Thursday, October 18, 2007

Her Picture With Me

Before the bag is packed,
a bit of work to do, to prepare myself
for this time away, this time for study
for meditation, for prayer
A time to gather the things
the clothes, the books,
I will need
A picture of her,
big, bold picture
her smiling face
will go with me,
be with me there

October 18, 2007 2:28pm

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Trumpets of Glory
















Unworthy


Lord, I wandered in the wilderness
You saved me even though I am a sinner
I stayed away from your church,
You saved me even though I am a sinner
I strayed away from the faith of my youth
You saved me even though I am a sinner
I thought I didn’t need the church
You saved me even though I am a sinner
I lived my life outside of a faith community
You saved me even though I am a sinner
I did my own thing
You saved me even though I am a sinner
I was lost
You saved me even though I am a sinner
I violated your commandments, your laws
You saved me even though I am a sinner
I have sinned against my neighbor and against you
You saved me even though I am a sinner
You brought me back to the flock
You saved me even though I am a sinner
You welcomed me in
You saved me even though I am a sinner
You gave me a home in your church
You saved me even though I am a sinner
You taught me Your Word
You saved me even though I am a sinner
You gave me gifts beyond measure
You saved me even though I am a sinner
You showed me where to serve
You saved me even though I am a sinner
Help me to never stray again
You saved me even though I am a sinner
Amen.

October 14, 2007
Prepared as part of a class project,
to write our own Psalm of praise
Middle High School Sunday School,
Wesley United Methodist Church,
Concord, NH

The Apostle's Creed

Our church is using a book, "The Apostle's Creed for Today, by Justo L. Gonzalez, as the basis for our Fall Neighborhood Groups. Based on reading the Introduction, the first three chapters, and the chapter titles, below are over 25 poems parsing the language of the Apostle's Creed. I am sure more will follow over the next few weeks.

The Holy Catholic Church

One church, universal, inclusive
and loving, even when we try to separate
and judge one another.
I believe in the catholic church
and our place in the one body,
the one home to all believers
within the arms of the Son
not the walls of a church

October 17, 2007   1:29pm
The Holy Catholic Church
part of the Apostle’s Creed

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 38,190+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.



Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth

All powerful, above all, the one from the beginning
before the beginning of time, ever present, to the end of the age
This is the God in which I believe, in which I give my life,
in whom I trust. The Almighty God of Moses, of the rainbow,
of the trials of the forgetful people, saving us when we fail
The source of life, the breath of life, who parted the water
and made dry land, and all that is on the face of the earth
In His hands I am clay, and to Him I bow

October 17, 2007 1:27pm
part of the Apostle’s Creed

At the Right Hand of God

The Son, the holy Word
seated at the right hand
of the Father, the Creator
A way of understanding
the relationship, the single entity
the being that is God,
to the extent there is a sense of a body at all
For we only see that which our eyes see
that which we can quantify, touch, experience
So much more beyond that
beyond human understanding,
so easy to understand that idea,
because of the new discoveries of science each day
Seated at the right hand,
the favored seat, of the family business
What better advocate
than the one who walked to the skull
climbed the cross
to atone for our stain

October 17, 2007 1:23pm
part of the Apostle's Creed

Seated at the Right Hand

I can picture the temple of the Lord
the home of God and his courts
to see the throne of God, to touch the hem of His robe
to talk with the Son, my brother,
my savior, seated at the right hand of the Father,
to thank him directly for the awesome gift
of His sacrifice. Oh, if only I have that chance
to kneel and praise His name
face to face

October 17, 2007 1:18pm
part of the Apostle’s Creed

Conceived of the Holy Spirit Born of the Virgin Mary

The sublime mystery of faith
the one way He could have come into the world
to be wholly human, truly divine
the Word made flesh, by the Spirit
dwelling as man, saving by being God
a vessel broken, the lifeblood spilt
Fulfilled through the means
of his holy birth

October 17, 2007
part of the Apostle’s Creed

Sterilizing

Source, Word and
Holy Spirit
Three things, dry, lifeless words; but
Meaningful words, of faith
trying to explain the wholeness
of the one that is called God,
the three in one, by what they are
the Source of life,
the Word made flesh
the Holy Spirit living within us
all boiled down essence
of the persons that make
the person of God

