Ashes of identity

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51:1)

Ashes of identity

A little girl, six or seven, studied my face last Wednesday. What’s on your head? She asked.  “Ashes,” I said. “Why do you have that?” She asked, tilting her head for a better look.

Yes, why did I have that? Why go through this ritual every year?

As a young pastor, I cringed as I marked the foreheads of worshipers with the grim reminder, “Remember that you are dust and to the dust you shall return.” These were my friends, my people, faces I love.

I still recoil, especially when marking the head of a baby or small child, their innocent skin soft and untouched by hardship. They have barely begun to live and already we speak of death. Seems cruel.

But these ashes are not a mere smudge but in the form of the cross of Jesus Christ, expressing the deepest truth of life: All that falls … rises, that which dies comes to new and vibrant life in the warmth of the great love of God, a love that is for all.

Marked with a cross of ash, we know who we are and who God is. We are mortal, and God brings life out of every death we die. We fall prey to our selfishness and egoism, but the arms of the cross embrace us and whisper, “Let it go; you are mine.”

We fail to live out our highest ideals and feel unworthy, and God says, “I will lift you again and again into the fullness of a love that will never let you go.” As Christ was raised from death by the glory of God the Father, this glorious love continues to shape in us the mind of and heart of Christ.

So we wear our ashes without shame or fear, marked by the Everlasting Love who claims us, always knowing we are defined not by our failures but by this great and holy Love.

Pr. David L. Miller

At one

Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:11-12)

At one

I long for you on these white winter days, O Lord.

I want to feel the warmth of your love welling up from deep within so that I know your presence. So I come here, to this place of prayer, where I speak and hear the sound of my needs echoing on the wall. 

I pray my emptiness, my regrets and my fears for those I love, hungry for the joy of simply knowing you. And it happens.

In the middle of a sentence, in a tear that springs to the eye, amid my awareness that I cannot give my heart what is most needed, you come. And in that moment, I know you.

Your heart fills my own, and I know you are pleased to come and fill me with a lightness of being where worry ceases and anxieties evaporate.  

There is only you … quieting my heart and letting me know that you long for my presence even more than I need yours.

So come to us on these wintry days, O Lord, lest our souls freeze hard as the chill winds that make us shiver. Teach us to pray our lives, and interrupt us whenever it pleases you.

We don’t mind. Not one bit.

Pr. David L. Miller

Red’s return

Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; his appearing is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the earth.’ (Hosea 6:3)

Red's return

A sunny day this time of year has us itching for spring. Winter has gone on long enough. We’re tired of coats and eager to see the earth come alive in all its splendor.

Yes, it’s still too early to get our hopes up. Snow will cover the ground again. The temperature will dip lower than we like, but never mind. Hope wells from our depths, stirring impatience and anticipation for the first small signs of color and life to appear and wipe away winter gray.

And it happens. A familiar call interrupts a walk along a well-trekked path.  I hear spring, but cannot yet see it. Nothing in the high branches. The oaks are brown and bare as February can be.

The call sounds again, and I whistle, echoing the call, once, twice, three times, until a confused cardinal replies, likely thinking that’s the sickest bird I’ve ever heard.

But there he is, crimson fire in the low branches, alight against the blue of sky finally clear of winter’s gloom. A nearby female cocks her head at my clumsy attempt to enter her world.

I’m just glad she has entered mine.

Snows will yet come, ice and bitter winds, too. But the redbirds’ return awakens a smile of knowing that hope is not an illusion nor wishful thinking. Their call is the harbinger of tomorrow, the herald of life soon to rise from the cold earth … once more.

The message of hope is written into the fabric of creation, important to remember as we enter our annual Lenten confrontation with mortality and egoism. The message is clear. Never lose hope. Let it breathe.

The truth of Christ is etched in creation’s deepest code. Losses come, mortality is inescapable, and we are destined to fail our highest impulses.

But that which falls rises again, that which dies comes to life under the warm glow of a Love who holds each and every one. I know.

The red birds told me.

