God gives words to
the prophets,
to those who will
not be silent,
those who would
call out for justice
who rail against
the mighty,
the corruption of
the powerful;
not to the shy but
to the gadflies
calling out the
arrogant, the unjust,
those who use
their power to oppress.
May we be bold,
confident,
may we be
submissive, a servant,
that we would live
more justly
that we would be
fair in our dealings
with all of our
neighbors;
may we live gently
with other people
all over this
world
to the ends of the
earth.
May the those who
speak, who cry out,
ever be filled,
able,
with the Spirit’s
power
to speak truth
ever, this is our prayer;
that righteousness
would rain down
upon the hearts of
the powerful
ever to be drawn
closer
to the loving heart
of God.
=====
edited March 21, 2015
Not to the silent but to the gadflies – v3
(editing version 2)
edited March 14, 2015
Not to the silent but to the gadflies – v2
edited
March 13, 2015
Not
to power but to mercy – v2
----
July
11, 2010
Flawed
in Our Selfishness
Isaiah
43:18-21
Genesis
1:1-2:4
(read
responsively by the congregation,
speaking
the words of God)
John
13:34-35 (Call to Worship)
Worship
Theme: “Church is a verb, not a noun.”
and
sermon, “Changing the Dictionary, Changing Lives”
by
Reverend Huntley Halvorson
Suncook
United Methodist Church
Suncook,
NH
July
11, 2010
Seventh
Sunday after Pentecost
&
July
8, 2010
Truer
Blessing
Luke
10:29-37
Luke
10:25-28
Luke
10:25-37
The
Good Samaritan
&
Luke
10:1-11, 16-20
Alive
Now Daily Reflections
for
July 5, 2010 to July 11, 2010
for
July 7, 2010
July
7, 2010
&
July
4, 2010
Oppression
Still
July
4, 2010
Free
to be Yoked with You
July
4, 2010
Free
to Serve You
July
3, 2010
Guided
in Our Freedom
July
3, 2010
Living
in Our Freedom
July
3, 2010
Our
Sense of Freedom
July
3, 2010
Which
freedoms do we value
July
4, 2010
The
Responsibility of Freedom
Alive
Now Daily Reflections
for
June 28, 2010 to July 4, 2010
for
July 4, 2010, read July 4, 2010
&
2
Kings 5:1-14
Psalm
30
Luke
10:16-20
Galatians
6:7-10
Psalm
36:5-10 (United Methodist Hymnal #771)
Worship
Theme: “The high cost of freedom”
and
sermon, “The Cost of Freedom”
by
Pastor Ruth L. Foss
sermon blog
meditation blog
“God’s Whisper” blog
Suncook
United Methodist Church
Suncook,
NH
July
4, 2010
=====
July
4, 2010
Shocking
Us
July
4, 2010
The
Pursuit of Blessedness
July
4, 2010
The
Pursuit of True Happiness
July
4, 2010
A
Christian Manifesto
July
3, 2010
written
as a series of poems:
Not
to power but to mercy
-
“Not to the proud but to the
humble”
Matthew
5:3
-
Not to the full but to the empty”
Matthew
5:4
-
“Not to the joyful but to those who sorrow”
Matthew
5:5
-
“Not to the proud but to the humble”
Matthew
5:6
-
Not to the silent but to the gadflies”
Matthew
5:7
-
“Not to power but to mercy”
Matthew
5:8
-
“Not to the world but to the creator”
Matthew
5:9
-
“Not to war but to peace”
Matthew
5:10
-
Not to the Timid but to the persecuted”
Matthew
5:11
-
Not to be praised but to be ridiculed”
July
3, 2010
Radically
Different
July
3, 2010
Challenging
Our Understanding
July
3, 2010
Changing
Our Perspective
July
3, 2010
Our
Happiness Recast
July
2, 2010
Living
as a Blessing
July
2, 2010
These
words of Christ
July
2, 2010
Beatitudes
on the Fourth
July
2, 2010
Our
Happiness
Matthew
5:1-13
Beatitudes
and
email, “Notes from Peter” (Hey)
received
July 1, 2010
“This
Sunday my sermon is titled
“Pursuing
More Than Happiness,”
and
it is based on Matthew 5:1-13.
If
you have a few minutes to read
this
passage of scripture prior to attending the service,
you
might get a little more out of the sermon.
In
this sermon, I want to challenge us all
to
live with greater intentionality and to find
deeper
levels of meaning
for
our lives. Instant gratification can be the
enemy
of faithful living.
Intentionality
is the path to blessedness.”
Wesley
United Methodist Church
Concord,
NH
July
4, 2010
Independence
Day
All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A.
Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011,
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage.
See all 36,680+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.