Risking Pentecost

When the resurrected Christ ascended,

the disciples went into organization mode,

promptly replacing Judas as a first order of business.

The Holy Spirit broke out,

like end-of-game fireworks

accidentally unleashed in the fifth inning.

The institutional church has roped off

a tidy little section for Pentecost,

with red balloons, streamers, and pinwheels.

And the Holy Spirit laughs

to keep from crying,

exploding everywhere, noticed or not.

Bushes aren’t the only thing burning;

hearts and lives overflow daily

with forgiveness, love, and grace.

Give us courage, O God,

to risk our lives and selves

to your daily Pentecosts!

Photo by Lee Lindsey McKinney

© 2014 Todd Jenkins

Anger

When the Universe

lets you know,

in no uncertain terms:

(a) You don't know nearly

as much as you thought.

(b) You can't control nearly

as much as you thought.

(c) You aren't important or

indispensable for any

of the reasons you thought.

Grace is the realization that,

even though all 3 answers

are always true,

God loves you unconditionally,

more than you can imagine,

and is already at work

transforming ALL of your past

into a beautiful present.

Give up all futile attempts

to rewrite your history;

stop fretting about how your future

can possibly be redeemed, and

taste the ecstasy of here and now!

 

Photo by Todd Jenkins

© 2014 Todd Jenkins

Illumination June 1

Photo by Todd Jenkins

Our world, O God, is dark-averse. We are so afraid of what’s in the closet, under the bed, and in the dark, that we have created artificial light for everywhere: battery powered, solar powered, keychain flashlights, cell phone flashlights; we have become a never-without-light society. Even our religion succumbs to this blinding, full-solar effect, attempting to protect us from ever seeing a shadow.

Today, as we gather around your Word and your table, remind us of all that can be gained from the dark, and from recognizing and accepting our shadow selves. Remind us of how bright a single candle becomes when we light it in a place of total darkness. Remind us of all the times when we couldn’t detect your presence in our full-solar world, but finally saw, heard, tasted, and felt you in the quietude of our midnights.

Speak your truth into the varied lumens of our reality, and give us courage to take the next step with more faith in you than in our flashlights; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Liquid Prayer

When two or more hearts beat in rhythm,

hope from the ocean's depth

defies gravity and pulses skyward,

seeking to be free.

The eyes have an escape route built-in -

thank you very much, God -

an aqueduct for release.

Those who've experienced

the true strength of Love's

vulnerability know better than

to struggle against the flow.

Instead, we simply pause

to revel in the power of their salty gift,

trusting in divine Grace

to unpack every scared and sacred plea.

 

Painting of Camp NaCoMe bridge by Ruben Torres

© 2014 Todd Jenkins

How Dare You!

Polite society cringes

when someone dares

to hurl this exclamation

toward the heavens.

It's not that anger

is taboo or unexpected.

On the contrary; rage unleashed

on the road or anywhere else

is standard fare in our culture.

But it is mostly aimed at others,

as lesser beings bearing responsibility

for our own unhappiness,

or even occasionally,

in our bravest moments,

at the mirror of our naked selves.

What those on faith's periphery

cannot fathom is the way

that such expression unveils

a deep and abiding trust

in a God not only strong enough

to accept such heat, but also

loving enough to hold us in,

through, and beyond the fire.

We call it grace – this wave

of unconditional mercy

that pours on all creation

like an ever flowing stream,

inviting us to risk self-forgiveness

before letting its flow continue

into lives all around us.

 

Photo by Holly Jenkins

© 2014 Todd Jenkins

I Believe

Belief is not something

you defend while you wait

for the world to change or acquiesce.

It's not even something

that changes you.

It is the intellectual sum

of the actions you've already taken,

the questions with which you're wrestling,

and the relationships you're nurturing.

When your beliefs stop changing

and growing, so do you.

If this happens, no matter what else

you think you're doing,

you're mostly just waiting to die.

 

Photo by Todd Jenkins

© 2014 Todd Jenkins

Decorated

Photo by Todd Jenkins

It's painfully ironic that we use

the same word to describe

the delicate and often fru-fru trappings

of our everyday excess and eccentricity

that we use to identify both

the survivors of war's carnage

and our remembrance and honoring

of their final resting places.

May our decorating of the graves

of our decorated ones awaken us

to the deep truth of both

our debt to them and their families,

as well as our desperate need

to find our collective way

to a path decorated by Peace.

© 2014 Todd Jenkins