a Word spoken in due season ..

back when it all began
the Expression was there
with God ..
truly, the Expression was God
   everything created was by the word of the Expression of God ..
and the Expression of God became human
and lived among us   ( John 1 )

how on Earth does that work ..
i mean, there's spiritual dimension in human
but .. human dimension in God ?

`|`

and God said " let's make human creatures ..
let's make them in our image, to be like us "

and the resounding reply
" yes! lets! "

and so the confounding event ..
God bent down and drew in the dirt with a finger
and then piled the dirt into a dirty 3D form
   to image Godself ..
stepped back
eyed it
knelt beside the imaged dirt and breathed out the breath of God ..
and the image drew breath
   the breath of Godself
and the image became
   lived
   moved

that's the storytelling in the beginning ..

`|`

later ..
GodExpression split the image agape
   made another Godimage from the first
and God gave the images to each other
to further image God
   rejoining into oneness
   creating other images in their image
      like them
      like God
..

later ..
God said " let's make ourself human
   in their image
   to be like them "

and the resounding reply
" yes! lets! "

and God Expressed as human ..

   God Expressed flesh

      and lived among us

and we could behold Godglory in the person of GodSon

the glory we would expect of an onlychild

filled full with grace 

and truth

   for the true God is filled full of grace

`|`

God

created human 

in God's image

God 

became human

..

God Expressed as human

baby

vulnerable
exposed

needy

defenseless

reliant 

trusting

   just like us

how does Word Express as

flesh ..

limit

relinquish

unbecome

morph

to become

?

likely we will never know

this we do know ..

that baby grew

   in stature

   in wisdom

immersed in reliance on God

and the life of that One

revealed God to us

in a way we likely would never have understood otherwise
.. we don't speak Godlanguage

God showed Godself

perfectly represented in human form

.. and the world has never been the same

his name is Jesus

Emmanu-El

God among us

with us

for us

in us ..

we are privileged beyond measure to know this One

   to finally know what God is like in Godfullness

for the fullness of God dwelt in him

and that fullness consists in

   grace

   truth

the world will never be the same

neither will i

neither will you

allelu-Jah

..

" It used to be that God would occasionally communicate in one way or another with our Jewish Fathers through prophets. But God now speaks to us through a Son, the powerful Utterance of God who not only brought the ages into being but also bears them along.
God has appointed him to be heir of everything.
This Son is the effulgence of God, the outshining of God's glory.
He is the perfect expression of God's substance. " ( Hebrews 1 )
..

the GodWhoIsThere
   the unnameable IAmWhoIAm
   the Ineffable (Heschel)
speaks a Word
   Expresses
in the only language in which we could ever understand God
.. Jesus

Son of Human

" a fitting reply brings joy ..
a word at the right time - how good it is " ( Prov 15:23 )

" at just the right time, God sent the Son into the world, born of a woman .. " ( Gal 4:4 )

praise God

`|`



_______________________________________________

now then ..

how do we live in our words ..

how do our words live through us ..
..

am i the words i speak

do i enflesh what i say

am i the incarnation of my talk

am i, like him, full of truth
   or do i belie my language

is what i say a fair refection of the me i truly am ..

..

God graciously revealed
in truth ..

God is here ..

i suppose if God was walking around down here, showing up here and there, shopping in the local supermarket, that we'd get to know him/her eventually
or know about ..

we'd hear all the news about how God did this or that good thing - healed that child, got the homeless off the streets of new york, spoke at the standing rock rally, told-off the government for all those damned drone strikes that were killing innocent people, upended the climate change denial .. that sort of thing - that we'd probably be well on the way to believing God and being on God's team

and we'd all be trotting off to the local church on sunday hoping God would show up there like (s)he did in that church in baltimore last weekend ..
kinda thing

and, too, maybe we'd be a bit more careful how we lived - what we said in public or in Publix, not to shoot the bird to the stupid woman that just pulled a lefty right in front the car without so much as an indication ..
God might be in that car, or in the next aisle in the supermarket ..
and wouldn't that be something if God turned the corner at just the wrong time ..

maybe we'd even think of not even thinking of those things
'cause Jesus made a point of saying that even entertaining the thought is tantamount to doing it
as in, it's the same thing ..

`|`

but God doesn't live here as such
you're not likely to bump into God this evening when you pick the children up from school ..
as such ..

strange thing though ..
according to those in-the-know, God was here at some point
or at least (s)he sent someone
someone trusted
someone trustworthy ..

