now recognise God.

He did not see us under a fig tree.
He has indeed done great works.
Cannot we now with heart and reason see.
He is more than just good works.

He is the risen Lord.
Our own living Lord.

…..

We’re Nathanael
We’re seen under the fig tree
Throughout all ages

……

See John 1: 45-51

On this rock.
I shall build my church.
A time for us to take stock.
Are we truly his church.

Are we just running sands.
Or a trusting rock.
Do we use wander through temporal lands.
Are we a spiritual building block.

Like Eliakim and Peter.
Are we worthy of being given the key.
Does it anyway matter.
Yes it does, cannot we hear and see.

Do we have Peter’s faith.
Or our own wilting faith.

……

Are we like Peter
Do we have that profound faith
But we were not there

…..

See Isaiah 22 and  Mathew 16 : 13- 20

They preach.
But do not practice.
Should we pray more and not preach.
And preach what we practice.

When we are praying.
We are outward looking.
Not letting the mind be inwarding.
Worrying, regretting and hoping.

We enter an ultimate space.
Not our own selfish ego.
A truly heavenly space.
Not bound by suffocating ego.

So we stop this intense thinking.
And start doing some praying.

……

When we start praying
We just start to look outwards
And not ego bound

……

See Mathew 23: 1-12

You shall love the Lord your God.
With all your heart
and all your soul, he is your God
And all your mind, he is your heart.

You shall love your neighbour.
As yourself.
Who is my neighbour.
Everyone of course but yourself.

The commandment is so right.
But it’s so difficult to do.
How I pray I could see the light.
And think only what is right to do .

We try our best.
Even if sometimes we lack the zest.

…..

Do I love my God
And do I live my neighbour
My God I need help

…….

Dream this commandment
It seems to envelope us
It is consuming

See Mathew 22: 34-40

Take, what belongs to you.
And, the master said, Go.
I choose to give to this last worker as I gave to you.
Or do you begrudge my generosity, Go.

Why are we so jealous.
Why do we begrudge so.
Perhaps we should just be more carefree zealous.
And not so easily, by others, rendered low.

So, some get an easier ride.
Well, just  so be it.
Why not take their side.
And try to get over it.

But still we question.
And ask if they have been given an easier question.

…..

Why be jealous
For ask yourself what’s the point
What does it achieve

…..

See Matthew 29: 1-16

Take what belongs to you.
And Go.
I choose to give to this last worker as I gave to you.
Or do you begrudge my generosity, Go.

Why are we so jealous.
Why do we begrudge so.
Perhaps we should just be more zealous.
And not so easily rendered low.

So, some get an easier ride.
Just so be it.
Why not take their side.
And get over it.

But still we question.
And ask if they have been given an easier question.

…..

Why be jealous
For ask yourself what’s the point
What does it achieve

…..

Matthew 29: 1-16

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.
Than for a rich man to enter heaven.
We may not be rich but our faith is feeble.
Will we ever be deemed worthy for heaven.

With man this is impossible.
However hard we try.
But with God it is possible.
We can but try.

So the many that are first.
Thinking themselves secure.
Will be last.
For they have drunk of this life’s lure

We ourselves are content to be neither first
Or to be last.

…..

In life are we first.
Perhaps that is not so great
Better to be last

….

See Mathew 19: 23-30

Jesus said, if you would be perfect.
Go, sell what you possess.
We need not be part of the elect.
We can settle for less.

But will we ever give away everything.
Of course not., why should we.
Even our own wedding ring.
Everything we own, as far as we can see.

But we carry on giving.
Keeping what most of what we own.
Not then grasping.
A kind of middle way , a medium tone.

That’s how we muddle on.
And just carry on

……

Give away our all
Of course we do not do that
We keep a little

…..

See Mathew 19: 16-22

My soul magnifies the Lord.
And my spirit rejoices in God my saviour.
Mary said yes and crossed redemption’s ford.
She alone ensured our saviour.

But why did she say yes.
She could have said no.
Do we say yes.
Or do we equivocate before saying no.

Was it just obedience.
Or deep trusting faith.
In her hymn, she shows  no reticence.
Just this extraordinary welcoming faith.

What would we have said.
Of what truly are we made

…..

Mary just said yes
But she could have said wait, no
What would we have said

…..

See Luke 1: 39-56