October 17, 2007 1:03pm

Jesus Christ His Only Son Our Lord

Jesus of Nazareth, is the Christ, the Messiah
the one Son of God, the incarnation of the one God
the image of God made man, the love of God,
the Word of God given breath.
In Him there is all hope, all faith
all love of God, in the words of the law, the prophets
all the words, given meaning
in human form; but fully God

October 17, 2007 12:57pm
part of the Apostle’s Creed

I Believe in God the Father

He is the creator, the eternal father
the one there at the beginning, before the beginning
the one there who stilled the chaos,
who conjured the world and all that are in it
who saved the people, over and over again
who made the rainbow and the covenant
who is there, the Godhead,
the king of all kings,
lord of all, for all time
loving, supporting, saving
all of us,
waiting, with grace
for us to approach His throne

October 17, 2007 12:52pm
part of the Apostle’s Creed

Suffered under Pontius Pilate

The human Christ, the king on earth
a servant, a sacrifice, after
the transfiguration on the mountainside
the prayers in the Garden
the cup to his lips,
falling under the authority
of the empire,
the instrument of our saving
suffering under the hands
of leaders, of their agents
in the holy lands
A week after the parade
the palms, riding the donkey,
the pain and humiliation
of the crown and the cross

October 17, 2007 12:43pm
part of the Apostle’s Creed

Functionalizing

Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer
Names of the Trinity
avoiding the patronymic
the male language
that separates many from God
the loaded language
But losing something
in the translation in naming
the roles of the one God
For God needs the personalization
the relation of human forms
of images we can relate to;
but without the formalism
the distance of
the male faces of God
to see the richness
in the way God relates to us
and to the Creation
from the beginning of time
to the present moment
where the Spirit lives
and acts
through us

October 17, 2007 12:28pm

Crucified

The fact, the truth, the certainty
of the pain, the shame, the depth
of the cross, the crucifixion
of our Lord. His death
for our sins. The Lamb
on the cross, not the throne
dead, limp, hanging on a tree
Darkness,
His blood rent from the flesh

October 17, 2007 12:20pm
part of the Apostle’s Creed

On the Third Day

After darkness, confusion, loss
we arise, He arose
on the third day
The morning when Death
lost its sting
No longer the irreversible truth
the end of life
He arose
on the third day
And That is what matters
For in His rising
We arise

October 17, 2007 12:17
part of the Apostle’s Creed

He Will Come Again

The fulfillment of the scripture
is not yet done
for He will come again
That is the promise, the hope
for us all
That He will come again
and finish the work He began,
that we continue
until all are able, reconciled
to God, if we believe

October 17, 2007  12:12pm
He Will Come Again
part of the Apostle’s Creed

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 38,170+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Paternalizing

Father, Son, Holy Ghost,
Three Guys, for many, three white guys,
sitting in judgment, patriarchs with beards,
flowing beards, without a recognition
an understanding, of the limits of our vocabulary
maleness of the nomenclature, the naming of God
missing the richness of the creator, the sustainer,
the redeemer, in the language of the maleness
of our names for God
God is, not merely Father,
a single sexual organism,
for if God was,
why would there be man and woman
both in the image of God
We are so far from God
we cannot understand
how to describe God
We need three images of God;
but that is too limiting,
in the face of the vastness,
the unimaginable vastness
of God

October 17, 2007 12:10pm

I Believe in the Holy Spirit

I believe, I have seen, I have witnesses
the Holy Spirit, alive, living in me,
in answer to prayer, in calling me to testify,
in the fingers typing word of love, of poetry
in direction to specific scripture,
answering questions of life,
I believe in the Holy Spirit
present in the world, in my life, now, today!

October 17, 2007 12:03pm
part of the Apostle’s Creed


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. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 27,940+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

He Rose Again

Easter morning, oh Easter morning
We praise you Father, God in heaven
for that morning,
when our sackcloth,
our mourning clothes,
gave way to wondrous white
rising from the grave, from the dead
rising on high to the glory above,
we rise because
He rose again!