Pr. David L. Miller

The place of plenty

Do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?’ They said to him, ‘Twelve.’ ‘And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?’ And they said to him, ‘Seven.’ Then he said to them, ‘Do you not yet understand?’ (Mark 8:18b-21)

The place of plenty

You are the place of plenty, dearest Christ, and you are never far off.

Beneath the roiling emotions of the moment, you remain, deep within, love eternal and unbounded, waiting for us to descend into the mystery of who we are.

That mystery is you, deep within. You are close as our breath, saints of old tell us. But too seldom we believe it.

We confuse ourselves with the struggles or successes of the day, with what we have accomplished … or not, with guilt we carry or wounds that have never quite healed.

But our real identity is eternal and unchanging, even as the emotions of the hour toss us about.

We are the love that appears when we pray, aloud, releasing the tensions of the day into the air. It is then we discover we are something more, something profoundly alive and beautiful.

It is love, the Love Christ is, deep and ever-plentiful, we find beneath our fears and façade, hidden by our defenses and the social clothing in which we dress ourselves.

We should go, often, to this place of plenty, and receive the food which satisfies the soul. The One who awaits you within is Love and nothing but, who wonders why you do not return every day to eat the food that fills and frees your heart.  

‘Do you not see?’ he pleas. ‘I am Love, always there, always enough, always plenty for every need.’

Pr. David L. Miller

The way of we

‘You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister (Matthew 5:21-24)

The way of we

We. This is the most important word for today. Each of us are essential members of much larger realities—families, congregations, communities, nations, relationships of all types.

How we speak and act in these groups affects whether the “we” to which we belong is a heaven or hell, bane or blessing for ourselves and countless others.

Jesus calls us to walk the way of we, not the way of me … that our life together may be seasoned with the blessing and joy God intends for human community. He lays out a way for us that is gracious and faithful to God’s will.

Anger and hatred must not be indulged. They poison the soul and rip families, communities and nations apart. They lace arenas of human care and nurture with bitterness and mistrust.

Measure words and actions by whether they nurture relationships of mutual care and concern. Resist the insatiable demands of ego to get your own way, lest your rights be infringed. 

Seek unity with others. Take the first step to reconcile and make peace where differences divide. Speak simply and clearly that your words may be trustworthy and true (and few), avoiding all deception.

You need not do this to win God’s favor. Christ has already named you blessed, beloved.  Everything that is in him is yours—overflowing grace, unlimited welcome, unconditional forgiveness, living water when your heart runs dry, eternal life when you think life is gone. All yours.

In Christ, the Holy One is creating a new world, the kingdom of heaven. In this community of divine love, the blessings of creation and the fullness of God’s favor are freely shared among everyone and everything.

Walking the way of Jesus, we are Christ’s partners in this holy endeavor, essential members of the great We our Lord is creating.

Pr. David L. Miller

Let it shine

‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

Let it shine

Luciana’s photo popped up on her mom’s Facebook page. The photo was blurry and a little dark, but her unmistakable, toothy grin shined even brighter than the flame on the baptismal candle sparkling in her eyes.

She’s six now, and that candle has been lit on her baptismal anniversary every year since the day I poured water over her head and held up her candle for everyone one to see. The candle burns … reminding her who she is.

She is a beloved child of God, a holy vessel of an everlasting love. The light of God’s joy and love dances in her eyes and illumines the heart of her family … and of our congregation.

Days will come that darken her eyes, when doubts appear, when she imagines she has done something wrong, when she feels rejected or doesn’t feel “good enough.” Moments of sadness will shadow her smile when loss and disappointments cause her to forget how precious and beautiful she is … and how much we need the love shining from her heart.

Whenever happens for her … or for any of us, I hope there is something or someone to whisper the truth: You are the light of the world. The love of Jesus shines in your heart. 

Never forget. This is who you are. So let it shine.

Pr. David L. Miller

Blessed are you

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:1-3)

Blessed are you

Even here, even now, you are blessed, no matter what joy or struggle is yours today. Look and see.

