They did not obey or bend  their ear.
But walked in their own counsel.
Perhaps  they had so little fear.
But who can really tell.

We are the same.
We rise and fall.
But our soul is not the same.
It will never die , fail or fall.

We worship this life.
This mortal body.
There is eternal life.
But not in this body.

So nothing here matters.
As our ashes scatters.

……

Do we bend our ear
Or walk in our own counsels
Or obey our soul

……

See Jeremiah 7: 23-28

Whoever relaxes the least of these commandments.
Will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
But whoever does them and teaches these commandments.
Will be called great in the kingdom of of heaven.

How often have we done the least.
Too relaxed.
Instead of the most.
And then be unfazed.

We are certainly not a saint.
Too lazy.
Our faith too faint.
Our vision hazy.

Well, we keep failing.
But we keep trying.

……

Are we too relaxed
Do we follow commandments
We can only try

…..

See Matthew 5: 17-19

So also my Heavenly Father will do to you.
If you do not forgive your brother from your heart.
Of course this applies even more to me than you.
But we can all make a start.

We are forgiven.
Our debts.
Striven.
Of debts.

But do we forgive.
Do we resent.
Do take and give.
In our firmament.

This we need ask.
This is our task.

……

We are forgiven
But do we ourselves forgive
We need to ask that

……

See Matthew 18: 21-35

My soul is thirsting for the living God.
When can I appear before the face of God.
My soul is yearning  for you my God. One day I will come before the altar of God.

I woke to see the face of my wife.
Such love overflowing.
She is my life.
But what of when we are dying.

We will be together.
In the face of God.
There is no other.
We will see God.

There need be no parting.
Only eternal loving

……

We are one always
We will see God together
Or that’s what I hope

……

See Psalm 42

God is spirit.
And those who worship him.
Must worship in truth and spirit.
As we must worship him.

We struggle so much with belief.
But when in mass I heard this word spirit.
I seemed in that instant to have total belief.
It was as if my soul had been entered in by the spirit.

But I fear.
That as we die.
We must have absolute belief conquering every fear.
If not then we really do die.

So we must keep trying.
If not always believing.

… …

If we’re not to die
At dying we must believe
Do we have belief

…..

See John 4: 5-42

Your brother was dead and is alive.
He was lost and is found.
With forgiveness we will thrive.
Taking  love all in the round.

How often do we resent.
Others have not deserved praise.
We lock ourselves in our unforgiving tent.
But it should only be a phase.

We have, we say, done all the work.
What has our brother done.
Has he raised a finger for the kirk.
Away to a far country he has run.

We have stayed.
He has strayed.

……

What’s our brother done
We have stayed but he had strayed
We’ve worked he’s had fun

…..

See Luke 15: 1-3 and 11-32

There was a master who planted a vineyard.
Leased it to tenants and went to another country.
We wonder if we have paid our dues in life’s vineyard.
For we are not freeholders only tenants in our body’s yard.

But I dreamt agin I saw my soul.
Not as a chipped brick but a bar  of gold.
Something beautiful, royal.
As Gospel told.

We all have a glorious soul.
Irrespective of what we are.
For all our weary toil.
The soul knows all, sees so far.

The soul is certainly not visible.
But neither in dreams is it invisible.

…..

Dreamt I saw my soul
It was a nugget of gold
Like all the world’s souls

……

See Matthew 21: 33-43

If they do not hear Moses and the prophets.
Neither if someone rises from the dead, will they be convinced.
Yes , we too have all the prophets.
Yet still we are not convinced.

The rich man seeing Abraham.
By Lazarus’ side.
Begged him to warn his brothers through him.
But it would not have turned the tide.

Jesus rose from the dead to warn us .
And still we doubt.
He gave every chance to us.
Yet still we doubt.

If we do not care.
We end up like the rich man, have  a care.

……

Are we listening
If one man rose from the dead
He had a message

.. ….

