From Jerusalem to Gaza, Acts 8. 26
And was it on that road
the Spirit came,
whistling along with surprise
through living waters ?
What now of Jerusalem,
torn in two, one part resistant
the other hard of heart ?
And Gaza,
full of bitter resentment,
thoughts of deferred revenge ?
Can the Spirit still alight
on that road between two places
that so cry out with anguish ?
Anguish – one word for two places ?
Come, Holy One
who breathes, heals, unites,
works the impossible
in desert ways of human hearts !
Come !

The Christmas Christ comes knocking at our door
What will we give to the poor ?
“ I was poor in Bethlehem
When you see the poor, find me in them.”
He knocks again at the gates of power
“What will you do to stop all war ?
What will you do to bring in peace ?
What will you do that killing may cease ? “
When will you stem the flow of blood
That reeks of human violence,
Speaks of Noah’s Flood.”
He knocks a third time
At the door of our heart
Shall we let him in, or bid him depart ?
Shall we hear his voice, or shut our ears
In this world of conflict, strife and tears.
Come !
long- expected and most welcome guest
And feed us in your holy feast.
And speak your word that makes us whole
Revive our hearts, refresh our soul
And let us not go on our way
Without your love – to give away.

Hope Hope is a hollow word : it begins with a breath, leads us through naught and its end is the beginning of peace. “Sure and certain hope…” My sure and certain hope is not to be reconstituted bone to bone and flesh restored; but to be sustained by that  great love that never perishes, to know once again the ground of my confidence in God; to enter the great adventure. Beyond death lies hope; Beyond death lies hope; how can this be ? Only if the passage to eternity can liberate me from myself and set me free; grace me with wings I never used before, from finite to infinity to soar to hear the blissful music of the spheres that sweetly breaks upon my dying fears. Hope is … hope is an anchor hope is a rope twisted and strong hope is a ladder hope is a hand outstretched hope is a wayside sign hope is a child hope is a pope hope is a wing and a prayer hope is a window open in time hope is a breath first and last hope is a deed a rebel against fate hope is a spring in...

Death comes once in a while
And leaves a terminal smile
What can I do to greet,
What can I do to meet
My visitor when she comes ?
Give all freely,
Live life fully,
Leave your body as prey
All else,  make away.

We live in a comfortable and uncomfortable world;
we know good living,  and yet are of uneasy conscience;
somehow we know that God suffers still among us;
among those who are destitute, fleeing from war.
We know that the voice of the prophets has yet to
find a response;
still the unrighteous take their ease,
and the poor are trodden under foot.
Send out your light,  Lord,  that it may lead us,
to your holy place,  and to your tabernacle;
shine for us,  bright morning star proclaimed
in the last words of our scriptures;
Let everyone who is thirsty come,  says Jesus;
Then,  Lord,  help us to be ready for your coming,
as we hear your words “surely I am coming soon.”
Amen,  come Lord Jesus !

Don’t despair
God is here, and there
both near and far
within the heart
and cradling furthest star
How to discern,
how to learn
how to say
“your will be done”
in all things
near and far;
that is my prayer.

A church is a poem in stone
someone conceived it
others breathed it
into being
others made it
through labour
of rough hands
while others remade it through prayer
and offered there
sorrows and despair
in hope of turning
in hope of hearing
in their hearts
just a word.

There are worse gods than no god.

Dear Master,  much have I been moved and troubled by thy care of me, thy humble servant,  when I know most keenly of my silly uselessness…. How tenderly thou bendest thyself to minister to me a leaf of lettuce – muttering under thy breath the while, imprecations against thine enemies ! Let it be said that I provide thee with a slight diversion; for of late,  thine enemies be many. “Tuck thy head in, dear Master ! ” is my plea,  not just the once but on our several happenings. And yet thou wouldest not. For soothly thou persistest in thy ways as pedagogue,   reproving this man for want of surplice, that clerk for an undressed altar.   I live in fright for thee, dear Master ! Dost thou not see, sometime to halt, consider and retire, is yet better than to advance i’the fray ? For such is the secret of my longevity,  which I much fear will surely exceed thine own, unless thou turnest from thy way. . Such turns are not in harmony with thy nature;   slight of stature thou mayest be but most...

Love is the bridge that links two worlds:
This world in which we mourn and suffer loss
And the fair world of eternity’s dawn.
Love is the bridge which helps us cross
And love itself our crossing,
for in the love with which we hold our dear ones still
we find the promise of a bond without a losing.
Nothing is stronger than the force of death but love;
Love is the eternal gift that knows no end –
It springs up in our hearts we know not how,
Its music through our lives befriends
And in its requiem there is hope,
For God is love.
God is love, and so our loves are held most safe
In his eternal arms
Where all things are made new, made perfect
Healed, and whole.
Holy is the One who heals and perfects us through love
And to this loving there is never ending.