October 17, 2007 11:58am
part of the Apostle’s Creed

Ascended into Heaven

He, the Christ, Jesus, the very same,
ascended into Heaven
Glorious Day!
On the wings of the cloud
He rose beyond sight
beyond comprehension
to His heavenly home
That is where He waits
until the timing of the Father
To return
to complete His call
to bring His people home


October 17, 2007 11:55am
part of the Apostle’s Creed

To Judge the Living and the Dead

When He comes again,
it will be with the fanfare, the trumpets,
the fury, the wonder
that the people expected
the last time,
when He came as a man,
as a servant,
as a sacrifice
He will come
to judge
to cull and to separate
To bring his flock home
to the greener pasture
the city of God

October 17, 2007 11:52am
part of the Apostle’s Creed

The Communion of Saints

The fellowship of believers
throughout the thread of time
woven together into one tapestry,
the face of God to man
We are part of a sacred whole
made stronger with each thread
added to the fabric,
the communion of saints
while we are yet sinners
in need of saving

October 17, 2007 11:07am
part of the Apostle’s Creed

Dead

Dead, cold, without life
a beating heart stilled
laid down in the tomb
the blackness sealed about him
the stone rolled into place
cementing the grave
So was our Lord, our Savior
before the resurrection
a mortal life spent
lost on the cross
a life given for us

=================
edited July 16, 2019
Dead – v2

October 17, 2007 11:05am
Dead
part of the Apostle’s Creed

All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com)  for usage. See all 50,770+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Apostle's Creed, apostles, Christ, creator, cross, Easter, Faith, God, Good Friday, grave, Holy Saturday, Holy Week, Jesus, life, Messiah, poetry, resurrection, salvation, savior, tomb,


#ApostlesCreed #apostles #Christ #GoodFriday #grave #heart #HolySaturday #HolyWeek #hope #Jesus #life #Lord #Messiah #NewHampshire #poem #poetry #redeemer #resurrection #salvation #savior #sharing #stone #throne #tomb #yoke,

He is Coming to Judge

We don’t always want to remember this part
of our creed, the part with the judging,
for while all are called, no all answer,
and not all who answer,
are true to their faith
He is coming again
to judge those who have left
the mortal coil
those living at the end of the age
at the moment of the gathering
We are to living in our belief
to keep our oil full and our lamp lit
to be the feet of the servant
while we live
waiting expectantly
for the bridegroom

October 17, 2007 11:02am

Buried

Oh Joseph, where would my Savior be
without your stone tomb,
where would He have been laid down
if you were not there?
He died on the cross, bearing my sin
dead, and buried,
dormant, waiting, for the fulfillment
of the prophets, the joy coming
buried in the stone
behind the rock

October 17, 2007 10:54am
part of the Apostle’s Creed

Life Everlasting

At the beginning was God,
at the end communion with God
life everlasting, in the kingdom
the kingdom of God
eternal home, eternal rest
waiting for us
if we only believe
For our sins will be washed away,
and we do not fear the reaper,
the fire. We will be brought home
for life everlasting

October 17, 2007 10:48am
part of the Apostle’s Creed

The Resurrection of the Body

As He rose, as himself, his body,
so we will rise, as pure,
holy, versions of ourselves
At the final day, the end of the season,
the harvest home, we will be brought up
out of the darkness,
into the light, reborn

October 17, 2007 10:45am
part of the Apostle’s Creed

The Forgiveness of Sin

The washing away, the cleaning
whiter than white, purer than pure
beyond comprehension;
We will be forgiven!
all our sins, all our failings
a nullity, expunged, as if
they had never happened
made whole once again
able to walk with God


October 17, 2007 10:42am
part of the Apostle’s Creed

He Descended to the Dead

Wrapped in the clothing, the apparel
of the dead
He descended to the Dead
down to Sheol
He was before his rising
the rejection, the triumph over death
He was yet its captive
in servitude its slave,
falling to the pit
the cold grave

October 17, 2007 10:29am
part of the Apostle’s Creed

Trinitarian

Three in one
the trinity, a triangle
giving the thought
the mystery
dimension, depth
meaning, in the symbol
the interrelatedness
the whole, the pyramid
in communion,
living together,
providing form and substance
to that which is
beyond comprehension
a God who is Father,
Son, Spirit,
who was before there was
and is beyond the end of time


