You are the salt of the earth.
But if the salt has lost its taste.
How shall its saltiness be restored from dearth.
So is our faith laid waste.

Is it no longer good for anything.
Except to be trampled under peoples’ feet.
We ask ourselves are we good for anything.
However much we bleat.

So let us not light our lamp.
And put it under a basket.
Our faith’s candle need not be put out by spiritual damp.
We need not fear our Casket.

There is always hope.
As long as we nurture hope

……

The salt of the earth
But has our salt lost its taste
That we must decide

……

See Matthew 5: 13-16

Give your servant an understanding mind.
That I may discern between good and evil.
May we above all be kind.
And know in our hearts what is really real.

Solomon didn’t ask for riches, honour.
Or long life.
But only for God’s honour.
And eternal not this life.
And God gave him high everlasting honour.

For this God gave him everything.
Long life and his temple.
Will we give away all for the everlasting.
Or will we pause and before truth tremble.

May we just ask to do what is right.
Because in our hearts we know what is right.

….

Soloman just asked
Nothing then for just himself
He lives for ever

….

See 1Judges 3 : 4-13

In all that he did, he gave thanks.
To the holy one.
Do we give thanks.
To the holy one.

Blessed be the God of my salvation.
As for God, his way is blameless.
Will we find our resurrection.
Will our pain in death be endless.

The word of the Lord is pure.
He indeed is the shield.
Of this we are sure.
We need not yield.

May we exalt him.
And praise him.

……

In all that we do
Do we give thanks like David
Or do we assume

……

See Sirach 47: 2-11 and Psalm 18

Jesus called the twelve.
And sent them out two by two.
We ask our spirit to delve.
We are sent out too.

He charged them to take nothing for their journey.
Except a staff.
We too are on a spiritual journey.
Our faith our sturdy staff.

So the disciples went out.
And proclaimed that people should repent.
We may not have the courage to ourselves to go out.
But we may at least repent.

We too are sent on a journey.
A questing spiritual journey.

……

We’re on a journey
A spiritual journey
Where will it all end

…..

See Mark 6: 7-13

A prophet is not without honour.
Except in his home town.
Are we held in dishonour.
Do people criticise, frown.

Oh well, we keep trying .
Doing our best.
Though few are listening.
But why worry about the rest.

If Jesus was ignored.
Can we not take it too.
We will take up his gentle sword.
And wield it lovingly too.

We proclaim the message.
Though we know we ourselves are not the message.

…..

Are we a prophet
Ignored in our own country
What does it matter

..   ..

See Mark 6: 1-6

Daughter your faith had made you well.
Go in peace and be cured of your disease.
If for a moment we remain still.
We too can be put at our ease.

But we have we to ask.
To have faith ascending.
That is our task.
And the spirit of God will start descending.

He will say to us.
Be cured.
He will not forget us.
We will be restored.

In believing.
We will start receiving.

……

It’s in believing
In faith that we’re receiving
That is are one hope

….

See Matthew 8:17

Now let your servant depart in peace.
According to your word.
Simeon and Anna prayed without cease.
Faithful to the word.

For mine eyes have seen your salvation.
That you have prepared in the people’s presence.
Now we sense our own redemption.
We feel an eternal essence.

We lit the candles in church expectantly.
The dark illuminated in light.
Reverently.
To continue our spiritual fight.

Simeon waited a very long time.
But his faith came alright in time.

……

Wait with Simeon
Our faith will be rewarded
Or that’s what we hope

……

See Luke 2 : 22-40

Blessed are the poor in spirit.
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
But what does it mean, the poor in spirit.
Will they really receive the keys to heaven.

I think it refers to our spiritual poverty.
And to our dependence on God.
To what should be our humility.
Rather than our pride irrespective of God.

Blessed are those who mourn.
For they shall be comforted.
One day we shall be mourned and will mourn.
Ultimately it’s only in God we can be comforted.

Blessed are the meek.
Indeed, we should always seek.

……

Blessed poor spirit
We are dependent on God
And not on our pride

…..

See Matthew 5: 1-12

Teacher do you not care.
That we are perishing.
No there was no need to fear.
The disciples just had to keep trusting.

For Jesus awoke and rebuked the wind.
And said to the sea, Peace! Be still.
He always is patient, kind.
As long as we listen and are still.

