Fourth Sunday of Easter, April 25, 2021                  (today’s lectionary)
Matins
Beloved, we are God’s children now.
In the dead of night I give myself over, Lord
And you take me
There is no fear in love
My heart beats out of my chest sometimes, I get so excited
Would that might send me straight to heaven
But no
I love this world
The people in it
The ones who drive me crazy sometimes, until I remember Matthew 7
I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me and been my savior, and your kindness endures forever.
My judgments against others stand out stark and black against the sky
As the sun rises red with fire
I have no business looking at other peoples’ sin
No business
No business
There is plenty to see in my own eye, that ugly old moldy log
Waits for me to notice it again
It isn’t going anywhere
Actually, it’s growing
Beloved, see what love the Father has bestowed on us, that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are.
In the copper cauldron of midday,
Lord, renew my tender conscience
When my face is hot and red with shame
I can turn toward you then
You touch my hot skin with your cool, wet cloth
You whisper in my ear the forgiveness I forgot to seek
And tell me, in no uncertain terms:
Turn your eyes away from how others hurt you
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
So much better to take refuge in the Lord that to trust in princes. There is no salvation through anyone else, and no other name under heaven by which we can be saved.
Afternoon storms at last are still
Green trees whisper in the breeze
The stream falls over the rocks
Now I can sit, just wait for the sun to set
Red sky once more, reminder
The blood of Christ, shed for me
There is no poetry like the poetry of worship
A few quiet weeping words of confession
At the end of every day …
(Acts 4, Psalm 118, 1 John 3, John 10)
#
