Palm Sunday - It wasn't the colt that made me wonder

It wasn’t the colt that made me wonder, not even the way they came into the village and just took it for him to ride. I was surprised how easily Jacob let it go but he had met the preacher before and perhaps they had an arrangement. It was a beautiful young animal but there are plenty of them around. It wasn’t the colt. 

And it wasn’t the singing and the shouting of Hosanna! That was exciting and stimulating, it always is when the pilgrims arrive, so full of hope and enthusiasm. We all want freedom from occupation, freedom from fear and uncertainty, freedom to be fully the people the Lord has created us to be – we all sing and shout.

It wasn’t the size of the crowd that made me wonder, or the heavy military presence or the anger of the religious leaders at all the enthusiasm.

What made me wonder were the green leaves waved and laid down as a thick living carpet marking the way to the temple. Pilgrims often wave the branches of palm and olive as they sing, but to lay them down like that and so many of them; to place the symbols of spring and of new life and hope under his feet - that made me wonder. Was this a celebration of life or was the trampling of the leaves a sign of death? Was his journey through the crushed and trampled leaves the way that new life and hope would come as we shouted Hosanna! Was our God going to save us through death and bring us new life?

How could that be true? 

I wonder...

Lord, as we lay down our palms and follow you into Jerusalem, bring us with you through death to life we pray.

Epiphany Prayer

Epiphany

 

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness

Bow down before him, his glory proclaim.

 

Glorious and gracious God we bow before you now,

Creating, redeeming and calling God we worship you,

You are our God and through your grace we are your people,

You have called us by name and we are yours.

 

With gold of obedience and incense of lowliness,

Kneel and adore him: the Lord is his name.

 

Lord, your overflowing love fills the universe,

In love you have come among us, sharing our humanity, 

Calling us to love one another as you love us.

Jesus, Son of God, Saviour, 

We adore you

 

Holy Spirit, God among us,

Comfort and disturb us.

Help us to respond in obedience and humility,

Help us to glimpse the glory of God with us,

And to proclaim it through our actions and our words

That others may come to worship and adore.

 

Glorious and gracious God

Father, Son and Spirit,

We worship and adore you.

 

 

Inspired by “O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” John Samuel Bewley Monsell (1811-1875) STF 34

 

 

RMG 220108

All we have in common is the weeping (2)

"A voice is heard in Ramah

lamentation and bitter weeping

Rachel is weeping for her children;

she refuses to be comforted for her children

because they are no more." *

Weeping

    Weeping

        Weeping

Longing to hug

Fear of forgetting

seeking flesh-warmth glass imprisoned.

flesh of my flesh

blood of my blood

screen printed image looked on with love.

Child centred, covid centred,

childhood disrupting,

mutating and forcing to future unwritten.

weeping for the children

God weeping with us.

Weeping

    Weeping

         Weeping

*Jeremiah 31:15

Ruth M Gee 29 December 2020

Harrowing of Hell

Crucified Christ today I pray:

For those imprisoned by pain,
where physical torment prevents fullness of life

and for the watching ones enduring agony
held in helplessness when they would offer all;
Harrow their hell.

For those who are not heard,
whose voices are silenced by the powerful,
whose whispers fall on deaf ears;
Harrow their hell.

For those whose horizon is diminished,
those held in despair
in the pit of depression,
hearing too many voices claim their allegiance;
Harrow their hell.

For those who sleep in the day
because the night is too dangerous,
seeking shelter in closed doorways;
Harrow their hell.

For those whose love is deemed unworthy
by those who cannot love beyond themselves,
excluded and derided,
unheard, unseen unnamed;
Harrow their hell.

For those who are ever hungry,
denied food, education, health and dignity,
praised for their resilience
not naming the inequality;
Harrow their hell.

Watching and waiting,
Lord we pray
Harrow the hells of your people today.

©Ruth M Gee (2018)

Gethsemane

And did your mother stay awake?

While others slept

did she, unasked, lie wakeful

as mothers often do?

Did she remember

acclamation of elders

adoring her child,

the recognised awaited one?

And did the long-dreaded sword pierce sharp that night,

preventing slumber

disturbing rest?

Did she watch unseen, unseeing

as you sweated blood?

And did she pray that angels would once more attend?

                               
(©Ruth M Gee 2015)

Fragrance of perfume

Fragrance of perfume

Jesus came to Bethany and there they gave a dinner for him. The friends gathered, the talked and ate together. Martha served and her brother Lazarus was at the table with them. How thankful they must have been that Lazarus was there, alive and released from the tomb by Jesus.

Things were normal again, Lazarus was well and the friends could gather each taking their familiar place. 

And then Mary changed things. Mary who had sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to him, Mary who had wept at Jesus’ feet outside her brother’s tomb. Mary broke all conventions now in one costly extravagant action as she took costly perfume and poured it over Jesus’ feet before wiping them with her hair. An extravagant, intimate and fragrant action. “The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume”

Some protested at the extravagance. Some thought the perfume could have been better used, could have benefitted more deserving people, could be sold to raise money for the poor.

Jesus, friend of the poor, friend of all, received the gift and through it pointed to his own mortality. The blessing of his physical presence was to be treasured and celebrated, it was to end all too soon. The fragrance of the perfume filled the house but would disperse and be held as a profound memory, recalling presence, laughter, friendship and extravagant life-giving love.

When such physical companionship was no longer possible the love would remain. And after death would come new life, new hope and new joy. But for now this was only a promise, a promise barely heard and not yet understood; a promise of restoration, life and joy.

Fragrance of perfume,

            given in love;

Fragrance of perfume,

            anointing the flesh;

Fragrance of perfume,

            blessing of God.

Fragrance of perfume,

            filling the house;

Fragrance of perfume,

            filling my life;

Fragrance of perfume,

            aroma of grace.

(based on John 12:3)

©Ruth M Gee  

Did you remember? - a reflection for Holy Week

How they looked at me, my children.
Shared moments of love and trust,
eyes meeting, bonds forming,
bonds that held strong
binding me to them for ever,
binding my eyes, my heart, my tears, my smiles.
I feel their arms around my neck,
smell the baby skin,
small fingers pulling gently at my hair.
I remember.

Did you remember precious moments too,
returning to you, sharp and sweet
as you watched him ride into Jerusalem?
Did you feel his arms around your neck
and long to hold him safe?
Did your eyes meet his
binding you in sorrow, fear and aching love,
Bitter sweet,
stirring longing
to ease his journey,
to make all well?

Written in St Mary's Church, Lindisfarne on Palm Sunday 2015, following morning worship and inspired by the icon of the Madonna and Child in that place (pictured above).

Ruth M Gee