God loves His children
Message needed for our world
Love is colorblind
***
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
theology
Saturday’s Silence
My sister shared this with me today. The sun is bright, the air fresh. We are alive and well, grateful to be safe at home. I share this photo and words from the Corrymeela Community in Belfast:
God of grieving,
God of silence,
there is a strange gift in having time,
one whole day this holy week,
to sit with questions of why
and how long
and to hear no response at all.
To rush from Friday to Sunday,
from death to resurrection,
wouldn’t do either justice.
Nor would it dignify the life
of those whose daily pain and grief
and constant pleas for justice
go unanswered in the world’s daily rhythm.
Let your silence fill this silence,
until our empty noise dies out.
Corrymeela Community is a non-profit organization in Northern Ireland dedicated to help bring healing to those who were traumatized by the many years of conflict and violence that occurred there between Catholic and Protestant factions.
Holy Week
We enter this holy week together
Christians and Jews recall God’s protection
Stories of hope and love for each other
Faith strained in the midst of dark hopelessness
Prayers rise and lift us beyond our distress
As we see the Sun/Son rise hope is renewed
New life is ours on the path now pursued
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Today at d’Verse Frank Hubney asked us to write a seven line Chaucerian poem. It is in iambic pentameter and has a pattern of ABA BB CC. Hopefully this is close to the real thing!
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
Call to Prayer
Why do we wait till crisis comes
When fear sets in and the body grows numb
To raise our hearts and voice in prayer
Calling to God // now made aware
And why do we think our begging and pleading
Will now be heard by Almighty God’s heeding
As folks are dying and we are reeling
Our invincible life precariously careening
Prayer is not the magic wand // making all serene
Nor the serpent on the pole to look upon for healing
God is not simply at your beck and call
Now that you have need and life’s about to fall
Crisis makes all aware that God has always been there
From everlasting to everlasting // though we never gave a care
Prayer does not bring OUR answers in time of despair
But rather strength and endurance to face all that’s there
So weep not for the grateful dead now no longer in pain
Rather weep for the soul who’s life has not yet waned
And for healthcare workers in the midst of crashing towers
Who find strength to help others in their final hours
Painting: Dwight L. Roth
Posting this for d’Verse open link night…
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Unmovable Rock
Spring is all around us, spreading pollen as leaves and flowers flourish. The joy of springtime is not inhibited by human crisis! Rocks remind us that what is solid is unmoved. As we lift prayers and hope for those working on the front lines of the Coronavirus, we must remember that the words on our coins are not just a nice saying, but rather the solid rock of our faith… In God We Trust!
Beauty rises high
above all // glorious Spring
Rocks remain solid
*****
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
The Potter’s Love
Hands smoothing and shaping
Admiring sweet creation
Perfect in every form
No need to recreate
Feeling soft clay
Thin smooth as silk
Watching clay spin on the wheel
Hands reshaping and restoring
Feeling the rounded curves
Knowing how beautiful the finished product
As the light from the window glances off
Recreating every line in his mind
Feeling the rhythm of the spinning wheel
Slowing down speeding up
As the slip slides through his fingers
The wheel finally reaches its peak
A final smoothing of the hand
From top to bottom
The original potter really did
Know what he was doing
You are a unique creation
Bing Photo: justinrossow.com
Reincarnation of Spirit
Passing on Kindness and Love should be the goal of every parent. In a world where issues seem to divide us, let us pass on the light of God’s love.
As one body dies one is born
Rekindling the spirit within.
The cycle never ceases to go on
Passing on the light of God to our children.
Some choose to pass on evil and hate
The infection spreads like the flu.
But even this infection you can abate
When the love of God is within you.
As we live our lives from day to day
Let God’s light dwell in your soul.
Knowing this world will be a better place
If you shed all that hate and turmoil.
Think about what you pass on to your children
Is it love or divisive hate?
What spirit will be reincarnated from you//
Think carefully before it’s too late.
*********
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
What Sustains Me
Is it knowledge and understanding that keeps me strong
Or perhaps the intellectual freedom
To pursue my thoughts and expand my mind
Some say knowledge is truth and nothing more
But for me it is faith that sustains me
For most of us perspective is truth
Those things we heard from our mother’s knee
The sermons preached from the Holy Book
Or perhaps the trauma and turmoil of life
Eats and gnaws its truth into our soul
But for me faith is what sustains me
Many believe they have a handle on truth
And all others are wrong who disagree
How small heaven must be
How few there must be who find the way
But for me my faith sustains me
To believe in God’s unfailing Love
Beyond knowledge and understanding
To see that Word made flesh in human form
Sharing His love all around me
It may be truth or it may be perspective
But for me it is this faith that sustains me.
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Passing it on…
As one body dies one is born
Rekindling the spirit within.
The cycle never ceases to go on
Passing on the light of God to our kin.
Some choose to pass on evil and hate
The infection spreads like the flu.
But even this infection you can abate
When the love of God is within you.
As we live our lives from day to day
Let God’s light dwell in your soul.
Knowing this world will be a better place
If you shed all that hate and turmoil.
Think about what you pass on to your children
Is it love or divisive hate?
What spirit will be reincarnated from you//
Think carefully before it’s too late.
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Filling the Void
During the Christmas season, we often find we are caught up in the Holiday rush to find the right gift. The commercial aspects of Christmas start before Thanksgiving. Stores and retailers all want to cash in as people rush to buy presents they think will make someone happy. In reality happiness is short lived, but joy is a part of who we are as a person. True joy is found in God’s Love, which is the real reason for the season.
Christmas is not about
Angels
Christmas is not about
Wise men
Mary and Joseph
The baby
In a manger, cold
Not about Santa
Coming
Nor gifts or presents
Wrapped tight
Not shining bright lights
At night
Christmas is our sign
His love
Permeating Love
Filling
A universal void
Our hearts
Filled by the great I AM
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
Open Link night at d’Verse Poets Pub. Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