Jesus looks and sees the crowds. They are male and female, young and old, sick and well, poor and, well, most are very poor. He sees beyond outward appearance to the urgency of their hearts, eagerly waiting, hoping to hear something that will bless and fan the flame of hope.

But he sees even more. Jesus sees the everlasting love of God at work in all of life and in their lives. They are blessed, but they do not see it.  

The poverty of their hearts is the presence of God’s Spirit drawing them to the fullness of love that is theirs. Their sadness over losses and painful lives opens their souls to the One who will pour life and love into their hurts.

Their hunger for mercy and peace reveals the Spirit laboring deep within them, crying out for God to heal the cycle of hurt and retribution that has scarred human history ever since Cain killed Abel.

Their thirst for righteousness is a prayer for the kingdom of heaven to fill the world with the very compassion with which Jesus sees the crowds as they gather around him.

The kingdom of blessedness is alive within them, working, praying, aching, crying out, drawing them to the feet of the One who will open their eyes to the everlasting love who heals their hearts and the troubled world they inhabit.

Blessedness is the deepest truth of their lives … and ours. So open our eyes, Lord, that we may see and know blessing you are. 

Pr. David L. Miller

Everyday salvation

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’ (Luke 2:28-32)

Everyday salvation

Hope for more. Every day. Hope to see God’s living presence, fulfilling the divine promise to be present to save you from everything that crushes your spirit and steals joy from your heart.

The Holy One is always present to save. God is a saving God, always and ... in every circumstance. The Loving Mystery invites us to wake each day with a fresh and living hope that today, this very day, we can and will see salvation no matter what else is happening for us.

Simeon goes to the temple each day hoping to see the fulfillment of God’s promise. He wants to hold it in his hands and feel it in his heart. He hungers to be lifted into joy so that he can live and die in peace, knowing God’s faithful love.

Holding the infant Jesus, he gazes into the light of God’s loving presence and knows the salvation God intends for all people. For us.

Every day is a day of salvation. The living, loving presence of the One Simeon held and praised is present in everything that gives life, in every beauty, in every joy, in every moment that awakens love in our hearts. 

God is faithful love who is always present, coming to us in every love ever we ever know, longing for us to open our eyes to see and our hearts to receive the salvation that is ours. 

We experience salvation each time we feel the warm light of love’s presence making us whole and complete. Our circumstances may be wonderful or laced with loss and sorrow. Still, God comes in every love, every hope, every word of peace and promise that we, like Simeon, may see the face of salvation.

Look for this. Every day.

Pr David L. Miller

Not common at all

When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’ (Luke 2:22-24)

Not common at all

Nothing could be less conspicuous—a peasant couple in ancient Palestine doing what the law of their religion required. They go to the temple to offer the prescribed sacrifice.

There was no apparent reason for anyone to pay them much attention. This was routine in their culture, something that needed to be done, and they did it out of faithfulness to the God and faith of their people.

It is impossible for me not to love them as I imagine the two in common dress, bearing their child, ascending the steps of the temple mound—people of the land to whom those better off and better positioned paid little mind.

They remind me of the greatness of small things and the wonders so-called common folk do as they live and love, faithfully caring for children and the everyday needs life lays on their shoulders.

Long it has been said that the most significant things, the most beautiful acts, are done quietly, in out of the way places, by unassuming people … when no one is watching.

Routine, it seems, never is, but is rather the place of greatest loves and care, revealing the most profound faithfulness we can offer each other and the Love who breathes through smallest moments.

Of course, this was no common moment. Those two peasants carried the child who shines with the light of the divine heart. But then, we bear that light, too, our privilege and joy to play a part, however small or unnoticed, in God’s great love affair with the world.

Not common at all.

Pr. David L. Miller

Morning Mystery

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:14)

Morning Mystery

Hands in the sink, immersed, the water hot, dishes from last night and morning’s breakfast. First, the small plates, the cup from which I drank tea, three coffee cups, a glass, a few forks, the knife bearing a trace of peanut butter, the spoon with which I ate oatmeal.