October 17, 2007 10:04am

A Patience Flower

An abject lesson in patience
is the flower outside our doorway
planted when the spring was young
watered, tended, nurtured
through the spring, the summer,
into the cooling of fall
bursting into a single bloom
in the middle of October
just days before frost
will come into our world
Watching over this flower,
waiting for its blooming
wondering what fruit it will bear
all summer long

October 17, 2007 8:56am

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Feeling Her Hug

Feeling her hug
against me, so quick,
so sudden, so real
for me a moment
to treasure, repeated often
at the corner
moments of closeness
of greeting in a personal way
coming together at the end
of her school day
a walk to the house
back warm inside
and a debrief on the stuff
of her day

October 16, 2007 15:56pm

Beam Walker

Like any good gymnast,
she holds her arms just so
straight and taut
walking oh so carefully,
at least the first few feet
on the edge of the sidewalk,
up on the curbing, the granite edge
of the street
walking on the face of the beam
avoiding the sidewalk,
the drop to the street
Moving quickly down to the bus stop
for her older sister
Each afternoon

October 16, 2007 3:52pm

Skipping to School

Little hands holding mine
skipping to school.
All three of us
Matching strides,
and the all-important
swinging of the arms
down the sidewalk,
downhill, skipping to school

October 16, 2007 3:48pm

A Cranberry Maple

Nothing other than cranberry,
well, maybe candy apple,
could describe the maple on the corner
Ablaze in saturated red
deep, almost burgundy,
like a burgundy on naugahyde,
not leather, this color stayed on the surface
ready to ooze into my rods and cones
to leap from the leaves, if I wasn’t careful
to splash and lap into my consciousness
break me from the focus
on the trip to the store,
the to do list back at the office
Snapped my attention for a moment
to the beauty of the day,
a gift from the creator
bright blue and vivid red

October 16, 2007 12:05pm

Catching the Wind

The morning glories,
in afternoon glory
shining in the bright fall sun
luminescent, transparent,
translucent colors
bleeding through their skin
bouncing, blowing, swaying,
lurching, in the gusts, the puff,
the pulses of wind
Trying to catch the wind
its dominion over the blooms
in the lens of my camera
to still the motion, to capture
the dance of the flowers on the vine
in the bright fall sun
the beautiful dance
of the trumpets

October 16, 2007 8:54am

Choosing Our Words

So easy to say things that will hurt
to cut down when we should lift up
to judge to quickly, blurt out a thought
choose our words wisely
for words hurt, more than sticks and stones
for we hear the words and
cannot help feeling their cut, their sting
So, we must be mindful, careful
deliberate in speaking
words of love

October 16, 2007 8:49am

Monday, October 15, 2007

Blog Action Day - A Hammer Blow to the Ice

Maybe the metaphor shouldn’t be
pebbles thrown into the pond;
maybe the more apt analogy
the hope, and the trepidation
is the idea of a hammer blow to the ice
thin and melting, or just growing perhaps
the hollow thunk and shock waves below
the faint then growing thunder
of the cracks building, splitting,
shards of jagged edges,
calving without apparent order
crushing, falling into the ice stew
to ponder and explore

October 15, 2007 1:14pm
Blog Action Day
http://www.blogactionday.org/

Blog Action Day - Ripples on the Water

A rock thrown in the pond,
full force, or maybe, just maybe,
thousands of pebbles, hurled, dropped,
even gently coaxed into the water
ripples, reverberating, echoing,
growing into a groundswell
a tsunami, if even have force
to change the face of the planet
to change the discussion
at least for a day
onto on topic
where we live
the place
we call
home

October 15, 2007 1:09pm
Blog Action Day
http://www.blogactionday.org/



All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 26,920+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

In Exile

What does it mean
to be in exile,
when there is no foreign army
no conquering horde
coming over the battlements
when the season of exile
is in the commonplace
where you thought you belonged
where life took you
adrift on the path
you thought was your chosen one
when others altered the map
the chart, the heading for the sails
and shoals were in your way
brackish water on the left
a storm on the right
hung up on the rocks
waiting for the tide
or a different wind
to change the stagnant now.

