Tuesday Prayer for 11/26/13: Beat

(Inspired by Isaiah 2:1-5)

We have beat the ploughshares into 

swords and

coal-carrying trains and

missile-firing drones and

pollution-belching smoke stacks and

We have beat our pruning hooks into

spears and

life-disrupting mobile this or thats and

earth-ravishing chemicals and

ever-meaningless coins and

We have beat our people into

defeated-depression and

soul-crushing submission and

life-devaluing objects and

prescription-enhanced servants and

the earth itself feels the weight of every step and

the sky itself has become weighted and

God 

mourns 

and

hope feels more and more like an advertising slogan and less like something that is

Real.

It is, though, 

"something that is real.”

Hope.

Is.

Real.

Because there is a difference between being "beat" and "beaten" and

THIS is the difference 

that makes every oligarch shudder and

every abuser worry and

and every oppressor wake

in the middle of the night

in a 

cold 

sweat.

There are arms out there strong enough to beat those swords into ploughshares.

There are feet out there strong enough to stomp those spears into pruning hooks.

There are backs strong enough to break chains and

Those people who have been beat?

They have not been beaten 

and they can beat

back.

(beat beat

beat beat

beat beat

beat beat…)

(From http://www.rootforce.org/2008/06/19/peru-turmoil-slams-copper-supplies/)

Tuesday Prayer for 11/12/13: Storm's Rage

(All photos of the Philippines, pre-Typhoon Haiyan,  by Frederica Helmiere)

Inspired by Isaiah 65:17-25

Dear God:

When storms rage,

When towns are swept away,

When children suffer,

it is hard

to believe

in

anything.

When our hearts rage,

When serenity is swept away,

When confidence suffers,

it is hard

to believe

in

anything.

How will we appreciate

this “new heaven?”

How will we appreciate

this “new earth?”

How?

When 

we haven’t

figured out how

to appreciate

this one?

Amen.

To give to the UCC Typhoon Haiyan response fund, click on this link.

Tuesday Prayer for 11/5/13: Cutting Teeth

Tuesday Prayer for 11/5/13

Inspired by Psalm 145

Dear God:

These sounds of early morning teething and reading the Psalms seem to go together.  The sounds of wailing and gnashing of, well, gums seems to match the sorrow and the pain in these songs.  My son has not had pain quite like this before.  It is not something I know but something that there are only deep memories of.  When I hear him cry, it seems like this is a flaw in our creation.  Our bodies seem to rebel against themselves to do something normal.  It is bone slowly cutting through flesh.

And billions of people have all gone through this.  And millions of other parents are thinking similar things…

Now.

I was once told that you really can’t pray the Psalms until after you turn thirty.

The pain and reality you thought might be passing you begin to realize

is permanent

and real

and cumulative.

It takes awhile to really get 

Psalm weary and

Psalm angry and

Psalm tired and

Psalm frustrated.

It takes awhile to get

Psalm desperate.

“God fulfills the desire of all who fear God;

    God also hears their cry, and saves them.

God watches over all who love God,

    but will destroy all the wicked.”

These are strange prayers and I pray them.

These are strange songs and sing them.

I do not always believe in the kind of G-d that they call for but

There are days I pretend to and

On those days,

I am comforted.

Amen