See Luke 16: 19-31

Jesus asked, are you able to drink the cup.
That I am to drink.
From what spiritual glass will we sup.
Where is our true sustaining light.

I dreamt I saw my soul.
So small a part of me, barely extant.
Insignificant in size despite all our toil.
Like a small brick but so much more important.

From this small brick a spiritual life will be built.
As we lose all those other things we hold dear.
But on this the future is built.
Of all else we will be laid utterly bare.

We should contemplate our soul every day of our life.
If we want one day to enter new life.

…..

Do we see our soul
It seems so small and hidden
It’s all that matters

…..

See Matthew 20: 17-28

They preach.
But do not practice.
Do we search.
Or do we miss.

What are rules.
A mere guide.
We are not fools.
We know the right side.

What is important.
Is faith.
Especially in Lent.
Prayer , charity and faith.

Do we believe.
Are we ready to receive.

…..

Do we merely preach
Or do we seek to practise
That’s the question

….

See Matthew 23: 1-12

Be merciful.
Even as your father.
Is merciful.
Leave judgement to your father.

Judge not.
And you will not be judged.
Condemn not.
And you will not be condemned.

Our souls must have no colour.
Even if our bodies are white, brown, black .
God is blind to our earthly colour.
As far as he is concerned there is nothing we lack.

In his sight.
We are all in the right.

… ..

God is colour blind
Black, white , brown are all the same
For he loves us all

….

See Luke 6: 36-38

He was transfigured.
And his face shone like the sun.
We are known on high and measured.
Yet we do not know yet how our fate will run.

We too carry our light.
We have a brilliant white soul.
We can overcome any bruising fight.
And be renewed after our life’s toil.

We are on the mountain.
In God’s sight.
Our fate is certain.
We will be bathed in light.

For the moment we have to come down.
But there’s redemption, no need to frown.

……

We are transfigured
We are creatures of pure light
On our own mountain

……

See Matthew 17: 1-9

You have heard that it was said.
You shall love your neighbour.
And hate any enemies made.
Whoever is your neighbour.

Love your enemies.
And pray for those who persecute you.
Yes all you enemies.
And all those who persecute you.

Pray for those that persecute you.
So that you may be sons of your father.
Who’s working in heaven for you.
As your living father.

For he makes his sun rise on the very evil.
And the good and the not so evil.

…..
Love your enemies
Pray for persecuters
Treat them all the same

……

See Matthew 5: 43-48

Everyone who is angry with his brother.
Will be liable to judgement.
But we ask who is my brother.
For whom do I lament.

My brother is everyone.
All peoples.
Not just our near one.
Not just familiar peoples.

We say this .
But do we believe it.
It always was thus.
We accept what we know does fit.

But all peoples fit.
This is holy writ.

…..

Who is my brother
My brother is everyone
And all the peoples

…..

See Mathew 5: 20-26

Ask and it will be given up to you.
Seek and you will find.
Knock and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives whatever their kind.

The one who seeks finds.
And to one who knocks it will be opened.
We find , he finds.
The door again and again reopened.

For this is the point.
This door through millennia remains open.
But first we must push on the door’s joint.
Otherwise it will never open.

We just have to knock.
And through prayer unpick the lock.

…..

Ask and it’s given
Knock and  you will find it there
We ask. We receive

…..

See Matthew 7: 7-12

They repented at the teaching.
Of Jonah.
And behold, started listening.
Something here was greater than Jonah.
They were doing more than just hearing.

Are we like the citizens of Nineveh.
Have we heeded the warning.
Do we discern God’s ray.
And find a new awakening.

We may not find a sign.
We just have to keep looking.
Not give up or resign.
But keep hoping.

Jonah is here .
Have no fear.

…….

Where is Jonah’s sign
It is here all about us
If only we look

…..

See Luke 11: 29-32

When you pray
Do not lay up empty phrases as the Gentiles do.
What can we say .
What do we actually do .