October 15, 2007 12:25

Teach Good Writing

The post, "Embrace All of Life" has a comment relating to the site, "Students Publish Here"

Here is that site's first post, explaining its purpose:
http://teachgoodwriting.blogspot.com/2007/03/about-this-blog.html

Blog Action Day - United for Change

A common theme
a single voice
people united
for change
for the planet
Speaking on message
for a day at least
remembering the earth
upon which we dwell
sharing a vision
for a better tomorrow
speaking up now
before we lose even more
acting and writing
so no one forgets
we need
everyone’s commitment

===
edited October 16, 2014
United for Change – v2

Blog Action Day poems
October 15, 2007 5:56am
United for Change
Blog Action 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. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss
for usage. See all 32,840+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

America, Blog Action Day, Christ, creator, earth, Faith, giving, God, hope, Methodist, Nature, UMC, Poetry Where You Live, sharing, voice, inequality, poverty, water, justice, neighbor,


#BAD14 #blogaction14 @blogactionday12 #inequality #America #God #love #grace #mercy #hope

“In It for the Long Haul” - sermon by Ruth L. Foss, Sanbornville United Methodist Church, October 14, 2007

Jeremiah 29: 1, 4-7


Have you ever been at a place in your life when you felt all alone? You are in this desert place and feel that you are out there with no help, no support, and no one seems to care or even hears your cries of pain. You are wandering around with no direction. You are feeling as if you are in exile from the world around you. You start to wonder why you are where you are, what brought you here, where is God in all this? Where are you going to find the peace you need to carry on?

In today’s passage from Jeremiah, Jeremiah is writing to the exiles in Babylon. He is at home in Jerusalem and they are being held captive…in exile…in Babylon. Oh how the Israelites must have longed to be home with Jeremiah in their homeland. But Jeremiah’s message is one of hope for them. They are told that even though they are in exile, God will watch over them…God is there for them…God will give them peace.

Regardless of what is going on around us, the data that we take in that might cause us despair, God will for our well-being. In the Jeremiah scripture…God, through Jeremiah…tells the people to build, plant and eat. They are told that they are to increase their families. How can they do this while they are thinking of home…being back in Israel? They needed to be content with what God had given them. They were in exile because of their sin of disobedience. They needed to realize that and make good of the bad situation that they got themselves into. God would be there for them and protect them as long as they did as God told them to do. They needed to pray for the leaders of Babylon and pray for peace for them. Now I am sure this must have been a difficult task for them since these people are the ones that held them captive. What a lesson in praying for your enemies. But if they did this…they would be essentially praying for their own peace. If something bad happened to Babylon…it would inadvertently affect them. If they pray for success in Babylon…for their enemies…they too would be successful in their land of exile.

In Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles…the blessings the Lord offers if the possibility of good and well-being in the midst of judgment and punishment. In reading scripture…we can see how God has provided for His children even when He has passed judgment on them…the Lord made cloths for the disobedient Adam and Eve…God but the mark of protection on the murderous Cain…even though the Israelites wandered in the desert, longer than they should have and the original people could not enter the promised land, God provided for them. The list goes on! In the midst of exile there is a possibility of life…a possibility of survival.

The people in exile would not find peace and well-being in resistance and rebellion but in submission and prayer. It was not found in returning home, land and family but in settling into exile and building homes…farms…and families. The exiles were not to pray for the peace of Jerusalem…their home town…as the Psalmist says in Psalm 122:6, But for the peace of Babylon. For the people who rule over them. There is an assurance that the divine blessing of fertility, well-being, productivity, and regular provision of the possibilities of life even in their exile.

The exiles are charged…instructed…called upon…to now in this new and difficult place, assured by the command of God that life is possible, that home and family, food and shelter, the things that support and keep human beings human, are possible – over the long haul. They were going to be there for a while and needed to make the best of it. The Creation blessing found in Genesis 1:28a…Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…continues even in exile. God is in it for the long haul and His promises endure forever.

This reminds me of a poem that my husband Ray wrote…It is called “A letter from Home”. It is about Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles in Babylon. It reads:

Before the final fall of the kingdom
the home of the king,
the Temple of God
A message of hope,
a call to sincere faith
of the struggle to come
A letter from home
The prophet speaking
of faithfulness to the people,
the priests, the leaders
in exile in a foreign land
Build homes, marry
bear children and multiply
pray for the city where you live
your place for this season
known by God
where you have been placed.


