Words of Assurance for Annual Meeting Sunday

God’s work among us, and within each one of us,
Doesn’t (just) make us better than we are alone.
It makes us different.
Divinely commissioned oddballs, if you will:
Beloved, blessed, forgiven, called,
To shine our light for Christ’s sake.
Amen?  Amen.

On the Not-Gods

Mere echo of divine,
We are beautiful,
Blessed, And broken.

And so: We try
filling the God-spaces
With not-God.

Playing at divinity,
We are royalty,
Retainer, Retinue.

And so: We suffer
For loyalty
To our not-Gods.

Washing away
The not-Gods
Is harder
Than it looks.


-- 
A reflection after
studying 2 Samuel 11,
2 Samuel 12, and Psalm 51
in preparation for worship

Not too familiar

Holy. Holy. Holy.

You are the Holy One,
(although we have been
known to forget it).

We have been known to
treat you in overly familiar ways,
miscategorizing you as a mere friend
or bearer of good advice.

Forgive us for that presumption.

There is something in us
that wants to shrink you
to a manageable size.

So – although we tremble
to ask it, from time to time,
impress upon us

Your wild imagination,
Your crazy schemes,
Your Holy call.

Shock us (from time to time,
but only when we really need it)
into faithfulness.

Remind us that Holy has chosen us.
The source of Freedom has chosen us.
Remind us that, as Christ taught and lived,
Love has chosen us. Amen.