There is a time to be born ...

To begin the New Year, a prayer from Walter Brueggemann:

There is a time to be born, and it is now

There is a time to be born and a time to die.
and this is a time to be born.
So we turn to you, God of our life,
God of all our years,
God of our beginning.
Our times are in your hand.

Hear us as we pray:
For those of us too much into obedience,
birth us to the freedom of the gospel.
For those of us too much into self-indulgence,
birth us to discipleship in your ministry.
For those too much into cynicism,
birth us to the innocence of the Christ child.
For those of us too much into cowardice,
birth us to the courage to stand before
principalities and powers.
For those of us too much into guilt,
birth us into forgiveness worked in your generosity.
For those of us too much into despair,
birth us into the promises you make to your people.
For those of us too much into control,
birth us into the vulnerability of the cross.
For those of us too much into victimization,
birth us into the power of Easter.
For those of us too much into fatigue,
birth us into the energy of Pentecost.

We dare pray that you will do for us and among us and through us
what is needful for newness.
Give us the power to be receptive,
to take the newness you give,
to move from womb warmth to real life.
We make this prayer not only for ourselves, but
for our [Home] at the brink of birth,
for the church at the edge of life,
for our city waiting for newness,
for your whole creation, with which we yearn
in eager longing.

There is a time to be born, and it is now.
We sense the pangs and groans of your newness.
Come here now in the name of Jesus. Amen.

May God bless your New Year with new beginnings and new birth,

Ron

Darkness is not dark ...

On Thursday, we observed that the Light was in the beginning with God:

He was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being through him,
and without him not one thing came into being.
What has come into being in him was life,
and the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not overcome it.
John 1:2-5 – NRSV

That Light is something worth singing about:

Father and Friend, Thy Light, Thy Love
John Bowring

Father and friend, thy light, thy love,
Beaming though all thy works we see;
Thy glory gilds the heav’ns above,
And all the earth is full of thee.

Thy voice we hear, thy presence feel
While thou, too pure for mortal sight,
Enrapt in clouds, invisible,
Reignest the Lord of life and light.

Thy children shall not faint nor fear,
Sustained by this delightful tho’t;
Since though, their God, art ev’rywhere,
They cannot be where thou are not.

Can this Light really go anywhere? Didn’t the Creator separate light and darkness in the very beginning? According to the Psalmist, that Light can go wherever it wills …

Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night,"
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
Ps 139:7-12 – NRSV

All is known to God, whether in his light or out of it. And eventually, everything will be revealed by his Light.

May God help us be prepared for the revelation that comes with the arrival of his Light.

Blessings,

Ron

The enlightening light ...

Today, a scripture and prayer to celebrate our Creator:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

John 1 – NRSV

Your world-forming speech
Walter Brueggemann

Light from light
Creation from chaos
Life from death
Joy from sorrow
Hope from despair
Peace from hate
All your gifts, all your love, all your power.
All from your word, fresh from your word,
all gifts of your speech.
We give thanks for your world-forming speech.
Thanks as well for our speech back to you,
the speech of mothers and fathers
who dared to speak
in faith and unfaith
in trust and distrust
in grateful memory and in high hurt.
We cherish this speech as we cherish yours.
Listen this day for the groans and yearnings of your world,
listen to our own songs of joy and our drudges of death,
and in the midst of our stammering
speak your clear word of life
in the name of your word come flesh.
Amen

Blessings,

Ron