We can say Our Father who art in heaven.
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come on earth as in heaven.
Your will be done in your name.

To pray is so simple.
We do it once or twice a day.
Should we pray much more of the time, just something simple.
We can always find something to say.

To live we must surely pray.
Of that who can gainsay.

…….

Surely we should pray
Not just once or twice a day
But much more often

……

See Mathew 6: 7-13

I was hungry and you gave me no food.
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink.
We worry, did we give them food.
Did we give them drink.

I always think this applies to us.
We think ourselves virtuous.
But we fall so short,  not thinking of others but of us.
It’s as if our spirit is almost mendacious.

I was a stranger.
And you did not welcome me.
How kind are we to the stranger.
Or is it all about me , me.

I fear we have a long time in purgatory.
But heaven comes after purgatory.

…..

We fed the hungry
Or we ask ourselves did we
We have to answer

……

See Matthew 25: 31-46

Jesus was led up into the wilderness To be tempted by the devil.
And after forty days and nights of blackness.
He was hungry on every level.

And the tempter came to him.
Change these stones into loaves of bread.
What would we say to him.
Of us what will it be said.

Man shall not live by bread alone.
But by every word that comes from God.
And us, how are we going to atone.
What do we say to God.

When we are tempted by persuasion.
Do we fall easily into temptation.

…..

When we are tempted
Do we fall to temptation
Do we have answers

…..

See Matthew 4: 1-11

At that time Jesus saw a tax collector called Levi.
And he said to him, follow me, and he followed him.
Are we too prepared to leave everything, break every tie.
And follow him.

Well, we say we follow him.
But we do not break every tie.
We of course pray to him.
But we are no Levi.

It’s no great shame.
Our possessions are precious.
True, our faith is a bit lame.
But we cannot help feeling anxious.

In spirit we follow.
But in actuality we do not follow.

…..

He said , follow me
And Levi left everything
Do we do the same

…..

See Luke 5 : 27-52

For whoever would save his life.
Would lose it.
But whoever loses for my sake his life.
Will save it.

What is this life.
Nothing really , fleeting.
What matters is the next life.
Inspired, everlasting

Like the top C note in Allegri’s Miserere.
Here for a moment we enter heaven.
Just as the ashes are laid , we shed a tear.
We take the bread , the ultimate leaven.

Lent is arriving.
We are praying, hoping.

….

What then is this life
It is just fleeting moments
What counts is the next

….

See Luke 9 : 22-25

Thus says the Lord , return to me with all your heart.
With fasting.
We try today to make a start
But our very heart is resisting.

Perhaps the way is not to give up something.
But to take up something positive.
A little bit of acceptance would be no bad thing.
Perhaps being a little less restive.

Not getting angry.
At people being difficult or different.
A little less morose and more merry.
Catching simple things like a flower’s scent.

To wear fasting lightly.
Gently and pleasantly.

…..

Don’t give up something
Take up something positive
Surely that’s the way

….

See Hoel 2: 12-18

Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread.
Do you not perceive or understand.
Can’t we also perceive what is here said.
We have been told , we should understand.

Jesus is saying.
With a few scraps he fed five thousand.
Now it’s to us he’s speaking.
And to countless generations by the thousand.

We may not have enough bread in this life.
But we will have enough
In the next life.
In the spirit you always have enough.

Bread will come .
Life will come.

……

We have enough bread
But not necessarily.
In this life but next

….

See Mark 8 : 14-21

So also will the rich man fade away.
In the midst of his pursuits.
We think we hold sway.
But our achievements turn out to be passing fruits.

Why does this generation seek a sign.
Truly, Jesus said, I say to you.
This generation will be given no sign.
And this applies to us to.

The only sign.
Is that this life counts for so little.
It soon will be over , our breath consigned.
Our hold on life so brittle.

Look to the next life.
The only lasting life.

……

We all fade away
Whatever our riches are now
They are all fleeting

……

See James 1: 1-11 and Mark 8: 11-13