Why are you so afraid he asked.
Why do you have so little faith.
That is with what we are tasked.
To have sufficient faith.

We are the turbulent sea.
If only we could see.

……

Jesus asks us too
Do you have so little faith
And what’s our answer

……

See Mark 4 : 35- 41

He sleeps and rises day and night.
And the seed sprouts and grows.
Until it sees the light.
Thus our faith grows.

First it is hidden.
We don’t do a great deal.
Nothing is forbidden.
But we will break doubt’s cloying seal.

Like the mustard seed.
The smallest of them all.
We just follow God’s lead.
And one day we will walk tall.

Our faith has been planted.
But have we surely repented.

……

We’re the mustard seed
The smallest of all the seeds
Yet we will walk tall

…..

See Mark 4: 26-44

Nothing is hidden except to be manifest.
Nor is anything secret except to come to light.
Where we ask do we find our spiritual rest.
As we ponder during the long night.

We find solace in a moment.
The light on a chalice at consecration.
There is no need for a great event.
No need for anticipation.

Or the calm of the sound of the Agnus.
Belief floods in.
We seem to know the truth is speaking to us.
But inspiration flows out and finally in.

We just need to live for the moment.
The only real truth is the present moment.

……

Where’s inspiration
It just comes in a moment
And it’s not looked for

…..

See Mark 4: 21-25

Jesus was teaching them many things in parables.
And his teaching he said to them listen.
The truth of our religion does not lie in fables.
To acceptance let us hasten.

Was Aristotelianism.
In contrast to Christianity.
No there is no schism.
Just one entity.

Aquinas proved both right.
In his Summa Theologiae by scholarship.
We now see the light.
Drawing us into Christianity’s membership.

But he realised in the end that all leaning is so much straw.
That faith is always greater than any law.

…..

What is greater then.
Is it teaching or just faith
Surely it is faith

…..

See Mark 4: 1-20

Jesus said, whoever does the will of God.
He is my brother and sister and mother:
He is close to God.
Brother , sister and mother.

….

Who is the most important to us.
Is it mother , brother , sister.
What does God mean to us.
Is he really more important than than mother or brother.

We live our daily lives.
For whole hours we forget God.
We are just immersed in our lives.
But then suddenly we remember God.

But every hour of every day he remembers us.
For all our selfishness, he will not forget us.

……

Who is my brother
Is it really our God
What is our belief

……

See Mark 3: 31-35

Proclaim the wonders of the Lord.
Amongst all his peoples.
There is only one Lord.
For all peoples

…….

O sing a new song to the Lord.
Sing to the Lord, all  the earth.
Bless his name , O sing to the Lord.
Proclaim his salvation throughout the earth.

……

Tell among the nations his glory.
And his wonders among all the peoples.
Tell his story.
To all peoples.

…….

Ascribe to the Lord, you families of peoples.
In fairness he will judge the peoples.

……

Sing the Lord’s praises
He will judge in all fairness
That’s including us

….

See Psalm 96

The Lord is my light.
Whom shall I fear.
We ponder him during the long night.
He wipes away every tear.

I love to say compline before sleep.
Yesterday the prayer was particularly beautiful.
Of course we worry about our eternal sleep.
We toss, we turn ever fretful.

But it reminded us that Christ proceeded us to the grave.
And after rose again to eternal life.
He promised us he will lead us out of the grave.
And with him we will enjoy eternal life.

We really need not fear.
Or shed that nightly tear.

…..

This is Christ’s promise
He led us first to the grave
But he rose after

….  ..

See Psalm 27

A first sign of Spring

Let your face shine forth O Lord.
And we shall be saved.
How can we navigate the spiritual ford.
What is it that must be truly craved.

St Francis sowed love
He sought to convince.
His writings a treasure trove.
A soothing spiritual rinse.

We can all obtain the spiritual life.
Holiness is not reserved for the religious.
We can be more holy by being more ourselves in life.
We don’t need to be worried, anxious.

We can convert through love.
Winning on its own is no treasure trove.

…..

Holiness for all
We do not need to be priests
We can all aspire

……

See Psalm 80

Have mercy on me.
Have mercy.
Listen to me .
Show me mercy.

