Wordtreasure

Memory

One day tells its tale to another,
and one night imparts knowledge to another.
Although they have no words or language,
and their voices are not heard,
their sound has gone out into all lands,
and their message to the ends of the world.

Psalm 19:2-4

In the beginning, the memory barely fits
a Times Square video screen.
In the end, the image is wallet sized.

In addition, there is an altered state:
the uncarved block becomes a sculpture;
the portrait of a lady becomes a smile.

In the beginning, myriad details cling
to the core event. Incessant winds
of the mind erode the loose periphery

and one by one, over a long life,
the less essential falls away
into forgetfulness. In the end,

the stripped-down core event—
some instance of love, triumph or shame—
remains intact forever.

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
October 8, 2023

Therefore, My Beloved

Philippians 2:1-13

My glass is filled
with dusk tonight…
I swirl the west and think of you
and sip the stars
down to the stem.

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
October 1, 2023

As a Rose Unfolds Itself

Philippians 1:21-30

Stunned to hear your marriage is falling apart,
I look to see you sad, defeated, but no!
You are energized—fired up and ready to go.
The unencumbered life gladdens your heart.

As a rose unfolds itself,
there is always an exact time
when beauty is most compelling.
For you, that time is now.

I wrote these lines when you were twenty-one.
Society believes that beauty will have its say
briefly before a long denouement of decay.
Wrong. The unfolding of beauty is never done.

Unlike the athlete whose turn on the stage is short,
beauty draws from character to counter age.
A woman’s poise and wisdom keep the page
from turning; they keep the book from snapping shut.

Character powers the engine that drives the train
along a set of tracks uniquely yours.
This time belongs to you. Enjoy the years
to come as your own master of heart and brain.
 
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 24, 2023

The Smartest Guy in the Room

Romans 14:1-12

It took me a while to notice
the chip on his shoulder.
He never made a scene
and yet he silently saw himself
as the smartest guy in every room.
He sized up each man
by noting the factual errors
and rhetorical flaws.
Like a judge in Olympic diving,
he lowered the poor man’s score
and Dad always came out on top
even when he didn’t.

And women, by definition,
could never measure up.
Nineteenth century gender inequality
was baked into his understanding
of the great chain of being.
My sister and my dad
attended the same college.
Only one graduated Summa Cum Laude
and was accepted into Phi Beta Kappa
and it wasn’t him,
but it made no difference.

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 17, 2023

Adorning the Poor With Victory

Psalm 149

What happens after the Lord
wreaks vengeance on the nations?

What happens after the Lord
binds the kings in chains
and their nobles with links of iron?

What happens after the Lord
inflicts on them the judgment decreed? 

What does it mean to adorn the poor with victory?

What happens to the poor after the glory of conquest
is showered on all the faithful people?

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 10, 2023

Paul’s Bullet List

Romans 12:9-21

Do the following:

• Let love be genuine
• Hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good
• Love one another with mutual affection
• Outdo one another in showing honor
• Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord
• Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer
• Contribute to the needs of the saints
• Extend hospitality to strangers
• Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them
• Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep
• Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are
• Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all
• If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all
• Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good

When you are dealing with your enemies, be kind to them. For example, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.”

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A
September 3, 2023

Why Caesarea Philippi?

Matthew 16:13-20

What better place to ask the question—
Who do you say that I am?—
than the well-traveled intersection
for politics, religion, and trade,
Caesarea Philippi.

Armies are tramping through all the time
and it’s the trade route between Damascus and Tyre
and there are shrines to the old pagan gods.
All these concerns come together here
at this familiar crossroads.

So, when Jesus pops the question,
his followers might be tempted
to think he represents an earthly endeavor:
material wealth, military power,
or prominence in the religious establishment.

For Simon Peter, son of Jonah,
flesh and blood did not reveal the answer,
but our Father in heaven.

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A
August 27, 2023

Young Love

Psalm 133

1. A Woman in Love

It must be love that fills the sky!
Whenever I think of him,
even a storm is fair beyond belief.

2. A Man in Love

Love has dyed my heart the color of love.
What is the color of love?
Cut open my chest and you shall know!

3. Chalice

Like two cities
at opposite ends of a long lake,
lovers sip the chalice
of all the world’s illusions.

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A
August 20, 2023

Praise for the Black Church

Psalm 105, 1-6, 16-22, 45b

It’s hard to be humble—for those of the majority race
who are always favored first when it comes to power.
Oh, sure, there is empathy: imagine the horror!
But no one is thinking seriously of trading places.
Like Joseph, west Africans once had independence.
Mercenary brothers sold them into slavery
and they bore brutal bondage from birth to grave
on our soil. No one is wiser than their descendants.
It is difficult for whites to accept that the last are first
and the first last. Some believe the Haves
and the Have Mores on earth are bound for glory
where we are saved by following private paths,
but black churches proclaim the true story
of inclusion as taught to us by Jesus Christ.

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
August 13, 2023

Saint Peter Foresees His Death

2 Peter 1:13-21

the blacktop road
comes to an end here
at the edge
of the wilderness…
be not afraid

The Transfiguration
August 6, 2023

∞

Strength and Power

Romans 8:26-39

The trials we bear are nothing new.
We have the strength.
We have the power.

God is with us; we know it’s true.
We have the strength.
We have the power.

We trust in God day by day.
We have the strength.
We have the power.

We trust in God to show us the way.
We have the strength.
We have the power.

The Lord will grant His saving grace.
The Lord resolves the trials we face.

We have the strength.
We have the power.
Our strength and power come from God.

NOTE: These are lyrics for an anthem.

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
July 30, 2023

Chaff

Psalm 139

“Have you been saved?” is the wrong question.
All of us are saved together.
All creatures and the cosmos itself
originate from one divine source.

At death we all return to the source.
The loving God is within us, at home,
patiently and kindly awaiting our recognition.
As creator of all, God is in every thing,

present at all times in all places.
God promises that nothing is wasted,
not even the oft-disparaged chaff.
Like all of us, chaff has a mission:

to protect the wheat berry from harm.
God is inside every thing
and every thing is inside God.
Whosoever loves God loves all that is.

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
July 23, 2023

Joy at Daybreak

Psalm 65

I run the trail before the rising sun.
Cyclists will not be riding up my back
in the bleak early hours when all is black.
Body and soul are one on the run at dawn.
A careful stride keeps me free of pain
for an hour or more. I focus on my hushed exhale
on every fourth step as I master the trail.
Impurities slip away from body and brain.
With snowy cedars in the light of day, my mind
departs from mindful concentration to free association.
Tri-colors whirl, unfurl, flutter in the wind
as swaying timbers mingle with the heavens,
all powder-blue, white, and forest green
for me: delight is color, sun-rinsed clean.

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
July 16, 2023