Started a fire in the old stone hearth,
Flames lit up quickly enough,
Danced in the air,
Heated bare ungloved hands,
Charmed anxious hearts
Side by side,
Ready to bed down for a long winter’s night.
Eager to snuggle
Flesh touched flesh,
Your eyes sparkled in the firelight
Home fires glowed as
Love warmed the cold night.
Happy by the fireside,
Near you tonight,
Hope this stays true
Throughout the new year.
THH
12/31/24
Christmas Eve comes once a year
Full of expectations
A time of hope and excitement
But the question pondered
Remains the same:
Will tomorrow bring fulfillment of dreams
Will Christmas Day bring peace on earth,
Love and joy
Good will to all
And every year we sing the same carols,
Chant the Magnificat—
As if it has come true —
Pray let it be, let it be.
And in every annual repetition our hope continues unabated, seeking an answer.
Maybe this time around,
The tree we decorate with lights,
And stack with gifts for family and friends,
Will make everyone happy and thrilled
And the world born this day, safe and warm,
And next spring a future of delight.
We greet the future, with regular routines of welcome annually,
Now make into sacred ritual
— candles, cookies, wreaths and trees,
reds and green, angels and bright lights,
Along with the traditional nativity scenes.
All our preparations, like magic, conjures this one hope.
May tomorrow’s coming surprise with joy,
Or at least soothe our sorrow, sustain our hope.
As the new day dawns just the same
And concludes at sunset like all the rest.
Nothing much changed, but we take it down, clean up the mess, pay the bill and prepare for the next,
A child is born everyday, more than one,
To face a future most ambiguous.
Will it be one surrounded with love, plenty of food and wine to revel in
Will it be impoverished full of abuse starvation, and resentment,
Will this son be welcomed as number one,
Will this daughter be treated as equal,
Will the world accept their gifts or ignore them,
Will they be slaves or someone’s master,
And the truth is pedestrian.
Everyone of us like King David,
Covets what we know pleases;
Things delightful to the eye
Become demands,
And with the arrogance of power,
Worth iconic conniving and killing for.
Our evolution hauls in traps built of past traditions,
Into futures we envision,
Things expected to change for the better at last,
But never do; for nothing can, when the same traps are set, or the same games are played
The same as before.
So this Christmas Eve may things be different.
May we accept the gift of new life with humbleness
And no qualms for the way our lives turned out,
Leave craving for gain and
Disappointment behind,
May our repetitions finally bring joy for the future given,
As we submit ourselves in the service of remission, remembering love is born to be shared,
And living in such divine company makes
Christmas Day every day.
THH
12-24-24
Hope seeks change
Pregnant with possibility,
Begs for peace to end hostility.
Hope builds a home in our past;
Anchors memories of life,
We wish would last.
Hope endures danger
When chaos threatens,
Sustains recovery
When disasters strike.
Hope seeks an Inn strangers can
Stay in. Dreams favorable futures,
Like the one Mary prayed hard
For her son to dwell in.
Hope stakes claim to our horizon
As the future births meaning,
Suffers long dark nights to bring
Truth to light.
When born in Bethlehem one cold morn,
Love wore winter gloves in perfect form
To keep hope safe and warm.
Infinite hope will bear good fruit in spring
And the truth will be known to humanity.
As eternal love incarnates life,
The divine welcomes humans as kin.
THH
12/20/24
Feet of clay
Uncovered with shameless delight,
Put on public display for all to see.
Prayers offered halfheartedly,
As smiles of judgment distain subtlety.
While the angry masses cheer, and
High minded pretense crumbles,
Shown paper thin.
Mass media sells the who, what and why,
Without nuance or empathy.
Impatient for summary judgement and quick execution, the crowd with
No sense of responsibility or worry with consequence,
Unembarrassed by hypocrisy,
Or the exercise of power, seek revenge.
In noisy celebration, victory can get out of hand, or become bland,
Turn ugly and threaten utter destruction,
Identified victims become scapegoats,
Once stable walls take sudden falls.
THH
12/12/24
Cain’s offering went unappreciated,
Left him feeling unfairly treated and so might we: when work done goes unrewarded,
The fear most detested is going unnoticed.
Abel’s offering drew praise,
Cain bewildered, as we might be,
Thought am I not good enough?
Overcome by self righteous anger, Cain lost control, took revenge and
Slew his brother,
Then worried what to tell his mother.
Did he think his pain justified the desire to be rid of Abel?
Did he feel guilty for the murder,
Like most of us would?
Or ironically believe, he could sacrifice Abel and be free ?
Terror-stricken, Cain denied knowing his brother’s fate.
Instead feared others might take revenge,
For killing the innocent, using unjust labels,
Cain begged to escape divine retribution,
Then mercy marked him for life long protection.