David spared Saul.
Saul wept with gratitude.
David was met with ultimate kingly call.
Almost to a kind of beatitude.

Thomas More understood one fact.
Jesus appointed Peter as the church’s first head.
Two thousand years cannot this retract.
There can be no other true churches’ head.

We have to recognise legitimacy.
And accept rightful sovereignty.

……..

David spared King Saul.
More remained God’s servant first
That is all we do.

…. …

See 1 Samuel 24: 2-20 and Psalm 57

Jesus withdrew with his disciples.
And a great crowd followed.
The first of many peoples.
Their faith in him hallowed.

I stood alone in the church darkening.
Faith reviving.
I felt a heavy presence descending.
Illuminating, comforting.

These moments so few.
So lovely, inspiring.
Heaven in lieu.
Welcoming.

God is present.
If we just stay in the present.

….

Yes, God is present
If we stay in the present
No past or future

…..

See Mark 3: 7-12

Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good.
Or to do harm.
To save life for good.
Or to kill to harm.

He looked around him with anger.
Grieved at their hardness of heart.
How often are we beset with anger.
Not prepared to listen to our heart.

Stretch out your hand.
And his hand was restored.
Have we the humility to stretch out our hand.
And then we shall be restored.

Is our heart withered.
Will we be restored.

…..

We stretch out our hand
We hope it will be restored
With divine help

……

See  Mark 3: 1-6

Arise, anoint him.
Because this is he.
Then Samuel took the oil and anointed him.
David was the key.

The youngest.
The smallest.
The least.
Compared to the rest.

Yet David became King.
And the greatest king.

God chose what was foolish in the world.

God chose what was weak in the world.

God chose what is despised in the world.

God chose what is low in the world.

…..

The least became king
A message for all of us
Do not lose all hope

……

See 1 Samuel 16: 1-13 and 1 Corinthians 1

In those days Samuel said to Saul.
I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.
Was He prepared to heed the call.
And to see the light.

However often do we really listen.
And do what we are told.
We so often question.
The truth leaves us cold.

And Saul said speak.
He was told have confidence as Israel’s head.
Be truthful to what you really seek.
Understand what you have heard and read.

Saul never heeded the call.
But do we heed the call

….
Did Saul heed the call
And so often we do not
But perhaps we should

……

See 1 Samuel 15: 16-23

Behold the lamb of God.
Who takes  away the sin of the world.
He is sent as a sacrifice by God.
And his sacrifice will redeem the world.

This is he of whom I said, after me.
Comes a man.
Who ranks before me.
Because he was before me or any man.

Before lambs were sacrificed.
Then Jesus came.
And the son of man was to be sacrificed.
And redemption for all mankind came.

This at last was a sacrifice.
That would  for all time suffice.

……

See the lamb of God
He’s the final sacrifice
That’s for all of us

……

See John 1: 29-34

Jesus went out again beside the lake.
And all the crowd was coming.
They would do anything for his sake.
And he was teaching.

As he passed by he saw Levi.
And he said follow me.
Will we break life’s cloying tie.
For he is saying to us., follow me.

Levi rose.
And followed him.
Will they say of us, we rose.
And followed him.

Now , this minute, he is passing.
But are we following.

……

He is passing by
Are we prepared to follow
This is are one chance

……

See Mark 2 : 13-17

Why the scribes said, does this man speak like that.
He is blaspheming.
But Jesus did speak like that.
And he was not blaspheming.

Who they said can forgive sins.
But God alone .
But Jesus did more than forgive sins.
He is the cornerstone.

I say to you arise.
And go home.
When will we realise.
Where is our true home.

Where is our true home.
And where do our hearts truthfully roam.

……

Where is our true home
Do we seek service in God
Or just in this life

……

See Mark 3: 1-12

Now you have rejected us.
You make us the taunt of our neighbours.
The mockery and scorn of those around us.
Despite all our labours.

Awake O Lord , why do you sleep.
Arise, do not reject us for ever.
Do not let us weep.
Do not us , sever.

Our friends may leave us.
We may feel deserted.
People may revile us.
We feel lonely , deflated.

But where there is life.
Hope is rife.

….

We feel rejected
Our friends seem to desert us
We do not lose hope

…..

See Psalm 44