Poems for Sunday, August 10, 2025
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20. Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16. Luke 12:32-40.
A Life Holy Inspired by Isaiah 1:1, 10-20. Sometimes confined by apex wants, the desire to have faith that is ornate and decorated— we risk missing what is pre-required. A life holy is not soaring in the clouds, untethered from what seems like muck. Rather It walks—slowly, carefully—listening, seeing people and breaks with the breaking, broken world. It waters wilting flowers. Perhaps this simplicity bores you. Criticizing, "Why can't it be otherwordly?" But consider this: Jesus walked the earth, tended to people— often the ordinary— like a gardener concerned with plants and weeds. Press pause. Stay rooted in the soil of this earth. ---
Have Faith Inspired by Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16. Even without cruelty, the days can be heavy— their many crossings and constant changes, how they twist and pull. I'd rather take the easy way out. But what makes a life reverberate with the Eternal? How does my little life ring on in memorandum of God? How can I arrange, and focus, the right details? The millions of them, constant, persistent. The nameless preacher says: seek another country. Be at odds with what is, be foreign to status quo. Have a quarrel with the vision of today for the promise of one better— see it, though unseen. Live knowing it is on the way. Have faith. --- Untangling "Nots" Inspired by Luke 12:32-40 Fear not. Worry not. Be anxious not. That’s a lot of “nots” for someone like me who tends to be frenzied. And yet— what more is there to do when my daily, though familiar, self-defenses are found mistaken and flawed? The Redeemer says, clothe yourself instead in the fabric of the Kingdom— woven like lilies, more radiant than those exalted in the public's gaze. Let the quiet confidence of God’s steady care become the calm you carry. Set your sights far enough. Keep the lamp of your heart lit. For the One who promised is already on the way— and the One who comes is faithful.
Note on Isaiah: When reading the prophets in the Hebrew Bible, we sometimes mistakenly assume they had no interest in fasting, observing special feasts, or other spiritual practices. In one of Dr. Jacob L. Wright’s lectures at Emory University, he explained that this is not necessarily the case. Instead, the prophets were pointing out that their audiences had forgotten what God required at the most basic level—justice, mercy, and right relationship—before engaging in other religious obligations.
A similar theme appears when Jesus teaches about giving offerings and tending to relationships: “Leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5) Jesus is not discouraging offerings, but he insists that they should never come at the expense of reconciliation. This is why I chose the word “pre-required” in my poem: we often desire what feels special or unique while neglecting what is essential. Helping our congregations recognize this can put other spiritual disciplines and practices into their proper perspective. While these practices are good, they must never hinder us from sharing Christ’s love and grace with those in our communities who are most vulnerable.