in and through his eyes

I seem to always be fascinated by your eyes, Lord
Not by the color or shape or size--
  Although I do see them as brown and almond and set deep in a rugged dark face--
But by what they see.

When I look in your eyes,
I see compassion and peace
Hope for the hopeless
and rest for the weary.

But at the same time,
I see the snap of fire that is reserved for those
Who trouble and persecute Your people.
Both your people Israel and your people that have been grafted on through adoption.

People like me.

When I read the Gospels and look through your eyes,
Oh Lord!
The compassion that you felt for the poor
The downtrodden
Those who have come to you for healing
Or salvation.

I see grief--tears for Lazarus your brother,
John your cousin
And the woman caught in adultery.

I see fire for the religious leaders who have dared to distort Your truth
To take away the role of Love
And replace it with a lifetime of rules--
  Rules that nobody can ever follow--
All for the sake of religion.

How do you see us today, Lord?

I myself dared to ask you to let me see myself through your eyes.
I was afraid--trembling--
For I knew the wrong that I had done.
I knew how ugly the world saw me to be
And I was horrified at how you must see me.

But I had to know.
Because I had to know if what I believed about you was true,
Or if I was believing a lie.

And so, fearfully, I asked you to show me myself
  As You saw me.

And I saw

A woman of beauty,
Dressed in white,
Prepared as a bride for her Husband.

And then I saw the husband's view--
The love, the adoration
Adoration?
That he felt when he looked upon me

And I saw the truth

This is why You died
This is why You came to Earth as a baby

Because you adore us
Love us
Enough to give up your life
To save us.

And during these 40 days of Lent
May I learn
  Somehow
To see my brothers and sisters
With your eyes.

Amen.

community

We stand in a circle,
Eyes open,
A candle in the center
A cross beside it.

One by one,
We pick up the cross and share.

Some speak of dreams of the future,
Others of sorrows of the past.

All are here to speak to You
While surrounded by community.

You did not mean us to live a life alone.
You called some of us to married life
Others to single life

But you have called all of us to a life in community.

We have brothers and sisters here.
Some are old, some are young,
But all alike are here to praise you
And fellowship with each other.

The isolation of the day is past
As young and old join together
In praise and worship.

We will come away from here richer
Because we have shared the wonderful treasure
Of you
And each other.

morning conversation

I woke up with you on my mind.
The room seemed to be full of your presence,
As if you had been watching me closely as I slept.

During the day, your voice seems small and quiet
It is hard to hear you through the noise.
But here in the quiet of the morning
You can be clearly heard.

Lord, how is it that you,
The Creator of the Universe
Care enough to be with me in this quiet room at this early hour?
For you are with me, I know.

I feel your love so distinctly,
It is as if you are enveloping me--
A blanket of tenderness that seeks nothing more
Than for me to recognize this quiet time together.

I can't see you, of course.
That won't come till later.
But right now, as we share this moment together,
I will share this cup of coffee with you,
And before I turn to mail
And news
And Facebook,
I will say the one thing that I know how to say,
Inadequate as it is,
Good morning, Lord!
I love you.