Each washed in the warmth embracing my hands, lifted from one sink to the next, there to be rinsed in water hot from the tap, soap draining off each one until the clear glass bowls glisten wet, ready for the white towel.

Out the window, a flash of red splits the dense, January gray, and perches on the birch, a woodpecker? What are you doing here? Don’t you have someplace warmer to be?

Back to the bowls, the small plates, the cups, each rubbed dry and stacked atop their fellows in the cupboards.

But what is this within? From where does it come?

Amid mundane repetitive motions, daily chore becomes prayer; wordless but undeniable love awakens within and warms body and soul … even more than the water that is grace and balm on winter hands.

A simple task, the mind barely engaged, becomes prayer in itself, love filling the heart and speaking a deep, silent thank you for one’s life.

Neither heart nor mind summoned this moment. It just is. It just comes, unbidden—this Heart deeper than my own filling every inward space, this Love who invites me to love it all, the whole mysterious mess of living, knowing at the heart of it … and at the heart of the mystery that is myself … lives this Mystery.

A holy gift, all of it. Everything. Thank you.

 Pr. David L. Miller

Love’s yearning

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. (Matthew 4:23-24)

Love’s yearning

Hills rise quickly behind the village of Capernaum where Jesus made his home after leaving Nazareth. On the far northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum was a fishing town, a trading town on the border between the rule of two regional governors.

Today, ruins of an ancient synagogue stand 100 meters or so from the shoreline, a few pillars and paving stones weathered and pocked by shuffling feet and exposure to the elements. The lake, blue and wind-whipped on summer afternoons, stretches eight miles wide and extends 15 miles south from this point.

It’s not hard to visualize Jesus walking the shoreline, talking to young men that soon followed on a journey that would cost them their lives and everything familiar to them.

Nor is it difficult to imagine the faces of anxious souls, filled with the kind of yearning only love begets, dragging their broken ones down the grassy hills, golden in summer’s sun, eyes up, alert, eager for this man rumored to have healing power … and a heart to share it.

Imagine their faces, the yearning, the hope, their love for those they drag to Jesus. See, too, the gathering around Jesus, a little community of hurt and hope forming around him.

Jesus’ message is etched in their faces, in the ache in their moist eyes. This is the Kingdom of Heaven, this gathering of those who love, this congregation of love’s yearning for the Love who yearns for us.

Two longings meet at this ancient place, the hope of the broken for life and the heart of the One who is life.

And not just there, but here, too, and now. Wherever human longing meets Love’s presence … the kingdom comes.

Pr. David L. Miller

  

That we may shine

John answered them, "I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal." (John 1:26-27)

That we may shine

He always stands among us, this One for whom we wait, ever near, waiting to be recognized.

We were not present along Jordan’s stream where John, the Baptizer, prepared human hearts and minds to receive the Christ soon to appear. But the Spirit of he who is Life and Love breathes in people and places you do not know, a mystery living among us whom we dare not miss lest we miss our life.

For he is our life; he is Life itself, the source from whom we come and to whom we go when this life is done with us. The soul’s joy and fulfillment, the final satisfaction of our hearts rises within us as we see and know him.

So surprise us, blessed Christ; startle and wake us from sleep that we see and love you in every place of our habitation. Grant that we may know your love in the curve of every smile that lifts our hearts.

Open our hearts to every soul we meet, especially those most in need, for you wait there, eager for us see and love you who are Love … that the everlasting circle of Love’s self-giving may course among us.

Open our eyes to see you in the ebullient blue of sun-kissed winter mornings, even as we wait, impatiently, for earth’s greening to come once more to announce the resurrection you bring to us every morn … and in every moment of seeing you.

We need to wake to your presence and feel you present within us, for you are Life. You are our peace.

So shine, would you please, on this new day. Reveal your face that ours may shine, too.

Pr. David L. Miller

As the year turns, see

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)\

Seeing him

Yes, we have seen glory, the glory of a Love of supernal proportions, and we dare believe this Love is our truest identity, our surest companion and the final destination of our being.

