Radical Grace

Radical Grace

Bent, banged, broken

radical grace

entered upon me in my darkness

my violent grief

A stone too large 

to carry

rocky beginning

stony ends

radical grace 

entered upon me in my confusion

Wretched, cold, wicked
a race to the lowest
heavy, despair
radical grace 

entered upon me my fears released

Divine

All rights reserved 2011 

Forgiveness and grace go hand in hand, it seems. When at first we understand that grace, while possibly as mysterious as love, is a free gift given, and also a gift received. And when we are keenly aware of our failing, our meanness and infliction of vile upon others and think that no one will forgive us this time, a light enters. It fills our heart with the pure, clean vision of a love that clears the way forward, and a hope fills the air. No, not this time.
How many times must we forgive? "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Matthew 18:21-22
In her recording, Come to My Window, singer Melissa Etheridge touches upon this. She sings perhaps intuitively, "I stand inside my hell, hold the hand of death, what do they know about this love, anyway... Come into my window, come by the light of the moon; I'll be coming home."

Belief versus Faith

"Do not fear, only believe." --Gospel of Mark 5:36

Suzanne

by Roberta Flack

Listen Here
... Jesus was a sailor
When he walked upon the water
He spent a long time
Watching from a lonely wooden tower

And when He knew for certain
That only drowning men could see Him
He said, "All men shall be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them"

But He Himself was broken
Long before the sky would open
He was forsaken, almost human
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone

But you wanna travel with Him
And you wanna travel blind
And you think maybe you'll trust Him
For He's touched your perfect body with His mind

Suzanne takes you down
To the place by the river
She's wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army's counters

And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbor
And she shows you where to look
Amid the garbage and the flowers...

Be not afraid; come follow me; do not fear, only believe-- these are the central philosophies of the Christ. Jesus, we learn in the Bible, makes them among his central points. Fear must be overcome with faith firmly planted in its place. While fear may be a valuable response as part of a self-preservation instinct, it can also be destructive, paralyzing, controlling us, preventing our living life as the Spirit might direct, unresponsive to free will. The mature person seeks to learn what is in his and others best interest, and endeavors towards those aims. He or she avoids what is contrary and stands against those ills as they may be able.

Frequently the Bible stories serve as imperatives; they prod, define and refine the mind of the reader, so that we may become believers. In this particular story, Jesus recounts his journey to the foreign community of the Gerasenes, who were not Israelites. While there he heals the mind of a deeply troubled man (Mark 5:19-20). He then implores his followers to overlook those peoples' faults and shortcomings, and urges them to bring the message of hope and belief to them.
Continue with the story. Read Mark chapter 5 verses 21-43.

While many will doubt the words they read of a long ago account, faith asks us to "have ears" as the ancient Israelite did, and to hear the message within the story because it is a parable. Today the emotional state of anxiety and fearfulness seem ever more prevalent.
Many of us seek treatment for anxiety and stress in a doctors office with pills and other medication; while these preparations often do effectively tamp down or mask our sensory impulses towards anxiety and fearfulness, the calm of our own mind though the peace the Christ seeks to impart upon us, is not part of the medical equation. Thus we are less free and more under the influence of the drug or other medication.

While some may require medication and rightly so, there is a degree of calm, a direction for all which may be the fruit of the Spirit descended into our lives. It is the nature of the Spirit to come calling upon all, but not by any force or coercion; Spirit knocks. We either answer or we don't and if not, the Spirit is free and it flies. It will not force its way upon anyone.The Christ brings a message of the possibility of freedom from fear: "Do not be afraid, I am with you always."

What is belief, what is faith? We hear the phrase, 'just have faith!' So what is it? Most of us take for granted that religion is a set or system of beliefs; it is to many strictly concerned with beliefs and the adherence to those beliefs. This however is a rather narrow view; the Spirit comes to free us, not entangle us upon a set of dictum.
Many of the world's religions are not characterized primarily by beliefs at all, but by practice, about appropriate behaviors. So it happens that faith is about relationships, and belief is about ways of doing and being.

