Indwelling Spirit,
I am aware of so many sinful tendencies within myself,
self centeredness,
lusts of the flesh,
chasing distractions.
They crowd out the God-life.
I end up pursuing ten-thousand things that do not glorify you.
I live for self and fail to love.
Life becomes about satisfying my passions
and fulfilling my comforts.
So overwhelm me with your Holy Spirit
that I am left with no option
but to radiate peace, goodness and beauty.
Divine Restorer,
I can offer nothing to you
except my disintegrated self.
The worries of the world,
temptations and lusts,
broken relationships,
physical imperfections,
continually batter my soul–
fragmenting, fragmenting–
shards
useless on their own,
yet you, O LORD, are able
to make broken things whole,
to infuse my sinews with grace,
and my bones with steadfast love.
Re-created not just whole
but holy.
In the shadows I sit
imprisoned in fear,
alone and afraid
year after year.
I wonder alone
will darkness lift?
constant companion
suffering’s “gift.”
I see Jesus coming
carrying a key,
I think to myself
he’ll set me free.
He opens the door
and enters the space,
he sits down with me
tears stain his face.
I ask, “are we leaving?”
He says, “no, not yet.
Your pain continues,
but child, don’t fret.”
He gazes at me
with love in his eyes,
“I’ll be with you
until darkness dies.”
Do Pharisees know they are Pharisees? Do I?
A commitment to God
…at least their conception of Him.
A passion for the Word
…at least their understanding of it.
A deeply held belief in right and wrong
…their rightness
…and another’s error.
Operating from a place
of protectionism and control,
not compassion and love.
Strongly insisting upon “God’s way”
not realizing that it is actually
their way they promote.
Loveless, graceless, Spiritless…
exchanging control for love,
speaking for listening,
rules for wisdom,
self-righteousness for humility,
religion for Jesus.
Pharisees are not dead,
they merely wear a different cloak.
I keep coming back to the questions, “What is freedom?” and “Do I live free?”
I am free.
I am free to tell people how much I value them.
I am free to speak out against injustice.
I am free to give lavishly.
I am free to err on the side of grace.
I am free from needing to demand my rights
or simply from the need to be right.
I am free to serve.
I am free from the need to identify ways in which I am better than others.
Or worse.
I am free from the pressure to perform.
I am free to be goofy.
I am free to like musicals more than football
or painting more than hunting.
I am free to rest.
I am free to take off my mask.
I am free to read from The Message.
I am free to sing at the top of my lungs in the shower
even Air Supply.
I am free to cross the party line.
I am free to drink a cup of coffee
or five.
I am free to not know something.
I am free to be curious and creative
even childlike.
I am free to be emotional
and logical.
I am free to call it like I see it.
I am free to disagree.
I am free to cry at TV shows
even “Anne with an E.”
I am free to color outside the lines.
I am free to hold hands with my kids.
I am free to say no.
I am free to do what I want to do.
I am free.
Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.-Galatians 5:1, The Message
Christ’s table is a place of gathering
a place where the broken find restoration
the lonely find communion
the empty find fulfillment
and sinners find grace.
Have we forgotten this?
Have we forgotten that Jesus
ate his last meal with
Thomas the doubter?
Peter the denier?
Judas the betrayer?
Not just that he ate with them,
but that he longed to eat with them?
By his words and actions
he communicated
“You belong.”
Do we?
Love’s embodiment
Lived and loved upon the earth
And still lives in us.
I awake once again,
the sounds of birds
greeting the morning.
For them, every day
is the Lord’s day.
They make no distinction
between Sunday
and any other day,
worshiping continuously.
I expect birds will be in heaven,
but here on earth,
they teach us about
the presence of God.
If we attend to them,
they instruct us in worship.
Robins and sparrows
teach us songs of joyous praise.
Doves teach lament.
What would life be like
if Christians took their cues
from the birds?
Ten million prayers
hover and fly
begging attention
and so I try
to focus my thoughts
to talk with my Lord
but they bounce so fast
it seems I get bored
with each thought that enters
seeking my prayer
they clamor for notice
and then they are
gone in a flash
replaced by another
I reached out to grasp it
but then wonder whether
something more urgent
seeks prayerful release
I chase that thought too
but God whispers “Peace
be still from your frenzy
relax in My presence
time spent with Me
that is prayer’s essence.”
The True Light’s illumination
shines brightly on creation
from creation.
To see,
we have only to open our eyes.
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
-John 1:9
Jason Kanz 