GodSon entered the scene
showed up just like we all do
as a baby
born to a very humble (imagine) couple in a nondescript town in the backwoods somewhere
..
and he grew up like we all do
and as he did, he learned like we all do
experienced life here
walked and worked and ate and slept and went to the toilet and died
like we all do ..

people recognized him too ..
they didn't recognize that they recognized him
   but they saw a very different, very real human
   that struck them as " this is what a real human is "
      even though they never said it ..
and he traveled from this town to that like we all do
   'cept he walked or rode an ass

in his living he showed-up in very different ways
   human ways we recognize, but don't recognize we recognize ..
he healed people !
   i mean he made people walk that never walked
   and see even though they'd never seen
      stuff like that
and one time he fed like thousands! and all he had to work with was a boy's lunch-for-one
and the things he said were offthecharts
   even at a young age
   even to the religious experts
      the ones who guarded the gates of Godstuff

what a guy!

`|`

his life still haunts us ..
   breaks normal into a thousand disconnected shards
   turns the expected and the revered into so much garbage
   unleashes a think that undoes the generally accepted mindset
somehow his words awoke recognition in us
   even though what he said was so very contrary
      contrary to power
      to religion
      to wealth and the right to master the masses

we understood him because he spoke a kind of truth that doesn't originate in the cerebral
that strikes recognition at the core of who we are

God was here somehow
and we just knew it
we could feel it in our bones

`|`

God doesn't live here
but God lives here
even if we have a hard time recognizing it ..
'cause God did something very special
   and i'll have to mention a bit of 'history' here
      pardon me ..

when this GodWhoIsThere decided to make all the stuff we know
   like Earth and trees and birds and flowers and stuff
   and planets and wormholes and blackstars
   and amoeba and coral and worms-in-holes and pets
God got to the point of saying to Godself
   " look, this isn't done yet. how about we make a creature that's like us, resembles us " ..
and that's when God made us
cool huh ?
   end history
..

so here we are
and like i said GodSon became one of us

now here's the thing ..
God made us like God
and then God made God to be like us
.. let that simmer a bit

`|`

and then this Godperson-person did something else really cool ..
just before leaving here Jesus told God he wanted us to have the same kind of relationship that God had with Godself
and that God had with GodSon
same !

that's wild
.. that is very wild

so when he left here and went back home
Jesus said " listen, i'm leaving but don't freakout
i'm coming right back
and my spirit will live in you and i will be with you all the time, 24/7 " ..
.. now
   let that simmer

`|`

so that, ya, God doesn't live here as such
but God lives here ..
because if we really do have the same oneness with GodFather that Jesus has
   and that Jesus called-for in us
and if Jesus' spirit lives in us ..
then .. God lives here
   walks around down here
   shops and works and drives and visits the vet and puts out the garbage
'cause we are the presence of God
   in the next aisle in the supermarket
we
us

`|`

while the christmas season doesn't hold the same thrill for me this year
   because of the utter madness and absurdity of what-has-been 2016
      and the foreboding that clings like some swampy smell i can't forthelifeofme get off ..
i'm trying hard to turn my mind to the awesome reality that God became a human
lived among us ..
and we recognized Godintheflesh
      even though we didn't
   full of grace
   full of truth
and we recognized human
      passionate, zealous, lovingkind, caring, sharing ..
   even though we didn't recognize that we recognized

so, ya
i celebrate one of the most phenomenal events ever in the birth of the Christchild
..

it's Jesus birthday ..
the one i aspire to
the one i revere
the true Human i want to emulate
   even though the bulk of that still hauntingly
   lies in my future

the one i want to recognize me

how could i do otherwise ..

a wonderful read ..

" Beatitudes

If we didn't already know but were asked to guess the kind of people Jesus would pick out for special commendation, we might be tempted to guess one sort or another of spiritual hero — men and women of impeccable credentials morally, spiritually, humanly, and every which way. If so, we would be wrong. Maybe those aren't the ones he picked out because he felt they didn't need the shot in the arm his commendation would give them. Maybe they're not the ones he picked out because he didn't happen to know any. Be that as it may, it's worth noting the ones he did pick out.


Not the spiritual giants, but the "poor in spirit," as he called them, the ones who, spiritually speaking, have absolutely nothing to give and absolutely everything to receive, like the Prodigal telling his father "I am not worthy to be called thy son," only to discover for the first time all he had in having a father.

Not the champions of faith who can rejoice even in the midst of suffering, but the ones who mourn over their own suffering because they know that for the most part they've brought it down on themselves, and over the suffering of others because that's just the way it makes them feel to be in the same room with them.

Not the strong ones, but the meek ones in the sense of the gentle ones, that is, the ones not like Caspar Milquetoast but like Charlie Chaplin, the little tramp who lets the world walk over him and yet, dapper and undaunted to the end, somehow makes the world more human in the process.

Not the ones who are righteous, but the ones who hope they will be someday and in the meantime are well aware that the distance they still have to go is even greater than the distance they've already come.

Not the winners of great victories over evil in the world, but the ones who, seeing it also in themselves every time they comb their hair in front of the bathroom mirror, are merciful when they find it in others and maybe that way win the greater victory.

Not the totally pure, but the "pure in heart," to use Jesus' phrase, the ones who may be as shopworn and clay-footed as the next one, but have somehow kept some inner freshness and innocence intact.