Cain fathered children and built cities.
Life was kind to him, a fate most humans desire.
So what feels wrong in this story?
Is there no justice for noble Abel,
Who made his own innocent sacrifice,
Only to die deserted, alone, and without promise?
Should no vengeance repay this evil
So unfairly done?
Cain’s violence denied his brother a full human life,
Cain grew strong and successful in spite of making a human sacrifice.
Cain lived to a ripe old age,
Abel died long before his time — a familiar refrain for the sons and daughters of humankind.
Abel’s blood cried out from the dust.
A very strange justice, it seems to us; but no murder can be undone.
Death for a death makes more dead.
Life for life encourages living,
The possibility of healing.
Justice is for the living, not the dead.
But first be purged of moral superiority and arrogant judgment,
For all descendants of Cain are tested.
All can sacrifice an Abel, an unjust victim,
Call it righteous and then trembling,
Beg God’s mercy.
Christ have mercy.
THH
12/11/24
The old boy lays on the couch
Chin propped on the arm;
Stares into the backyard
out the glass door with curiosity,
Waiting, patiently waiting.
The old man sits in his chair reading.
The picture window allows
Winter’s son to warm his shoulder and arm,
Sipping tepid tea half heartedly.
The morning drifts toward afternoon
And the question, what have I done,
Mingles with quiet considerations,
Waiting for motivation.
Then paws hit the floor
A long stretch of back muscles
And a cold nose nuzzles
Under my hand.
My open book hits the floor.
Brown eyes look through me
Expectantly,
Enough is enough.
My hands caress nose and face,
Smooth back fur,
Cleans matted eyes,
Scratch both ears and, of course,
under the chin a protocol formed
By habit and on which we’ve agreed,
Until he rolls over playfully on his belly.
But when stopping to check the book
And some innocuous information
His black head pops back up.
His whole body moves in,
Squeezes as close as an overcoat,
Face turned up to make the obvious point.
The old man’s hands stroke the gentle face again,
Takes the hint, gives in,
He answers the only pertinent question.
And then smiling from deep within
at his furry friend,
The old man goes for his coat,
Grabs his hat,
A wagging tale goes automatic
And out the door into the cold we go,
To watch stiff leaves play tag on the road,
To explore the neighborhood once more with my special friend
A journey I hope will not soon end,
begins again.
THH
12/2/24
Feet of clay
Uncovered with shameless delight,
Put on public display for all to see.
Prayers offered to rank ideology,
As smiling judgment disdains subtlety.
And angry masses cheer
High-minded ideals crumbling to dust.
Once discovered,
Social media portrays the who, what,
And why,
Displays pornographic imagery,
And no sign of empathy.
Impatient for judgement and quick execution, stirred by lusts and
No sense of responsibility,
Or worry with social consequence,
Unembarrassed by personal hypocrisy,
The crowd raves lustily and celebrates the
Fall of once stable walls;
Salutes their flag raised preemptively,
As flames burn down the history
No one wants to bother to recall.
THH
12/02/24
Alice asked the Cheshire Cat, “Would you please tell me which way to go from here”
And the cat smiled wryly “ That depends a great deal on where you want to get to?” Alice didn’t much care as long as she got somewhere to which the cat logically replied, then it didn’t matter which way she chose to go. To which the young Alice added as long as I get somewhere. Again the cat pointed out she was sure to do that if she would walk along enough.
The incident Lewis Carroll authored offers readers the opportunity to confront the paths we travel. Ones pursued as individuals based on a variety of influences and perspectives. The question raised by Carroll goes directly to whether we need to be intentional about choices of direction and purpose, or if we should let fate make choices for us. Alice appears to be headed in the latter direction.
Today we begin a new year in the Christian calendar with the first Sunday in Advent. Advent is usually portrayed as a time of waiting which in turn is a time of trial for the faithful who are asked to wait for the coming of the Christ child. This is the incarnation of God becoming human in real time, in human history. We are excited and amazed by the promise of Christmas. We can’t wait to see our present. Christians know the purpose and direction the season represents. Although we do not fully know the nature of the gift. If understanding is to come it will be through a life time of faithful living.
What does this have to do with Alice?
She is a child so we can give her some latitude in terms of taking responsibility. However she is clearly not interested in engaging in discernment of a best path, and she shows no awareness of a purpose other than wandering around.
By contrast Christian’s are asked to engage in deep spiritual exploration during Advent. We are expected to ask how to deal with the waiting. Implied in waiting is something important worth the waiting. So for what are we waiting and why is it important ?
