Each step is a story (Sunday, June 2, 2013)

Each step is a story

Each step is a story
of our journey; each moment,
a metaphor, deeper lessons discerning-- 
not to be catalogued, but lived to the full;
not analyzed, but allowed to dance,
deep within our souls.

We meet and greet 
other souls as they pass;
it is a lovely dance
of elegance and beauty
when we cherish the other living spirits
with whom we share this path.
Now back to back, now face to face,
smiling, greeting, a soft touch in passing, perhaps:
We are alone and strong and free,
but dependent, too; joined with every other
pilgrim with whom we share
this holy ground.

Knowing this, we become at last like angels,
blissful sparks of hope and love made real;
our hurt and pain diffused in the holy ether, 
not less real, but held now in stronger hands than ours.
Our joy now cosmic, our song divine;
as we approach the center, together,
free at last to the lessons 
that our lives’ stories will gladly teach.

jbs
3/19/02         11/30/03          6/2/13

Weaving the Tapestry of Peace (Sunday, May 26, 2013)

We can be gardeners of a peaceful planet. We can nurture those around us, like we would delicate plants and seedlings. We can be good parents—and good grand-parents—and good adopted grand-parents. We can instill within our children a respect for people everywhere, a love for this good earth, and a deep longing for peace and justice.

We can be artists of inspired talent. We can paint for all to see our vision of the world that can be—a world at peace. We can tell tales of a world without weapons and armaments and nuclear nightmares. We can present ways that make this vision become true.

And we can be weavers. Weavers of the tapestry of peace: a tapestry so large and complete that it can warm even the coldest and most barren spots of Earth.

May our tapestry extend endlessly and even cross the seas… to the lands from where our ancestors have come… to poor lands suffering from hunger and deprivation… to rich lands luxuriating in bounty… They are part of our tapestry, every one.

May the colors of the cloth we weave be so bright and so vivid that in time all human eyes may see it and rejoice. May they not be hidden from any eyes. May they be viewed even in gray and war-torn streets and prison camps and  war rooms. 

We are the weavers of the tapestry of peace. The things we do—the ways in which we act—the choices we make—determine how far our tapestry will extend and how vivid its colors will be. We determine the kind of world we will become.

jbs
1/11/04

A Prayer for Coming of Age Sunday (Sunday, May 19, 2013)

A Prayer for Coming of Age Sunday

Each one of us,
as young or old as we may be,
wherever we are along the circling, cycling way of our journeys,
is part and parcel of this Earth, our home;
we are woven fine for all time in the lives of one another.

So, remember this always, my young friends:
This old world needs to hear from you;
this old world needs the contribution you will make
to strengthening our bruised and tattered web.

And the world needs you not at some far-off date,

some day in the future, when we’re all dead & gone;

the world needs to hear from right now,

with all your energy and joy and spirit and surprise.

So as your journeys unfolds
may your paths be blest;
and as you travel down your way,
may you turn to bless this world, as well:

bless it with the treasure

of your time and talent and gifts and spirit.

So, my young friends:
be patient—but never too patient;

have faith in God, in others, and in yourself;

wait for your season—

But never

let the living moment that is before you right now

die before its time.

Stretch those strong roots of yours down through
this holy ground of earth,

where so many generations have trod before.

And stretch those graceful wings of yours up toward
the vastness of space,
toward the heaven you will build
each day of a life well-lived.

jbs
5/19/13

A Meditation for Mother's Day (Sunday, May 12, 2013)

A Meditation for Mother’s Day

There shines forth from a mother’s face
the greatest miracle of all:
Life in all its glory,
all its story, all its history,
its mystery; divine grace
and natural evolution writ large and manifest,
perfect splendor of dust and stars.

In every mother’s face there lies an epic
of tragedy and joy, laughter and tears
flowing freely throughout all the years
the hand of life has brought.

In every mother’s face there still abide
the signs and signals, emblem and symbol,
of every betrayal, every heroic act,
every friendship, every love,
each and every day a life has seen.

In every mother’s face we know
the pain that can never let us go;
in every mother’s face we trace
the deeper evidence of God.

In every mother’s face the light
of hope shines through darkest night;
in every mother’s face the holy dark
descends, blessed mystery eternal,
with no beginning, with no end.

There shines forth from every mother’s face—
from every human face--
the greatest miracles of all:
the miracles of these lives we call our own.

jbs
1/1/02     1/16/02     5/12/02     5/12/13

"Acts of God" (Sunday, May 5, 2013)

Acts of God

The mighty works of God thunder across the universe

and shake the very foundation of the world.

Yet, in the earthly whirling of our days,

it is usually the still, small voice we need to hear. 

The voice that tells us, softly,

that all our works are not in vain.

That reminds us, gently,

when we stray from the paths of righteousness.

The voice that tells us to open our eyes to the truth

when we would rather  keep them locked shut.

That opens our mouths to speak

when we would remain silent in the face of evil.

When we are truly in God, and God in us,

then we hear that voice, whatever the surrounding clamor.

It is the gentleness that guides us

and binds us in God’s holy ways.

A soft squeezing of the shoulder at times;

a rough shaking of our souls when we need it.

God gives us what we need

when we are quiet enough to ask for it.

In a loving presence

that is often but a whisper:

A mere whisper that shakes the universe

with its power and glory.

jbs

1/11/13          5/5/13

Walking together in love (Sunday, April 28, 2013)

Walking together in love

The ways of the world
can entice and enthrall;
but just as certainly,
can be a bitter gall.

The ways of the world
can gladden our hearts,
but just as surely
keep us apart
from the will of God,
and life in God’s expanding universe.

There is a heaven deep inside our souls
which we make manifest on this earthly plane.
There is the joy of God pounding in our hearts,
transcending all our differences,
erasing all our pain.

The ways of the world never lead 
directly to Heaven’s gate; but the love of God
can transform this Earth, and make it whole and holy. 
God’s love can take the most passionate love
and make it chaste and wholesome;
but without love, the most severe abstinence
is nothing other than an arid wasteland
from which all signs of real life have fled.

So, walk in this world;
live here, and love the creatures that you meet.
But keep your eyes and heart fixed on that which is Divine. 
In the midst of every encounter, every soul you touch, 
there lie encoded the deepest secrets
of that which is eternal and forever true.

jbs
2/25/05     5/22/05     4/28/13

A Prayer for Earth Day (Sunday, April 21, 2013)

A Prayer for Earth Day

Our Mother, Holy Wisdom, draws one breath
and even we who are miles away
are warmed by the glory of Her inspiration.
Our Mother, Holy Wisdom, reaches out
and even we locked-up against ourselves
are immersed in the blessing of Her embrace. 

This Earth is Her body,
and we, children of the Earth,
are Her children.

It really is as simple as that. 

Let us honor our Holy Mother
by loving our bodies made in Her image,
by loving one another as she has loved us,
by loving this Earth, our beautiful and eternal home.

Amen.