There are many cases…situations…throughout the Bible that we see God in it for the “long haul”…of God’s providence for His Creation even though we have turned away so many times…
- God provided for Adam and Eve even though they sinned with their disobedience. He made the first sacrifice for sin with the innocent blood of animals for clothing for them.
- God’s power was so great that Israel’s enemies cringed before them.
- God turned the sea into dry land so that Israel could pass through o foot.
- God provided manna, meat and water for Israel even though they whined the whole time.
- God provided Israel…and us…a law to live by and even though we have broken that law so many times…God still cares for us.
- God provided Judges to fight Israel’s battles and win. Unfortunately…after the Judges died Israel sinned again. But…they cried out to the Lord and were sent another Judge.
- God provided His people guidance through the Prophets and even though His people would listen for a while and then turn away…God kept providing Prophets for His people to learn through.
- God exiled Israel to foreign lands but still provided for them even in exile. God told them to be fruitful and multiply where they were and God made sure that the people of the promise didn’t perish in their exile.
- God provided a way for redemption through His son Lord Jesus…another and last sacrifice…even though we didn’t deserve it.
- God provides for us daily if we but only ask.
It seems to me that God has been in it for the long haul for a very long time.

How do we truly know that God is in it for the Long Haul? We know it because of God’s prevenient grace… grace given to us before we even know or realize we need Him in our lives. This is a grace given, unconditionally, to all of God’s creation. A grace that watches over us, provides for us and brings us to a realization that God is there…calling to us in the wilderness saying “sinner come home.” God is ever present…ever searching for the lost ones…not wanting anyone to be excluded from His grace.

How should we react to this wonderful gift of grace? By responding with faith. Even with the faith the size of a mustard seed…we can say to that mountain “Move!” and it will be moved. Faith in knowing that we have a God that will be with us when ever, where ever, how ever we need Him. He is just there waiting for us to call upon His name and be saved…be delivered from exile. Faith that even when we are in that place of exile, during our wilderness journey, He is working out His plan.

Let’s look at how Abraham acted out of faith…Abraham was told to pack and go to a foreign land and he did it…no questions asked. David went up against the giant Goliath with 5 stones and a sling shot. Faith was his biggest weapon. By faith…Mary accepted God’s plan for her life…to bring His Son into the world. Sure she had questions of how it would happen but she accepted this responsibility knowing God would help her through. Peter had faith enough to walk on water but when he looked away…when his faith waivered even for a moment…he began to sink.

We need to walk by faith and not by sight. You may be wondering about this walking stick I brought with me today. My husband Ray and my daughters made it for me for one of my Undergrad classes. It was a hiking class and they didn’t want me to slip and fall. Written on it are the words “We walk by faith not by sight.” It is a daily reminder for me that God is in control. I need to have faith in the Creator. God is with me walking right beside me…ever present…all knowing…all seeing.

As Christians we need to take this piece of scripture to heart. We walk by faith not by sight. When we see the fallen world around us and don’t understand why things are happening as they are… We walk by faith not by sight. When we are in the desert place of our journey with God and can’t feel His presence…hear His still small voice… We walk by faith not by sight. When all seems dark and dreary around us… We walk by faith not by sight.

I would like to end my sermon with another poem written by my favorite author…It is called “Multiply There.” It reminds me of Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles but it also reminds me of what we should be doing as we a exiled from our heavenly home…our one true home.

For the chosen people
the people of the first covenant
the covenant of blood
told by God, to multiply
in their time of exile
to multiply the people of faith
For us, the people of the new covenant
the same call to multiply
our numbers in exile
in our foreign land
this time in the wilderness
before we come home
to the New Jerusalem
multiplying our numbers
those with whom
we fulfill the call,
to share the good news
to make disciples
more sheep for the shepherd
more people of faith


May we always remember that God can make good out of bad situation and that in our times of exile…our wilderness journeys…that God is always in control…even when we can’t see it.

