Poetry and Prayer—Day 39: April 10

Written by: Julia Smolucha

Benediction by Nicholas Samaras

Link us together, O God, write your love on our hearts, on our hands, in the language of breath. Link us together, O God, with the tenderness it takes to pay attention, to become silent, to wake to light, to surrender to sacrament. Link us together, O God. Amen.

Two Minority Reports from the Hebrew Bible, I: Grief

May 28, 2023

Do the same for someone in your life who’s stricken. You’ve been through stuff. You’ve been through terrible stuff: Put it to good use. But be warned, if you walk with the broken-hearted, you will be walking into a foreign land. You will not speak the language. Literally. You will not speak the language. Because sometimes there are no words. You will either use the wrong words, or you will speak them in a thick, almost incomprehensible, accent.

Packing for the Journey

May 21, 2023

I believe that the Sunday School teachers who came up with the Kenilworth Union Church Third Grade Bible lessons 90 years ago also thought of life as a journey. They wanted third graders to be prepared for the trip of a lifetime with God. So they made a scripture packing list so that children in this church would know that God was with them wherever they went and so they would be able to remember God is present in every situation. For generations third graders have learned "The Ten Commandments", "The 23rd Psalm", "The Beatitudes", "The Lord’s Prayer" and "Jesus’ Greatest Commandment". The 1950’s version of the packing list also included Psalms 19 and 100.

The Valley of Lost Things, IV: The Party I Refused to Attend

May 14, 2023

A lost coin, found. A lost sheep, found. A lost son, found. After each lost thing found, a party. Luke chapter fifteen is simple enough, but it might hold everything we need to know about God. When we are lost, God goes after us. When we are lost, God seeks us until we are found. But here’s today’s question: will the older brother go to the party? Can he bear to celebrate? Jesus spins these fabulous little tales and we’re still thinking of them two thousand years later. We see ourselves in the younger brother. We see ourselves in the older brother. We even see ourselves in the father, watching his sons hurt and be hurt by each other and the world. We know this story is telling us something about ourselves. We intuitively know that we fit within this story. And two thousand years later, this story is still about us, getting lost, and God running out to greet us.

Poetry and Prayer—Day 39: April 10