Father,
your Son did not stay in Bethlehem, and neither can we.
Of course, we’d rather linger in the fields near David’s city
waiting for more angel choirs and dazzling stars
to chase the dark and silence from our souls,
here in the land where death’s shadow casts its pall.
Of course, we’d rather linger in the fields near David’s city
waiting for more angel choirs and dazzling stars
to chase the dark and silence from our souls,
here in the land where death’s shadow casts its pall.
We’d
rather hunker near the place where the family from Nazareth
received the homage of burly shepherds and travel-weary kings,
and bask with all who long for rest in the presence of this Prince of Peace.
received the homage of burly shepherds and travel-weary kings,
and bask with all who long for rest in the presence of this Prince of Peace.
But
you had other plans.
Your will took him to Jerusalem, and if we’re serious about Christmas,
we need to follow him.
Follow him, with the heavenly strains of the “Gloria” ringing in our ears,
till we reach the Via Dolorosa, where groans and curses fill the air.
Your will took him to Jerusalem, and if we’re serious about Christmas,
we need to follow him.
Follow him, with the heavenly strains of the “Gloria” ringing in our ears,
till we reach the Via Dolorosa, where groans and curses fill the air.
The
journey is not an easy one, we know;
and we hesitate as we take down the Christmas tree.
But the Master‘s words come to us as surely as they did
to Peter, James, and John: “Come, follow me.
and we hesitate as we take down the Christmas tree.
But the Master‘s words come to us as surely as they did
to Peter, James, and John: “Come, follow me.
Follow
me through the tempter’s wilderness
till angels take the devil’s place and give you what you truly need.
Follow me among the crowds who hunger for daily bread
and feed them with the basketsful of those who share,
but who hunger also for the nourishment of good news,
and tell them that they are blessed when they are meek and merciful,
when they make peace and do what’s pure,
when they show love to those who hate
and forgive when they’ve been sinned against,
for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
till angels take the devil’s place and give you what you truly need.
Follow me among the crowds who hunger for daily bread
and feed them with the basketsful of those who share,
but who hunger also for the nourishment of good news,
and tell them that they are blessed when they are meek and merciful,
when they make peace and do what’s pure,
when they show love to those who hate
and forgive when they’ve been sinned against,
for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Follow
me when I heal the sick and resurrect the dead
through the power that the Father gives, and learn
that neither sickness nor death separates you from the Father’s love.
Follow me when I flee the crowds and find a solitary place
where I can meet the Father,
sometimes in transfiguring glory on a mountain top,
sometimes under the silent stars of a Judean night,
wrestling through blood and tears with my Father’s will.
through the power that the Father gives, and learn
that neither sickness nor death separates you from the Father’s love.
Follow me when I flee the crowds and find a solitary place
where I can meet the Father,
sometimes in transfiguring glory on a mountain top,
sometimes under the silent stars of a Judean night,
wrestling through blood and tears with my Father’s will.
Follow
me to Jerusalem, where only faith and love can follow,
and truth and grace meet in a broken body on the bloody cross.”
and truth and grace meet in a broken body on the bloody cross.”
Father,
that’s our prayer at the dawn of this new year:
to walk where Jesus walked, in faith that knows no fear.
to walk where Jesus walked, in faith that knows no fear.
[from Talking
with God: Prayers, meditations & conversations for God-seekers]
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