O Holy Pentecost
The earth is barren
A briar patch
Knowing about God
Intellectually - or not
Yet not knowing -
Implicitly
Through personal touch
Real
Lived experiences
Of the true Pentecost.
Come Holy Spirit
Open my heart to receive
That I yield to Your leading
Into the briar patch
There to show me
Your wonders of grace and revelation -
Unleashed
That this vessel becomes
Your conduit of love
Come Holy Spirit come.
Maranatha
Veni Sanctus Spiritus.
Thank you for a new day.
A day of possibilities.
Look up!
She swept through the food court
Four flags flying, or was it five –
From her swift moving wheelchair swamped in flag blue,
And as I looked up
All I saw was her back,
blonde hair ready to lift in the wave of the breezes.
I instantly loved her!
I caught her passion for life, trapped but not trapped,
Spirit free – passion ablaze
She turned the corner – and was gone.
Such a brief interlude
Yet even in that moment she left her mark.
I think I’ll call her ‘the unknown warrior’
Seizing the day, the opportunities before her, sailing into the breeze.
Our lives are but moments of time, living, fleeting moments.
I wonder about Jesus’ moments here on earth – 33 years of moments.
His surprise entrance caused a stir,
Mesmerizing moments of wonder,
A babe among the animals out in the back stalls,
Heaven’s glory descending, transforming.
Limited I get but glimpses of a man on a mission,
Yet a man ready to stop in the moments to talk,
To walk into a stranger’s home, to extend loving arms,
To put aside agendas, to heal.
His moments were given first to His Father
and then to any who came His way.
No time for dress ups, façade,
Just real life sharing, a wondrous Light,
A breath of hope, inclusive embrace
A way like no other
Bourgeoning love!
He knew every human need!
He saw the wounding of souls in all their deepest raw pain
He embraced each earthly one,
His brothers and sisters in Christ,
He fell in love with his Father’s will.
They were One, they always had been.
He remembered a conversation they’d had in glory,
The day the awesome Trinity – Father, Son and Spirit
Had looked down and saw the great scourge
Wreaking havoc on their glorious creation,
Even their top exquisite creation of humans, covered in ash,
like an aircraft unable to fly after a volcanic eruption –
Grounded and wounded, they could not save themselves from the inevitable.
The ‘awesome Trinity’ cried and wrestled to find a complete failsafe plan.
He, they, the’Onesome’, could have bombed the whole lot of them!
He could have said ‘Serve them right! Go to hell!’
He could have said: ‘I don’t care!
I did my best work and here they are trashing the lot!
Their wretched ashen state is abominable!’
But this was not, is not His nature!
‘Awesome Trinity’,Glorious powerful love!
They agreed to a preposterous plan!
Jesus the Son must come to earth,
take the fallout of their rebellion.
And in agreement He was sent to die for all!
That’s what God did for love!
Ash Wednesday, a reminder of our mortality, a reminder of the cost to remove the stain of our guilt,
and Ash Wednesday a time of surrender to and thanksgiving for grace that covers our sin,
A time to begin the freedom walk.
Seize the moments, make your mark, sail into the breeze, give God your moments and see what he will do!
Every moment of Christ’s life was and is given in love for us.
E Steinhardt 2014.