Jesus, the Christ, is the eternal Word God speaks that we may know the grace of the Everlasting Love who is forever for us.

He touched and healed, welcomed and blessed, bled and died, enduring human perplexity and hardness from friend and foe alike, forgiving their worst and inviting their best.

Seeing him enchants the heart, hungry as we are to know a Love beyond all others, a Love that frees from the fears that keep us from sharing the hope and hurt, love and joy hiding beneath the carefully curated faces we show the world.

Seeing him excites desire to know more, feel more, love more and crowd closer to his heart, for there we know we are safe. We know a truth that doesn’t change as the calendar page turns.

He is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

So we offer our New Year prayer to see him more clearly, love him more dearly and follow him more nearly in the year to come. It is this we most need, lest our souls grow cold in this world so desperately needing the warmth of his divine heart … and ours.

And we look for him in the faces of friends and strangers, hoping to see to see some reflection of the Love he is, needing to be reminded that he walks with us even when we are least aware of his nearness.

Seeing him awakens our love for the Love who is our hope every day … and especially as the years turn.

Pr. David L. Miller

Waiting & knowing

There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age …. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:36-38)

We have seen God’s salvation. We have heard the tale once more and imagined Jesus’ infant face in a dark stable.

Having seen him, we remember the tenderness of our own children, tiny hands clutching our finger, the comfort of flesh-to-flesh, wordless love filling our eyes with tears of wonder and praise for the Source of life.

Those moments teach us salvation’s truth, the wholeness of a love that can fill the soul beyond any capacity. This is redemption of our humanity, the awakening of a love that fills every corner of our being, flushing out every doubt, all despair and any cynicism we feel about the emptiness of life or absence of God.

And now, having been touched again by the miracle of his love, we wait. This is our life, the life of faith. We see and know that God is faithful to the promise of presence. The Holy One comes in this child that we may see and fall in love with him that every broken place in our hearts and history might find healing.

We wait and hope, like old Anna, that this faithful God, who loves beyond our imagination, will come to us again … and again … and again ... long beyond our Christmas celebrations.

And like her we pray and watch, doing so as those who know, who have been graced with moments of Love’s fullness redeeming our humanity, forgiving every sin, lifting us from every failing, reminding us that the One who comes will again. 

Every day. Just watch. It’s a promise.

Pr. David L. Miller

Soul secret

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. (John 1:1-3)

The human heart, our hearts, long for unity, for the peace that comes when we rest, one with ourselves, with the Love that we, each, essentially are.

For we, too, are words made flesh, having come to be through him, through this Love who shines in the face of Christ, through the Love that inebriates the heart during this holy season when we become more ourselves than we usually are.

Perhaps it is the act of giving gifts, the excitement of finding (actually, stumbling on) and buying that one thing, no matter how seemingly small or insignificant, which symbolizes the love we know and share with another human soul.

Yes, maybe this is what puts us in touch with our deep inner selves, with the presence of soul that is Christ, the Love who resides in our deepest inner room, waiting release into the world through our words and acts.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock, Christ says in this and every season. He is not outside your being but within, Love awaiting release.

This blessed season—its colors and cheer, haunting melodies of love and longing, the gifts through which we give ourselves—charms and enchants us until we release the anxieties that demand we do more, know more, earn more and have more.

The more we need is already ours, already within, a Love greater than any we’d dreamed knocks on the inner door our hearts, waiting for us to look and see, look and feel, look and know the beauty we hide within, the secret of our souls.

Christ. Christ is the secret of your soul. Deep within, you are the Love that shines in Jesus of Nazareth. Seeing him again, his birth in this blessed season, we see the wonder of God’s face and the face we hide within.

Christ comes, the Love he is, that knowing him, we might know and live the Love we are, at peace, finally, with the secret of our souls.

Pr. David L. Miller

Love … and nothing but

All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.’ (Matthew 1:22-23)

These are days of waiting, working, preparing … and hoping. Christmas is near, stirring hope that the holy season will fulfill its promise.

