Simple things have special significance


 

Justin McRoberts writes,

“… one of the most powerful aspects of the Incarnation story is the thirty years of silence before the recorded part of Jesus’ life. That silence – since nobody found much of it worth marking down – says to me that Jesus lived a life that is in large part unremarkable, until He was baptized by John. Many days I find my life to be somewhat unremarkable: I work, I eat, I rest, I have time with family and friends. Nothing out of the ordinary – not even a flash of celestial glory. I am encouraged that Jesus lived such a life as well, at least for a time.

Unlike many other ancient incarnation stories wherein a god takes on human form for a while and only to serve a special purpose, in Jesus, God not only became a human being, but He …

was carried in a woman’s body,
was born to a woman,
was raised in a family with parents who taught Him to feed Himself, and had a dad.

And it seems, somewhere along the way, He …

lost His dad,
had siblings,
had friends,
lost friends,
lived in a neighbourhood,
had neighbours,
held a job,
worked for money,
paid for food,
and paid taxes.

All of which says to me that these things are not insignificant in their normality but that God finds worth in spending most of a human lifetime attending to simple things like work and neighbors and friendship and family.”

 
from “Scared Antacids”, Prayer: Forty Days of Practice
by Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson


From the blog
Who do you work for?
Joseph and Mary: A Poem
Parental love
 

A simple “Yes. Amen.”

 
But as surely as God is faithful,
our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.”
For the Son of God,
Jesus Christ,
who was preached among you by us —
by me and Silas and Timothy —
was not “Yes” and “No,”
but in him it has always been “Yes.”
For no matter how many promises God has made,
they are “Yes” in Christ.

And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us
to the glory of God.
 

 


Prayer

Discerning God,
help me consider this day
how I live my life
and how I choose the direction I take.

Do I make my plans according to ordinary human standards,
ready to say ‘Yes, yes’ and ‘No, no’ at the same time?
(2 Corinthians 1:17)

Discriminating God,
help me understand
how crucial are the words I speak to others
as I seek relationships in my life.

“Let your ‘Yes’ be your yes
and your ‘No,’ no,
or you will be condemned.”
(James 5:12)

Disturbing God,
help me find clarity in my relationship with you,
with others, and maybe especially with myself.

Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’:
anything more than this comes from the evil one.
(Matthew 5:37)
 

~ written by Kenn Stright, posted on re:Worship


From the blog
Amazing to consider
3 Prayers to our Father
Wonder-full psalm
 

Pure and simple


 

Prayer

For the gift of faith
which sees beyond the present moment
and looks to an eternity,
we thank you.
For the gift of faith
small as a mustard seed, which has power
within its simplicity,
we thank you.
For the gift of faith
bestowed on those who would simply come,
hearts open in humility,
we thank you. Amen

 
~ written by John Birch, and posted on re:Worship


From the blog
Deeper and deeper here
Far horizon
To dance with God
 

In simple faith

Benediction

inspired by Colossians 2:6-7

Just like you receive Christ Jesus the Lord,
so go on living in him — in simple faith.
Grow out of him as a plant grows out of the soil it is planted in —
becoming more and more sure of your faith.
If you do this,
your lives will overflow with joy and thankfulness.
And the mercy of God,
the love of Jesus Christ,
and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit
will surround you and uphold you
wherever you go.
Go in God’s peace.

from re:Worship


From the blog
Carry something beautiful
My God will supply
Go. Speak. Love. Forgive. Receive.
 

It’s simple

A Poem

 
WHEN I AM AMONG THE TREES
by Mary Oliver

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
       but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”
 
 
from Devotions: The selected poems of Mary Oliver, p. 123


SUMMER SCHOOL: CREATIVE ASSIGNMENT

Write our own poem inspired by time spent among trees.


From the blog
On Writing Prayer-Poems
In the school of prayer with Michael Mayne
Carry something beautiful