One of the most unfortunate aspects of religion, all religion, no religion in particular, is that as a facet of life, it instills a set of beliefs very successfully in many without ever bringing a person to faith. Many are familiar with the story, "I attended as a child, but fell away..."
Since both belief and faith formation are important in the spiritual life, one without the other does not often succeed. As persons of faith, we engage and refine our beliefs within relationships, within communities. So the teaching, "love one another," becomes real; it becomes the imperative in faith.

Faithful in the Company of Angels and Children

Sadeness part 1

by Enigma
Listen Here

Let us go forth in peace
In the name of Christ, So be it

We shall find the faithful in the
company of angels and children

Lift up your heads and your glorious gates,
and be lifted up your everlasting doors,
and the king of glory shall come in.
Who is the king of glory?

Sade, dis-moi,
(Sade tell me)

Sade, donne-moi 

(Sade give me)

We proceed in peace
In the name of Christ, 

I believe.

Sade tell me
what are you going to seek?
The rightness through wrong?
The virtue through  vice?
Sade tell me 

why the Gospel of Evil ?
What is your religion? Where are your faithful?
If you are against God, you are against man

Sade tell me, why blood for pleasure?
Pleasure without love?
Is there no more feeling in the worship of man?
 

Sade are you diabolical or divine?
Sade, tell me.
Pray for us.

Sade, give me.
Pray for us

Sade give me
Hosanna

Sade tell me
Pray for us.
Sade give me
Pray for us.

In the name of Christ.

I believe.

The very popular song Sadeness, written in Europe in the early 1990's was a phenomenon for several reasons. First it is due to its lyric, then its content, and then inclusion of overtly secular and sacred song into a single composition. Apparently intended to co-exist, ' the two-as-one' sounds of chant and modern beats, serve to reinforce the simple thought that the world is one. There is not one world for Sade, and another for the angels. 

Angels, for that matter, tradition teaches have no physical bodies, therefore are limitless. And just as importantly they have a will which does not always incline to the good. As the song concludes: Hosanna, Pray for us! Amen, I believe.

Mysteries and Mystics

A Song for You

by Karen Carpenter

Listen Here

I’ve been so many places in my life and time
I’ve sung a lot of songs I’ve made some bad rhyme
I’ve acted out my love in stages
With ten thousand people watching
But we’re alone now and I’m singing this song for you

I know your image of me is what I hope to be
I’ve treated you unkindly but darlin’ can’t you see
There’s no one more important to me
Darlin’ can’t you please see through me
Cause we’re alone now and I’m singing this song for you

you taught me precious secrets of the truth withholding nothing
You came out in front and I was hiding
But now I’m so much better and if my words don’t come together
Listen to the melody cause my love is in there hiding

I love you in a place where there’s no space or time
I love you for in my life you are a friend of mine
And when my life is over remember when we were together
We were alone and I was singing this song for you.

Often people talk about mysteries and mystics. Many do; I have too, but what about that? The singer, Karen Carpenter sings this beautiful song, all the more so because of her tragic struggle with mental illness.

She suffered from an eating disorder so severe, her life ended through self-starvation at the age of 33.

That in itself is a mystery; why does it seem, some are made to suffer and others prosper? What mysterious force in the universe sets this course; why could she not go another way? The lyric is passionate, elegant, insightful. She is aware that "precious secrets of the truth withholding nothing...I love you in a place where there is no space or time...listen to the melody... in there hiding." 

The artist speaks volumes. She sings; the author of all creation invites us to join in to sing this song. It is, as the mystic says, something of a mystery, felt but not seen. "Darling can't you please see through me?" Many of us ask for faith; we ask for hope. The Psalmist of old intoned, "Great is the Lord, and worthy of high praise; God's grandeur is beyond understanding."

-- Psalm 145- 3