Moments come when our hearts stand in the open field of their emptiness longing for a moment of visitation, for a surge of inimitable Love to wash over and transport us into the joy and peace that fills the void within.

This season like the year that precedes is replete with noise and the restless rushing about with which we would fill that void. But in this season we are reminded that Love is the only rightful resident of that holy space.

Just so, we want … and need … to be carried away by the lights, by a song, by a poignant memory … by something  … to that space deep within where communion with Love happens ... that for at least one precious moment … we might know Love … and nothing but.

It is then that we know Emmanuel. We may not be able to describe it or say much about it. The Love Who Is has a way of lifting us into the sweet silence of knowing—knowing, too, that there is nothing better or more complete than this knowledge that can never be reduced to mere words.

So the days grow near for us to gaze again at the child who bears Love’s face, to see him in the manger and watch the shepherds in their bewildered stupor, transfixed, as are we, by Mary, his mother, whose “let it be” are the greatest words a human soul can ever say, an abandonment to Love’s holy will.

And we ask, hope and wait for him to fill every void, every dusty corner of our being that we, as she, might abandon ourselves to Love and nothing but.

Pr. David L. Miller

Love’s secret

And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.

 (Luke 1:31)

Love labors in the silent darkness, far from garish lights that blind our eyes to all that is truly holy. Love toils secretly where no one can see, working out its holy purpose that the wonder of every age may appear according to the inscrutable timing of the divine heart.

What was it, Holy One, that you should think, “Here and now, in this girl, I will fulfill my heart’s desire to live among human hearts with a human heart all my own, feeling everything life holds and every fear death stirs?

Your life stirred in the secret darkness of Mary’s young womb—she of no renown, living in a place the world would have forgotten long ago, if not for the child she birthed.

You chose Mary, which should spark a flame of hope in every human breast, especially when we wonder if our lives have mattered … or if they still can.

For in an out-of-the way place, in this peasant girl, eternity entered time. Through Mary, you blessed the world and every moment of history with a light that has never gone out … and never will.

And we who need the light of this child to shine in us, hunger to hear the divine promise to Mary ringing also in our ears.

“You will conceive.” Sounds strange, but each of us is pregnant with the light of God, eager to fill us and be born, bursting out in a love that fills our eyes with tears and our words with blessing for every broken heart and troubled space we encounter.

Sit in the silence and know … the Holy One, the Loving Mystery whom we will never understand, toils in the darkness of your soul, hidden, unknown, until those moments when you feel new life, Love, that is … stirring within for this weary old world, and oh-so blessedly for our own weathered hearts.

Pr. David L. Miller

Say ‘yes’

Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:38)

Mary said, “Yes.”

She didn’t know what would happen to her or to her child. She had no idea of the elation and sorrow the years would bring. She couldn’t know she would experience the most searing pain a parent can ever know. She barely knew who she was at her tender age.

She knew only that her heart needed to say, “Yes,” to this divine messenger bearing strange and unexpected news, a request that comes to each of us, wherever we are and regardless of our age.

Love longs for your consent, your surrender to Love’s will to do in you what only Love can do.

Love, the Holy Mystery, speaks in our silence when the clamor of the daily fades away. In the quiet, we feel and know the whisper of truth … we are made for something more. Made for Love, we are, for this Love who took birth in Mary, the Mother of our Lord.

Nothing else finally satisfies—successes, happy times, the diversions, entertainments and substances with which we distract ourselves from the One who speaks in our silence. Nothing else is enough.

Only Love will do, the Love who longs to be born in you, to fill you, the Love whose voice gets drowned out by all the stuff our culture suggests is “really living.’

We are what we are, beings made by the Love who is born in human form from Mary’s “yes.’  Love speaks in your silence, longing for your “Yes.”

Most us, like Mary, don’t know who we are half the time. We don’t know exactly where we are going, and we haven’t a clue where our lives will end up.

But we know you are Love, Holy One, so please, be born in each of us.

Nothing else will do.

Pr. David L. Miller