Author: Leslie Scoopmire

“You have marked me as holy and beloved,
   and have filled my cup to overflowing.”

“He had no right to expect anything other than condemnation. He had denied his Savior three times to save his own neck, and he deserved nothing more than to be cast out.
Instead, he got breakfast. Breakfast, and forgiveness. There between the white-hot memory of two fires, and three denials.”

“Spirit of Peace, spread the wings of your redemption and grace over all who call upon You our exalted Lord,our Loving Shepherd, as we pray.”

“Then he handed me a hammer. I was confused when he told me to put the rock on the work bench and hit it. But eventually I realized he was serious and did as I was told, not too hard. After a couple of whacks, the thing cracked, and he gave one more expert tap and the orb cracked open.”

“How many times have I read those words and not remembered the next phrase that follows? Jesus, undergoing one of the most cruel tortures a mind can devise, is not merely announcing his death. He is also expressing his absolute trust in God. ‘Into your hands I commend my spirit, for you have redeemed me, O LORD, O God of truth.'”

“So the scene of Mary breaking open her precious alabaster jar and pouring  nard all over Jesus’s feet is obviously a scene of great intimacy and love—extravagant, prodigal love.”

“She appeared again
as I was spinning flax into thread–
poppies nodding at her feet,
the lilies this time an offering
shoulders shadowed
beneath star-flecked wings 
flexed half-open, ready to depart or remain
at my response.”

“The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree which we will hear this coming Sunday reminds us of the certainty of that abiding patience and protection that is an intrinsic part of God’s nature. While others might see our failures, pettiness, and flaws, God sees our potential.”

As in this morning’s psalm, humility before the power of creation is an idea that is profoundly expressed by Hokusai’s vision—and it is one that we particularly struggle with, believing as many of us do that creation has been placed into our hands to be disposed of as we wish. Yet the human power to destroy is nothing next to the power of creation.