AMEN

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Anger or Acceptance

An exile in Babylon,
first of the leaders,
to avoid rebellion,
later all of the people.
A psalm of anger, of hurt
of bitter lament, of railing at their fate.
A letter of hope, of trust, of faith
leaning on the will of God
Two choices of the people
anger or acceptance
to remain in covenant
to the promise in the garden
and on the mountainside
Acceptance
and trust in God
every day and wherever we are

October 14, 2007 7:59pm
Psalm 137
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
and the sermon “Serenity, Courage and Wisdom”,
by the Rev. Peter Hey, Concord, NH,
Wesley United Methodist Church

A Message of Acceptance

A letter to the people,
his people in exile,
of acceptance to their lot,
this season in exile,
as willed by the creator.
To make the most of,
to thrive in, a foreign land
to be accepting of their station,
their captivity, their defeat.
To see the faithfulness of God,
the wisdom of being happy
in their time and place.
To bear children,
honoring of God’s promise
and praying for your enemy
Accepting their lot

October 14, 2007 7:53pm
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
and the sermon “Serenity, Courage and Wisdom”,
by the Rev. Peter Hey, Concord, NH,
Wesley United Methodist Church

Embrace All of Life

Even in exile, in that time of trial,
that struggle far from our comfort zone
far from home and safety,
we are to embrace all of life
the hard and the happy
the pain and the peace
because we are God’s children
and He loves us
and will hold us up
and gather us in
if we are faithful
and believe


October 14, 2007 7:47pm
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
and the sermon “Serenity, Courage and Wisdom”,
by the Rev. Peter Hey, Concord, NH,
Wesley United Methodist Church


All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 20,750+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

On the Brink

On the brink, the edge,
the maw of the pit,
the edge of the precipice,
looking down into the abyss
Okay, so maybe we can rationalize away
a bit of the reality that is global warming;
maybe we aren’t all going to be
staring into the maw of disaster;
but we won’t really know
until it is too late, will we
We won’t be able to fix anything,
after the ice is gone
We won’t be able to correct the problem
when the grain belts are deserts
When the monsoons and the waves
flood the coastlines
beyond human recorded history
We can act; but we must do so
while the trend lines are a problem
not after they reach their conclusion

October 14, 2007 7:43pm
Genesis 12
Global warming and climate change

A Reckless Disregard

Mankind, blind to its own ambitions,
its own desires, blind to the consequences
global consequences to our choices
our hubris, leading to a fall, of planetary dimensions
so many crises of our making, of our decisions
with long-term and lasting results, changes
in our earth, in the ground, in the ice
in the climate swirling around us
warming world, nuclear waste buried
under ground to bubble for millennia
Polar ice caps at all-time lows
land for living to be lost
with the rising tide,
not raising all boats;
devastating the third world
(as if there was more than one)
The piper is waiting to be paid.
Whoa to us if we don’t pay,
as Hamelin discovered.

October 14, 2007 7:33pm
Global warming and climate change

Danger, Thin Ice

In hearing the stories
about the ice sheet
up in the arctic, on Greenland
on the ice shelves
on the bottom of the globe
talk of ice thinner than before,
across the board, and final
reminding me of the signs
each winter on more local waters
where thin ice is a warning
real risk, dangerous rescues
So to with these news reports
scientific findings, up above
the arctic circle
Thin Ice, be careful,
we are on thin ice

October 14, 2007 7:25pm
A Planentary Emergency
is global warning. Since the middle of
this summer, we have had a cascade
of reports, harbingers, clarion calls
to action, to stop this slide
if we can

Appropriate Praise

The lepers, the exiles,
needed to make
appropriate praise
to the Lord, for their saving
even in their exile, their disease
they were to give praise
to their God, for providence
for His watching, saving
bringing them through the trials
praise in all things,
in all situations

October 14, 2007 7:12pm
Psalm 66:1-12
Luke 17:11-19

Gumdrop Maples

Like nothing other than gumdrops
the rounded tops of the colorful maples
adorned the side of the street
on our drive to church this morning
radiant in the morning sun
below the royal blue of the sky
the reds and yellows, the orange
colors of the trees, like candy
covered in sprinkles, festooned
with bright patches,
bright and eye catching
a quilted confection

October 14, 2007 7:06pm
Gumdrop Maples

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 38,280+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.