Poetry and Prayer—Day 23: March 23

Written by: Julia Smolucha

Marked by Ashes by Walter Brueggemann

Frazzled, we wait. Frightened, we wait. Forgetful, we wait. Forgotten, we wait. Fearless, we wait. Forged in the fire of misfortune, we wait. Fatigued, we wait. With failed hope, we wait. Unforsaken, we wait. As we wait, you enter in. Unexpected. Sometimes unwelcome. Often unseen. In our waiting, find us, renew us, bless us. Amen.

The (Re)Birth of the Church, I: His Witnesses to the End of the Earth

September 12, 2021

So let’s think about what all that means, and to do that, we’ll go back to fundamentals. In December of 1960, the Green Bay Packers squandered a late fourth-quarter lead and lost the NFL Championship to the Philadelphia Eagles, so at the beginning of training camp in the summer of 1961, legendary Packers Coach Vince Lombardi held up a pigskin and said, “Gentleman, this is a football.” I still remember the high school football game when our star running back fumbled twice. At the next practice, my coach called him up to the front and duct-taped a football to his arm. He got his point across. So back to fundamentals: “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the Church.” The Book of Acts.

How to Love the World Again, VII: The Joy of Making

September 5, 2021

Have you ever been through a dry season of the Spirit? Are you in the Valley of the Shadow? Does it feel like Death Valley—117℉, neither watering hole nor green blade for mile upon mile, just the jagged, flinty rock of the unforgiving wilderness? The deadline on your PhD. Dissertation is fast upon you, and you’ve gone to the well one too many times and there’s nothing left but sand and gravel and dust. Maybe you’re working 100 hours a week at your medical residency, and you are just depleted. Maybe your boss is unhappy with your numbers. You can’t find a job. You say, What the hell! I’m going home.

How to Love the World Again, VI: The Feast of Each Moment

August 29, 2021

Sometimes it takes a long time to find what makes us special. Not every teacher or coach or friend will see what makes you—you right away. But God sees you. God loves you! Turn to someone next to you and say, “God loves you. You are special.” Doesn’t that feel good to hear! So while we don’t put oil on our heads, or even temporary tattoos that say “You are loved,” let these stickers remind you every day.

Poetry and Prayer—Day 23: March 23