History tells a number of stories to explain who we are and illustrates by various narratives human hope and purpose. The meaning of historical events are speculative. They tend to relate stories of power struggles in which the weak are murdered or put in bondage by the powerful. But the Christian faith is not speculating about the purpose and meaning of history. We are proclaiming the birth of a God-man in history whose presence demonstrates not only God’s faithfulness in keeping promises to humanity, but a future as hope fulfilled. It is also a direct contradiction to the common historical narrative — the folly of history.
What does this look like for us? We are not just wandering souls unsure of our direction and purpose. We are looking forward to meeting God in human form, and we are hoping to learn the way to follow Jesus into the future. We are hoping our eyes will be opened.
We are proclaiming humanity is in God’s hands. We are held, supported, loved and cared for by a personal God who connects with us. We are connected to God through Jesus; this connection brings the divine to earth in the flesh. We are called to live as Jesus lived, sacrificially. We are called to be fully human as Jesus was fully human; as Ireneaus wrote the glory of god is a fully flourishing human being.
So during Advent we should meditate on the coming of Christ. What does love personified in human history, fully engaging human experience in the flesh mean ?
Are we able to accept the tremendous responsibility as Christians to imitate Christ and seek him in all persons? This is not an easy faith and the call to embody Jesus life in our own lives is difficult. For we are descendants of Cain; and we want easy acceptance and a comfortable life. We doubt God’s presence when life gets hard. So we must use Advent to prepare ourselves for the future promised.
We wait because we can’t make God perform according to our wishes and dreams. God moves toward us in God’s good time. God calls to us from the future pointing to abundant life which is always a not yet. It will remain incomplete and unfinished until God raises the veil of time and reveals the divine to all.
Humans want it now. God says wait until we are able to embody abundant life in human history. Humans wonder if this is even possible. We seek personal comfort in our lives but never find complete satisfaction. Humans seek perfect satisfaction but are disappointed and easily disturbed by the nature of God’s gift. We are trapped in the world. In other words baby Jesus, a king born in a manger, no way this can be God. But it is the gift we receive, and it is a life of suffering with rare moments of happiness ending with a painful and humiliating death. Advent is a season to reflect on what is coming and a time to ask ourselves what are we to do when we don’t get the king hoped for, the one welding overwhelming power to make us safe and secure on earth. Instead a child, helpless at birth, prophetic in life, rejected by all, is given, exactly what we didn’t want, a call to responsibility. A demand that humans learn to care for one another as Mary cared for her child. So Advent asks us to reflect critically on our expectations and celebrate the gift as surprise. To ask, how are we to live into this gift creatively and faithfully.
We are not to wander aimlessly as Alice appears willing to do. We are to wait on the revelation of God’s presence among us and adjust our expectations to fit the reality of God’s will. This is the call of our faith. This is the story of God in history. It is a story that challenges the powers and principalities and requires a commitment to live accordingly. We cannot be Alice. We must act with purpose to embrace Jesus as God-man. We must learn to walk humbly with our God. No easy task! For we prefer our comfort not serving others.
We are not going to be given a king who will save us from earthly threats or make our lives safe and comfortable. If we did get such a king we would soon find ourselves under a tyrant who demanded under threat of torture and slavery our complete submission. Think back to the power struggles of the kings of Israel and of Israel’s conquers. Instead we are given God in the flesh, all too human, but a divine blessing because Jesus shows the way forward; Jesus is the truth. In fact, one and the same light. The life Jesus lived is human life perfected.
Jesus is the light showing the way to live into a world that missed the mark. Here the story gets starkly real and darkly human. For we are like Cain, who when disappointed and dissatisfied by the way his sacrifice was ill received, could not overcome envy and resentment at his brother’s approval. His anger led to him killing his brother. This is an individual version of human history which continues to be repeated at the tribal and national level in war and struggle to beat those who have what we most desire. It always seems to us the neighbor has what we want or need. And we are masters at justifying taking it from them.
It is our crime and punishment. Cain’s punishment of isolation from human society left him vulnerable and God marked him so he would not be an object of vengeance. Yet through God’s mercy, Cain succeeded in life like humans have over the sad course of history. Human history is one of struggle to conquer and dominate. We want God to show up on our side. We want God’s favor and are desperate to feel divine presence. We want to know in our hearts we are loved and held in divine hands. But not many of us do? Why not? Could it be the violence and fear Cain gave into blinds us from recognizing God’s favor?
In Advent we are invited to wait on the reality of God while meditating on our own lives as descendants of Cain. We are called to discern the reality of God’s grace.
Are you able to wait for God’s gift without disappointment? Are we Christians able to accept the Christ child as divine presence in the world of suffering? Are we able to live into that not yet?
May we stand up and walk into God’s future with faith and hope, practicing humility along the path we have chosen. THH
12/01/24
Thoughts Have Hands 