Not the ones who have necessarily found peace in its fullness,but the ones who, just for that reason, try to bring it about wherever and however they can-peace with their neighbors and God, peace with themselves.

Jesus saved for last the ones who side with heaven even when any fool can see it's the losing side and all you get for your pains is pain. Looking into the faces of his listeners, he speaks to them directly for the first time. "Blessed are you," he says.

You can see them looking back at him. They're not what you'd call a high-class crowd-peasants and fisherfolk for the most part, on the shabby side, not all that bright. It doesn't look as if there's a hero among them. They have their jaws set. Their brows are furrowed with concentration.

They are blessed when they are worked over and cursed out on his account he tells them. It is not his hard times to come but theirs he is concerned with, speaking out of his own meekness and mercy, the purity of his own heart. "

Matthew 5:1-12

frederick buechner

hope's reach .. advent and communion

we are indeed in dark times ..
humanity is struggling to find hope
we live in fear
   and for the rest of us, we live in fear of living in fear

..

it's a dark time too on the christian calendar
   the time of advent
it's winterdark
colddark
the time of longing
   and lament
the time of wait

and too a time of hope
   when faith kicks strong against the colddark
   when eyes roam
      in search of Light
         release
         redemption
anticipation
eager piercing eyes roaming the landscape
   for the arrival of Him
      the One
      the long-awaited prince
         of peace

Emmanu-el
God
   among us

he comes
soon he comes

`|`

3 years or so ago i was privileged to hear the welcome words
" all are welcome to the table "
..
i was overjoyingly shocked
this was my first experience of being in a christian place where everyone was invited to join in the christian festival of Communion, Eucharist
.. it was an unexpectedly pleasurable emotion for me
i, who for all my life was told why i should consider not participating
dreading every Communion Sunday
often refusing the cup and the bread because i was not ' worthy '
   unworthy
   "unclean!"
..
and they came
the rich and the poor
the house-dwellers and the homeless
the sober and the hungover ..
and the not-so-obvious addicted held hands with the needled arm by their side
and someone said " God is good "
   and the chorus rang back, " all the time! "
and i was delighted beyond words
thanking God for Godgrace and the kindness of God's people in this place
to all
everyone ..
welcome!

everyone is welcome ..

`|`

how did we ever see the incredible 'communion'
   fellowship
      intimate spiritual oneness with one peculiar unthinkable thought in mind
         that we celebrate the death of the very creator of life
as particular
as elitist
as limited
as restricted
as something for which people must qualify
..
how is it partitionable ?
ever

everyone qualifies
because that Man gave his life
   for the world
he initiated release
   for the world
he consummated freedom
   for everyone
      everyone

`|`

advent

..

allofasudden people are smiling in this coffeeshop
   when just a couple weeks ago they were 'minding their own business'

.. happens every year
people just change with the changing of the seasonal guard
christmas seems to lighten the air
   brighten
even in the anticipation of it
even for those who don't believe
..
some fairy flies around waving a magic wand
   and many-coloured stars fly free
   while multicoloured people change somehow

`|`

ISIS and Boko Haram
republicans and democrats
melting ice and burning planet
israelis and palestinians
refugees and refusees
wicked rich and dreadfully poor
the politics of the corrupt and the corruption of politics
drug lords and the lords of the drugcompanies
lies and assassinations
hatred and violence
   and the weapons that permit war
      and paint bloody holes in people
         some innocents
            eating lunch at school
..

darkness
black holes in black souls
black spaces where souls once lived
   in hope

`|`

who will rescue us from this madness ??
who will trump the darkness ?
is there anyone ?
anyone?

i thank God
through the Lord Christ we shall be released !

`|`

a warm welcome in from the cold lonely streets of needles and bottles
an invitation to join-in to the wicked in heart
   the liars and the pretenders and the hateful
   the pulpiteer preaching something borrowed
      something foreign to their own heart
      some lie
         while furiously wielding a bible
         one eye on the 'offering'
   the tunnel-visioned artists who only draw lines
      to segregte
   the adulterers
      in heart too
   the cheaters-on-the-tax-forms
   the destroyers of the Earth
      that deny the destruction of the Earth
   the stingy
   the judgers
the pretenders
 
..
all are welcome

even me

`|`

advent
a time of dark hope
a cold reminder of warmth
a dread begging for Life
a resonant creation-call for green, for colour, for rebirth

`|`

communion
a time to one
a warm reminder that the Christ lives
   out of death
a beggar's hopeful rejoin
a loser's reach for Light
   for hope
a sinner's plea for God
   in the hopelessness of lost and lonely

`|`

pray for rebirth in us all
a new creature
a new creation
under the wise and gracious hand of that Man
   the Creator Himself

pray for peace

pray for the advent of the prince of peace in each of us
in you
in me

for this i pray
in Jesus' name