February 21, 2015

Mark 1:35

 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 

John 17:20-21

‘I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word,that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.'

I know …

I know why you rose

from sleep, slipping

from the dwelling into

darkness before dawn.

Stepping without sound

in the night watches,

longing for the Love

you sensed in silence,

there to rest, refreshed,

knowing beyond doubt

the Love who is,

Mystery who dwells

not far but near

at soul’s deep center.

Water laps on lake shore,

as you gaze into star light,

pale moon reflecting

on water’s face, sinking

into western sky, its daily

journey near end.

There you sit

not alone, never alone,

knowing always within

this Love, Mystery,

no soul nor sun

can contain, the One

who always is within,

at depth of soul,

interior temple,

waiting for us to come

commune that we may

know and live the lives

of love for which we,

in Love’s Image,

are intended.

You commune in

dark silence, knowing

inner light no darkness

can shut out … ever,

Radiant Love

(of which angels sing),

who dwells in all that is,

deep within, igniting

the flame of hope …

every human soul needs

to carry on,

to live its mission

when days are hard and

future dim, uncertain.

And I sit with you

in early hours, knowing

you stepped into darkness

for the same reason

I come to these keys,

fumbling fingers,

filled with errors,

searching for words

with sounds just right

to speak what is in

this soul …and to it,

heart of heart longing

to know with completeness

what you went out

to feel and know

and there to rest

in the Love who is …

always.

And with tears

and candlelight

I am with you there …

in the silence.

Pr. David L. Miller

February 17, 2015

Mark 1:35-38

 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.’

Into the temple

Gentle chant rises,

reaching for “amen,”

as I wait again for you

to speak, aching …

for you,

for you are the peace

my heart desires

and cannot find.

I follow you into

the dark quiet,

longing to listen

to One who is Life;

sitting with you

in silence, waiting …

to hear echoes of deepest

love, to feel the Presence

of Mystery beyond any

command or control,

Who just is …

there at the heart

of the heart when chatter

of anxious mind falls

away and the soul hears

itself and knows …

it is so much more.

For You are

Abiding Presence within,

formless, hovering, waiting

for us to enter the inner

dwelling, the temple where

you are and are known,

quieting every restlessness,

all tension fading as

we find what the world

of success and failure

cannot give, peace …

passing all understanding,

that comes in the silence

of the deserted place

where we come to hear

and know … you.

Jesus, you left your

quiet place in peace,

knowing this Mystery

whom I can never hold,

yet who is held within

me---not by my choice

or creation--but because

You Are and there is

nothing I can do about it

except to enter the

temple of your dwelling

and know …

what I will never be able

to name.

Pr. David L. Miller 

February 16, 2015

1 Kings 9:11-13

He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?

Silent Voice

Wrapped in a mantle

of silence the prophet

stands humble to hear

the Silent Voice, Being

speaking to inmost being

where truth is known

and the heart hears

what it needs to live

and love, to move and act

knowing for what it is sent.

Wind and fire, storm and

thunder, trembling earth

shake our certainties,

reminding once more

we are for a time only

in this place before we

pass, but for all their fury

these do not close our

mouths and turn us inward

to hear the Voice who

spoke us into being.

In blessed silence

we hear you beyond the

world’s clamor and storm’s

fearsome roar, Deep calling

to deep reminding us that

you want us to hear and

know … you, knowing, too,

the sweet tears that come

only when soul’s depth

is touched.

And these tears?

Joy, each the joy

of knowing you 

want me … that I am 

not and never alone, 

that you who speak 

in silence hunger

to be known by me, 

needing me, too,

for holy purpose

known only in silence

where you speak, sending

me­--uncertain, halting,

wounded and longing--

back into the clamor …

knowing you,

O, Silent Voice,

the Love who speaks

as I lie in the silent darkness.

Pr. David L. Miller